SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, has warned against compliancy concerning the threat of a single party Fine Gael Government to “working people or those who depend most on public services.” On the prospect of such a single party government, O’Connor, said: “Of course, many people on the ‘Left’ wouldn’t necessarily see it as a bad development. In their view, this would galvanise support for a viable left alternative in the long run. We do not agree. The political right has long since learned how to concentrate misery on a minority – thus guaranteeing themselves the support of a permanent majority.“Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the lessons of the last time the Right achieved a monopoly of power. It happened in 1997 when the so-called Progressive Democrats (forerunners of today’s Renua) edged themselves into Government with Fianna Fáil. They inherited a dynamically growing and sustainable economy and went on to ruin it. Their remnants were still in Government to introduce the tragically ill-fated bank guarantee on 30th September 2008 – which was enthusiastically supported by Fine Gael from the opposition benches. Indeed it was opposed by only one party in the Oireachtas on that tragic day – Labour.”He added: “We should have learned by now that single party government has never been good for working people or those who depend most on public services. The emergence of the ‘Right to Change’ platform is unquestionably a potentially positive development for the future. However, it will not be part of the make-up of the next government. Meanwhile, an overall Fine Gael majority must be avoided at all costs.” To read Jack O'Connor's full Liberty View see page 11 of Liberty newspaper
SIPTU President warns against single party Fine Gael government
