From Fine Gael
February saw the biggest ever monthly increase in the live register in absolute terms, proving that Fianna Fáil has killed the Celtic Tiger. The crucial 5% barrier has been broken with unemployment now running at 5.2%, the highest since August 1999. The spectre of mass unemployment has returned to haunt the country.
The Average Rate of EU unemployment is above this. Countries such as Germany have higher unemployment rates. Which is impressive with the way the housing market is going that we are still lower. We are far far from the “spectre” of 20%. The fall of the celtic tiger is far more due to international effects rather then what Fianna Fail have done. When in fact we have not an awful lot of control on our economy anyway. But other then this being just a plain silly scaremongering press release. It is a wasted press release.
Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin must make a clear statement on how it plans to restore confidence in the Irish economy.”
No Leo you must make the clear statement about how you plan to restore confidence if you want to get elected. Convince the electorate that you are better not that Fianna Fail are crap.
0 Noel Rock Mar 14th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Rubbish. Fianna Fail still have a factor to play in all of this: the simple fact that they allowed the growth of the economy to become - and here it comes - *dependent* on *unsustainable* growth means that they can be held responsible.
I love how your argument tautologically implies that they can be held accountable for the good but then, consequently, when you tacitly admit that things are getting worse, you rationalise by saying it’s: “more due to international effects” and “we have not an awful lot of control on our economy”.
#1: No it isn’t. In 2004, the ESRI published several reports showing our competitiveness rating plummeting in Europe to the bottom-third of nations.
#2: Yes we do have control of our economy, as much as any other nation in the Eurozone does.
0 simon Mar 14th, 2008 at 9:41 am
The recent slump in the economy is due to the credit crisis in the banking system. That we have no control over. Neither do we have control of our interest rates. These are facts. Also we have one of the fastest growing populations in Europe and lower the average housing stock this is also fact. If they had put in what I think were proper measures like the one I am going to post below we would still have had a massive boom in construction and taken a hit as Spain is.
Also in terms of competitiveness in relation of Europe we are not as bad as you might think.
http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/biznews/12327278?view=Eircomnet
How about instead of guessing what I am implying actually read through my achieves and my archieves on Irish election as what I actually mean.
http://www.irishelection.com/09/how-to-counter-act-housing/