Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hogan told the Fine Gael National Conference in Killarney that, after 13 years of Fianna Fáil government where the privileged friends of Government ministers were preferred over the citizens of the State, political reform will be an absolute necessity for a Fine Gael government.
"Fine Gael's starting point is simple: political failure lies at the heart of Ireland's economic collapse. The finger of responsibility must, in the first instance, point directly to the massive policy failures of the recent Fianna Fail-led governments and their willingness to promote the interests of a so-called 'Golden Circle' over the interests of the citizen.
“The political culture of Fianna Fáil is one that tolerates cosy cartels and high costs in the private sector and ignores the need for radical reform in the public sector. In short, Fianna Fáil governments have ignored the needs of the State, the needs of the Dáil and, most damningly, the needs of the citizen
"The last 13 years have seen massive failures in Ireland's political system and, as pointed out by well-regarded members of society such as Emily O'Reilly, we now have a system where an over-powerful executive effectively ignores the Dáil. Alongside this, Fianna Fáil has created a proliferation of State agencies and quangos that answer to no one and a model of Social Partnership which effectively excludes the Dáil.
"These problems are exacerbated by a fiscal system that doesn't allow the State's finances to be effectively managed. As a result, the citizen is left with a hugely centralised State with few real checks and balances, and an archaic budget system that is not fit for purpose.
"All of this means that political reform is an absolute necessity. The weaknesses in the system need to be tackled head-on and people's trust in the political process restored by delivering real, tangible change. It is clear that Fine Gael is the only party capable of providing that change and in the coming days we will see exactly how and where radical change will be delivered. The Republic deserves no less."
