Madam, - The assertion in your Editorial of May 20th that Fianna Fáil won the last general election by offering the voters a continuation of good times is partisan, misleading and simplistic.
A month before the election we stated that, if re-elected, Fianna Fáil would "spend less, borrow less and tax the Irish people less".
We also stated that, as a nation, we could not tax and spend our way to providing more employment and better services. The tax, borrow and spend route which was advocated by the opposition parties was clearly rejected by Fianna Fáil and by the electorate in the general election.
The Fianna Fáil manifesto projected a larger deficit than either the Fine Gael or Labour manifesto. Indeed, the central plank of our election campaign was that, on economic issues, the parties that had brought Ireland to her knees in the 1980s were not a credible alternative to Fianna Fáil.
The performance of these parties since the election has vindicated this position.
Not one single policy proposal on health, education or the economy has emanated from Fine Gael, Labour or Sinn Féin since May 2002. In the midst of a global economic downturn, political parties without policies can make only one credible pledge to the electorate: P45s for everyone. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN O'DONOGHUE, TD,
Minister for Arts,
Sport and Tourism,
Dáil Eireann,
Dublin 2.
Madam, - Fianna Fáil's denial that it broke pre-election promises (The Irish Times, May 19th) is a hoot. But what is of greater concern is the very clear message emerging that it is "managing an economy" as opposed to running a country. The excuse put forward for the wholesale slashing of services, hospital bed closures, etc. is prudent management of the economy in "the changed economic circumstances".
Here is one simple question that the Government now might try to answer. How can it justify the implementation and the continuation of the SSIA scheme? On its own admission it knew from July 2001 that "more difficult waters lay ahead", yet it went ahead with this crazy scheme that serves only to widen the gap between the rich and the less well-off and is sucking billions out of tax revenues.
It is obvious that this Government is being influenced by right-wing fiscal dogma that cares little about people and the great fear is that its legacy will be a society fragmented and at odds with itself. It would not be possible for a party that holds such values to be elected to power; the PD's know this well. Therefore misleading the electorate was the only way to win the election.
That the electorate are now getting wise is to be welcomed and the local elections of next year will provide a golden opportunity for votes to register their anger. - Yours, etc.,
JIM O'SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.