Gilmore: Government has no mandate for four-year Budget plan
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore today agreed to cross-party talks on multi-billion euro spending cuts but insisted that a General Election was still needed.
In a distinctly cool response, Mr Gilmore said he would accept Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s invitation to the Opposition but stressed a four-year Budget road map was not credible without a fresh Government.
Mr Cowen bowed to a week of pressure last night and wrote to Fine Gael and Labour opening the door to a possible national consensus on the economy.
The Taoiseach stressed the letter reiterated his support for the plan – despite giving a lukewarm response to Environment Minister John Gormley’s proposal in the Dáil the previous day.
Mr Gilmore said he would not get involved in the talks to help relations between Mr Cowen and his coalition partner.
“I’m not going to engage in some kind of political marriage counselling between the Taoiseach and one of his ministers in the Government,” Mr Gilmore said.
In his letter to Enda Kenny and Mr Gilmore, the Taoiseach said the pursuit of the national interest and common good must take priority.
He said he wanted to confirm that all three parties were united in the belief that the economy must be put back on a sure footing by 2014, when the deficit has to be slashed to 3% of the value of the economy, or Gross Domestic Product.
Mr Gilmore said he would take part in the talks but added there was a need for a new Government with a mandate to see through the four-year Budgetary plan.
He said nobody should expect consensus on the Budget this year.
“We’ll talk with the Taoiseach, we’ll talk with the Government, we’ll talk with anybody, but we’re not going to fool people into believing that there’s some kind of a phoney consensus that could be put together as a substitute for having a strong and stable Government, that will see through budgetary plans over the next four to five years,” the Labour leader said.
Mr Cowen dismissed suggestions he was at odds with the Green Party leader over the national consensus idea, claiming the letter reiterated that he backed the proposal but wanted to take it step by step.
“I welcome constructive approaches,” Mr Cowen said.
“I think ideally it would be great if everything can be agreed. I also recognise of course some political realities, that there are political differences between us in some respects, but that the overall national interests meant that we should and could meet in the right circumstances and I believe that those circumstances could now be available to us.”
It is understood the proposal for cross-party support was first discussed between Communications Minister Eamon Ryan and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan following a Cabinet meeting days before Mr Gormley publicly highlighted it.
Mr Cowen said the issue was not raised at Cabinet but was discussed by the two Government Ministers in passing.
In his response to Mr Cowen’s letter Mr Gilmore said the consensus plan was an attempt to keep Fianna Fáil in power.
“While I am always willing to meet with you to discuss any matter of national importance, including the budget, I remain to be persuaded that this exercise is intended to do anything more than prolong the life of your Government,” he wrote.
