FF has squandered benefits of the boom

THE Taoiseach recently said the economic doomsayers might as well contemplate suicide.

Yet he has now conceded they were right, blaming our economic crisis on the US depression and the end of the construction boom. But he forgets Fianna Fáil has largely squandered the fruits of the boom.

It has created instead a bloated, overpaid public sector, an economy which has lost 20% competitiveness with our trading partners since the EMU started, and as a badly managed health sector.

EMU membership means we can do little to stop the coming serious recession: we cannot devalue or cut interest rates, unlike Britain, Sweden and Denmark. In effect, we are in deep trouble, with nothing put aside by FF governments for the stormy days ahead. FF has largely landed us in this mess. But we did give them a mandate so let’s wait and see how they now handle the economic troubles ahead.

Robin Bury

Military Road

Killiney

Co Dublin