Ahern’s biggest regret is Bertie Bowl was never built

RETIRING Fianna Fáil TD and former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, says his biggest regret is that he did not leave a national stadium in his political wake.

Mr Ahern said he would like to be leaving politics with unemployment at 4% and economic growth still between 10% and 11%, as it was for many years when he was taoiseach. “I would have loved if someone told me what was going on in the banks in this country but nobody ever did. You get wise after the event.

“I still think we did not get a proper, national infrastructural stadium. I think, you know, unfortunately, when I see little countries like Qatar and Kuwait and everyone in the World Cup talking about their 10 stadiums and we never succeeded in getting one national stadium. That is an achievement I tried hard to do but I didn’t get.”

Mr Ahern, who was being interviewed outside Leinster House, sighed as he pointed out it was his last full day in the Dáil.

Dublin City councillor, Joan Collins, interrupted the interview to say that people like her had suffered cuts in their wages as a result of all the budget tax changes.

The People Before Profit candidate for Dublin South Central in the general election, said Mr Ahern should be ashamed of himself.

Cllr Collins, who works as a clerk in An Post in the GPO in Dublin said she was incensed by Mr Ahern’s smug attitude.