OPPOSITION CRITICISED:THE LABOUR Party's policies are "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma", Minister for Enterprise Batt O'Keeffe told parliamentary party members in Galway yesterday.
Mr O’Keeffe, who was paraphrasing Winston Churchill’s criticism of communist Russia, also accused Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore of not having the “bottle for a battle”.
Mr Gilmore’s “designer rage has become a political commodity traded in advance of the next opinion poll”.
He criticised Fine Gael for not being able to agree on the number of jobs its NewEra policy might create.
Mr O’Keeffe, who chaired a session at the conference on job-creation, said that “despite criticism from others” and “widespread unpopularity” he believed the Government was “doing the right things, making the right decisions” and it had a strategy to lead Ireland to recovery.
“There is clear evidence that the co-ordinated measures taken by Government to address competitiveness, the public finances and the banking system are paying off with a return to economic activity and growth.”
He continued: “Today we have put in place a €500 million innovation fund and new seed and venture funds to support Irish and international entrepreneurs based here.”
