Lenihan: United national effort is required

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has warned the Opposition that "anger and abuse" can no longer function as economic policies, and a united national effort is required to get Ireland through the current crisis.

Speaking ahead of a meeting today between Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the main Opposition leaders, Minister Lenihan said Fine Gael and Labour have a duty to give certainty to the international markets on their economic policies.

He dismissed Fine Gael suggestions that there should be independent scrutiny of the economic projections produced by the Department of Finance.

And the Finance Minister also rejected claims by Labour's Eamon Gilmore that the Government was now attempting to get the Opposition to do its work for it.

"As a general election approaches in the next 18 months there is a responsibility on the Opposition parties… to understand the realities that this country faces and to come up with realistic policies to address them," Minister Lenihan said.

"Anger and abuse cannot function as policies any longer for this country.

"We need a united national effort to deal with out difficulties."

Meanwhile Green party leader John Gormley, who was the first to float this idea of budget consensus two weeks ago, has this morning played down expectations of major progress in this afternoon's talks.

He said today's meeting would likely focus on a way to work together going forward and would essentially be "talks about talks".