Lenihan praises Cowen's 'judgment and courage'

MINISTER FOR Finance Brian Lenihan robustly defended the Taoiseach and Government and rounded on the Opposition’s fiscal policies, claiming that politicians of all parties needed to learn to say “No”.

Concluding the six-hour debate on the motion of confidence in the Taoiseach, Mr Lenihan said: “I have worked closely with Brian Cowen as Taoiseach throughout this crisis. He has shown great steadfastness, judgment, intelligence, courage and determination.”

Mr Cowen’s “record of fairness and equity during his time as minister for finance has been widely recognised. When the dust settles on this motion, it will be clear that Brian Cowen provided leadership.”

Mr Lenihan agreed there was a need for a change in political culture but said it did not apply to Fianna Fáil alone. “Politicians across all parties need to learn to say ‘No’. We cannot go on with a tradition where parties are susceptible to every vested interest that drives by the gates of Leinster House or sets up camp in Buswells.”

He condemned the Labour Party’s opposition to the bank guarantee and said that “this type of pre-crisis politics just won’t wash anymore. If we’ve learnt anything from this crisis it is that short-term populist policies do not serve the common good.”

He hit out at the Opposition’s tax policies. “The Labour Party will suggest there is a tiny group of people who will pay for everything and you in Fine Gael will oppose all taxation measures whatsoever.”

He said the “love affair with tax incentives continues” and claimed that former Fine Gael finance spokesman Richard Bruton put down an amendment to the Finance Bill for tax relief for GPs setting up primary care centres.

Through repeated heckling and interruption, he said he despaired of the “level of political debate” and accused the Opposition of “abusing” the banking crisis reports. “It’s very clear that few deputies have read the reports in full and it is a denigration of the good work of the authors that it should be used for opportunistic political purposes.”

He added that “despite the entreaties of the Opposition the authors of the report refused to engage in the blame game”.

Earlier Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey highlighted Fine Gael’s leadership difficulties. “Fine Gael, veering to the right, chokes itself in political paroxysms whenever it nears its holy grail of power.” Labour, he said, was “covertly moving to the left, hiding its paucity of ideas and policy behind meticulously manicured media messaging”.