This article is from page 25 of the 2011-01-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 25 JPG
DEPUTY Timmy Dooley (FF) will begin the election campaign as Fianna Fáil’s most senior member, after just one short term in office as a TD.
The former senator will lead the ticket for one of the toughest facing the party in its 85-year history.
A man that has already started on the hustings, he is well aware of the unwelcome reception that is likely to meet the party at the door and he admits that people have a reason to be angry.
“We as a party had some success, but particularly from 2000 to 2007 we made some mistakes. In my opinion, people have to come forward and identify those mistakes but we must accept in our public spending we were somewhat out of control. We became overly dependant on the taxation associated with the property situation as it was,” he told delegates at the party’s convention on Sunday.
“But that was an economic model that was prevalent right throughout Europe,” he added.
The east Clare man said all of the other parties were just as culpable when they said the Government “should spend more and tax less and stay away from regulations”.
“So they didn’t have any answers. They didn’t have any different an- swers. So they have a kind of a gripe now at this stage to get power. I think the public will have to be careful about accepting their word over ours,” he said.
“Yes we made mistakes but in my view we have to accept the consequences and move on.”
He said playing the blame game will not resolve the problems of the country.
“If you look back you learn. If you lean back you fall,” he said.
He added that it was not just politicians but society at large that had to resolve the problems of the county.