TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has told his parliamentary party that the public expects the Government to take tough measures to shore up the economy.
Mr Cowen, in an indirect reference to the Irish Times TNS/mrbi opinion poll published last Friday, said that notwithstanding the dramatic fall in support for Fianna Fáil and the coalition, difficult choices would have to be made.
Mr Cowen was speaking at the weekly meeting of Fianna Fáil TDs and senators.
Government chief whip Pat Carey said the Taoiseach did not dwell on the opinion poll in his closing remarks to the meeting but thanked his colleagues for their “solidarity” during testing times.
“He said that we need to stand together and the Irish people expect us to stand together,” said Mr Carey.
He said no member of the parliamentary party had made any adverse comments at the meeting about the findings of the poll which put Fianna Fáil at a historically low 22 per cent, lagging behind Fine Gael and Labour.
A number of TDs and senators also expressed sharp criticism of remarks made by Bank of Ireland chief executive Brian Goggin last week in relation to his salary, which he said would be “less than €2 million” this year. “The mood at the meeting was one of abhorrence of what was said on TV,” said one deputy who wished not to be named. “We conveyed the anger of the public in relation to bank salaries. There is a feeling out there among the public that they want to see heads roll.”
