Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GOVERNMENT MINISTERS HAVE reacted to Táinaiste Eamon Gilmore’s claim that ‘austerity hawks’ have attempted to use Ireland as a kind of economic experiment.
In an interview with the Financial Times (subscription required), Gilmore said that the proposed €3.1 billion in cuts in the forthcoming budget is not needed to achieve the stated deficit target of 3 per cent of GDP by 2015.
“We will not let the Irish economy become some type of economic experiment for austerity hawks,” he told a Dublin-based FT reporter. “Austerity alone is not sufficient for economic recovery or social stability.”
The Labour leader went on to say that the Government should not pursue any further cuts beyond what is required of the Government to introduce.
“The only argument that has been put forward for (€3.1 billion in cuts) is: ‘Let’s see how far you can drive the speedometer.’ Well, we are not an economic experiment in this country,” he said.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton was asked about the Táinaiste’s comments while on a referendum campaign walkabout today and defended the work of the Government before agreeing that there has indeed been a degree of ‘experimentation’ during Ireland’s bailout process:
Yes it’s true that there has been a degree of experimentation and learning here but I think that the Irish Government has managed that process well and has negotiated big improvements in the conditions and they have been part of our ability to turn employment to a more positive direction.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar would not be drawn on the Táinaiste’s words saying he would rather read their context before commenting.
Speaking on the approaching budget, Minister Bruton said that no decisions had yet being made by cabinet:
The Government is yet to make decisions at cabinet. We know there are views coming from the Independent Fiscal Council, there are alternative views coming from organisations like TASC and obviously it’s the duty of the Government to asses both submissions from people but also the objective evidence and make decision based on the very latest information.
In the same Financial Times interview the Táinaiste also hinted he would like to see that former ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet called before the Oireachtas inquiry into the banking crisis. Minister Bruton was also asked about that prospect:
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Think you will find they are not. You think the public finances are bad now. They would be orders of magnitude worse off in the case of unity. Add that to the almost certainty of a civil war in the North. Thanks but no thanks.
@Dave Connolly: agreed, there would definitely be a civil war if that happens anytime soon. As much as it would be nice to have a united ireland, I’d much prefer to be separated if it ment innocent lives saved.
@Dave Connolly: David McWilliams says the exact opposite to you. He says that Ireland would thrive with unity. No disrespect to you Dave but I would take the word of a very accurate economist such as McWilliams over you any day of the week.
@Dave Connolly: “Economist and commentator David McWilliams has said Brexit has made a united Ireland far more likely, and that reunification represented a huge opportunity for the North with no downside.”
https://irishplan.net/reunification-now-more-likely-represents-a-huge-opportunity-mcwilliams/
@James Beattie: In fairness, McWilliams hasn’t been right about anything since 2008
@James Beattie: here’s another view from the experts. It appears as though opinion is heavily divided on the cost/benefit. One thing is for sure, the security budget would go through the roof. Employment would also be interesting with 1 in 3 people working in the UK public sector.
@James Beattie:
There would have to be a peaceful transition to unity to have any economic effect.
@Mickety Dee: Any examples to back up your comment? He was ignored by FF in 2008 and look what happened, the biggest crash in almost a century resulting in the taxpayers bailing out a banking system that was allowed run riot.
@Mickety Dee: I presume you are trying to wind a few up on here. McWilliams is one of the leading economists in not only ireland but Europe. He is bang on the money.
@Dave Connolly: as long as the people of the North continue to vote for the parties of conflict ( SF and the DUP) the North will always be a sectarian pit. Until the likes of the peace Wall (gas a Wall built to stop two communities from attacking each other called a peace wall) Any one who thinks a united ireland would work is mad
@James Beattie: we get it, you wear David McWilliams pyjamas to bed at night.
@John Moloney: better than wearing a Union Jack one like you kiddo
@Chris Mc: I always knew I was mad.
@James Beattie: why? have you a problem with people choosing to wear union jacks? its the small comments like this that show just how difficult any unification would be.
@alan: never said I have a problem with it. More reading and less commenting would suit you much better
FF & FG have had 100 years of power between them in Ireland, wouldn’t it be nice if they put that ‘experience’ to use by entering their own candidates into future elections in the six counties to make a difference or would they prefer to remain on the fence? Surely there are members & supporters of both parties who would prefer our island to be united rather than occupied. Just throwing it out there.
@GrumpyAulFella: Think it’s 1 in 2 up the north.
@Dave Connolly: it’s a century or two before the bigots on both sides are out of the picture, by that stage we’ll be abandoning low lying land cause of rising sea levels and taking in millions of migrants cause of unlivable areas of the planet, Irish unity won’t be a priority then survival will be.
@Pat Barry: that’s even more scary.
Good. Nor should they. We’ve enough problems with 26 counties never mind the sectarianism rife in the other 6.
Thousands of people aren’t waking up at all, thanks to the SF and Unionist murder gangs.
have your say