A Green Party initiative to try and get an all-party approach to the economy appeared to collapse yesterday when Taoiseach Brian Cowen refused pointedly to endorse it.
Mr Cowen declined to back the proposal and instead suggested the Opposition parties should come forward with plans which could be considered by the Government.
Mr Cowen said political consensus on the budget would be welcome but he ruled out detailed talks with the Opposition and suggested they come up with their own proposals.
The Taoiseach said the Opposition would be facilitated by having Department of Finance officials made available to them to prepare any costings for suggestions they might have. “If as a result of the briefing and analysis and costings that are done, we can have meetings on that and see in what way any of it might be incorporated, certainly we’d look at that constructively.”
However, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan speaking in Washington last night gave a more nuanced response, saying it was important to seek as broad a consensus as possible about what needed to be done.
Asked if he was excluding the forum being sought by the Greens Mr Lenihan said: “No, we’re not excluding anything. But there has to be a step-by-step approach here. And the first step has to be the Opposition informing themselves of the position and the second step has to be the common analysis of the problems.”
He said that without that common analysis it would not be possible to look at what actual decisions should be taken.
Mr Lenihan pointed to the commitment given by the Opposition parties to accept the target of reducing borrowing to 3 per cent of GDP by 2012.
“That’s now a common property of the political system. That is a huge start in terms of building a common position,” he said.
Fine Gael last night accused Fianna Fáil and the Greens of creating unhelpful confusion over a “national consensus” on the economy at such a crucial time.
Labour said talk of a national consensus was merely an attempt to keep Fianna Fáil in power. Party leader Eamon Gilmore said Labour would be prepared to talk to anybody in the national interest but he maintained that talk of a national consensus was an attempt to keep Fianna Fáil in power. He repeated his call for a general election: “We need a new government . . . with a mandate from the people.”
Fine Gael frontbench spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said Fianna Fáil and the Greens were creating confusion on the economy at such a crucial time. “Brian Cowen has firmly slapped down John Gormley’s call for a secret economic talking shop,” he said.
Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh said the idea of some type of national consensus could be looked at, but only after a general election. He said the Government was only looking for consensus now after it had made “a hames of the economy.”
A spokesman for the Greens last night insisted Mr Gormley’s proposal is still capable of being developed.
It became clear that the initiative was not taken by Mr Gormley on his own but had the backing of the Green Party. Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan supported the idea of an all-party forum in view of the seriousness of the crisis in the public finances.
Green Party TD and Minister of State for Agriculture Ciarán Cuffe said on Twitter: “Now for some canvassing and an opportunity to see how people feel about a national consensus on the economy.”
