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Fine Gael launched their manifesto today Fine Gael
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Kenny wants to 'transform and get Ireland working' as manifesto launched

The Fine Gael leader was joined by some of his frontbench team to launch the party’s manifesto in Dublin.

FINE GAEL LEADER Enda Kenny says he wants Ireland’s public services to be “the envy of the world” as he launched his party’s manifesto in Dublin today.

Accompanied by members of his frontbench, Kenny unveiled the manifesto – entitled ‘Let’s Get Ireland Working’ – which included the party’s five point plan, focusing on employment, the economy, health, the public sector and political reform. Kenny said:

This is a manifesto about jobs, about transforming Ireland, and getting Ireland working.

Every section of the manifesto has been prepared with a view to maximising job creation, growth, and the transformation and modernisation of our public services.

This manifesto sets out how we plan to grow the economy, keep taxes low, eliminate waste, and do so while protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

Fine Gael, say that if elected, they plan to create thousands of new jobs with a €7 billion investment in a NewERA plan.

They want to radically reform the public sector but protect frontline services by eliminating waste.

They say they will avoid major tax  increases, by instead focusing on 73 per cent savings to 27 per cent taxation. The party also promise that there will be no hike in income tax and no taxes on jobs.

Kenny said that the party was committed to reducing the budget deficit to three per cent by 2014 and only borrow for investment purposes by 2016.

Fine Gael have vowed to protect the 12.5% rate of corporation tax which is likely to be a key issue when it comes to negotiating a lower interest rate on the EU/IMF bailout package.

In health, the party want to introduce a Dutch-style system of universal health insurance that will “put patients first” and they say they will protect state pensions and payments to carers, widows, and people with disabilities.

On political reform, Fine Gael want to reduce  number of national politicians by 35%, ban corporate donations, and abolish the automatic right to a ministerial car and driver. They also want to reduce the legal voting age to 17.

Kenny added in a statement announcing the publication of the manifesto:

I want Ireland to be the best small country in the world in which to do business

But I also want our public services to be the envy of the world. These objectives are ambitious, but achievable.