FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has said his party is ready to deal with the economic crisis and he called for an election to liberate the people from “the stranglehold of despair” created by the Government.
Mr Kenny told the Fine Gael annual presidential dinner in Dublin on Saturday night that when the Irish people gave a mandate to a new government it would unleash the optimism and ideas of the Irish people.
Speaking to more than 1,000 party members and supporters at the fundraising dinner in the Burlington Hotel, Mr Kenny said Fine Gael was focused on the future and ready for an election, which could happen before Christmas or next spring. “Let me confirm to you that Fine Gael has done the hard work and is now ready to lead the way in restoring our country’s fortunes. We have people who will lead. We have a team that will not lie down in the face of this challenge. And, most crucially, we have the plans.”
Mr Kenny committed Fine Gael to cutting the budget deficit to 3 per cent by 2014 and accepted the need for a four-year fiscal plan.
He said the party’s finance spokesman Michael Noonan would meet the Department of Finance officials on Wednesday as part of the Fine Gael budgetary planning process.
“We will achieve these budgetary targets not just through the usual spending and tax measures but by supporting economic growth and job creation. We know we cannot tax our way to economic recovery or health in the public finances.”
Mr Kenny gave a commitment that Fine Gael would not raise corporation tax and said that he had made that clear to his colleagues in the European Peoples’ Party.
He said that it seemed to have escaped the notice of those in Government that the financial crisis would never be fixed if the economy did not return to growth and the job crisis was not fixed.
“We’ll get credit flowing by establishing a new small business loan guarantee scheme, as has been successfully introduced in many other countries – most notably Chile and Taiwan. Fine Gael will be launching a detailed policy document in this regard shortly and we will seek cross-party support for this measure in the Dáil.”
He said that in government Fine Gael through its NewERA plan would create over 100,000 jobs by putting in place an €18 billion investment stimulus in the vital arteries of our economy like high speed broadband, clean energy and water which would be financed in part by selling off those State assets that were no longer needed.
Mr Kenny repeated the commitment of Fine Gael to reforming the political system by reducing the number of TDs by 20 and abolishing the Seanad.
“A Fine Gael government will operate in the people’s interests. It will not be the prisoner of big business, powerful unions or any other vested interest. Our only interest is the public’s interest,” he said.
He added that the political system would have to be made more responsive and effective in tackling the wanton waste of public cash.
“I am determined that this scandalous waste of public monies is eliminated. We will also eliminate significant fraud in the welfare system and, finally, we will take on the white collar criminals with the same energy and determination that any threat to our society is pursued.
“The law of the land will apply, and must be seen to apply, to every section of our society. And if the law isn’t strong enough to do this we will strengthen it further.”