“THIS COUNTRY IS a better place today that it was 100 days ago”. That’s the message from the Government as it assesses its first 100 days in office.
The Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore held a joint press conference this afternoon, revealing between them that there will be no rise in income taxes in the next budget, and that there will be no welfare cuts.
Economic recovery formed the basis of the speech, with the Taoiseach stating “we’ve made a series of decisive steps on the road to recovery”.
Gilmore said that no previous government had ever inherited the complex emergency that the Fine Gael/Labour Coalition inherited and that the government has lost no time in rolling up its sleeves and getting down to the business of getting Ireland working again.
The Taoiseach asked European leaders to put aside domestic political agendas and “at this crucial juncture, support countries, who are working towards recovery”. He said that Ireland must be removed from the constraints of the EU/IMF deal as soon as possible.
The Taoiseach admitted that the government has not achieved everything it set out to achieve during its first 100 days. However, the restoration of the minimum wage has been highlighted as an achievement, with Gilmore saying “we have restored the minimum wage, because there is a threshold of decency we will honour”. The planned referenda on judges’ pay and oireachtas committee powers have also been pinpointed, as has the government’s jobs initiative.
The government will need to publish a bill a day before it breaks for the summer if is to reach the goal of publishing all 20 on its list during this session.
The Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has already called the performance of the Government in the first 100 days “underwhelming”. He’s said that the coalition made wild assertions and claims during the election campaign, and that it has not been in a position to deliver upon the key big issues.
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