IRELAND: Voters largely sceptical of political promises made during last televised debate before election

Record ID: 593243

  • Title: IRELAND: Voters largely sceptical of political promises made during last televised debate before election
  • Date: 24th February 2011
  • Summary: MORE OF PEOPLE WATCHING DEBATE IN PUB
  • Embargoed: 11th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ireland, Ireland
  • Country: Ireland
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAI48OHNQL4V2EDPS54SFOD5QL
  • Story Text: In a pub near the Irish parliament in Dublin on Tuesday evening (February 22), drinkers were largely sceptical of the political promises being made on TV screens around the bar during the country's last televised debate ahead of Friday's election.
    The leaders of outgoing Fianna Fail, likely winner Fine Gael and likely coalition partner Labour, engaged in heated exchanges over how to deal with Ireland's shattered economy and collapsed banking sector.
    The snap election is a result of former prime minister and Fianna Fail leader Brian Cowen being forced to resign after the political and economic turmoil since the country was forced to accept an IMF/EU bailout package late last year totalling 85 billion euro.
    The election campaign has focused largely on Ireland's massive debts, unemployment, emmigration of young people and a severe austerity budget.
    Voters are weary and mistrustful after months of upheaval and political mud-slinging.
    "It just seems like they are all trying to deal with each other rather than deal with the people of Ireland. I'd just rather see them just come out and be straight with the people and tell us exactly what they are going to do," said Barry Newman.
    What's directing Rosemary MacCabe vote is not the economy, but the two main parties (FF and FG) opposition to abortion.
    "I've thought of the idea of not voting at all because I just don't think anything is going to change and then since Fianna Fail and Fine Gael announced their decisions to run pro-life, I'm now voting for anybody but them," she said.
    But back at the Radio Television Eirrean (RTE) studios the debate was all about tax proposals, creating jobs and most of all how to move as quickly as possible away from the stranglehold of the international bailout conditions.
    Fine Gael's Enda Kenny promoted his plan to reduce Ireland's deficit through efficiency savings rather than the current tax hikes introduced by Fianna Fail's Cowen government last year. Kenny said he wanted to send the IMF home in 2016, the centenary of the country's uprising.
    New Fianna Fail leader and former cabinet member, Michael Martin accused his rival Kenny of lacking credible detail in his economic plan.
    Labour's Eamon Gilmore argued that leadership was about values and that Labour's would be needed in any coalition government.
    He warned against a Fine Gael party government owning sole power in parliament and urged people to use their votes wisely to create what he called a fairer coalition.
    Friday's election is the first in Europe to be dominated by the debt crisis and an angry electorate is expected to give Fianna Fail a drubbing, putting a sour end to its 14 years in power.
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