Opposition attack Govt performance

Opposition leaders have attacked the Government's performance after the publication of a document defending Government decisions and promises over the last year.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the Government was marked by a “litany of broken promises, mismanaged finances and a raft of new stealth taxes“.

He said: “This Government certainly landed running, but unfortunately it was in the opposite direction to that which they had promised.”

Labour leader Pat Rabitte said the Government had wasted public service time with the publication of the report.

Sinn Fein’s Caoimhghin Ó Caolain, drew comparisons between Mr Ahern’s Government and the Tories in Britain when they were in power.

“The Government cannot disguise the broken pledges and flawed policy decisions of the past year,” the Cavan-Monaghan TD said.

“They claim this is a one-year audit of a five-year programme. They would like us to forget they have been in office not for one year but for six.

“This Government has been in power for too long. They began as the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrats coalition but they rapidly evolved into the PD/FF government with the PDs as the dominant element.

“They have become like the Tories in Britain after repeated terms in power. In their case it was the hard right led by Norman Tebbitt who set the agenda.

In the case of this Government the agenda is set by the Progressive Democrats clique with Michael McDowell as the standard-bearer of the right in Irish politics.”