THE Fianna Fail leader strongly defended his ministerial record yesterday. Responding to the Taoiseach's criticism of him, Mr Bertie Ahern said: "I have much, much experience and really I would not like the campaign to demean itself into people shouting about who did what."
Speaking to journalists while campaigning in Cork, Mr Ahern said if Mr Bruton was down to name-calling, he was not going to compete with him.
"But I would remind him that he was the only Minister for Finance since the foundation of the State who held the office twice and could not put through a budget."
The Fianna Fail leader said he had led the negotiations relating to structural funds in 1989 and 1993, which yielded the State more than £12 billion. He had represented the State as president of the EU Social Affairs Committee and had negotiated the Maastricht Agreement.
The Taoiseach, he added, had done quite a good job as president of the EU.
Pressed further by journalists to respond to Mr Bruton's remarks, Mr Ahern said: "God bless him. I hope he does not get too distracted.
"There are eight days to go in the campaign, and I am running a good campaign. It seems as if the Taoiseach is hiding in his office and shouting down to the media. I am not really going to respond."
