Gilmore vows to reform public sector

LABOUR PARTY leader Eamon Gilmore told voters yesterday he will “be tough on anyone who stands in the way of reform” in the public sector.

Responding to questions about the perception that the Labour Party is too close to unions and likely to shy away from real public sector reform, he said: “Eamon Gilmore will be tough on anyone who stands in the way of reform.”

Mr Gilmore, who was in Cork city yesterday at a press conference with all the candidates standing in Cork constituencies, said his party is making public sector reform a key plank in their party’s election manifesto.

“It was Fianna Fáil who were responsible for the huge increases in expenditure that occurred over the past 13 years and in fairness, Micheál Martin has acknowledged that over the past couple of days. There is no point blaming anyone else for that...that was Fianna Fáil’s responsibility.

“We have published the most comprehensive set of reforms of any political party around the public service, with 140 different recommendations, and we will use the Croke Park Agreement to have those recommendations implemented,” he said.

Mr Gilmore issued a thinly-veiled warning to left-minded people thinking of voting for Sinn Féin or the United Left Alliance. He suggested a vote for one of these parties is more likely to make Fine Gael, the lead party in the next government.

“The other groupings are not campaigning to be in government. What the country needs is a new government. It seems to me that there are only two realistic options for government: a government led by Labour or a government led by Fine Gael. People who are considering voting for other groupings or for independents will have to weigh up the consequences of their vote. They may feel that they are voting something more radical. But the effect of that may be to get something more right wing in terms of the outcome of Government,” he said.

Labour are running two candidates in Cork North Central, Kathleen Lynch TD and Councillor John Gilroy. In Cork South Central, Deputy Ciarán Lynch and Cllr Paula Desmond are running. In Cork East Sean Sherlock TD and Councillor John Mulvihill are running. In Cork South West, Sen Michael McCarthy is the sole candidate in the three seater. In Cork South West, Cllr Martin Coughlan is also the sole candidate.

Picture: Eamon Gilmore and Ciarán Lynch TD meet members of the public. Picture: Dan Linehan