Gilmore: Troika austerity hawks treat us like experiment

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has launched an unprecedented attack on the troika, accusing its “austerity hawks” of treating Ireland like an “economic experiment” and said the €3.1bn adjustment demanded by our international lenders in the budget risked damaging the country’s fragile economy and society more broadly.

“We will not let the Irish economy become some type of economic experiment for austerity hawks,” he said. “Austerity alone is not sufficient for economic recovery or social stability.”

Mr Gilmore, whose party has borne the brunt of the public’s dissatisfaction with ongoing cutbacks, said the full €3.1bn austerity package was not required to enable Ireland meet the bailout programme’s deficit target of 3% of GDP by 2015.