Labour leader hits out at 'despised' Government

The current Government is the most despised and distrusted in the history of the state, Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte claimed today.

Mr Rabbitte predicted Ireland’s coalition parties would take an even bigger hammering in the European elections than anyone thought.

He said: “It is actually hard to meet someone on the campaign trail who cannot refer to a broken promise, a lie, or an act of callousness or incompetence that they can attribute immediately to the present cabinet.

“If I could make one prediction about the outcome of these elections right now, it would be that the Government parties are going to get an even bigger hammering than any poll or expert is predicting,” Mr Rabbitte said.

At the party’s Euro campaign launch Labour claimed it would use its role within the majority Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament to fulfil its election pledges.

Leader Pat Rabbitte highlighted five key areas the party was committed to and claimed Labour could do more in the EU with its position in the socialist grouping.

Labour vowed to work for a prosperous and fair economy with more jobs, bringing the EU closer to its citizens, humane migration policies, building a more secure, peaceful and just world and promoting Europe as an area of democracy and equality.

Mr Rabbitte said they were not vague aspirations and there were concrete steps to further the goals, including implementing the Lisbon process, which aims to make Europe the most competitive economy in the world by 2010.

He added that he expected the PES to maintain their majority status.

Mr Rabbitte said: “Throughout Europe there are encouraging signs that the PES will emerge as the key group in the next parliament, in a position to shape the medium-term future.

“It is the majority group which commands considerable clout in the parliament itself.”

He added that Labour’s election commitments were in keeping with the other PES parties, and were deliverable.

Labour have five candidates running in the elections on June 11.

Hughie Baxter, is battling for votes in the north-west, Peter Cassells is standing in Leinster and Senator Brendan Ryan is running in Munster.

Both Prionsias De Rossa MEP and Ivana Bacik are contesting the election in the Dublin area.