Ahern targets election victory in key-note speech
Boosted by a string of positive opinion polls and a reception at the Dublin gathering which touched on the rapturous, Mr Ahern moved to put the turmoil of the last two months behind him and target a third straight Dáil victory.
The Taoiseach gave a carefully worded thank you to the mass of Fianna Fáil supporters who stood by him as his premiership was engulfed in controversy.
“While we would all, I am sure, lead perfect lives if hindsight were foresight, I am proud of my record and grateful for the chance you have given me to serve Ireland — all of Ireland, North and South,” he told delegates at the 70th Árd Fheis.
The address dwelt heavily on what Mr Ahern sees as the threat to the Republic’s prosperity if the Rainbow alternative gained power.
In a blistering attack on Fine Gael and Labour’s economic credibility, Mr Ahern warned the country’s prosperity could not be taken for granted.
“I say to them, to our opponents, you have no idea of how to achieve prosperity. You have no understanding of how hard the Irish people have worked.
“And I tell you this, we will never return to a reckless government which spends every euro today without any concern for the consequences of tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Ahern made it clear pensions would rise to €200 a week in the December Budget and he strongly defended the coalition’s record on health and transport.
Mr Ahern stressed ending conflict in the North had been the driving ambition of his 10 years in power and he believed the St Andrews Agreement would “finally and fully unlock” the potential for peace.
He stressed he expected a positive response from all parties to the St Andrews agreement by the deadline of this Friday, although he hinted the situation may not be totally clear-cut.
Communications Minister Noel Dempsey claimed that the strong showing in the polls was the result of adverse public reaction to an “attempted character assassination” of the Taoiseach.
“The Irish people have an innate sense of fair play. They quickly recognised those who are hungry for power but starved of ideas will often compromise their own morals and ethics in a desperate scramble to achieve that power,” he said.
The Government is determined that there will be a benefit for farmers from the new bio-energy strategy, Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan said. “This is not and cannot be in initiative primarily focused on the companies producing and distributing the final fuel,” she said. She also challenged perceptions that agriculture was becoming marginalised, pointing out that the agri-food sector still accounts for one fifth or Ireland’s net foreign earnings.
The Government will use its strength to show that there are no no-go areas in Ireland, Defence Minister Willie O’Dea vowed in his speech.
Referring to the Moyross task force, he said that the Government would commit the necessary resources.
Environment Minister Dick Roche will introduce new planning rules to make it easier to install solar panels and micro wind turbines.
Mr Roche reiterated that Ireland is on target to meet its Kyoto Protocol targets.
The old age pension will surpass the €200 per week mark for the first time in 2007, Social Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan told delegates. He also said that the Government would not be judged on how many millionaires were created, but how it reached out to those left behind by the economy.
Micheál Martin, Minister for Enterprise and Employment promised a new unit in his department, dedicated to helping marginalised workers find and keep good jobs.
“We have to be willing to be ambitious and try new approaches,” he told the Árd Fheis in City West. “Whether it be help for single parents, people with disabilities or people who live in remote areas, we must give them the future of opportunity which so many others have.”
He also said he has commissioned an expert report on the issue of climate change and its repercussions for Irish enterprise, which he wanted finalised as quickly as possible.
“At that point I will be proposing reforms and new measures,” he said.
Education Minister Mary Hanafin has claimed Fine Gael’s Irish language policies means the party wants to kill the language.
In her address to delegates, Ms Hanafin said that the Government was concentrating on reform of the curriculum and would not countenance dropping Irish as a compulsory subject for the Leaving Certificate.
Irish would be taught as a living language, with more emphasis on the spoken word and everyday use rather than literature she said.
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