Economy: Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has called on Fine Gael and Labour to tell voters what they stand for, claiming that the policies of the current Government were what was required to maintain economic prosperity.
Speaking to reporters at the Fianna Fáil meeting in Cavan yesterday, Mr Cowen said several times that Ireland had the strongest economy in Europe, and insisted that only the policies of the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrats Coalition would ensure this situation continued.
He said Ireland had come through the economic downturn of recent years and still had virtually full employment. The rest of Europe had unemployment rates of up to 10 per cent.
"Thankfully, the policies this Government has been implementing since we came back into office in 1997. . . are enabling this economy to grow at a faster rate than any other economy in the European Union. The question is how do we sustain that situation going forward," he said.
His emphasis on economic management arises from Fianna Fáil voter research.
This shows that while voters question the Government's competence on a variety of issues, they trust the current Fianna Fáil /PD Coalition to manage the economy better than the Opposition parties.
Mr Cowen went on: "This Government has devised economic policies that create the wealth and the revenues enabling us to do things that the Rainbow could never do because they didn't have the right policy mix that was appropriate and right to do it."
He said the reason there was spending on health and education was that Government policies were ensuring there was the economic prosperity that allowed it.
"If the [ Fine Gael/Labour] alternative is going to come forward, let them come forward on the substance. Simply deciding to meet down in Mullingar for another cup of coffee to commemorate the last cup of coffee they had in Mullingar won't be sufficient for a sophisticated and intelligent electorate."
He called on the Opposition to define: "What it is they want to stand for, what it is they are going to do, how the figures are going to add up . . .
"They will give us a 10-point plan that I'm sure will sound very nice to us all, reminiscent of something they did maybe 32 years ago [ in 1973 when the Liam Cosgrave-led Fine Gael/Labour coalition was formed], and then decide they will have a programme for government afterwards."
He predicted Fine Gael and Labour would not win enough seats in the next election to allow them to form a government.
The Green Party and possibly Socialist TD Joe Higgins and other independents would therefore have to have an input into that government's policy too, he said.
Their policies would have to maintain competitiveness and growth in the economy. He called on them to join a public debate on how they would do this.
In relation to short-term economic prospects, he said the increase in oil prices from $37 a barrel last year to $57 or $58 a barrel last week would have an impact on Ireland's economy.
"If higher oil prices were to be a feature in the medium to longterm, that clearly would have some impact on world trade patterns, and clearly as an export-led economy like ours that feeds back into our domestic situation."
Asked if he was talking up the impact of oil prices to reduce backbench expectations of a "giveaway budget", he said:
"I don't believe in giveaway budgets, if you are suggesting that my job is simply to appeal to some short-term environment and put the longer-term health of this economy at risk. I'm not prepared to do that and this Government isn't prepared to do that."
In relation to the recent controversy over high prices, fuelled by the Rip Off Republic series, he said, "the earnings capacity of people in this country has greatly increased and outstripped the increase in prices".