BLAGAROON

MANAGING THE ECONOMY?

The FF/PD wage-robber coalition, two-tier health service coalition, no social-housing coalition, are begging for your vote on the false story that they have “managed” the economy better than anyone else. They have not. It’s true that the country has experienced a surge of wealth creation and prosperity in the past ten years, a prosperity the benefits of which have been denied to the 850,000 of the population who are still existing on the poverty line. It’s true there are more millionaires in Ireland than ever before; only the millionaires benefit from that, and of course, those who get “dig-outs” from time to time from some of them.

But, what is this prosperity based on? Mostly, Foreign Direct Investment and the allocation of structural funds from the EU for infrastructure development. The infrastructure investment was overdue and only a catch-up for the lack of same during the 70’s and 80’s. No provision has been made for increasing population and increased economic activity. Where will the jobs be when the construction boom is over? What use are one-bedroom shoe-box apartments to families with two or three children? Where will the investment come from for the further infrastructure needs? As was seen today, in Athlone, the jobs dependent on FDI can vanish overnight. If you believe PD/FF that 12% corporation tax is keeping foreign investment staying here, think again, a survey of American owned companies by the American Chamber of Commerce here presented by managing director Alan Gray last Friday showed that 43.5% of these companies were considering moving part of their operations out of Ireland and 8.7% are considering closing down entirely (Sunday Tribune 20/05/07).

No ideas, no vision
No measures have been advanced by this Government of Clowns and Political Fraudsters to expand the indigenous industrial base to establish local job creation on the basis of modern production. They have given away for free national assets such as the Corrib Gas Field and pretended this was progress. They have presided over the decline of Agriculture which is one of our prime natural resources. They have allowed other EU countries to sweep €50 Billion of valuable fish resources from our territorial seas in exchange for a mere €8.5 Billion of structural funds. Some deal, what? They have failed to provide a proper Research & Development programme to encourage and facilitate product innovation for the global market to be based here and not be the preserve of foreign monopolies. They have failed to extend Broadband Internet to the whole country, an essential if our economy is to compete on a global level. They have failed on Strategic Transport Planning for Dublin and the other major cities and towns. The daily traffic congestion everywhere is testament to that failure. They have failed in their responsibilities to effect measures to control carbon emissions which are contributing to possibly irreversible Climate Change unless co-ordinated international action is brought about. They have left our economy the most dependent in Europe on imported energy and have NO IDEA what to do about it.

The Shameful 90’s
No, not the Decade, but the 90,000 schoolchildren who go hungry to school every day without breakfast, and the 90,000 family units awaiting accommodation on local authority housing lists. These social scandals, the shame of civilised Europe, are the direct result of FF/PD “management” of the economy; THEIR choices, as a government, on social spending. Yet, they have had budget surpluses in 9 out of the ten years they have been in power so they can’t fob off criticism with the poor mouth. These surpluses, of course, are monies they have extracted from your wage packet with their income tax, VAT charges and stealth taxes. Now they are promising to spend more than ever because they want your vote, but it’s just a repeat of the same lies they told in 1997 and 2002.

FearFeasa Mac Léinn
Áth Cliath/Dublin, 23 Bealtaine/MAY 2007.