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IT WAS ALWAYS going to be this way.
Four years ago it was envisaged that having done the heavy lifting and implemented most of Fianna Fáil’s four year plan, the Fine Gael/Labour government would be in a position to offer a succession of tax cuts and spending increases and position itself to win re-election in 2016.
The plan went somewhat awry last year when a series of blunders and missteps resulted in the two government parties pretty much screwing up everything and having, by common consensus, an ‘annus horribilis’.
Such was the damage that Fine Gael and Labour inflicted on themselves last year, there was an urgent sense within the coalition of the need to regain the initiative and outline to the public the reasons why it should be re-elected.
Opposition parties, particularly Fianna Fáil, make much of the coalition’s love for spin, strategic leaks to friendly media and flashy announcements.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterThe opposition look distinctly unimpressed #springstatement pic.twitter.com/I0aDHoy31B
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) April 28, 2015
They’re not wrong. This government LOVES a jobs announcement, a press conference to say how great they are and, this week, days of Dáil debate to ensure every coalition backbencher gets an opportunity to say how magnificent they are.
“We. Are. Great,” was one Fine Gael backbencher’s succinct tongue-in-cheek summary of the events in the Dáil moments after Brendan Howlin concluded his statement. Another joked that Enda Kenny was off to the Áras such was the government’s confidence in its own excellence.
The statement itself was undoubtedly a PR exercise. There was very little in terms of detail beyond revised economic growth forecasts, a commitment to as much as €1.5 billion in spending increases and tax cuts in the next budget and plans to resume public sector pay talks.
Hugh O'Connell / TwitterMichael McGrath isn’t wrong: "A self-serving exercise in congratulating yourselves and people will be deeply disappointed.” #SpringStatement
— Hugh O'Connell (@oconnellhugh) April 28, 2015
This was the opening salvo in what could be one of the longest general election campaigns in Irish political history.
For the coalition, there is much work needed to convince voters they are worthy of re-election on the evidence of last weekend’s opinion poll.
Putting aside nearly all normal Dáil business for the entire week to outline the achievements of the last four years and make vague promises about the next five years isn’t enough to convince the public.
Opposition attempts to paint it as an exercise in vanity will likely have more impact on many people tuning in today – if they even bothered at all – than the government parties saying how great they are.
Nothing of what Micheal Noonan or Howlin said in the Dáil yesterday will have any tangible benefit to voters right now. They won’t feel the effect of further tax cuts until January of next year at the earliest.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterBrendan Howlin literally running through all the deadly things the government has been doing over the last few years #SpringStatement
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) April 28, 2015
But they’ve been told, in no uncertain terms, that there will be more money in their pockets over the next five years if they stick with this lot. Of course, all of that is dependent on economic growth being more or less maintained at its current levels of between 3 and 4 per cent.
But there are plenty of voters who have given up on this government having become thoroughly fed up of the spin and bluster from coalition figures. For many, water charges was the last straw. They’ve now entrenched themselves with the Anti-Austerity Alliance and Sinn Féin. Others are drifting back to Fianna Fáil and may have been enticed by some of the centrist policies unveiled at its Ard Fheis over the weekend.
In announcing its plans for the next five years, Fine Gael and Labour have not only tied their fortunes to each other and outlined an economic manifesto for a second term, they’ve put it up to the opposition parties to come up with the alternative.
The election is on. Over to you Gerry Adams and Micheál Martin.
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It was nothing more than a cynical ploy to take the heat out of FGs latest and greatest scandal with siteserv, and their completely unacceptable decision to allow KPMG to effectively investigate themselves.
Anyway, it backfired spectacularly. Two half assed damp squib speeches followed by an absolute evisceration by the opposition for 2 hours. I’d encourage anyone with the time to check out the contributions from Catherine Murphy, Clare Daly and RBB in particular.
Not work today WJ?
If Jammin says so – it must be true. Raging to see Jammin and his peers not say anything positive. This has completely black fired. I’m away to a dark room to drink whiskey
Don’t forget your water pistol.
It was a fairly exceptional piece of planning if they organised it months in advance of the Siteserv controversy just to take the heat off…
It was actually dreamt up in the darkest days of the IW farce when they were grasping for ways to save their skin. The mood in Gov buildings now though is that they’ve weathered the IW storm and so can save their powder for the October Budget.
Contrived, cynical and pointless. But not related to Siteserv.
@ Firas: There were informal discussions months ago around the possibility of issuing a spring statement. But the date and timing i.e. after it being exposed that noonan misled the dail, he immediately after this being raised in the dail, gets to give a speech effectively giving himself a vote of confidence, has siteserv scandal written all over it.
Jamming you think they were going to issue the Spring statement in the summer?
Who said they were going to issue one at all? They haven’t the last 2 years despite also having to issue their report to the EC. THere was talk they were considering it, then all quiet except for a few loose comments. Then we get leaders questions cut short on the day noonans head was on the block, followed by a party political electioneering broadcast instead of a financial state of the nation, which it should have been.
Baz – Don’t forget to get the Letterkenny Bus – now don’t miss it ???
They are trying to tell us that things will be better in a few months time. They are trying to take our minds off how bad they as a government actually are. I hope Siteserv serves to quicken the date of the election. Now we know that even Noonan is not above criticism, he is just as culpable as the rest of them. Election quickly…..PLEASE!
Some of us still remember Noonan as minister for health.Trust me he was always a scheming little hoor.Remember his handling of the Hepatitis C scandal ?
This video is a reminder of the past and present.All they do is lie https://youtu.be/aEIWNtb41k8 this video does not exist ._.
John, I worked on some of these cases. Respectable mothers in their forties were being grilled about whether they had any tattoos or piercings. Ditto on “the numbers of their sexual partners and the nature of their relations with them “. I mention this because the women’s medical records showed the batch number and the dose of agent administered to them. The authorities had every contaminated batch number – therefore it was incontestable that these women had received the contaminated products which had caused their illness, and yet the state continued to batter them
Same with the haemophiliacs. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
I was one of those who took a case myself.Got a letter after donating blood to say that I had it.Scary stuff and I won’t let Noonan of the hook for his part in it.Watching him hound those dying women to intimidate others into not taking cases was the first time Id seen what my own government was truly capable of.I will never forget that lesson and I sure as sh*t won’t forgive.In my opinion Noonan is a lying two faced savage and it should never be forgotten.
Why Fine Gael and Labour kickstarted their re-election campaign 10 months early because with the latest scandal emerging with siteserv and irbc it will probably be earlier than that.
Sorry….but I can’t forget Enda’s contract with the people….although he seemed to forget it immediately on election last time.
It did a 3 point turn along with his 5 point plan and drove off in the direction of Berlin.
They can peddle their lies and false promises elsewhere.
I believed them and put my faith in them once,never again.
Suddenly it’s “Fianna Fails 4 year plan”.. Yeah…thats what you were doing!
“We were just keeping the seats warm”
Trying to distance themselves from what they were paid to do – act as members of a Sovereign Government.
Instead they acted as a mere regents
of the EU & IMF
#neverforget
The wizard of oz hasn’t a patch on this shower of wasters and the grand wizard Enda can try pull as many strings and levers as he wants. The people are no fools and wont be taken for a ride again.
They will not be re-elected,,,,, they never have and never will. BETCHA
It’s like watching darby o’gill and the little people
It’s durrty o’gill now, and he’s loaded!
We have a massive €180billion deficit. Any tax cuts are just another way to dig us deeper in to the hole we are already in.
We’ve a €6bn budget deficit?
Would you prefer no tax cuts?
OMG they think we can be fooled . There 100 advisors have told them the public are not happy so you will have to try something to fool them again maybe a 6 point will do. 6 points = 2 own goals
@john ryan..i remember noonan also when he was minister for health.a pathetic human being he was and still is
Getting back to promises is there any evidence across the country to show any signs of the new housing initiative promised by this shower months ago having started yet. Ive heard that the local councils haven’t received any funding from the promised millions.
Because the election will take place in less than ten months time.
What has it got to do with enda, noonan and burton. They cant make plans further than next year when they will be signing on are working on jobbridge, not that you would be hard pressed to find any job they would be suitable for.
Politicians holding a news announcement to say what they may do. I’d not trust a single word that comes out of Noonan’s or Howlin’s mouth.
10yrs wouldn’t get them back in government .. Liars & thieves
Hugh, might it be in the hope that we have forgotten the past? The fairly recent past as well as the distant past.
To answer the question posed in the headline, panic!
FFSF etc have already kick started there election, no reason why FG shouldn’t follow. As a Government supporter I was a little disappointed with lack of detail about tax cuts tbh!
You support false promises, savage cuts to services, lies, cronyism and corruption all for the benefit of the few rich friends they have? Bigger fool you.
Household charges , Water charges , universes chatted ……charges…..charges……charges …..
There is a very importing issue that both government parties need to address.
It is great that the government is trying to encourage Irish emigrants to return.
However, we do need to look at Ireland’s immigration policies and the enforcement of such policies.
Has Ireland’s refugee system become immigration by another name?
Did you hear the Marian Finucane program?
(Sunday 26 April – listen to podcast at
RTE Radio 1)
One of her guests was given refugee status in Ireland.
He arrived in Italy by boat, travelled to France, crossed by ferry to England, was detained in England and deported to Italy.
Again he travelled to France, again crossed to England, travelled to Scotland, then to Northern Ireland and then to Dublin and claimed asylum.
He was given asylum in Ireland and then he brought his family from Africa to Ireland.
This Irish asylum system is complete joke!
We need an honest open debate on this issue!
have your say