Fine Gael economic mismanagement: 1980's. Can anyone defend it?

[Congalltee]

This is how Fine Gael and Labour left the Irish economy. They held office from November 1982 to March 1987 (ie the longest government of the '80s), yet they blame Haughey for the woes of the economy (Lynch was in charge 77 to 79, haughey Dec 79 to 81, Fitzgerald held power briefly, Haughey's GUBU made way for Fitzgerald's hapless government.)

Here is the sitution in 1987.

The following factors give an indication of the extent of the difficulties
a) a Gross Domestic Product per capita which is only 64 per cent of the EC average

b) a National Debt of over £25 billion which is equivalent to more than one and one-half times of our Gross Naional Product and the servicing
of which consumes annually one-third of Exchequer tax revenue,

(c) an Exchequer borrowing requirsmenr of 10.7 per cent ofGross National
Product in 1987 to finance both current and capital expenditure. This
is among the highest budgetary deficits in the European Community,

d) high nominal and real interest rates which are a barrier to investment,

(e) an unemploymcnt rare of 18.5 per cent of rhe work-force amounting to
242,000 persons. of whom 73,000 are under 25 years of age. This is one
of the highest rates of unemployment in the European Comrnunitv,

f)employment in agriculture which continues to decline steadily at a rate
almost twice the European Community average,

g) net emigration estimated currently at close to 30,000 and which is equivalent
to the natural increase in the population. and

(h) no overall growth in the volume of investment in equipment over the
past 5 years compared with an increase of20 per cent in the European
Community.

http://www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/prog...l_recovery.pdf

The wiki short version

Fine Gael wanted to revive the economy by controlling public spending and imposing cutbacks in order to reduce the public budget deficit. The measures proposed by FitzGerald's Minister for Finance, Alan Dukes, were completely unacceptable to the Labour Party which was under enormous pressure from its support base to maintain public services. The two parties in Government found themselves in a stalemate position. They stopped the financial crisis from worsening but could not take the decisive action that would generate economic growth.

A few points arise:
1. The deficit for 1983 to 1987 was 8% and over.
After the programme for National Recovery, Haughey's government slashed it to 3%.
2. FG wanted to revive - sounds very weak. Why didn't they?
3. Is slamming on the breaks (particularly to inflation), good enough to justify the mythology that FG is superior to other parties on the economy?

[SIZE="6"]Does anyone want to try defend the Economic Management of FG in the 1980's? [/SIZE](see if they can do without using the name Haughey)

(Here is the current statistics.
http://www.centralbank.ie/data/AnnRe...Statistics.pdf)

[hiding behind a poster]

Title the thread properly, as in seeking to have a proper debate about the economy in the 1980s, and I'm sure plenty of people will. But the thread title makes it clear that you're only interested in FG-bashing, and have little if any interest in the actual subject matter.

[Congalltee]

Title the thread properly, as in seeking to have a proper debate about the economy in the 1980s, and I'm sure plenty of people will. But the thread title makes it clear that you're only interested in FG-bashing, and have little if any interest in the actual subject matter.

So no, you cannot/refuse to defend their performance.

(if any mod wants to change the title to a neutral one, so be it, but neutral titled threads tend to dissappear).

[davehiggz]

It's pretty clear from the Wikipedia quote that it was primarily Labour's fault.

If Fine Gael had an overall majority then tougher policies would have been initiated and the economy would have been saved. If FG had pushed harder then Labour probably would have pulled the plug.

[hiding behind a poster]

So no, you cannot/refuse to defend their performance.

I said nothing of the sort, so kindly stop misrepresenting me.

(if any mod wants to change the title to a neutral one, so be it, but neutral titled threads tend to dissappear).

If the subject matter within a thread is good, it tends to get plenty of replies. Threads that are obviously trolling generally don't. The way you've titled this thread suggests you're looking for the latter.

[Congalltee]

I said nothing of the sort, so kindly stop misrepresenting me.

Once again you fail to step up to the plate. To reply but to Fail to address the point is a representation of inability. Is it lack of material or a personal failure on your part?

[Edo]

One would enter into a discussion on the topic - but one look at the identity of the OP tends to put one off.

Primarily because Congaltee/Q24U/Apparatik? and whatever else they have been in a past life around here is a notorious sh^tstirrer, an infamous FG baiter despite the protestations and primarily because once a serious discussion develops - they are incapable of participating -well make one or 2 lame attempts at getting the thread back to their original purpose - FG baiting - and then will piss off.

God be with the days of full employment around here - even tho we had less time to be here - a bit more thought and considersation used to be put into discussions - now its just a hacks/NWO fruitcakes paradise with over 90% of posters incapable of stringing 10 sentences together in a coherent manner without descending into the usual nonsense - I even miss Merle Haggard - and given the jousting we've done down the years that is really saying something - it least he was funny,smart,eloquent and capable of serious conversation - tho completely off his rocker - a few honourable individuals remain - but are staying mostly in the shadows.

Me thinks there has to be another way of regaining a bit of respect for this place - rather than the full membership ban at the moment.

[odie1kanobe]

FG F***** it up and forced hundreds of thousands to emigrate with no hope.

Expect to get abused for even suggesting that the incompetence of Garret the Good and his fellow travellers should even be looked at critically.

[meriwether]

FG F***** it up and forced hundreds of thousands to emigrate with no hope.

Expect to get abused for even suggesting that the incompetence of Garret the Good and his fellow travellers should even be looked at critically.

Case closed.

The economic intelligensia have spoken.

[Drico]

1. The economy of purely fecked after years of FF in power.

2. Labour/FG couldn't agree as to the best way to clean up FF's mess and therefore couldn't fix it properly.

Worth noting that this time around FF are being forced to pick up the pieces left by their own mismanagement of the economy. Also, thread title and OP statement is loaded and reeks of an FF hack completely uninterested in debate, only shouting from a pulpit an attack on the "blueshirts".