OPPOSITION:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has shown no understanding of the level of hurt and anxiety caused by the decision to withdraw the full medical card from over-70s, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed yesterday.
Mr Kenny contended that the Taoiseach "just doesn't get it" on the medical cards issue and was still unwilling to admit that the Government had got it wrong.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said the message he had taken from Mr Cowen's media interviews at the weekend was that the Government intended to proceed with the decision, which he described as "mean and nasty".
Mr Kenny, who spoke after Mr Cowen's interview on This Week on RTÉ, said the Taoiseach had now had ample opportunity to reflect and reconsider the decision made in Tuesday's budget.
However, according to the Fine Gael leader, the most Mr Cowen had done was tinker around the edges of a plan which was still proceeding.
"It is obvious to me that the Taoiseach is unwilling to say that he got this issue all wrong, and simply apologise to the elderly of the country.
"He should take on board the impact of this decision and indicate that it will be reversed in full," said Mr Kenny.
For his part, Mr Gilmore said he could not recall a budget decision that has created so much public fury, during his 20 years as a TD.
"The Taoiseach's interview [on RTÉ] was clearly an attempt to buy time in the face of the unprecedented hostile reaction from the public and mutiny among his own backbenchers," said Mr Gilmore.
"While some tinkering around with income limits may be sufficient to satisfy some of the more gullible Government backbenchers, it won't satisfy the public who simply want to see this plan scrapped."
Mr Gilmore said he was dubious about Mr Cowen's references to the plan going ahead from January 1st. "This suggests that they may be hoping to sneak the new system into operation over Christmas when the Dáil is not in session," he contended.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael health spokesman James Reilly said that he hoped the doctors and Mr Cowen would come to some arrangement in relation to the fee structure for over-70s medical cards.
Mr Reilly, speaking on The Political Party on TV3, continued: "The story here is that it should have been done months ago. Why is it coming up now? Because they realise they made a terrible blunder, but they are not prepared to row back."