Finance Minister Brian Lenihan continues to be short on specifics of how his Government intends to tackle job losses and Ireland’s public finance crisis and chooses instead to take refuge in vague and ambiguous proposals, leaving us to wonder what exactly the Government is doing apart from publishing discussion papers.
The minister talks at length about the Government’s “Framework for Economic Renewal”, which we were led to believe was a stimulus package to kick-start the economy. But instead of a recovery plan in December, we got a ‘discussion paper’ packed with woolly proposals and lacking concrete initiatives.
This indecision and inaction on the part of the Government is exacerbating the meltdown in our public finances and intensifying the recession. If the situation were not so serious, the Government’s recent actions would be laughable. It is simplistic to put our loss of competitiveness down to labour costs. The minister neglected to mention the high energy and property rental costs that his Government has allowed to spiral out of control.
Ireland has the necessary resources, skills and knowledge to steer its way out of economic turmoil. What we need is a detailed recovery plan that prioritises job creation through labour intensive public infrastructural projects. Action is needed to reopen credit streams to smaller businesses and tackle the decline of Irish manufacturing. And above all, we need leadership and a sense of direction, both in short supply from a lacklustre Government.
Arthur Morgan TD (Sinn Féin)
Dundalk, Co Louth
