Harney warns of tax hike under FG/Labour
She claimed that both parties could raises taxes if returned to Government in order to resource their spending policies.
In her leader's address to the Progressive Democrats conference in Limerick this weekend, Ms Harney said both parties only reluctantly committed themselves to a low-tax philosophy.
"Reform and low taxes for them - they do it through gritted teeth. It's grudging low tax. Resentful low tax. It sounds to me like they'd increase taxes as soon as their economic policies didn't generate enough resources for their spending policies," she told delegates at the conference.
Speaking in advance of the party's new policy announcement on taxes, Ms Harney set further cuts in taxes at the heart of her party's strategy in the run-up to next year's election.
Promising that the policy would be set out without ambiguity and with "no smoke and mirrors", she contended: "If you stand still on tax, you go backwards."
Ms Harney said that the reform agenda of her party had driven the success of the economy and contributed significantly to the achievements of the Government.
She instanced insurance reform and the creation of the National Treatment Purchase Fund as two initiatives that had been led by the PDs.
Turning to her own department, Health, Ms Harney repeated her prediction that health services would have an additional e7 billion ayear within five years if economic growth continued at present rates.
But she made extra resources contingent on reform. In addition to measures to tackle the crisis in A&E units and the issues surrounding a new consultants' contract, Ms Harney also said in the wake of the Lourdes Hospital report she would bring forward legislation to regulate the medical profession.
"There will be a majority of lay people on the Medical Council because I strongly believe patients and the public interest must come first. Doctors should not feel threatened by this," she argued.
The Tánaiste also made what amounted to an attack on the "race to the bottom" strategy of the Labour Party.
"We emphatically reject politics that play to fear and suspicion of foreigners. It is scaremongering and it is poison," she said.
"The job of real political leadership is to lead and not to pander to the latest opinion poll. That is a real race to the bottom."
Elsewhere, the party overwhelmingly rejected a motion calling for a pre-election alliance with Fianna Fáil.
Speaking in the debate, Justice Minister Michael McDowell raised the possibility of Sinn Féin winning up to 16 seats in the next Dáil.
"Barring a very unlikely grand alliance between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, or an abandonment by Labour of its declared position to do no business with Fianna Fáil, or an incoherent alliance between the PDs and the Rainbow and all the left splinter parties, the truth is that if Sinn Féin obtains the balance of power, it will use it as kingmaker to decide the make-up and lifespan of the next government," he said.
Colleague Liz O'Donnell signalled a new effort by the party to mollify its slightly harsh and rightist image.
Referring to the Tánaiste's much-quoted comments, she said: "We have created something which is neither Boston nor Berlin but combines the best of both, a safety-net below which no person can fall, but with no limits to what a person can seek to achieve."
On the sidelines
RESPONSIBILITY for immigration and migration from the Department of Justice might more appropriately lie with another Government department, former overseas aid minister Liz O'Donnell told the PD conference.
Ms O'Donnell, the party's TD in Dublin South, said that Justice's traditional role of controlling borders was primarily a security function.
"Working to positively welcome and integrate people who migrate legally here for work takes a completely different mindset, and maybe even department," she told delegates.
* INDUSTRIAL shipping activity should be moved from Dublin Port's city centre location to north Co Dublin, the PDs' transport spokesman, Tom Morrissey, told the conference.
Mr Morrissey called for the port to be made available for a major urban regeneration project, comparable to what has happened in Helsinki and Barcelona.
He said that run-down port areas in both cities were transformed beyond recognition. In Dublin it would free up 600 acres of real estate and also allow the port to be changed to a major centre for cruise line traffic.
* THE PD conference this weekend heard several leading party members endorse a robust 'green' agenda. Dun Laoghaire TD Fiona O'Malley said that Ireland's relatively small size made the prospect of energy self-sufficiency a realistic option.
She said the country should aim to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015.
Her colleague, OPW Minister Tom Parlon, said that the potential for bio-fuels was significant.
* THE PD conference overwhelmingly endorsed a motion calling for the abandonment of electronic voting. A motion tabled by the party's executive called for the current manual system of voting to be retained. The introduction of former Environment Minister Martin Cullen's €40 million scheme has been delayed for more than two years due to deep controversy over its reliability.
* ONE theme dominated the PDs' conference in Limerick all weekend. It was yesterday's rugby showdown between Leinster and Munster. Every speaker could not warm to their themes without making some reference to Munster. Mary Harney even got into the act, thanking the IRFU for playing the game a day later to facilitate the gathering of the mould-breakers.
On the sidelines
RESPONSIBILITY for immigration and migration from the Department of Justice might more appropriately lie with another Government department, former overseas aid minister Liz O'Donnell told the PD conference.
Ms O'Donnell, the party's TD in Dublin South, said that Justice's traditional role of controlling borders was primarily a security function.
"Working to positively welcome and integrate people who migrate legally here for work takes a completely different mindset, and maybe even department," she told delegates.
* INDUSTRIAL shipping activity should be moved from Dublin Port's city centre location to north Co Dublin, the PDs' transport spokesman, Tom Morrissey, told the conference.
Mr Morrissey called for the port to be made available for a major urban regeneration project, comparable to what has happened in Helsinki and Barcelona.
He said that run-down port areas in both cities were transformed beyond recognition. In Dublin it would free up 600 acres of real estate and also allow the port to be changed to a major centre for cruise line traffic.
* THE PD conference this weekend heard several leading party members endorse a robust 'green' agenda. Dun Laoghaire TD Fiona O'Malley said that Ireland's relatively small size made the prospect of energy self-sufficiency a realistic option.
She said the country should aim to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015.
Her colleague, OPW Minister Tom Parlon, said that the potential for bio-fuels was significant.
* THE PD conference overwhelmingly endorsed a motion calling for the abandonment of electronic voting. A motion tabled by the party's executive called for the current manual system of voting to be retained. The introduction of former Environment Minister Martin Cullen's €40 million scheme has been delayed for more than two years due to deep controversy over its reliability.
* ONE theme dominated the PDs' conference in Limerick all weekend. It was yesterday's rugby showdown between Leinster and Munster. Every speaker could not warm to their themes without making some reference to Munster. Mary Harney even got into the act, thanking the IRFU for playing the game a day later to facilitate the gathering of the mould-breakers.
