Minister needs to develop a sense of irony

DOES Social and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan have any sense of irony?

Recently he described election pledges by Fine Gael and Labour as “reckless” and said they would bankrupt the country.

Has he forgotten his own role in the formulation of the infamous 1977 Fianna Fáil manifesto?

As the party’s general secretary, he supported reckless promises, including the abolition of property rates and car tax which resulted in a decade of economic ruin.

And has he forgotten the promises he made to the electorate in the programme for government in 2002?

As transport minister, he promised a Metro link to Dublin airport to be opened by 2007, reform of the Road Transport Act to allow for competition in the bus market and the establishment of a Greater Dublin Land Use and Transport Authority.

Bold plans, with big price tags — and none of them delivered, leaving Dublincommuters facing years of endless gridlock.

If Mr Brennan had not supported policies which brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy, and had delivered on any of his own promises at the last election, then his criticism of Opposition policies might have had a scintilla of credibility.

Barry Walsh

Brooklawn

Clontarf

Dublin 3