Fine Gael feel good at ‘back to basics’ bash ahead of budget bang
Law and order and the economy, or more specifically warning the long-term unemployed there will be “nothing for nothing” if they don’t co-operate with the various back to work schemes, were the moral crusades that lifted the atmosphere of foot soldiers in the Treaty City where security was surprisingly tight.
In fact, the loss of the Seanad poll didn’t appear to be causing too many problems for anybody. “It was Enda’s thing” said one Dublin TD. “It will all be forgotten after the budget” was the response which was typical of others.
“Look, in reality it was like losing a National League game in mid-February”, said former GAA president and MEP Sean Kelly. “By the time summer comes everyone has forgotten about the defeat.”
But Fine Gael hadn’t forgotten about the bloody past of its yes campaign partners Sinn Féin and an indication of what was ahead came on Friday night when in the run up to Enda Kenny’s address the chairperson of the executive council, Brian Murphy, launched a scathing attack on Sinn Féin.
He said the party and its associates had caused untold problems and had engaged in murder, extortion and bank robberies.
But it was Sinn Féin’s plans later this month to honour the memory of the Shankill bomber Thomas Begely which drew most criticism.
Conveniently forgetting his own Justice Minister Alan Shatter shared a platform with Padraig Mac Lochlainn two weeks earlier to call for a yes vote in the court of appeal referendum, Mr Murphy said Sinn Féin hadn’t changed as much as they’d like to suggest.
“Only this week we hear of plans to hold an event later this month to honour, and that’s the term they use, ‘honour’ Thomas Begely, one of those who bombed Frizell’s fish shop 20 years ago, killing nine people and injuring around 50 people,” he said, claiming Sinn Féin still didn’t understand that reconciliation has to be based on actions, not empty promises.
And there’ll be little reconciliation for criminals or legal professionals after Justice Minister Alan Shatter outlined a series of measures to tackle crime and the criminally high fees some of the country’s barristers and solicitors charge.
Following EC criticism of the legal profession saying it was a drag on the economy’s performance, Mr Shatter said he was “determined to blow the cobwebs out of this profession and we will introduce reforms in the public interest and drag it, if necessary screaming, into the 21st century”.
He told delegates, including former Justice Minister Nora Owen, that his series of measures to tackle crime were the most significant since Ms Owen introduced the highly successful Criminal Assets Bureau in the wake of the brutal 1996 murder of crime journalist Veronica Guerin.
“The good news,” he said, was that the Cabinet had agreed to recommence Garda recruitment next for the first time since 2009 “Garda strength would be preserved at 13,000”.
After visiting Roxboro Garda Station in Limerick, he praised the courageous policing that had ended the stranglehold that eight criminal gangs exercised over Limerick City. The tough talking continued and the hall erupted in applause when outlining his aims for the new DNA Database Bill said “and you can be damned sure we’ll make it known if we have your DNA on our database and if you commit a crime” — you’ll be caught.
With CSO statistics showing a reduction in criminal offences across the State, the crackdown on crime sideshow appeared to sooth some anxiety from TDs over the unknown horrors feared in Budget 2014 — of which very few details were revealed.
The person who held the answers for all, including the 20 or so TDs that can expect their Dáil employment terminated in 2016, was the star of the weekend, Michael Noonan, who received a standing ovation before the Taoiseach’s speech.
“He’s our granddad figure, his words are very reassuring” said one Munster TD who didn’t blink an eyelid when he added he couldn’t quite work out what Mr Noonan meant when he told delegates: “You will be astounded by the good news that I will announce in the budget.”
“I hope we’re not going to over-promise and under-deliver,” the TD nervously said, reversing the Taoiseach’s earlier comments. Like others he hoped behind the scenes the Government’s coffers were being enriched due to an unforeseen windfall and this would result in no ugly medical card type controversies erupting tomorrow night.
Over the past month, the finance minister delivered a masterclass in spin as he kept everyone talking but no one actually knowing any details in way of expenditure cuts were revealed at the weekend.
But the Taoiseach gave an insight into Fine Gael frustrations as to how the so-called “welfare trap” in the Department of Social Protection should be tackled.
“While every jobseeker has rights, every jobseeker has responsibilities, in the present circumstances there is nothing for nothing” he told a packed hall on Friday night.
Mr Kenny knows with the ESRI predicting growth levels, possibly up to 3% in 2014, every 10,000 off the live register saving the economy a minimum of €96m and Ireland’s economic recovery depends on tens of thousands going back to work.
With the recent OECD warning in mind, the Taoiseach spoke of a range of social welfare traps in existence and insisted the unemployed must engage with state agencies to receive payments in return.
The pro-life protesters who could be heard in the main conference hall as Mr Kenny delivered his speech on Saturday night were eventually silenced after gardaí recorded an illegal level of decibels flowing from their powerful loudspeaker.
But if the unemployed are to suffer widespread cuts in payments, if eligibility to medical cards are changed or if student grants are slashed, their silence will be a lot harder to secure.
Back to basics helped the Fine Gael feel good factor temporarily rise over the weekend, but widespread cutbacks in tomorrow’s budget for what some claim are basic payments, will make the Dec 15 bailout exit seem very far away.
Especially for bankbench TDs.
