Burton supports easing fiscal rules

Labour leader candidate Joan Burton has said she supports moves in Europe to ease fiscal rules which could help Ireland roll out a major programme of social and affordable housing.

Her comments came at the final round of debates in Dublin for the new leadership of Labour, where candidates answered questions from members and outlined their plans for the party following its dismal election results.

Ms Burton said there was now “a positive change in the weather coming from Europe”.

This followed demands from Italy’s new government this week for a revision of the eurozone fiscal rules, she told the party hustings.

“One of the sensible Italian demands is for an EU-wide investment programme along with an imaginative accounting rule to subtract investment spending from the deficit calculation.”

Such an approach here could “help drive an ambitious programme of social and affordable housing”, said the social protection minister.

This could, in turn, help get some of the 80,000 unemployed construction workers back to work, she told party members at the Mansion House.

Fellow leadership candidate Alex White, the junior health minister, said that Labour needed to stand up to political forces on the Left as well as coalition partners Fine Gael.

“I believe I can provide the ‘fresh voice’ that Eamon [Gilmore] spoke off the day he stepped down,” he said. “The leader of this great party will not be decided by the IMF, the media or by Fine Gael.”

Mr White said it was time for the party to be honest: “The stark truth is that we will find it difficult to get a hearing for anything we say in 2016 if we allow the impression to stand that we told a string of lies before the last elections, and that, since then, we have broken every promise we made.”

Elsewhere, Mr White said outgoing Tánaiste Mr Gilmore would make a “fine commissioner”.

Board row

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has defended appointing two former politicians to paid State board positions and said that the positions were agreed by all of the Cabinet.

The Labour minister confirmed yesterday that his request to put a Labour Party by-election candidate Denis Leonard and a former Fine Gael TD, John Farrelly, on the board of Bord na Móna was approved. Both may be entitled to €12,600 in annual payments.

Sinn Féin criticised the appointments, which were not publicly announced, and claimed it was an “indication of cronyism” under Fine Gael and Labour.

There has been speculation that Mr Rabbitte is sitting out his last days in Cabinet.

and that he may be dropped in the upcoming reshuffle.

Both individuals lost their council seats in last month’s local elections. Mr Rabbitte was, in opposition, an outspoken critic of those with party political affiliations being appointed to State boards. The minister’s spokesman said: “It was a Government decision.

There are vacancies on boards as they arise in consultation with government colleagues.” It was not known if Mr Rabbitte personally knew Mr Leonard or Mr Farrelly, he added. Commenting on the appointments last night, junior health minister Alex White said that people should only be appointed to boards if they had the necessary qualifications or experience. Board members are entitled to €12,600 in annual fees. This depends on whether they accept the fees as well as whether or not either are already employed by other State bodies.

Responding to the appointments, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said: “This was a Government decision. The Cabinet had to approve these appointments. It is a further indication of cronyism under Fine Gael and Labour. Fianna Fáil-style governance is alive and well in the Fine Gael/Labour cabinet room. In the dying days of the last Fianna Fáil-led government we saw Fianna Fáil packing State boards. They were loudly and rightly criticised at the time by the Labour Party.”