TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has appealed for an all-party consensus on the detail of the Government’s four-year budgetary plan to be announced next month.
Mr Cowen said yesterday he hoped to meet Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore this week to discuss an all-party approach on the issue.
He said he was very pleased that the main Opposition parties had stated they accepted the core target to reduce the deficit by 3 per cent by 2014, as agreed with the EU.
“This is a good start, but agreeing to targets is not necessarily the same as agreeing to take actions required to meet them,” he added. “It would substantially help Ireland’s position if we were to show the international community that there is a unity of purpose to go from words to actions.”
They should be able to agree, he said, this was no time for “politics as usual”.
The public had a right to demand that all of their elected representatives engage in a serious discussion about issues that were fundamental to the State’s future.
Speaking at the annual Fianna Fáil Wolfe Tone Commemoration in Bodenstown, Co Kildare, the Taoiseach said he did not believe that the State’s serious financial crisis was insurmountable.
Policies had so far ensured that the deficit would be less than 12 per cent this year.
“While we may differ on how to achieve our goals, I know that the Opposition leaders will agree with Tone when he said that we are better off conducting our own affairs than be subject to others’ control,” he added. “I hope that this shared conviction will provide the unifying basis for realistic and focused discussion on the best path ahead.”
Mr Cowen said the Government would provide information to the Opposition parties, and he would approach further discussions “with good faith and a hope that we will collectively be able to show the public a spirit of responsible co-operation”.
The Government, he said, had no wish to stifle debate on differences of approach.
“Still less do we wish to diminish the role of democratic opposition on the importance of ensuring that the executive is held to account,” he added. “But a search for a measure of agreement across the political system could significantly enlarge the prospects of early recovery with direct benefits for very many of our people.”
Mr Cowen said his confidence for the future was rooted in the capacity of the Irish people, who had the “ ability and the ingenuity to confound any set of problems”.
Speaking later, the Taoiseach said a significant budgetary adjustment, greater than was envisaged last year, would have to be undertaken between now and 2014.
Mr Cowen declined to comment on speculation that the December budget would contain a 5 per cent cut in social welfare payments.
“What I would say, of course, is that every department, including the Department of Social Protection, has a contribution to make towards the budgetary adjustment,” he added.
Asked about the differences between Fine Gael and Labour on the economy, Mr Cowen said it would not be beneficial for him to make any comment, given this week’s meeting to see what shared areas of approach the parties had.
The commemoration ceremony, held in bright autumn sunshine, was attended by Ministers, Ministers of State, TDs and Senators.
However, chief steward Seán Sherwin expressed disappointment at the low turnout of party members which was considerably down on previous years.