Junior minister criticises ‘two Brians’

BRIAN COWEN “made a bags” of the October budget, one of his own ministers yesterday insisted.

Referring to the Taoiseach and the Finance Minister as “the two Brians” Junior Enterprise Minister John McGuinness warned the autumn emergency economic package had been an “offensive mess”.

The comments are hardly likely to do Mr McGuinness’s chances of remaining a minister of state much good when Mr Cowen announces a reduced junior team later this month. Speaking ahead of yesterday’s budget, Mr McGuinness strongly attacked the way its predecessor had been handled by the “two Brians”.

“They have made a bags of it before and if we get it wrong, we will be in serious difficulty — our international reputation is at stake here.

“We have to impress those that will give us money that we’re not a basket case, we have plans,” he told KCLR radio.

Mr McGuinness hit out at what he called the unfairness of the October package, which led to mass protests on the streets by pensioners and teachers.

“It was unfair and it was a mess and we offended the elderly or older people in this country. Politically, we need to correct that on this occasion

“There will be terrible suffering within the country. We can’t afford that.

“This budget is not so much about the two Brians. It is about Ireland. It is about this country. It is about where we’re going and it will be a defining moment for the economy,” he said.

Mr Cowen made Mr McGuinness and his 19 other junior ministerial colleagues resign this week ahead of a reshuffle which will see only 15 of them return to redefined posts.

The Trade and Commerce Minister had been expected to retain his brief, but those chances could have now been damaged.

In another unusual intervention before Brian Lenihan’s statement yesterday, his aunt and fellow Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke said he had been getting a lot of sleep lately and staying off alcohol.

“He’s been getting his night’s sleep, which he has been doing very well for the last couple of weeks. He’s not taking a drink. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad, but that’s the regime,” she said.