FG and Labour – 10 Splits in 10 Weeks
Whatever joint documents Fine Gael and Labour may be launching this week, the truth is that so far this year we are seeing more and more discord. The fig-leafs we are seeing this week are designed to hide the truth that there is no real common purpose between Fine Gael and the Labour party.
Over the past ten weeks, ten splits have opened up between the two parties:
- Last week, Labour again opposed the sale of Aer Lingus. Fine Gael have
welcomed the announcement that the government is to sell a majority shareholding in the airline.
- New proposals to monitor the phone and email communications of international criminal gangs in the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Bill are being endorsed by Fine Gael but opposed by the Labour party.
- Three weeks ago the new strategic infrastructure bill was published. Fine Gael welcomed it. Labour condemned it.
- On the Nitrates Directive, Labour's Eamon Gilmore was strong in his support for its implementation referring to 'the pollution of water from fertilizer run-off from land and the physical waste from poultry farms, pig farms and so on going into ground water, rivers and lakes'. Fine Gael calls the directive a 'national disaster'.
- Last month the possible sale of Great Southern Hotels brought howls of outrage from the Labour party. At the same time Fine Gael welcomed the move.
- Also in February, Fine Gael called for the 'triple lock' controlling the deployment of Irish troops to be abandoned. For their chosen partners, 'the maintenance of the triple-lock is the Labour Party's greatest concern'.
- In January, Enda Kenny announced his opposition to the introduction of risk equalisation in health insurance. Labour's deputy leader, Liz MacManus is in favour, saying that it is a well-established feature of the health insurance market throughout Europe.
- On the Services Directive in January, the parties' MEPs differed over the proposals with Labour saying it was 'unacceptable' and Fine Gael saying it was a 'very good thing'.
- Also in January, Fine Gael has published proposals calling for competition on bus routes, a policy that is anathema to the Labour party.
- Finally, another rift opened up over the publishing of schools exam results with Labour making it clear it would not accept Fine Gael's promise to publish individual exam results.
On Tuesday, the two party leaders talked about ‘dud projects not being allowed to proceed’; the reality is that the Mullingar Accord is a dud project. The choice is clear for all of us. It is a choice between a coherent, focused and stable government on the one side or a wobbly coalition of the confused involving the opposition parties.
