The Government is talking down the significance of the worsening economic situation for selfish reasons, the Fine Gael leader has claimed.
Mr Michael Noonan, in a speech yesterday which sharply criticised the Government's overall performance, said it had squandered the boom.
"The Government, for its selfish reasons, has an interest in playing down the significance of the danger. Because it knows that the more serious the challenges of the future prove to be, the more it will be called to account for its lack of preparation." People, will ask, he said, if the incompetent Government had been unable to manage during the good times then why on earth should they be trusted with managing the country when times get tough.
"Everybody, whether they are directly affected yet or not, is beginning to realise that these are not passing showers, interrupting two long periods of sunshine. The reality is that they are the precursors of a radical change of climate. And people are beginning to worry if we as a country have prepared sufficiently for that change," he said.
Mr Noonan, used the opportunity of a Fine Gael conference in Ennis, Co Clare yesterday, to discuss the health services, to launch his attack on the failures of the Government's time on office.
He listed the Luas; the National Development Plan; the Eircom flotation; the Road Safety Strategy; and our lack of readiness for the information society.
But nowhere, he said, did the Government demonstrate incompetence more clearly than when it set out to do one thing and ended up by achieving exactly the opposite. In this respect, he said, Fianna Fβil and the PDs have shown themselves to be "past masters".
"They set out to lower house prices. What was the result? Higher house prices. They set out to provide more child-care. What was the result? Fewer childcare places, at higher prices. They set out to end school truancy. What was the result? Truancy increases.
"They set out to reduce crime. What was the result? More crime. They set out to end traffic congestion. What was the result? Worse traffic congestion.
"They set out to close Sellafield. What was the result? Sellafield expands."
The problems of the health service, he said, highlighted very well the cruel effects of this Government's incompetence.
It was Fine Gael's task to bring this message home to the people of Ireland.