Taoiseach Simon Harris has rebuffed a suggestion from Tánaiste Micheál Martin that Fine Gael should de-escalate campaign trail attacks on Fianna Fáil.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Thursday, the Fine Gael leader responded to remarks made by Mr Martin about his surprise that Mr Harris’ party were “strategically” targeting Fianna Fáil more than Sinn Féin.
“I think after he said that, he then went on the attack,” Mr Harris said of his counterpart in Fianna Fáil. “Giving out about being attacked whilst then attacking is an interesting way of doing things.”
He said that during an election it was important to debate ideas without being personal, and that there were policy differences between his party and Fine Gael. “The fact we’re debating them is good,” he said.
Mr Harris, who was heckled during the doorstep interview with journalists by a passerby who shouted that he “should be ashamed” over the homelessness crisis, was asked about a new book authored by his one-time cabinet colleague, minister for housing Eoghan Murphy, which criticises the previous government’s urgency on housing.
He said that at the time Ireland was “fighting for its economic sovereignty” in light of Brexit, “of course there would be a priority on those matters”, alongside recovery after “our political predecessors bankrupted the nation”.
Mr Murphy also said he could not get sufficient buy-in for his housing plans from then taoiseach Leo Varadkar and minister for finance Paschal Donohoe, who was also speaking with reporters at the same event.
Mr Donohoe said that the Government had significantly increased housing output and increased funding to Mr Murphy’s department, laying the foundations for further growth afterwards. He said he engaged with the then housing Minister in a “manner that was sensitive to the progress we need to make,” he said.
Asked about a commitment Fine Gael is making to ultimately abolish the means test for carers, while raising the amount people can earn without losing entitlement to the payment to €2,500 for a couple and €1,250 for an individual, Mr Harris said the commitment was fully costed in its manifesto.
“We have set aside the money to abolish the means test for carers payments during the lifetime of the next government,” he said, adding that there was a “growing political consensus” on the matter.
A review on the future of the carers payment is due to be completed in December, he said, while rejecting accusations that his party were stealing ideas from Sinn Féin’s manifesto. The cost of the measure would be €600 million on the basis of current commitments, but that could rise to as much as €2 billion.
Fine Gael will also commit to an “older person’s guarantee”, raising the state pension to a level of €350 over the lifetime of the next government, he said, matching a commitment made in the Fianna Fáil manifesto.
Asked about Gerard Hutch, the gangland figure who has said he will run in Dublin Central, Mr Donohoe said that the communities of the area should “put the days of organised crime behind us”, warning of the “awful, awful damage” it had done. Asked if Mr Hutch’s name was coming up on the doors while canvassing, Mr Donohoe said “lots of peoples’ names come up on the doors”.
Mr Harris added: “It’s important we don’t treat this individual like some sort of minor celebrity. This is a person who’s brought misery and criminality to this capital city. He’s not a celebrity. He’s a criminal.”
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