Lack of leadership is the real issue

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

YOU quote Finance Minister Brian Lenihan (October 8) as saying "expenses reform won’t solve the financial crisis" and that we need to focus on "the real issues" facing the country.

I have been so busy trying to keep my small company alive that I have hardly had time to feel real anger with what is or isn’t going on.

However, Mr Lenihan’s comments have made me livid. The "real issue" facing this country is a total lack of leadership or even the basic understanding of the fact that all leadership is about example and there is little or none of that emanating from either house of the Oireachtas with the outstanding exception of Senator Feargal Quinn.

Running my company is not much different in principle to Mr Lenihan’s job of running the country’s finances.

Like the country, our revenues have been decimated, and this is where we differ.

Unlike the meagre cuts in Leinster House, in my company executive pay has been halved, pensions are frozen, company cars are gone.

This at least gave me the moral courage to look straight in the face our employees whom we had to lay off, put on short-time working, cut salaries, etc, with the least paid losing the least.

We have been unable to get loans written off, unlike the Anglo Irish directors Mr Lenihan has covered with our taxes.

Unlike Mr Lenihan, as we don’t have the backing of the taxpayer we have found it necessary to look after every cent spent and justify it.

It might not "solve our financial crisis" but it at least helps us survive another day, week or month working as a team with our remaining employees.

God willing, we will be here next year to tell the tale. However I doubt it will be any thanks to Mr Lenihan.

The sooner he and his associates such as Minister Martin Cullen are out of office, the better chance Ireland has of survival.

Jerry Kiersey
Managing Director
Green Tiger Ltd
Newcastle
Co Dublin

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, October 14, 2009