United Left Alliance: Govt 'shamelessly' betraying people

The United Left Alliance is accusing Fine Gael and Labour of "shamelessly" betraying people who voted for change in the election.

The group - which includes four TDs from the Socialist Party and People Before Profit - says the new Programme for Government is a recipe for more cuts and austerity.

The ULA says it believes the policies of the coalition will mean more unemployment, emigration, stealth taxes and the transfer of more taxpayers money into failed banks.

Recently elected Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins said the new Government offered more of the same:

"It is entirely confined within the straightjacket of the EU/IMF programme of savage austerity, continuing the policy of making working class people pay for the bad gambling debts of bankers and speculators," he said.