Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Well, clearly, we opposed the structure of financial regulation that had been put in place by the previous Government. Deputy Bruton will expand on the reasons that he led Fine Gael's opposition to that legislation in the Dáil, and for very good reason. We expressed concerns about the direction of the economy more generally up to 2007, including a credit growth which I pointed out in my opening statement there. But the ... My concerns focused mainly on the total loss of competitiveness of the Irish economy and the shift away from that export-orientated model that we had which was very successful. As far back as 2002 and 2003, in my position as Leader of the Opposition in the Oireachtas, we gave prominent notice to the warnings issues by the National Competitiveness Council. In 2002, for example, I said, you know, Ireland has crashed down to the bottom of the competitiveness league. 2003 we launched the rip-off campaign that-----