Insults traded in debate on early poll demand

Government and opposition TDs tonight traded insults across a stormy Dáil chamber as they debated a motion calling for an early General Election.

Fine Gael and Labour listed 13 alleged Government failures in areas such as crime, health, education and taxpayers’ value for money.

Opposition leaders accused the Taoiseach and his ministers of being arrogant and out of touch with voters after nine years in power.

However, an ebullient Bertie Ahern led Government TDs in dismissing the criticism of the alternative Rainbow Coalition and accused them of promoting redundant policies.

He said: “The politics of Fine Gael and of Labour is the politics of attack. It is the politics of power for power’s own sake. It is politics devoid of policy. It is politics empty of vision and utterly lacking in any real leadership.”

Addressing Mr Kenny, he said: “There is more to leadership than ambition. No-one has an entitlement to govern.”

He added: “The Mullingar Accord is a deal for grabbing power, not a vision for realising Ireland’s future. It is a squalid deal that is rotten before it is ripe.”

Mr Ahern also claimed that, in March 2004, Mr Kenny had promised a comprehensive programme of policies with Labour within 18 months.

“If keeping promises in Government can sometimes be really difficult, then breaking them in Opposition takes real genius,” he quipped.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell likened Mr Kenny and Labour leader Pat Rabbitte to the Laurel and Hardy of Irish politics who were destined to creating a fine mess.

He quoted the “Do you feel lucky, punk?” line from the Dirty Harry films and said Irish people would have to feel very lucky to risk the economic consequences of a rainbow government.

He added: “Fine Gael plus Labour equals slump. That is the simple equation which will face Irish people at the next General Election.

“In reality, the equation would be even worse because it would involve a motley crew of Greens and independents.”

With applause from the Government backbenches, he told the Labour Party: “You feed off inequality and poverty. You don’t do anything to solve it. You are a disgrace.”

The Fine Gael/Labour motion said the fractured and arrogant Government had lost its initiative and coherence and descended into aimless drift.

Mr Rabbitte said the Government was now battered and bruised through a combination of its own incompetence and the emergence for the first time in almost 10 years of a clear alternative government.

“This is a Government that should not see another Christmas. The kindest thing that could happen would be for the turkeys to vote for Christmas, and the Government to call a General Election,” he remarked.

Mr Kenny said the administration was out of touch with the everyday concerns of ordinary families.

The two-day private members’ motion will be debated again tomorrow night.

A weekend opinion poll reported that Fianna Fail support was down 1% to 34% while Fine Gael was unchanged at 26 percentage points.

Support for Labour had dropped by 2% to 12%.