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Leo Varadkar promises to cut taxes for middle income earners and bring in paid family parental leave

Addressing the Fine Gael Conference this evening in Cavan, the Taoiseach said his party would solve the housing crisis.

6354 Fine Gael_90529023 Leo Varadkar accepts the plaudits of the crowd before beginning his speech this evening Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

IN HIS FIRST speech to a Fine Gael conference as party leader, Leo Varadkar has promised to reduce taxes for middle-income earners by raising the standard cut-off point.

In a departure from tradition, the Taoiseach delivered his speech at the beginning of the conference due to the scheduled Saturday speech clashing with the Ireland versus Denmark game tomorrow evening.

Addressing a packed room in the Slieve Russell Hotel in Cavan the Taoiseach said it is “not fair that people on middle incomes pay income tax at the highest rate”.

That means the state takes almost 50% of everything you earn above that threshold, including any overtime you get, any pay increase you earn, or any extra hours you work. That’s not fair, and we’re going to change it. Fine Gael believes in rewarding work.
So in the budget we raised the standard cut-off point, and we will do so again in the next one – and the one after that – and the one after that.

Making life easier for families is a priority for his party, he explained, stating that he believes in a greater “work-life balance and workplace flexibility”.

Shared parental leave

Pointing to the introduction of paternity leave, Varadkar said Fine Gael want to go further by introducing paid family leave that can be shared between parents in the first year of their child’s life.

“We are determined to make it a reality. Because the family is the basic unit of society,” said Varadkar.

Continuing to increase the minimum wage and enhancing employment rights is also on the wish list, as is ensuring that every worker is enrolled in a personal pension fund.

The Taoiseach used his speech to pledge that his party won’t stop until it solves the housing and homelessness crisis.

He hit out at “critics and cynics” who claim the housing crisis won’t be solved.

“I don’t believe them. Yes, there are major challenges with housing and homelessness, and no, they won’t be solved overnight. But we have a plan, the plan is working, and we won’t stop until we succeed. Because we believe that everyone should have a home. And we believe that every working person should be able to aspire to own one,” he said.

He said the same people said not so long ago that Ireland “would never get back on its feet– that we would never get people working again”.

Well, they were wrong, completely wrong.

“Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the Irish people… and the right policy decisions we made and you supported… we achieved what seemed impossible at the time,” he added.

The mention of the crisis may do little to appease Father Peter McVerry who tweeted his astonishment that homelessness did not feature on the conference’s agenda.

There are big plans for the health service under Leo Varadkar’s leadership.

Varadkar said the next decade must also be about reform as well as resources – and it must be based on the all-party Slaintecare report, he said.

“We will implement a ten-year plan to modernise and streamline our health service. Because a country that spends the fifth highest in the world on healthcare deserves to have a top-tier health service,” he said.

Brexit

On Brexit, Varadkar reiterated his that there must be no border with Northern Ireland, something he says his European counterparts also agree with.

“There can be no return to the border on our island. In my conversations with European presidents and prime ministers I have received considerable support for the challenges we face. And tonight, I want to reassure all border communities that we are listening to you, we hear your concerns,. and we promise you that we will safeguard your rights, and all that we have achieved. I know this won’t be easy, and that all these matters are not entirely under our control,” he said.

But remember this: four times in our history we decided as a country to take a different road to the United Kingdom. We did it in 1921, when we became independent and we were the first country to leave the Empire. We did it in 1948, when we became a Republic. We did it again in 1979 when we broke the link with sterling and floated our own currency. And then we did it again in 2001 when we joined the Euro without Britain.

Varadkar told his delegates that “Fine Gael has never been, and never will be, a party of privilege”. “Fine Gael is a party of aspiration, a party of enterprise, a party of opportunity, and a party of hope.”

“I want to give hope to individuals and families. I want to reward work and enterprise, encourage aspiration, and remove barriers to progress,” he said.

Reflecting on his first few days as Taoiseach he said it was understandable the focus around the world was that the son of an immigrant could become the leader of a country.

How the son of a father from India and a mother from Co Waterford – without any family or political connections – rose to become the leader of the largest party in the state. What it said about our respect for diversity, our disregard for prejudice, our willingness to see people as individuals, and our fundamental fairness as a people.

His partners in government – the Independent Alliance – have had a tough week.

The Taoiseach offered out a hand of support in tonight’s speech, stating that his party are working “so well with our partners, the Independent Alliance and independent ministers”.

Without them, we could not achieve what we have achieved in the past year. I thank them for it and assure them of our commitment to making this government work and making it last.

Varadkar also had one message for the people watching at home (his speech was broadcast on RTÉ in case you missed it).

Speaking to them through the telly, he said:

Tá an rialtas ar bhur dtaobh! This government is on your side.

Reverting to his favourite buzz phrase to close his speech, the Taoiseach asked the people at home to join him in building the ”Republic of Opportunity” together.

Read: ‘I don’t see why not’: Jail time could be the penalty for substandard accommodation

Read: Poll: Do you use a dishwasher at work?

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    May 14th 2012, 1:34 PM

    Wow the fiscal compact is sure doing it’s job of steadying the financial markets…….

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    Mute limofax
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    May 14th 2012, 1:43 PM

    Must have heard that FG mayor Jim Keogh says No!

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    Mute Shayno ZO
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    May 14th 2012, 1:48 PM

    Spain has set up a government backed fund to recapitalize their banks with a interest rate of 10% making their citizens a profit and not handcuffing the country! we really need to get a grip here, our politicians have no business acumen.

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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 2:51 PM

    They have, it is just that they prefer to put the people at the top above the interests of the people and economy overall.

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    Mute Senan Kelly
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    May 14th 2012, 3:26 PM

    But the banks will simply hike charges and borrow the rest with emergency leanding from the ECB to pay the interest.
    Spain is following Irelands piss poor policy of slowly socialising bank debts which is what this amounts too.

    The only difference between us and Spain is simply that Spain is too big to bailout and conversly too big to fail. Something has and will give.

    A default and Euro exit of Greece is all but a certainty now. All of these recent events mean the Fiscal Treaty is a total waste of time and money.

    The Debt Monster in Europe is about the stir once again and this time it is not going to be pretty.

    In a few months this treaty will be looked back on as a complete red herring as all the above events will show.

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    Mute Senan Kelly
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    May 14th 2012, 3:33 PM

    Shayno is not entirely correct.

    The Banks cant afford to pay this Interest. So they will hike up bank charges which hits the consumer.
    The Banks in Spain have also been getting billions in emergency funding from the ECB at very low rates ~1%.
    They use this money to buy Spanish bonds which are paying out at 3/4% which they then use to shore up there balance sheets.
    Basically they are socialisng their Bank Debt.

    Except this cant go on forever and Spain is simply too big to bailout and conversly too big to fail.

    This Euro Debt Crisis is about to get nasty.

    A Greek default and Exit is not going to be pretty and will be very bad for Ireland.

    This Treaty is a complete red herring.

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    Mute Liam Ó Broin
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    May 14th 2012, 1:48 PM

    I’m confused. When the time comes, who bails out Planet Earth? I think the Martians will see us as bad investment. After that, who else do we have? Mercurians maybe? :P

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    Mute limofax
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    May 14th 2012, 1:56 PM

    They got their fingers burnt years ago

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    Mute Liam Ó Broin
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    May 14th 2012, 7:01 PM

    Us Earthlings are a frivolous bunch aren’t we!? :P

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    Mute Ryan oneill
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    May 14th 2012, 2:06 PM

    The tide has turned and ‘the markets’ are now betting on the end of the euro, a risky investment but one that yields more profit. Spain is to big to bailout when they go it’s bye bye euro and the snakes in suits profiteer from it.

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    Mute somethingodd
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    May 14th 2012, 2:00 PM

    we really do need to vote no until there is some stability, at which point, then it would make sense to bring in rules but can’t do this in such uncertain times

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    Mute Shanners
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    May 14th 2012, 2:06 PM

    300 quid wiped off my fund for euro 2012 with that drop in share price this morning. Would Greece ever cop on for themselves, they are letting everyone down!

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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 2:47 PM

    If you think that an economy that is as small and insignificant as Greece is causing all this problems, then you are going to have a harsh few years ahead.

    The Euro is the problem. Greece is just a basket case economy, that is stuck in that problem.

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    Mute Dmc
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    May 14th 2012, 6:14 PM

    This crisis is a big scam to acquire more assets and make certain powers even more powerful!

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    Mute Yamonpat Yoddee
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    May 14th 2012, 3:56 PM

    It’s such a mess, all these countrys people want to stay in the euro , big country’s got to help the small countrys and they gain in currency rates for exports the German people understand this.. It’ can be cleaned up if the will was there from all euro country’s

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    Mute El Cheebo
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    May 14th 2012, 3:38 PM

    Timber!!!!!!!!!!!!

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