Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MINISTER FOR STATE at the Department of Finance Brian Hayes has warned that blaming Europe or the IMF for the country’s problems will not help Ireland.
Speaking at the annual general meeting of the UCC branch of Young Fine Gael, Hayes said that Ireland is “not a helpless victim of foreign bogeymen”.
He also criticised what he sees as a “national narrative of failure, fatalism and despair”.
Young people must not allow their natural confidence and enthusiasm for life to be undermined by all the negative commentary.
Commenting on the upcoming referendum, the junior minister said that Europe is not forcing Ireland to accept the fiscal compact treaty.
“This is our business,” he told the group of students. “Other countries in the eurozone will decide for themselves.”
However, he did admit that Ireland’s choices are limited and that if the treaty is rejected, a two-speed eurozone will be created.
We stay in the euro and fight our corner; or we leave.
Hayes spoke of how foreign investment is dependent on Ireland’s full and committed membership of the European Union. He also argued that international markets “hate uncertainty” and indicated that without the backstop of the EU, the international money markets could be “unforgiving”.
Warning against a “go-it-alone policy,” Hayes dismissed suggestions of leaving the euro and reneging on debt. He said people advocating such a plan come from the ‘North Korean School of Economics’.
Concluding his speech, Hayes said he is not negative about Ireland’s future but added that the country cannot “magic away” its problems.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
In other words- Shut up ireland and do as your told.
Hayes comes from the North Korean School of Frightening The Shite Out Of The Populace.
According to the report above, minister Hayes appears to be equating a rejection of the fiscal pact as the same as wanting to leave the EU.
This is obviously not the case, as even a rejection of the fiscal pact will not force us to leave euro.
Was wondering that, so now according to fg we vote no, we leave the euro…for gods sake, who is going to tackle this referendum head on and be honest about the pros and cons. But I think his cycle of negativity is funny, notice he wasn’t outdide the rds on sunday telling everyone in the queue for the work abroad export to cheer up, would javelin liked to see what reaction he would have received.
Would javelin….really??? HAVE….not javelin…wtf.
I believe it’s called scaremongering. Also known as contempt for the electorates ability to see through the spin and BS.
Despair yes when we see billions being loaned to Banks at 1% and they hoarding the cash and our Government pussy footing around and fobbing the Irish People off about lending and restructuring loan applications issues ! You leave us no option but to vote no as an act of defiance even though we know it’s wrong !
What an idiot you are !
Treaty won’t solve crisis-David McWilliams
A two speed Europe already exists and Ireland is never getting out of second gear if we vote Yes.
I am sorry, English is not my native language. But this statement appears somewhat offensive? Is it not the case? Is he not compares people of Ireland to stupid children who afraid of bogeymen? Just asking, because to me it sounds offensive.
Its ok us Irish are used to being insulted and offended by our politicians.
Angryzes,
He was speaking to the Young Fine Gael who need things spelt out nice and simply
(Having said that, he does seem to be speaking down to his own supporters and all jokes aside, he should be showing them a bit more respect)
@Norman, It’s normal in Russia too, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, one of the presidental candidates have rescently called half of the Russians “retarded”, entire Ural region and also construction workers and he still managed to get support of 6% of entire population.
The arrogance of Fine Gael seems to know no bounds. They really have found their feet in government now and day after day we have all-knowing FG ministers bombarding us with subtle threats and basic untruths about the consequences of a no vote and statements from Leo about his destain for the referendum process. I’m veering into the no camp the more I’m bullied and threatened by these guys.
He is a patronising moron who is only known for telling The people of Ireland to stop moaning about being taken to the cleaners and for that he is paid a whopping ministers salary plus expenses and a handy pension number to retire on.
North Korean…? Bogeymen….? Why stop there you little scaremongering bag of sh*te ?
“We stay in the euro and fight our corner; or we leave.”
We may pack our bags, this coalition has never put up any fight.
I saw that chap Brian Hayes on Vincent Browne one night. He is one of the biggest idiots I’ve ever seen in my life. A complete embarassment for anyone who voted for him.
Lisbon III
From Cowen II
Brian Hayes. A horrible man.
No, not a victim of foreign bogeymen, just a victim of a foreign bogeywoman; her name is Angela!
Victims of domestic bogeymen who are being bullied by much bigger international bogeymen?
North Korea politics hmmm I can see where he picked that up from Gilmore Rabbite Frank Ross ect. It still amazes me the dregs of the old sinn fein the workers party in government with FG.
However they have re shaped themselves into a continuity FF.
Enda must have let Hayes off the lead again
Couldnt imagine gilmore or rabitte lasting more than a day in north korea.
He was probably in bad form after he realised he’d missed the vote on giving Margaret Thatcher an honorary life membership of the UCC branch of YFG. Now there’s a yes vote he might have swung!
An arrogant, insulting twit that fella. Good point Alison. Getting paid massive ministers wage and expenses and a guaranteed pension to talk down and insult the Irish peoples intelligence. Varadkar is the same. These clowns have lost the run of the themselves once they got a sniff of power
I dunno, id say they were always like that, they just hid it well.
You’re both correct – some of them are so far removed they could be from Mars. B-Ministers playing the big shots. Trumping up the impressionable.
Didn’t take long for the old 2 speed Europe quote to reappear. I’m not sure which is more scary the fact that Hayes may actually believe that the fiscal compact will calm the markets or that he thinks he can spout such rubbish and the Irish will believe him.
News flash Brian the markets see a unsustainable debt mountain still growing in Ireland and will not allow us back into the markets until that has been removed.
Stephen, he, Varadkar and other little upstarts have no idea. They have not lived yet. I have lived, survived other, as they like to call them…. recessions. The biggest one was in the ’80′s. I never thought I’d go through another one. But then I forgot that the words, greed, thieves, arrogance, disrespect are actually in the Oxford dictionary. Yes, he is a twit and maybe his parents should have smacked him when he was younger! and teach him the difference of Right from Wrong!
His mate Leo and himself have plans for their political careers. Neither you, Kenny or I are part of them! People like him will always live in their world and they will feel we should live in ours. Some of us are born with a conscious, others, are not sadly……
Peter, I am not moaning. Yes, I am giving out and I have every bloody right to. I did not cause this problem, I find that, unfortunately, I have been made part of it! Some politicians and bankers and developers caused this problem, not just here but all over Europe. Both myself, at 50 yrs of age and my two children will be paying for it for the rest of our lives.
These arrogant, pompus assholes should be jailed. If I was younger, I would be travelling and working abroad, but that would be MY CHOICE! not because ass holes like them have given me and my children no choice in the matter. What gauls me also is the way politicians are ignoring the poor souls that had to move out out their homes in Priory Park, not through their own choice! Councillor/planners, architect and developer should be jailed. Ignoring those poor families is not going to make their sadness and loss go away. The stress that they live with every day is so sad and destroying their self esteem and health. F F and yes, F Gael are to blame, as much as Labour and Sin Fein. They saw it happening and none of them did anything about it. Why? Because they live ‘up there’ and we live ‘down here’.
Lot of sence in his comments. While the media and most of the contributors on this site harp on about the big nad Germans and French, the reality of our demise lies a lot cloer to home. Even if we never paid a cent to bond holders we would have a huge defecit. Quite simply we spend more than we make. Cant blame anyone other than ourselves for that. Another point, when the last goverment was given back money hand over fist to irish people through tax reductions etc. I did not hear people complain?? Where did the money come from I wonder??? Most of it through taxation renenue from stamp duty and contruction which was there because Irish Developers were building houses with money borrowed from Irish Banks. Join the dots…
What?
“the last goverment was given back money hand over fist to irish people through tax reductions etc. I did not hear people complain”
Unlike you the rest of us were not privy to the exact state of the finances of the country, we had to depend on people elected to tell us how the country was faring economically.
I don’t recall anyone telling us to be prudent, i recall being told that the bubble was gonna last forever and a soft landing if anything happens, i also recall Mr kenny complaining that FF were not spending enough.
Did you complain? Did you say – “wait a minute, all these generous tax reductions are wrong, what if something happens?” – I bet you didn’t because like the rest of us you were oblivious to what was really happening and don’t include me in your blanket blame of everyone.
Declan go back to sleep will ya!
Brian hayes – the peter pan of Irish politics.
Shiela the average person commenting on these pages have never experienced a recession and simply don’t know how to respond or react.
When you look at the numbers of construction worker that attended The Expo Fair in the RDS at the weekend it seems to me that they have ignored the reality of the last four years in the belief that their industry was going to pick up and jobs would be waiting for them.
One of the saddest aspects is the constant need to blame others and accept no personal responsibility for the position we find ourselves in.
If you have the skills or experience and jobs are available in Canada or Australia then what in the name of God are you doing here whining and moaning. Blaming politicians who were elected to office just one year ago doesn’t look smart either. In fact it suggest you simply belong to a different Party.
And just before you start lobbying impressive language at me let me state that I did my stint as an emigrant and came back to this country all the better for it.
Peter,
Just wondering about your assumptions here. I have experienced a recession and have also done my stint as an emigrant, yet if I don’t agree with your view I am “moaning and whining”?
What personal responsibility should I be accepting?
I find your attitude of “if you can emigrate then fu€k off, if not then suck it up” pretty despicable, but then again it’s to be understood, as it’s the same attitude shown by the Government who you quite obviously support.
Also please be assured that I do not belong to a political party and am a former Labour voter.
Peters assumptions are wrong clearly I also experienced the recession in the 80′s and emigrated. Came back a better person though in fairness.
Like you Rommel I’d like Peter to identify €1 from the €30bn poured into Anglo that is my personal responsibility or some other responsibility I may have missed.
Oddly enough I’m an ex FG supporter.
Peter – Who the f**k do you think you are pontificating to the rest of us?
Dermot, that’s the sentence I was looking for! ;)
Look in your own soul Peter.
have your say