OPPOSITION PARTIES were expressing scepticism last night over predictions by Green Ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan that all-party talks on the economy would be taking place shortly.
Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said last night that he was “confident” parties from both sides would meet this week to try to agree a four-year budget strategy.
“No one has said no and I think yes, understandably, other parties have been cautious about it; but I believe they will each come in and see the sense in this in the national interest,” he said on RTÉ.
Green Party leader and Environment Minister John Gormley, said that he expected shortly that, “we will have the party leaders in a room talking about this issue”.
However, a spokesman for Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that, although the Opposition leader had been contacted by Mr Gormley, “there was absolutely no discussion of an invitation to all-party consensus talks, and the Government’s entire approach to the issue of consensus has been confused”.
A Labour spokesman said: “There has been no letter from the Greens or anyone else, or any other communication. We do not know if it is a Green Party or a Government initiative.” A Sinn Féin spokesman said: “Nobody has approached us about talks.”
Following the Taoiseach’s decision that Opposition parties should be briefed on the economic situation, Joan Burton of Labour and Arthur Morgan of Sinn Féin have held preliminary discussions with the Department of Finance and a Fine Gael delegation led by Michael Noonan is to attend a meeting on Wednesday.
This comes against a backdrop of extensive dialogue between Irish and European officials, who have adopted a hard line in relation to the Government’s projections as they scrutinise its proposals in minute detail. The Government is being urged to substantiate the calculations behind its projections, and this may complicate efforts to achieve a national consensus.
Commenting on suggestions that the European Commission would subject the four-year plan to unprecedented scrutiny, a Fine Gael spokesman said: “It has been our understanding that any four-year plan will be submitted to the EU.”
The Labour spokesman said: “We have committed to meeting the 3 per cent target by 2014; how we achieve that target is a matter for national government.”
He added: “Eamon Gilmore is happy to talk to anyone about the economic situation but if this is an effort by the Greens to conjure up some sort of a national government to keep themselves and Fianna Fáil in power, we won’t be involved in that.”
Government sources said that, although Taoiseach Brian Cowen does support the effort to reach agreement with the Opposition, “there is no point in talking about consensus until they have looked at the books”.
Mr Gormley insisted that the Taoiseach is “on board” for the consensus approach. “I am very confident that, by the end of next week, we will have people in a room,” the Minister said.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said: “A forum between the parties may be of value if we can have a common analysis of what the problems are in the first place. But before we set up another talking-shop we have to determine that we agree on what the problem is.”
Speaking in the US yesterday, Dr Patrick Honohan, the governor of the Central Bank, said he agreed with EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn on the need to raise Ireland’s tax to GDP ratio.
In The Irish Timestoday, economist Colm McCarthy writes: "If the budgetary correction is ducked the alternative is an IMF/European bailout, which would mean the loss of economic sovereignty and huge reputational damage".