THE EXPRESSION “there is no alternative”, traditionally associated with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, has found an unlikely echo in the words of Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte.
Speaking about the positions of the current Government, he told The Irish Times yesterday: “There is no alternative in Leinster House.”
In an interview he said: “Fianna Fáil has no credibility on the economy. The technical group are really for theatre and fun, rather than solutions and Sinn Féin is entirely opportunist.”
In a further swipe at Labour’s arch-rivals, he said the republicans “have developed a calculated strategy that they think is good for Sinn Féin, but does nothing to provide solutions for the country”.
The Minister professed himself “genuinely puzzled” at suggestions that there was significant dissent between Fine Gael and Labour in coalition.
“It actually isn’t true,” Mr Rabbitte said, but he conceded there were “problems” in personal relations at the Department of Health, where Fine Gael’s James Reilly works alongside Labour juniors Róisín Shortall and Kathleen Lynch.
Overall, though, the two parties were marching in step because the economic crisis was too deep to allow for “dissent or jockeying for advantage”.
Mr Rabbitte confirmed he had had a meeting in his department with businessman and media tycoon Denis O’Brien, which took place “about three months ago”.
It was one of a series of encounters the Minister had with various interests in advance of forthcoming legislation on mergers and ownership in the media sector.
Mr Rabbitte also indicated that the Government intended to bite the bullet on property tax but gave no specifics, other than to say it would have to be as fair and equitable as possible. He made it clear the Government had not got as far as considering a premium tax rate for mansions as distinct from more ordinary dwellings.
As for the troubled national broadcaster, the Minister said he was satisfied that, after a slow start, RTÉ was taking all possible steps to renew itself.
The station had implemented “a raft of changes” to ensure the Mission to Prey debacle could not happen again. “I think the boxes are being ticked,” Mr Rabbitte said.
The reputation RTÉ had built up over the years “has to count for something”.
