ANNOUNCEMENT:FINE GAEL'S newly unveiled Dublin South byelection candidate, George Lee, has said he is entering politics because he has no confidence in the Government's ability to lead the State out of the current "economic catastrophe".
Mr Lee, who stepped down as RTÉ’s economics editor yesterday, said he wanted to be able to tell his children and grandchildren he had done something to help in the greatest economic crisis in the history of the State.
He said in his job in RTÉ he had spoken directly and impartially to people and kept the public fully informed and up to date about the economy.
“As danger loomed larger, I consistently highlighted the risks of inaction and complacency. These warnings were ignored. Instead the Government chose to portray them as an effort to talk down the economy,” said Mr Lee.
“I have absolutely no confidence at all that the people who led us into this economic catastrophe are capable of leading us out. Ireland needs an alternative – an energetic new government, one that is capable of fresh thinking, is strong enough to drive changes, is brave enough to tackle vested interests and to restructure and reorganise the way the country operates to ensure prosperity and confidence is restored,” he said.
Mr Lee said Fine Gael had set out a comprehensive policy agenda that encouraged him to believe that it was the party with the right team and new ideas to get the country back on track.
“This is a time for change. It is a time for people like me to play a bigger part in trying to fix the things that have gone wrong and getting the country back on its feet. It is time for me to take on a different role,” he said.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said Mr Lee’s decision to run for election was an act of courage which displayed a real faith in the potential of politics to change and improve the lives of people.
“Fine Gael is now clearly the party that can deliver real change in Ireland and George Lee’s decision demonstrates his belief in the capacity for a resurgent Fine Gael to lead a new government and to improve the lives of all our people,” said Mr Kenny.
Labour Party Dublin South candidate Senator Alex White said the announcement of Mr Lee’s candidature was “intriguing, given his repeated denials up to the weekend . . .” He went on to welcome his entry into the field saying Mr Lee had been a forthright critic of Government policy.
Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South East Chris Andrews questioned Mr Lee’s credibility as an impartial commentator in light of his decision, saying that over the past number of months he had consistently attacked the Government on its economic policies.