Ahern refuses to take any blame for slump

FORMER Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has again refused to shoulder any blame for the slump which engulfed the economy as he was leaving office.

Despite figures showing the country had officially slipped into recession as he stood down in May 2008, Mr Ahern insisted his legacy was one that could only be admired.

“If taking blame for another million people working, for bringing the standard of living 30% ahead of the European level, for putting in infrastructure that we never had before, for bringing Irish business to a level that we had never been at before… if they damaged the country then that is for someone else to say,” he told Newstalk radio yesterday.