Brian Walsh (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I propose to share time with Deputy Patrick O'Donovan. I thank the Government Chief Whip's office for sharing Government time to allow me to participate in this debate. I affirm my support for the Government's priorities for the forthcoming year, which were outlined in the House over recent days. Contained among the priorities are a number of ambitious targets that will represent the parameters of progress as we map our continued recovery in the years ahead. The Government is right to be ambitious. The substantial progress made in a relatively short time since it came to office - three years - warrants such ambition. The Ireland that was flat on its back in 2011 has been helped to its feet and has taken sustainable steps in the direction of recovery, and the Government now plans to put pace in its stride.

Many of the economic millstones that weighed heavily around our necks have already been removed. The disastrous bank guarantee has ended, the promissory note payments are gone and the troika has departed our shores. The economy is growing and we have returned to international bond markets. We have all become experts on bond markets and bond yields in recent years. Bond yields that were in excess of 14% when the Government assumed office three years ago have fallen to just over 3%. Bond yields are a reflection of the risk international investors associate with Ireland. It is a clear signal that our international reputation has been restored.

While unemployment is still far too high, it has stabilised, and in the past 12 months more than 1,000 jobs a week have been created. That said, many people have yet to see appreciable difference in their daily lives as a result of this progress. The challenge for the Government will be not only to foster further growth but to ensure that its benefits are distributed equitably among people who have made considerable sacrifices over six years. Government priorities include many significant measures aimed at boosting the domestic economy. The Government has form here. What it did in respect of the tourism industry, a reduction in the VAT rate, was a stimulus measure introduced shortly after entering office and has been accepted as an effective tool that increased activity in the sector. The Gathering was very successful, targeting not just the areas typically associated with tourists coming to Ireland but all counties. The economic benefit that accrued was shared across the country. The abolition of travel tax in the recent budget is another example of a measure that will boost tourist numbers. In fairness, the airlines, and Ryanair in particular, have reciprocated and have embraced the opportunities presented. In Galway, we are happy to see additional routes managed by Ryanair in and out of Shannon and Knock Airports.

One of the most effective instruments the Government has at its disposal to stimulate domestic demand is to reduce taxation. I welcome recent comments by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, who have indicated that if prevailing conditions allow they will examine the feasibility of reducing the tax burden on hard-pressed middle-income earners in future budgets. This would increase domestic spending and demand and help boost the domestic economy. It would not only boost the economy but would boost morale and provide hope to people that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It would be an acknowledgement that the sacrifices people have made over the past six years have not been in vain.

At a time when each day heralds new changes and challenges on the political agenda, such as GSOC and Irish Water in recent weeks, it is easy to forget how far we have come since we hung on edge of the cliff of economic catastrophe just three years ago. Against this catastrophic situation and a backdrop of crisis and calamity, the people went to the ballot box in 2011 and voted in their droves for candidates standing for Fine Gael and the Labour Party. These were the parties that promised to lead the country from ruination to recovery. I was one such candidate, although, due to events that transpired since, I have found myself outside the parliamentary party under whose banner I was originally elected. This situation arose last July when, regrettably, I was unable to consolidate my stance on legislation with that of the Government. This was a single issue on which our positions could not be aligned and I have voted to support the Government on every item on the legislative agenda since then. I endorsed the difficult decisions that this Administration has taken in the course of its efforts to repair the broken economy it inherited. Any changes that have since occurred regarding my relationship with the party do not alter the mandate I received from the electorate as a Fine Gael candidate in 2011. When I lost the party Whip last July, I could have chosen another path. I could have become bitter, as others have done, and I could have borne a grudge. I could have spent the next two years sniping at the Government benches and touting populist policies in the interest of self-promotion rather than the common good. However, that would not be in the public interest. The public has no interest in tokenistic factionalism and intra-party politicking that does nothing to improve people's lives. The people are not exercised by party political infighting, the reopening of old wounds of leadership battles, or the petty score-settling that is perpetrated in the guise of reform.

They are more concerned with retaining jobs, having a decent income with which to provide for their families, a good education for their children, a reliable health service for when they are sick, and compassionate, dignified care for when they are old. They gave all of us who were elected as Fine Gael and Labour Deputies a mandate to take the hard decisions and rebuild an economy so their aspirations could be realised. I would be reneging on my mandate were I to suddenly start opposing difficult Government decisions taken in the national interest just because I had a disagreement with the Government over one Bill. It never ceases to amaze me how politicians in general can so easily shift and change their positions depending on prevailing circumstances. How can Members spend two years consistently supporting the Government in all the difficult and unpalatable choices it must make and then suddenly assume chameleon-like status and regularly oppose the very same Government policies and start engaging in the politics of populism? This is precisely the reason the public have become cynical about politics and politicians.

Despite being criticised and sneered at by some for the stance I have taken, I intend to honour the mandate I received and will be supporting the priorities the Government has outlined this week for the year ahead, which priorities I am confident will make a real and appreciable difference to people's lives.

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