Fianna Fáil looking back fondly on 2008 and refusing to accept jobs growth in 2015 – Corcoran Kennedy

“Only this week, Fianna Fáil’s Jobs Spokesperson, Dara Calleary, bemoaned the fact that Ireland’s competitiveness is not what it was in 2008; a time when Ireland was on the brink of the economic crash, buoyed up by a false economy and broken banks. Another example of Fianna Fáil’s sole ambition of returning to the same old politics”, says Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Chairperson of the Oireachtas Jobs Committee and Fine Gael TD for Laois/Offaly.

“Today the CSO confirmed the most recent unemployment rate of 9.8%, down from 11.7% in May 2014 and 15.2% in February 2012. Ireland is expected to be the strongest economy in Europe in 2015.

“The economic recovery is a reality. The Action Plan for Jobs, led by Minister Richard Bruton, is working and the Government is now focussed on ensuring that all parts of the country feel its benefits.

“ Fianna Fáil has yet to come up with any ideas when it comes to job creation. Their party members seem to be confined to negative commentary and harking back to the good old days when the policy was very simple: spend, spend, spend, with no plans for the future.

“It is essential that we create a robust, sustainable and dynamic economy that is fit for purpose as we move into the future. There will be no return to the boom and bust ways of the past and that means building on the strong jobs figures while supporting business and encouraging investment.”