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TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has defended the Government’s record and says his party has done its best for the country, amid crises such as Brexit and a significant rise in the cost of living in recent years.
The Fianna Fáil leader bristled when asked in a radio interview this morning about record homelessness, hospital waiting lists and emigration.
In response to a question about why his party hasn’t taken action on these key issues during its stint in Government and while propping up Fine Gael in a confidence-and-supply arrangement from 2016 to 2020, Martin had a strong back-and-forth with RTÉ presenter Audrey Carville.
“Fianna Fáil have been in government for four years,” said Martin.
“Ah now, come on,” said Carville.
“No, you come on,” Martin replied. “That’s the Mary Lou [McDonald], Sinn Féin narrative, now come on. That’s the old line from Sinn Féin: ‘You’ve been in confidence supply’.
“Well, the positive thing for the country, insofar as Fianna Fáil contributed to a government at a time when Brexit happened, and Brexit was an existential threat at the time to our trade and economy.
“We did the right thing by the country, maybe not by the party … then that gets thrown at us.”
Martin said there are two narratives in the country: a “Sinn Féin narrative” that says the country is a failure, and another narrative which says the economic model in use has served the country well in recent decades.
He added that he doesn’t accept that Ireland is a “failed State”.
Ireland is set to come into about €14 billion soon, after the European Court of Justice last week ruled that Apple must make up for unpaid taxes.
Martin said he expects the money may be added to the State’s purse before the end of this government’s term, but that “it will not feature in this budget”.
However, he added, there will still be a surplus to play with on 1 October.
“As the Minister of Finance Jack Chambers said, we are having many ‘Apples’ over the last number of years because of the very significant amounts of corporation tax revenue that is coming in,” said Martin.
The Apple money “presents opportunities for us to future proof key investments”, such as housing and water quality, he said.
“The Apple money gives us additional capacity to say to people, if we ring fence it for housing, or a certain proportion of it to housing, we can future proof house spending for the next five years on a capital site, or at least support the necessary investment over the next decade. We could capitalise the land development agency, for example.”
Housing targets are to be revised before the end of the year, he said. Currently, the official government target is 30,000 houses built per annum. Martin says this figure needs to rise to 60,000 in the coming years.
“Targets are not a ceiling.”
While the government exceeded the 30,000 goal last year, it has missed its affordable housing targets for three years in a row. He said they’re “close to” achieving this year’s target of 9,300 new build homes.
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As long as they don’t go on strike over Xmas I don’t care as I’m flying home with them then. However they have lost me as a customer from now on as I’m sick and tired of strike threats I will fly with Etihad from now on.
Etihad? But Aer Lingus don’t fly to Abu Dhabi?
Code share, look it up, if you fly from the Middle East with Klm you get on Aer Lingus in Amsterdam
Unless of course their on strike
They’re
If DAA go on strike none of the airlines will be going anywhere, at least not from Dublin
The usual pre-christmas strike action threat from the Shamrocks
Belfast
Another possible strike involving Aer Lingus? Do the staff ever work? Give me a job and I will work and I won’t even miss a day to be sick!
The quicker this Aer Lingus crowd are completely privatised the better. Overpaid,underworked, jumped up malingerers. They should all be sent to work for Ryanair for a few months. There wouldn’t be a word out of them when they came back.
It’s the DAA ye should be worried about if this strike goes ahead( which it won’t) Aer Lingus staff can’t shut the airport down…. All the Ryanair, easyjet flights won’t take off either then……
There is no easyjet flights
Rodrigo you’re a d1ckhead
Sounds like your new to town,workers have paid their own money into pensions ,some people which have 30yrs service,they will be lucky to see 20% of that!understand now?
I think we’ve all had quite enough of Trade Unions holding the country to ransom.
Explain.
Oh my goodness……how rare!!!
Can someone please explain to me why in this age of employment law and measures in place to protect employees rights we need unions at all?
Fat cat salaries for the elite union officials sends to be the only reason left.
Can someone please explain to me why in this age of employment law and measures in place to protect employees rights we need unions at all?”
– how about static or declining wages – and conditions- – zero hour contracts.
We have never needed Unions more – pity they became part of the Establishment – at least some did – but that can be changed .
I can’t understand why SIPTU has a problem with the separation of SNN from the DAA. Since the airport has went its own way there has been nothing but good news coming out of there regarding new routes and frequency increases on existing routes. This week alone Aer Lingus Regional announced the reintroduction of the route to Bristol and also the basing of a second aircraft at the airport which may lead to even more routes being introduced. Couple all that with new Ryanair routes and increases to transatlantic things seem to be going in the right direction.
Lockout please but wait until jan :)
Big Jim is turning in his grave at union fatcats who are now self serving as opposed to serving their members.
What the feck do unions know about whats good for a business, they commented on the separation last week…….it happened weeks ago……someone must have disturbed their hibernation…go back to sleep you moron…..
It’s worth remembering when people are condemning ESB workers for defending their pensions that the DAA and Aer Lingus denied any future short fall in the pension fund only a few short years ago. The airports won’t close because SIPTU will not allow it to happen. Unfortunately the employers and the government know this so how effective this ballot will be is questionable.
have your say