Labour accuse FF of 'hypocrisy and double speak'

Labour today launched an attack on what it described as the "hypocrisy and double speak of Fianna Fáil".

Labour front benchers, Mr Pat Rabbitte and Mr Derek McDowell, highlighted what they called Fianna Fáil's "broken promises."

They said: "Fianna Fáil promised to bring an end to the crisis in the Accident & Emergency units in 1997 but five years later things are worse."

"Fianna Fáil has failed to deliver the health care that Irish citizen's need and deserve," they said.

Mr Rabbitte and Mr McDowell said Mr Ahern's party had promised to restore confidence in the democratic system.

But Irish democracy had suffered appalling damage under Fianna Fáil, they claimed. "Ray Burke, Denis Foley, Pee Flynn, Beverly Cooper-Flynn, Liam Lawlor, the Sheedy affair" were all we had after "five years of Fianna Fáil arrogance", they said.

Labour also claimed the Government had failed in its commitment to tackle homelessness crisis which it said had double in the last five years.

The party claimed Fianna Fáil had failed in its promise to lessen in the gap between the have and have-nots.

"Combat Poverty analysis shows that McCreevy's five budgets the richest 10 per cent got a quarter of the budget giveaways. The poorest 20 per cent received under 5 per cent," they said.