Clearing The Air – Election For Ireland

• January 22nd, 2011
• Posted by EUEditor

The Irish Green Party (so advantageously named in the Emerald isle) has set out its reasons for breaking up the coalition government, causing a scheduling of early elections for Friday 11th march.

A statement from the junior coalition partner said it would stay in to see financial legislation put in place, an act made all the more urgent, and contentious because of the parlous state of government finances and the economy at large.

However, it said it had been calling for elections for some months, to get political stability, and promote the implementation of four steps to help restore economic stability:-

“Completing a four-year economic oplan required by Brussels; concluding financial support arrangements with EU/IMF; passing Budget 2011; and passing underpinning budgetary legislation, principally the Finance Bill.”

The Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, from the zealously free-market majority party, Finanna Fail, has been carrying blame for the country’s share of the global financial crisis, notably the granting of unsustainable guarantees to the banking sector; and he resisted for some time a package of support required by the international partners.

Last week he survived a confidence vote in the party room, but five Ministers resigned, and the Green Party partners vetoed a move to replace those Ministers with other Fianna fail members.

Mr Cowen announced on  the weekend (22.1.11) he would not lead his party at the forthcoming elections.