Two former Fine Gael ministers have claimed the party is losing its identity as the prudent guardian of State’s finances with one comparing its outlook on spending to that of Socialist Party TD Mick Barry.
Charlie Flanagan, the former minister for justice, and Michael Creed, who was minister for agriculture until 2020, last night severely criticised the party’s willingness to spend vast amounts of public money.
At the weekly meeting of the parliamentary party in Leinster House on Wednesday evening, Mr Flanagan, a TD for Laois-Offaly, said spending for this coalition had become like a “runaway train”.
Mr Creed, meanwhile, who represents Cork North West, asked if there was much difference any more between Fine Gael and Mr Barry, the leftist TD for Cork North Central.
In a face-to-face parliamentary meeting, there were heated exchanges, one between Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan and party leader Leo Varadkar.
The Tánaiste told his party TDs and Senators that those who criticised the spending plans of the government were being taken in by a “false narrative”.
According to colleagues at the meeting, Mr Flanagan expressed concern about the Government’s high level of spending, saying it was departing from Fine Gael’s core values of managing the public finances prudently.
He told colleagues that Ireland had one of the highest public debts in the developed world. “We simply can’t load that massive debt on the shoulders of the generations to come,” he said.
He said that he accepted that Covid had created exceptional needs in terms of funding but that period was coming to an end.
“We now have to scale back but I don’t see much evidence of that happening in the current (administration),” he said.
He said with a “spend, spend, spend opposition” it was important for the Government parties to act prudently.
The comments of the former ministers, and of Mr Phelan, was received as sharp criticism of the party leadership, particularly Mr Varadkar and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.
Mr Creed also said the party was departing from its core value and could not spend money fast enough at the moment. Like Wexford TD Paul Kehoe last week, Mr Creed dismissed the approach as a “ridiculous idea” that would backfire on the party.
Many TDs raised specific issues about the National Development Plan with Limerick TDs Patrick O’Donovan and Kieran O’Donnell arguing that the planned Limerick to Cork direct road should be motorway grade for its entirety.
There was some criticism of Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan from parliamentary party members who were of the view that he was anti-road.
