Fine Gael talk down the economy (again).

[Maximus]

Richard Bruton’s claims on Thursday “that inflation is rising faster here than in all other EU countries as a direct result of Government policies” are nonsense.

The facts show that Ireland’s inflation rate, harmonized with our European partners, actually fell in October from 2.8 per cent to 2.7 per cent. The European average is 2.5 per cent and only 4 of the 25 EU states have an inflation rate of less than 2 per cent. To say that our rate is accelerating away just doesn’t stand up

It is likely now that inflation for the year will come in around 2.5 per cent, close to the EU average, and as predicted in the last budget.

Fine Gael might be taken more seriously on inflation if they hadn’t taken such a grudging approach to end of the Groceries Order this week. There is no doubt that the abolition of the order will have a significant impact in helping to keep the inflation rate down next year.

Fine Gael consistently attempt to talk the economy down. They tell us about price increases but never point out that, since 1997, the increase in average earnings has far outpaced the inflation rate. And that’s before the tax cuts we introduced are taken into account.

Ireland continues to be a star economic performer at European level. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the Union with one in four jobs created since 1997. Our economy will also grow at twice the European average this year.

No doubt Richard and his party colleagues also took the opportunity over the weekend to reflect on the halving of unemployment, the halving of the national debt, the doubling of social welfare, the introduction of the minimum wage, the return of €5 billion to Irish people through tax reductions, the cutting of the basic rate of income tax from 27% to 20%, entry point to tax system rising to €274 per week from €98 and the increase of over 50% in national income that has happened since they left office in 1997. Being Fine Gael they probably asked themselves where it all went wrong!

[Deep Throat]

The FG line is that the economy is doing well, but it could be doing so much better.
The govt are wasting taxpayers money at an incredible rate.
Think of all the promises that could actually be delivered on, if we didnt have all this waste.
if ff and the pd's are going to go to country with the attitude that "you've never had it so good", they'll get hammered. Look at the local and european elections!
The days of somebody just being grateful that they have a job are long over. The people sitting in cars half the day or lying on hospital trollies aren't going to be too enamoured with "a lot done, more to do" crap.
Unity, Prosperity, Community certainly wont inspire people.
As for bertie wrapping himself in the green flag, this will drive more ff voters towards sf.

OH, WAIT UNTIL YE SEE "SEND IN THE CLOWNS!"

[BarryW]

No doubt Richard and his party colleagues also took the opportunity over the weekend to reflect on the halving of unemployment, the halving of the national debt, the doubling of social welfare, the introduction of the minimum wage, the return of €5 billion to Irish people through tax reductions, the cutting of the basic rate of income tax from 27% to 20%, entry point to tax system rising to €274 per week from €98 and the increase of over 50% in national income that has happened since they left office in 1997. Being Fine Gael they probably asked themselves where it all went wrong!

TK - are you saying that the CSO figures on inflation are wrong ?!

Also:
Would you care to tell us about the position of our manufacturing industries? (booming in 1997)
The state of our export markets? (booming in 1997)
Our competitiveness ? (unrivalled in 1997)

Something tells me you'll dodge those small trifling issues

[Gladstone]

Despite Enda repeatidly ruling out tax increaces FF keeps harping on about how they'd wreck the economy, did they wreck it in the late 90's?

No I don't think they did, in fact I think they were the first govt to balance the budget in a long time.

FF are gonna try to make this election about the economy.

To all FFers NAME AN IMPROVEMENT YOU'VE MADE SINCE 2002

When I hear them harp out economic statistics it's all from the 97-02 govt.

[aodh_rua]

No I don't think they did, in fact I think they were the first govt to balance the budget in a long time.

First in 30 years I think.

[Gladstone]

FFers, it's not that us people (ya know the ones who elected you in 2002 on a platform you quickley ignored) don't think the economy is doing great,

but hearing some statistic that we have the highest quality of life in the world is no use when our kids schools are crumbiling, when our hospitals are full of drug dealers, MRSA, badly managed and with huge waiting lists, when the cost of living is high due mainly to government stealth taxes, and when instead of using the money you took from our wages to sort all this out you piss it down the drain.

[CJH]

To all FFers NAME AN IMPROVEMENT YOU'VE MADE SINCE 2002

When I hear them harp out economic statistics it's all from the 97-02 govt

.

Oh dear. You don't really know what's going on in the world, do you?

FYI, in the past few years most of the western world has been suffering something close to a recession. Unemployment has risen in the US, and Britain's public finances have gone to ************************. IN Ireland, the current government have ensured that our economy, and therefore our country have progressed almost untouched by the difficulties in the world economy. This is a much greater achievement than anything done from 1997 to 2002

[Maximus]

TK - are you saying that the CSO figures on inflation are wrong ?!

Also:
Would you care to tell us about the position of our manufacturing industries? (booming in 1997)
The state of our export markets? (booming in 1997)
Our competitiveness ? (unrivalled in 1997)

Something tells me you'll dodge those small trifling issues

Unlike you Barry I can stand over the facts in my posts!

If things were as good as you'd have us believe in 1997 why then did the Rainbow only give pensioners an extra £1.50 per week??

What were they doing with the extra dosh?

[aodh_rua]

TK - are you saying that the CSO figures on inflation are wrong ?!

Also:
Would you care to tell us about the position of our manufacturing industries? (booming in 1997)
The state of our export markets? (booming in 1997)
Our competitiveness ? (unrivalled in 1997)

Something tells me you'll dodge those small trifling issues

Unlike you Barry I can stand over the facts in my posts!

If things were as good as you'd have us believe in 1997 why then did the Rainbow only give pensioners an extra £1.50 per week??

What were they doing with the extra dosh?

The tax take has nearly doubled since 1997 so the 'extra dosh' wasn't in the government coffers under the Rainbow.

[Gladstone]

Do YOU know whats going on, did you read your own 2002 platform??

your forgetting that in addition to continuing the economic policies of 1997 we re-elected you because your promised to give us a world class health service, 2000 extra gardi, proper education facilities, and neglected to tell us about the 30+ stealth taxes you were going to ************************ us with to push up our cost of living making your tax cuts virtually worthless, in fact you told us you'd persue comitition and pro-consumer policies

You told us we'd have a dublin metro by 2007.

You told us we'd have bus compitition.

You promised to reduce class sizes

You promised to remove ALL hospital waiting lists within two years.

You promised 200 000 extra FULL medical cards

Your trasnport plans (key to quality of life) have been re-announced three times and stll nothing done!!!!

Pretty economic statitstcs are no use to us if that wealth is not used to increace our quality of life.