Kenny says Government is 'Mother of all Rip-Offs'

The Government has been accused of losing touch with reality and of being remote, arrogant and complacent by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny at his party's national conference in Cork tonight.

In his keynote address to delegates  Mr Kenny said the next election would be a contest for Ireland's future. He said that even though Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world, people are being let down in terms of services and quality of life.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny

Describing Goverment as the "Mother of all Rip-offs" he accused them of picking every pocket in the country with 36 stealth taxes and singled out recent rises in electricity and gas bills as examples. "For the last two years Fine Gael set the Rip-Off agenda. We led this debate with a quarter of a million of you logging onto our website - www.Ripoff.ie - to tell your stories.

"Isn't it time to stop State companies taking the consumer for a ride. Isn't it time to stop the government using them as silent tax collectors?"

Mr Kenny also criticised the coalition parties for wasting taxpayers' money. "Think of how many patients we could treat with the €160 million wasted on PPARS?

"Think how many Gardai we could have put on our streets with the €60 million squandered on e-voting?"

In a hard-hitting speech, Mr Kenny told the party faithful that he would not tolerate waste or incompetance in any Fine Gael government. "No Minister will run amok with the people's hard-earned money," he warned. "Anyone responsible for the equivalent of PPARS will be shown the door".

In setting out the party's policies, he said Fine Gael will reform the way money is spent in government, with performance becoming the acid test of budget allocations.

He also promised that the party is committed to a low tax economy. "This year alone, the Exchequer will take in a billion euro more than expected."

Health prevention is set to become a priority under a Fine Gael government according to Mr Kenny who promised to establish a National Screening Programme along with free GP care to every child under five, which he said would cost less than 50 million, or "less than e-voting."

Mr Kenny also told delegates that the party is committed to reducing anti-social behaviour by introducing tough legislation to make parents more responsible for their teenagers, along with a stronger enforcement of existing laws and putting gardai on the streets where the trouble is.

In terms of Ireland's obligations on emissions he said it was time we "got real" and thought about rebalancing the equation towards renewable fuels.

Mr Kenny told his party that the Irish people would soon face a stark choice - "the old guard of Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein - those Rip-Off Republicans. Or those who want to change Ireland for the better. Fine Gael and the Labour Party."