Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The unprecedented actions taken by the former Minister for Finance, the late Brian Lenihan, cannot be divorced from the current robust recovery. All Deputies will agree that his actions and plan have contributed to the positive news we see today. Brian Lenihan showed great bravery and courage in his role and this should not be forgotten when discussing the level of economic resolution and correction that is taking place.

We were all proud of the successful visit of Queen Elizabeth II, which changed forever the relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom. It showed Ireland in its best light and symbolised the significant improvement in relations between our country. It also showed how the political leadership of Governments of all political hues had successfully led Ireland, North and South, to peace. These were proud moments for the entire nation.

The Government has also disappointed and sometimes even disgusted citizens, however, through the manner in which it has governed. For a time, good will was shown towards the Government and all parties and citizens realised that the political system had to change. Fine Gael and the Labour Party threw away this good will, however, by engaging in the same old tired politics that had been practised by all parties and none in the past.

The first and most striking reason the Government lost the confidence of the people was the Taoiseach's action on Roscommon General Hospital. On 8 February 2011, in front of hundreds of citizens gathered in Roscommon town, the then leader of the Fine Gael Party called on all voters in the constituency to vote for local Fine Gael candidates to secure and defend the accident and emergency unit in their town. Speaking about the unit, the Taoiseach stated: "We will protect and defend that... We are committed to maintaining the services at Roscommon General Hospital." This commitment could not have been clearer - it was to "protect and defend" the accident and emergency unit when in office. The citizens of Roscommon had no reason to doubt such a simple promise and commitment, especially as it was so clear. Despite this, in a betrayal that indicated the cynical approach to politics that was to become a characteristic of this Government, the then Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, closed the accident and emergency unit of Roscommon General Hospital in July 2011, less than five months after the Taoiseach's original pledge was made. What made matters worse was the Taoiseach's initial denial that he made a commitment to keep the unit open during the election. Only when a recording emerged did he finally accept that he had made such a promise.

The audacity of this approach of spinning until caught red-handed has continued through the life of the Government.

We saw a similar example of this approach during the medical card fiasco. The Government began culling discretionary medical cards to reduce budget overruns in the Health Service Executive, HSE, but it was never announced as official policy. When extreme cases of hardship were raised in the House by Deputy Martin and others outlining the outrageous swiping of medical cards from people most in need, the official Government line was to deny, deny and deny, day in and day out on Leaders’ Question. We were told by the Taoiseach there was no problem and no change in policy. He stated the number of medical cards was not being reduced. Only when public anger grew at this increasingly perverse policy in the run-up to the local and European elections, and particularly after the drubbing it got in the results, did the Government finally acknowledge its inhumane policy and sought to address it. Notwithstanding these changes, medical cards are still not being returned. When my office contacted the HSE about this, it was informed the policies have not yet been implemented even though they were announced more than ten days ago.

We saw the same approach in justice where honourable members of An Garda Síochána sought to highlight serious malpractice in the force, only for them to be told by the responsible Fine Gael Minister that they would be got if they raised concerns about accountability or malpractice. The Government had no place for whistleblowers to go, until eventually an independent report sided with those whistleblowers and commended their bravery in speaking out when political pressure was pushing them to stay quiet and disappear. Yet we are still in the dark as to why the former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, resigned and as to the Taoiseach's role in that event. We are still waiting on the commission of investigation to be established to investigate the issues of serious concern arising from the Guerin report.

Even the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has not escaped the Government’s cynical political approach. Fine Gael and Labour showed their utter contempt for the arts and cultural sector by seeking to undermine the arm's length principle with regard to government interference in the arts. It has reduced the arts budget year on year while our national cultural institutions are struggling to function on their ever decreasing budgets. The boards of our national cultural institutions have been used by the Government for purely cynical and political ends. The recent controversy surrounding the appointment of John McNulty to the board of the IMMA, Irish Museum of Modern Art, showed the promised democratic revolution was nothing more than an election gimmick.

Other commitments have led to further disappointment among our people. Our health service waiting lists are soaring while there appears to be no clear policy on how best to reform our health service. The Government sought to abolish the HSE but did not outline with what it would replace it. It has watched over the past four years as a housing crisis on an unprecedented scale developed, leaving hundreds homeless, thousands in fear of being evicted and families giving up on their dream of owning a home of their own. We have seen no action to address the drug problem witnessed across the country, the increasing waiting lists for nursing homes and the appalling abuse of so many families in their inability to get access to the fair deal scheme. There is now a waiting list of up to 15 weeks for the scheme which is putting enormous hardship on families. The scheme is worse than it ever was but the Government claims it is a backlog. It is not. It is about saving money. There are times, if the Government confessed to the people that it finds itself in difficult circumstances, that the people would understand.

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