[Article] Ahern 'sympathises' with delayed air passengers

Victor

I feel so sorry for them :rolleyes: http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/5913189?view=Eircomnet

Ahern 'sympathises' with delayed air passengers
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 14th July, 2005


Frequent foreign holidays and the number of Irish property investments abroad are partly to blame for congestion at check-in desks in the State's airports, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.

Addressing a meeting of social partners in Dublin Castle this morning, Mr Ahern said he "totally sympathised" with those effected by the congestion.

"I recognise that it reflects, in part, the very high proportion of Irish people who now enjoy frequent foreign holidays and that 300,000 of our citizens own property abroad.

"I know that there is much to be done in catching up on the severe infrastructure deficit which we have inherited from the past."

Mr Ahern told the ninth plenary meeting with the social partners under the Sustaining Progress deal there had been "huge improvement" in working and living conditions in the State "as a result of the completions of projects such as the Luas, and the new inter-urban motorways, which are continuing to be developed around the country."

"While creating record numbers of jobs and making them accessible to as many people as possible is the primary way of guaranteeing the living standards of our people, we have also made very substantial strides towards improving the living standards of those who are unable to work for their own living."

On the economy, Mr Ahern warned that the "pressures of globalisation are relentless".

"The rise of new industrial powers in China and India, in particular, as well as the dynamic created within the European Union through the membership of new, young, well-educated and dynamic States, and the relentless pace of change in technology and its application, make us all subject to a relentless competitive pressure."

The Government and the social partners will begin negotiating a new national deal in the autumn. Mr Ahern said that the setting of wage levls would be " critically important" for stability and growth of the economy.

"It will absorb appropriately large amounts of energy when we begin our negotiations later this year. For this morning, I merely wish to emphasise that we can best protect high incomes by setting wage growth at a sensible and affordable level.

"I believe social partnership's own record of success in underpinning our economic and social transformation represents the best argument for its continuation.

Thomond Pk

Am I missing something but how can the leader of a government that has been in power for the last seven years say "the severe infrastructure deficit which we have inherited from the past."

Victor

Indeed a minister for 14 of the last 18 years (there was also the "Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Defence and Government Chief Whip March-December 1982").

weehamster

Ah yes, the aule 'we sympathise' blah blah blah...

Well just remember that when he or any minister says the following:

'we sympathise with air passengers etc...'
- they can easily fly around in their own private (paid by the public) jet's or helicopter

'we sympathise with commuters etc...'
- they get chauffeured down bus lanes and hard shoulders in their brand newish bullet proof Audi's

And they all claim travel expenses even though they dont drive on official business and now earn €200K+ in salaries.

:rolleyes:

Thomond Pk

Taoisaigh should never be apologetic about failures in infrastructural provision, they should be angry for the first year of office and then just get on with it.

Bertie as an apologist can quite fairly be compared to Neville Chamberlin he is forever apologising and fails to see the crisis that are Irish Aviation facilities (New massively over budget cork terminal excepted) Dublin, Cork, Galway & Limerick Commuter Transport deepen by the day.

We need a Churchill type figure to sort it out, someone with a bit more vision than thinking that 4 four inter-urban dual-carriageways and a commuter motorway that will be tied up in the Courts for another five years is a national solution.

sceptre

Thomond Pk wrote:

Bertie as an apologist can quite fairly be compared to Neville Chamberlin he is forever apologising and fails to see the crisis

Even that's unfair on Chamberlain - his reasons for appeasement were obviously flawed and incorrect but he almost certainly thought it was best for his country in the short or mid-term. Bertie's just plain avoiding the issue completely, blaming it solely on this mythical government that he wasn't involved in and trying to run it out to retirement day and little more.