Kenny sets out Plan to Revive Economy

[ang]

Do you think Enda can save us ?


Enda Kenny tonight set out how a Fine Gael Government would tackle the spiralling national deficit and revive the Irish economy.

The party leader and president told faithful that tax hikes and spending cuts would not alone bring down the debt as he set out a series of pro-business proposals that he hopes will deliver a General Election victory.

At the heart of the plan is an €18bn investment stimulus in targeted areas of the economy - such as high speed broadband, clean energy and water - that he claimed would create 100,000 jobs.

A guarantee scheme for small business loans and a pledge not to raise corporation tax were also among the policies Mr Kenny outlined to guests at the Fine Gael Annual Presidents Dinner in Dublin.

Other key measures included the adoption of the Dutch health care system and a vow to reform the Oireachtas with a referendum - one year after taking office - on abolishing the Seanad and reducing the Dáil by 20 TDs.

"When the Irish people give a new Government a new mandate, the natural energy, optimism and ideas of the Irish people will be unleashed. Set free. Liberated from the strangle hold of despair created by the current Government's failings," said Mr Kenny.

"Fine Gael wants to seek that mandate, that permission from the people. We want to put the case of the party I have the honour to lead to the people. Let me confirm to you tonight that Fine Gael has done the hard work and is now ready to lead the way in restoring our country's fortunes.

"We have people who will lead. We have a team that will not lie down in the face of this challenge. And most crucially - we have the plans."

Mr Kenny said his party could cut the budget deficit to 3% by 2014.

"But, let me be clear," he added.

"We will achieve these budgetary targets not just through the usual spending and tax measures but by supporting economic growth and job creation.

"We know we cannot tax our way to economic recovery or health in the public finances."

The party leader also vowed to protect jobs.

"It seems to have escaped the notice of those in government today that we will never fix our financial crisis if we don't grow our economy and fix our jobs crisis," he said.

Mr Kenny said he would adopt a continental approach to health care that would cut waiting lists and make sure that insurance is affordable for everyone.

"This will mean people will get access to care on the basis of need rather than wealth," he said.

"This new approach is based on the world famous Dutch system of healthcare. It has worked there, it can work here too."

Mr Kenny said Black Thursday - when the scale of the debt was revealed - should not be seen as an end but as a beginning.

"A day when the Irish people braced themselves for a fight, took a deep breath and said; never again," he added.

"I stand tonight with those true Irish patriots. I too say, never again. From this day forward let us stand together as a people and rebuild our country. Our banks, our public services, our economy and our politics all need a new start. It is a massive undertaking. The struggle will be long, our opponents many and the challenges diverse.

"But the prize is worth fighting for. A country to be proud of. One that protects its vulnerable. Rewards hard work and effort. Treats all with dignity and respect. Cherishes our young and invests for our shared future. And one that prizes community ahead of economy while recognising we need to nurture both. That is a country worth fighting for."


Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/kenny-sets-out-plan-to-revive-economy-477086.html#ixzz11u9xZEXs

[Ah Well]

Do you think Enda can save us ?

:D ..

[ang]

:D ..

Short and to the point Ah Well :D

Is there anything in that statement that you do think is a good idea.?

[Ah Well]

Short and to the point Ah Well :D

Exactly ;)

Hmmm anything noteworthy ...

Perhaps adopting the Dutch healthcare model ...

Certainly not perfect but a damned sight better than the farce we presently endure

(Incidentally with regard to that Dutch thing - it is claimed that Amhrán Nua had that one long since and the FGers grabbed on it ... presumably SimonJ might be along at some stage to clarify that one for definitive purposes)

[PaddyJoe]

I think its pretty much a restatement of existing policy and that there isn't very much new there. What is interesting is that Leo Varadker is supposed to have a piece in today's Business Post setting out the shape of a budget with 6 billion of cuts on the grounds that its better to cut hard now than to do it incrementally. Is Leo a semi detached member of the shadow cabinet?:confused:

[ang]

I think its pretty much a restatement of existing policy and that there isn't very much new there. What is interesting is that Leo Varadker is supposed to have a piece in today's Business Post setting out the shape of a budget with 6 billion of cuts on the grounds that its better to cut hard now than to do it incrementally. Is Leo a semi detached member of the shadow cabinet?:confused:

Maybe perhaps on a solo run, I believe Leo wants an bord snip revisited.

Not great, knowing that thine leader is hoping for "headline grabbers" from the FG Presidential Dinner

[Ah Well]

knowing that thine leader is hoping for "headline grabbers" from the FG Presidential Dinner

Hope ran out a long time ago for poor aul Inda

The Electorate are aware of that

So are FG

The latter are more likely to come off 2nd best long term tho

[Lifeisagame]

Bring on the clowns:D

[Ah Well]

Bring on the clowns:D

The joke is on us tho

(As it always is)

[Lifeisagame]

The joke is on us tho

(As it always is)
yup you are right.

[Griska]

I'm trying to figure out exactly which true Irish patriots Enda is standing beside.

[Ah Well]

I'm trying to figure out exactly which true Irish patriots Enda is standing beside.

Hard to know, because it's 1.30am and I don't think he's into smoking packets of fags and singing sweet nothings or hoovering pints

But standing besides? .... prob sharing some space with a part of the communal FG happy family ..

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:h9RiPEXiQ13iVM:http://www.irishcatholic.ie/ic_uploaded_userimages/image/22%20January%202009/Lucinda%20Creighton%20TD.jpg&t=1

http://estb.msn.com/i/B0/1DBC29E6A24D5C2184156CE4FDE.jpg

[Mick Tully]

Dream on Enda you will be gone before Cowan and Gormless. The night of the long knives are fast approaching, the mongrel foxes are snapping at your heals. Sleep well Enda your dream is nearly over.

[culmore]

Well it would hard for Enda to do any worse that the present lot have done for the past 10 years

[Slim Buddha]

I see this as nothing other than moving the deckchairs on the Titanic.

[concernedparent]

Have any of the opposition parties put forward a credible manifesto as to how they propose to get us out of the mess we are currently in????

I am talking facts and figures here. Not flights of fantasy.:(

[kerdasi amaq]

Enda is in the fantasy world that all politicians inhabit, writing cheques with his mouth that will bounce in the real world, should he get elected.

All politicians do it because it appears to work.

[Mick Tully]

Well it would hard for Enda to do any worse that the present lot have done for the past 10 years

That is the most frightening thing of all that we have on opposition group (part of the same club) that cannot make any inroads into this present lot. A report todays newspapers these parasites claimed expenses while they were on holidays where is the SF FG LAB/WP not attacking the Government, because they have their noes's in the same trough. :D:D

[Lifeisagame]

That is the most frightening thing of all that we have on opposition group (part of the same club) that cannot make any inroads into this present lot. A report todays newspapers these parasites claimed expenses while they were on holidays where is the SF FG LAB/WP not attacking the Government, because they have their noes's in the same trough. :D:D
You know,all will be revealed in time. The Country is destroyed but the people are suffering and want answers. The Corrupt people from any involved Sector will be found. But Ireland has a bad history of letting them free. Maybe this time the people will demand and get justice.
But hopefully tomorrows headlines will be that the First Chilean Miner was brought to the surface and the Media will analyse it from every direction, Then the corruption slips a little further back into memory and tha pain and suffering ignored.
But the "Boys" will read it in their foreign villas under the wife's name and our judiciary will say we cannot touch them.
You have been conned out of your livelyhood and make no mistake about it. But we will have a few beers and get on with it. Sad really.

[Baron von Biffo]

Is Leo a semi detached member of the shadow cabinet?:confused:

He's semi-detached from reality.

[Baron von Biffo]

Well it would hard for Enda to do any worse that the present lot have done for the past 10 years

If Carlsberg did ringing endorsements...

[Ah Well]

Well it would hard for Enda to do any worse that the present lot have done for the past 10 years

That's not the point in this most serious of times facing us.

Kenny to do worse than what we now suffer would be unacceptable.
Kenny to be just the same likewise.

So is Kenny capable of offering us better which is an urgent necessity? We are now at the point where we cannot afford for somewhere to take control who turns out to be no better than the incumbents. They MUST and HAVE to be infinitely better and for the whole thing to turn around dramatically

And is Kenny the one to be able to do this? Looks like a majority of the Electorate don't think so anyway .... And neither do I

[Edo]

Kenny would be better of setting out a plan to revive the Fine Gael party.

Item No 1 - step down with what little dignity you have left asap...................

[bormotello]

At the heart of the plan is an €18bn investment stimulus in targeted areas of the economy - such as high speed broadband, clean energy and water - that he claimed would create 100,000 jobs.
What Enda is proposing is just another way to hide unemployment
Country needs export orientated businesses, which will bring money to Ireland from abroad

[antiestablishmentarian]

What Enda is proposing is just another way to hide unemployment
Country needs export orientated businesses, which will bring money to Ireland from abroad

Our exports have held up despite the crisis: its highly unlikely that they'll be able to grow in the foreseeable future as austerity measures continue to bite across the world market. What the government and pro-export-led recovery supporters fail to understand is that many state's are trying to follow the same path to recovery: internal devaluation to make exports more competitive, then rely on selling to other markets to lift the economy again and stimulate internal growth in consumer goods and services. this hasn't got a hope of working when everyone else is following the same internal devaluation strategy, as which state is going to retain the purchasing power necessary to buy the products everyone else is exporting if they're cutting purchasing power too?

[C. Flower]

Kenny would be better of setting out a plan to revive the Fine Gael party.

Item No 1 - step down with what little dignity you have left asap...................


One of the shortest posts I've ever seen you make Edo.

Do you not have confidence in the economic plan?

Who would you like to see in the job ?

[bormotello]

Our exports have held up despite the crisis:
What do you mean by "our export"?
90% exports belongs to MNC's, MNC's contribute to Irish economy around 17Bn and repatriate around 35Bn
Ireland must develop own export industries, not rely on FDI

[youngdan]

Kenny would be better of setting out a plan to revive the Fine Gael party.

Item No 1 - step down with what little dignity you have left asap...................

Up Mayo

[Edo]

One of the shortest posts I've ever seen you make Edo.

Do you not have confidence in the economic plan?

Who would you like to see in the job ?

Hi Cactus

I'll comment further tomorrow when I have removed the shackles of office - Im resigning as constituency secretary which will hopefully be ratified at a constituency meeting tonight.

Edo

[antiestablishmentarian]

What do you mean by "our export"?
90% exports belongs to MNC's, MNC's contribute to Irish economy around 17Bn and repatriate around 35Bn
Ireland must develop own export industries, not rely on FDI

When I referred to 'our exports' I was referring to all exports including those of MNC's although your perfectly right they repatriate far more than they contribute. Ireland is incapable of developing an indigenous industrial base because of poor education in science and technology, poor provision of essentials such as broadband, water and a generally dilapadated infrastructure, and the problems of trying to compete in a globalised economy where Micrsoft or other such super-corporations can savage or absorb any new competitors that emerge thanks to increasing monopolisation.

[C. Flower]

Hi Cactus

I'll comment further tomorrow when I have removed the shackles of office - Im resigning as constituency secretary which will hopefully be ratified at a constituency meeting tonight.

Edo

Hi back, Edo

Look forward to your comments in due course.

[Andrew49]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/theknitter/KHLM.jpg

[Edo]

Hi back, Edo

Look forward to your comments in due course.


I wont be commenting................I believe some w**ker leaked my resignation letter and it will be in the national press tomorrow given the number of unanswered calls and txts from the media I have on my phone now - fame eh!

My cover will be blown - new user name will be the first order of business tomorrow!

[C. Flower]

I wont be commenting................I believe some w**ker leaked my resignation letter and it will be in the national press tomorrow given the number of unanswered calls and txts from the media I have on my phone now - fame eh!

My cover will be blown - new user name will be the first order of business tomorrow!

The easiest option would be to post the letter here (without your name, of course) and end the speculation, surely.;)

[C. Flower]

At least you didn't resign by twitter.

[Baron von Biffo]

At least you didn't resign by twitter.

Not Dan Boyle so :)

[Design for Life]

Do you think Enda can save us ?


No.

If you are going to lead people you have to have somewhere to go. I find this desire for one leader to come and be our salvation as rather pathetic.

As for policies FG and FF are one in the same. Look at FF's 2007 manifesto opening page. There's about 6bullet points of their main pillars of policy all of which are replicated in the FG manifesto. FG and Enda seem to be talking a big game about dipping into the pension reserve fund for a stimulus but whether they actually would or not is unknown. Hell, far left speakers like Kieran Allen have been calling for stimulus for years!

With regards to their health policy I don't trust it. Bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing. They're all too happy to speak of other countries policies but never talk about the inequality issue. Government mandated private insurance with the usual palaver about "protecting" the most vulnerable? Nah doesn't cut it for me...