Madam, - The campaign of name-calling against the Fine Gael/Labour alliance by nervous Fianna Fáil Ministers seems to have reached fever-pitch in recent days. In response to the recent meeting in Mullingar of the leaders and deputy leaders of Fine Gael and Labour, the Taoiseach has referred to what he sees as the inability of the leaders of any alternative government to manage a successful economy. As quoted in Tuesday's edition, Mr Ahern said Fine Gael and Labour "would threaten hard-won progress on job creation, tax reduction and economic growth". He is quoted elsewhere as having said "when they [ Fine Gael and Labour] last had the chance, this country was nearly down the tubes." The Taoiseach's recollection is at variance with the facts.
When Fine Gael and Labour were in government from 1994 to 1997 the Irish economy was booming. The Rainbow government was the first in 27 years to return a budget surplus, and inflation was at a record low of 1.6 per cent. If you examine the records of the four people who met in Mullingar, you get quite the opposite impression of the one put forward by Mr Ahern.
Tourism revenues were increasing at a rate of 12 per cent, and exports rose to over 80 per cent of GDP while Enda Kenny was Minister for Tourism and Trade. A thousand jobs were being created every week while Richard Bruton was Minister for Enterprise and Employment. There was a 40 per cent increase in State investment in science and technology while Pat Rabbitte was Minister with responsibility for science and technology. The overall number of house completions rose by 15 per cent while Liz McManus was Minister of State for housing. Mr Ahern is usually quite adept at quoting statistics - so why isn't he telling us about these?
If these facts and figures point to incompetence on the part of the Fine Gael and Labour leaderships, or to a country which was "going down the tubes", then Mr Ahern urgently needs to re-assess the standards by which he measures economic success.
The Taoiseach also dubbed the Fine Gael/Labour alliance as the "axis of taxes", in an attempt to portray any alternative government as an administration of high taxation. It seems that Mr Ahern has no sense of irony. As has recently been demonstrated - by Eddie Hobbs and others - Ireland is not the low-tax haven that Fianna Fáil claims it is. In fact, just this week Richard Bruton highlighted the fact that every household in Ireland is paying €5,500 more in stealth and spending taxes than the Government is willing to admit publicly.
In a climate where families and small business are being strangled by such taxes, any attempt to present the FF/PD Government as the low tax option simply doesn't hold up, just as any attempt to discredit the Rainbow government will not wash with the electorate.
The achievements of that government were based on its ability to draw on the best ideas of the parties involved, and face up to the key challenges it faced - something which the present Government simply has not done. I have no doubt that the policies of the "New Rainbow" will be based on sound finances, pro-enterprise in their outlook, and will promote social cohesion and a more just society. No amount of scaremongering by Fianna Fail can change that. - Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Brooklawn,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Madam, - The Taoiseach is reported as saying in Cavan (The Irish Times, September 6th) that "the last time Fine Gael and Labour were in government we had 17 per cent unemployment, the debt/GDP ratio was 122 per cent - worse than Ethiopia or Sudan". This is not true.
Fianna Fáil is understandably keen to distort the economic record, but even in the heat of political exchange, this is a ridiculous statement for a Taoiseach to make. In fact, as Minister for Finance in the Rainbow I was the first Minister in decades to bring in a budget surplus. We reduced the debt/GNP ratio from 88.9 per cent to 66 per cent and set Ireland firmly on course for EMU membership.
When contrasted with seven years of Mr McCreevy's stewardship, under the Rainbow government growth was more than 40 per cent higher, and inflation more than 40 per cent lower. Employment growth was actually stronger under the Rainbow than under seven years of Mr McCreevy, resulting in a fall in the unemployment rate of 4.4 percentage points.
Perhaps the Taoiseach was confusing the 1990s with the 1980s, when the irresponsibility of both Haughey and Lynch factions within Fianna Fáil brought the country to near bankruptcy. If so, then I'd be happy to debate the true history of that period, and the untold human suffering brought on the country by both his own mentor, and the Fianna Fáil faction to which the Tánaiste belonged. He'd be wise not to go there.
Let's have this debate, but let's deal in fact, not fantasy. - Yours, etc,
RUAIRI QUINN TD,
The Labour Party,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.
Madam, - I was bemused to see Taoiseach's Bertie Ahern opinion of the potential coalition partnership of Fine Gael and Labour. He says, as quoted in your edition of September 6th, that "on vital issues like health and education they would refuse to take the tough decisions required for needed investment and reform".
Does he mean "tough decisions", such as reintroducing third-level fees or completely overhauling of the inequitable Higher Education Grant Scheme, that the present Government has continually refused to take for fear of a middle-class backlash at election time? - Yours, etc,
PAULA FITZELL,
Mount William Court,
Athlone,
Co Westmeath.