The Government is like a "rabbit caught in headlights" because it is devoid of energy and ideas to solve crises facing the country, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said today.
In a speech to the Humbert Summer School at Ballina in his Co Mayo constituency, Mr Kenny called for decisive forward-thinking action from the Cabinet or its days in office could be numbered.
“The problem is that this Government has been so long in power, it has run out of imagination, innovation and creativity,” he said. “Like a rabbit caught in headlights, it does nothing, sees no possibilities.”
In an attack on Mr Cowen’s career as minister for finance, Mr Kenny said: “He was able to convince the public that he was a tough-talking action man, when in fact he was slavishly colluding in Bertie Ahern’s policy of appeasement, of caving into one vested interest after another.
“Of surrendering the future to buy the present. In good times, you can get away with that. In tough times, appeasement comes home to roost.”
Mr Kenny warned that rescuing the country from the economic downturn required more than token spending cuts. “The Government is silent on how it intends to help the tens of thousands of people currently losing their jobs.”
Mr Kenny also said Fine Gael would end stamp duty loopholes for wealthy buyers, landowners and developers and press banks to make more credit available.
Mr Kenny said people in responsible positions should be fired or demoted when they fail to serve the citizen, and that Ireland should be a world leader on environmental protection, including flood protection.
But Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea dismissed the Fine Gael leader's speech as "the same old assortment of tired, vacuous, redundant arguments".
"Interspersed with these inanities, is the same old motley collection of tasteless, vulgar, personal insults - all this delivered by the same tired puppet with the same people in the background jerking his strings," the Minister said.
"Nobody in this country believes for a single moment that the ‘Dumbeldore’ of Castlebar is capable of waving a magic wand that will instantly transform the Irish economy while the rest of the western world remains gripped by the sharpest economic downturn in recent history."
"It is regrettable that Enda Kenny by implication has derided Social Partnership by calling it an appeasement . . . it is even more regrettable that he should deride our engagement of thousands of extra special needs assistants, nurses, teachers, gardaí."
"What I find particularly risible is his suggestion that we bought the last election," Mr O'Dea added.
Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd later retorted in a statement, accusing Mr O'Dea of stooping to "ignorant name-calling".
Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary reminded the summer school audience that Mr Cowen was the first unopposed candidate for the top job in 50 years.
“Brian Cowen earned his spurs by years of hard work and diligence, by being one of the outstanding intellects of his political generation whilst still retaining the interests of people at heart," he said. “He earned it by stellar performances across five challenging ministries and he maintains that respect and support today.”
Also addressing the summer school, Labour Party deputy leader Joan Burton said the Taoiseach needed Dr Who’s time machine to make a fresh start and avoid the spectre of an international credit crunch, soaring energy prices and the construction slump.
“If Fianna Fáil put its reputation for competence up for sale on eBay today, I doubt if they could get a single serious bid,” she quipped.
Ms Burton claimed Mr Cowen’s first 100 days in office demonstrated “his indecision, and his fatal tendency to make bad situations worse as his handling of the Lisbon referendum displayed.”
She added: “Suddenly Irish politics is about to get interesting and competitive.”
Additional reporting PA
