Ireland: Fianna Fail/Green Government Ministers Raid Fine Gael Policies for ideas-Varadkar

There is increasing evidence that FF/Green Government Ministers have begun to raid FG policy documents for ideas. Interestingly some FF and Green Party Ministers had already rubbished these. This week the government introduced the Home Defence Bill. Now what is particularly interesting is that this is almost a carbon copy of an FG bill already turned down by the government. Similarly the FG NewEra policy document published 15 months ago was rubbished by both FF and the Green Party. The FG NewERA document may be viewed here . The Government has now decided to set up a Review Group on State Assets with a view to disposing of some of them such as the ESB.

Fine Gael Communications and Energy Spokesman, Leo Varadkar TD has issued the following statement:

NewERA for slow learners - Varadkar

Fine Gael has offered to advise the Government’s Review Group on State Assets in order to help Fianna Fáil and the Greens to implement this carbon copy rip-off of Fine Gael’s NewERA plan, according to Deputy Leo Varadkar TD.

The Fine Gael Communications Spokesman said: ‘It’s a pity the Government did not act when Fine Gael published NewERA 15 months ago, instead of waiting until the live register had almost doubled’.

“When we publish a policy, it’s rubbished by the Government. Then months or years later they realise Fine Gael was right, and they bring it in as their own policy and try to take the credit.

“It happened this week with the Government’s Home Defence Bill, a cause Fine Gael has been championing for years.

“And the Government has also ripped off our policies on benchmarking, the PRSI holiday for new jobs, the windfall tax on power generators, culling useless State quangos and reining in wasteful State spending.

“It’s happening again with the Review Group on State Assets announced by the Government this week. This audit of State assets is strikingly similar to NewERA, Fine Gael’s plan to overhaul Ireland’s infrastructure.

“Fine Gael launched NewERA 15 months ago. Our plan would have created more than 100,000 jobs in the short and medium term. Many of those new jobs would now be in place if NewERA had been adopted as Government policy at the time.

“Obviously I welcome the fact that the Government is now implementing NewERA, even if they have given it a different name.

“That’s why Fine Gael is offering to advise the Review Group. Since this is Fine Gael policy in all but name, we think it’s only right that Fine Gael brings the Government up to speed.”