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Updated 9.35pm
MICHEÁL MARTIN HAS stepped up his attacks on the government, claiming a “very right-wing” Fine Gael is advocating policies that will mean severe cuts to public services.
With the general election looming, the Fianna Fáil leader was responding to comments by Taoiseach Enda Kenny before Christmas when he said he wanted to move Ireland towards a US-style tax system.
Speaking at Leinster House, Martin said this would not be possible without “slashing expenditure” in areas like health, housing, and education.
“You can’t be everything to all people and Enda Kenny, with his kind of US tax rates approach, would continue a trend that has witnessed a decimation of public services, an undermining of them and further privatisation, which we oppose,” he said.
Martin said his party would be going to the electorate next month with the proposition that a change of government would mean recovery for the entire country.
Our very strong view is that Fine Gael, ideologically, is very much to the right. It’s a very right-wing party, particularly in terms of how it has evolved over the last number of years.
This evening, Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton defended Fine Gael, insisting they are not a right-wing party but a “christian democratic party”. She told reporters:
We have had lengthy discussions around issues like the reform of taxation and Fine Gael agreed with the Labour party proposal to reform USC and to focus the benefit of that reform on middle income families, in particular, earning up to €70,000.
“I believe that’s the correct approach and they were certainly open to persuasion that that was the correct approach.”
Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Jim Daly accused Fianna Fáil of not having any jobs plan and claimed the party wanted to maintain a high tax burden on working families.
“Fianna Fail and Michéal Martin would be better off spending their time developing a jobs policy rather than constantly returning to populist politics and attempting to rewrite history,” he said.
Earlier, Martin claimed that Kenny’s party wants to privatise large parts of the public sector, including the health service and said the coalition has presided over a “chaotic” situation in hospitals and housing.
Asked to describe the political ideology of his own party, Martin said Fianna Fáil is “a bit to the left” of centre and believes in “strong, publicly-funded social services with a fair taxation system that would enable us to pay for that”.
He denied it’s a high tax party, insisting it is for “fairer taxes”.
Martin said Fianna Fáil in government would eliminate USC for people earning under €80,000, but he declined to drawn on the specifics, saying they would be published in the party’s election manifesto.
“We believe in a fairer taxation system that would allow for a reasonable and proper investment in public services,” he said.
Martin said voters are open to voting for Fianna Fáil again after the party was nearly wiped out in the 2011 general election.
He claimed Fianna Fáil candidates are raising issues on the doorsteps that are “striking a chord” with the electorate.
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$50 more for an iPod just because it says U2 on it. What a rip off.
Bono was good friends with Jobs. That’s how the U2 iPod came to be
It was also one of the first (RED) products for an Aids charity if i remember correctly?
I’d rather donate directly to a HIV/AIDS charity than pay over the odds for sweatshop made “luxury” goods so a small percentage of the profits can be donated.
Well done, do that so. I only stated its origins.
Good job !
I think the iPhone is a flop as well. Hate it.
Bajillions would disagree.
A flop? :D each and every launch is more successful than the last, no matter how much you hate it.
Flops floppers floppy flop flop
Dave,
I’ve had my iPhone 4S for 2 years this month and I absolutely love it. I’d happily have it as my phone forever. It’s a fantastic piece of technology that I simply cannot get enough of.
Flop? No sir.
I concur… When I think back to the days of the Nokia 3310 and phones of the like; and other small phones with shit screens to access the web… Give me strength..
Long live the iPhone; the Nokia 3310 of smart phones :)
You understand what a flop means right, nothing to do with your opinion.
Or yours..
He didn’t say it was Hawkins. He’s talking about sales. iPhones sell through the roof, therefore are not flops. They are the precise opposite of a flop.
I think David is right. iPhones are terrible.
Sent from my iPhone.
I’ve had my iPhone 4 for 4 years now.
This article is a flop and waste of man hours !
Lazy “sponsored” article
More Business Insider shite. Seriously, TheJournal, if I wanted to read Business Insider’s appalling click air “articles” I’d go directly to their site.
Oh, and as the byline is at the end of the article, I couldn’t tell before I opened it, although I had an inkling two or three paragraphs in. There was a waft of dumb that set my senses tingling.
In fairness, Apple are not the type of company that tries to promote its flopped products.
Though the Newton was not considered a flop
U2 iPod may have not sold numbers – but Apples association with U2 helped brand positioning of iTunes & iPod. absolute win for apple gaining instant street credibility opening up marketing streams to likes of Simpson’s, Vertigo tour (largest stadium tour ever) & access to global record labels, who didnt just take a call but wanted their music on itunes. complete and utter success for all parties
Vertigo tour largest tour ever? Think that might be wrong.
when Vertigo tour ended in 2006 it was the biggest stadium tour ever in terms of gross & numbers. superseeded by the Rolling Stones a year later. U2′s 360 beat them all few years later.
The U2 iPod was hardly a flop ,I had to trade in the mother in law to get one after many failed attempts at securing one.
For that gaudy, awful, designer bullshit?
Can you not align the article correctly? All the titles & pictures are misaligned.
Who proof read this article? It’s all OVER the place! Someone slaughtered the left over tray of beer and realised they had an article due.
I have a U2 iPod also, didn’t pay any more than the standard one for it. It was a replacement for a faulty white one. Maybe worth a few bob some day ?
I am no techno whiz but apple ipod touch and i phone 4s battery life is fab towards my own samsung galaxy 2.. My husband bought apple tv today.. He is a happy man.. I however missed all my programmes this evening.. At least he is happy.. Hope he wakes for work in morn!!
Ha. They call a tablet produced pre- Tim Berners Lee’s interwebs a failure!!! Greatest bloody failure of our time.
Like all of the apple products mentioned above, the battery life sucks on apple products, except for the mac book air. But I phones and I touch’s battery is the worse, really fustrates me.
The battery on an ipad sucks, does it?
I have one. But the hard drice stopped working in it. For sale now. For those interested :P
Ah memories…. don’t remember why but I needed to bring an Apple portable from Galway to Dublin on the train. Played Solitaire but battery died in Athenry!
Taxi each end – too heavy!
Just for the record. No apple professional desktop machines come with monitors. So the fact that the G4 came without one is negligent. The price was the only barrier. Sure the latest Mac Pro references it’s design and proportion. And selling at $3k is proof that professional users see the value.
have your say