FF destroyed the country and themselves

I HAVE to say I absolutely agree with Jim O’Sullivan (March 10) when he states that “greed was allowed to flourish” during the period of FF administration.

However, this greed wasn't just limited to “money-grabbing speculators.” It underpinned the so-called social partnership of government and unions, whereby industrial peace was bought at enormous cost, totally undermining our competitiveness.

It underpinned the benchmarking arrangements which fuelled astronomical and unaffordable wage increases for our protected public servants, particularly those at senior levels, contributing directly to our current crisis in the public finances.

Strangely, however, Mr O’Sullivan seems unable to make any distinction between FF and the present coalition. He cites the coalition’s “failure to introduce” a progressive tax system, ignoring the fact that tax system is in fact largely progressive.

The “real change” Mr O’Sullivan imagines we could have made, completely ignores the stark reality we face as a nation.

We are absolutely bankrupt, and the present government has no choice but to reign in the enormous deficits in the public finances it has inherited. This is quite apart from the almost intractable banking morass it also inherited.

FF did not lose the last election because they had to make the “hard decisions” necessary for the “national interest.”

That they continually made this false claim, was their final insult to the intelligence of the electorate.

They lost because, in the words of Mary O’Rourke, they “deserved” to lose. They first destroyed the PDs. Then the Greens.

Then the country. Then, finally, and thankfully, themselves.

James McGrath

Hollyford

Co Tipperary