If Martin can’t learn lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat them – Bruton

Minister Richard Bruton has this afternoon (Sunday) hit back at claims made on RTE’s This Week by Micheál Martin regarding his Party’s record on managing the economy and claims made in respect of alleged Fine Gael calls, while in Opposition for increased spending. Minister Bruton said attempts of this nature from the Party that blew up our economy in order to win a third term in Government are completely wide of the mark and are in no way reflective of reality.

He said: “Far from calling for increased spending, the truth of the matter is that I called out FF’s mismanagement of the economy at every given opportunity during the years Fine Gael was in Opposition. Fianna Fáil ramped up spending at an astronomical rate and did so in an attempt to buy the electorate and their own third term in Government.”

“Fianna Fail’s tax and spending plan crashed the economy, not a global recession. A property bubble was inflated by Government decisions and public spending was built on the back of temporary revenue, which has caused so much damage. If Micheál Martin doesn’t recognise this, all the same mistakes will undoubtedly be repeated if they are returned Government. And we are too well aware of who will ultimately pay the price for this.”

“As jobs minister, I saw the damage done first hand as a result of 300,000 job losses. We built our action plan for jobs on enterprise, exports and innovation. Solid foundations that can withstand future shocks. Fine Gael’s record stands for itself.”

Richard Bruton said:

• Budget 2005 (1st December 2004)

“The [FF] patterns of spending over the past seven years have been all wrong.  Extra money and new staffing was poured in without reform.”

• Budget 2006 (7th December 2005)

“But there are also signs of fragility, which cannot be ignored.  Approximately 40% of jobs in companies supported by the industrial agencies has been lost since 2000….Ireland’s enterprise strategy was once the envy of emerging countries but it is feeling the strain and the cracks are showing.”

• Budget 2007 (6th December 2006)

“The Government is increasing spending at a rate 50% faster than the growth of national income.  Taxes are rising as a result.  This year, the Government is continuing the trend by budgeting to increase spending by 11.5%.  Spending is increasing far faster than national income and tax revenues and this is posing a threat.”

• Budget 2008 (5th December 2007)

“Who will be the casualties of this unreformed Government that is spending money freely and not delivering results?  It will not be Ministers, that is for sure….We have a Government complacently whistling its way along and not addressing this crying need for reform.”

• Budget 2009 (14th October 2008)

“Why is the mighty Celtic cruiser the first to hit the rocks in this recession, the first to see its public finances run into difficulties?  It is because the captain and the officers, who were on the deck and who we expected to look out for our interests, ignored the storm warnings, overloaded the vessel and neglected to maintain the engine, and now we are drifting towards the rocks.”

• Supplementary Budget 2009 (7th April 2009)

“The problem we have in this country is that we have a Government which simply would not heed the warning signs.  Time after time, it was told of the dangers that were occurring.  Our competitiveness entered the red zone in 2002 when it started to deteriorate….We were told time after time that the property bubble was built on sound economic fundamentals, competitiveness was fine and we did not have to worry about our banks.  How wrong that was and how much Irish people have paid for the refusal of Ministers to heed the warnings that were given.”

ENDS