The noble promises and empty delivery of Fianna Fáil

Ed Koch was one of New York’s most popular mayors. He would ask audiences “How am I doin’?” and if  they expressed dissatisfaction, he’d get stuck in and resolve the problem.

Don’t expect Micheál Martin or any other Fianna Fail ministers to ask that question. Some 100 days into their governing period, they’ve registered  Miss after Miss.

Housing

 Back in the day, Fianna Fáil promised to deliver 200,000 new homes by 2025. Alas, by the start of this year they had completed 126,000 homes/ The FFers also promised to end long-term homelessness.  Au contrair: homelessness south of the border is now at record level. And in the teeth of the 2024 election, the Housing Minister claimed that up to 40,000 homes would be completed in 2024. In fact, around 30,000 were built.  Nice try, guys. Not at cracking the problem but gulling the  public.

Healthcare

In its 2020 manifesto, the FFers  promised they’d reduce emergency department waiting times. In the real world, the South registered record waiting time – sometimes as long as 13 hours. They also promised they set up an Office for Budget Responsibility to keep an eye on spending. Don’t go looking for that OBR in Health – it ain’t there. In 2022,  the FFers announced they’d establish ‘surgical hubs’ to deal with hospital waiting lists.  So far they might have got one up and running. Way to go, lads.

Social Welfare and Pensions

In its election manifesto, the FFers promised they’d establish the State pension at 35% of average industrial wage. Not a wildly audacious goal, yet in late 2024 an individual living alone would, on average be about €30 below the poverty line.

As for the promise to scrap the means  – test for the Carer’s Allowance – again, alas no. They had several opportunities to do so  but they never quite got round to it.

Fiscal Transparency

During the last general election, Fianna Fail said it supported the Occupied Territories Bill, which would have banned the import of goods and service from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.  In January of this year the Dublin government decided they’d scrap the Occupied Territories bill and replace it with new legislation, which referred to goods only, not services. In other words, they made  sure they’d watered down the bill they said they’d support pre-election.

Yes, Fianna Fail have kept some promises, like capping childcare costs, and allowing children under 12 to have free GP visits. But no, lads. A wee bit of progress in one front doesn’t make up for the betrayal of the electorate in plenty of other areas.

As the old song used to say, lads :it’s a sin to tell a lie.