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Fine Gael and Labour to Present Manifesto This Week
Read more about: Democracy, Election Spending, Fine Gael, Government, Irish Election, Labour Party, Manifesto, Policy 
The Irish Times reckon the momentum of the contract theme will bring out the joint manifesto this week. It could be far enough out to let Fianna Fail get the knives in and do real damage to the document/promises. Or else it could be quite slim to combat that possibility. Any speculations?
“Fine Gael and Labour will present a joint election manifesto this week in an effort to build on Enda Kenny’s ardfheis pledge of a “contract for a better Ireland”.
The joint policy document will contain the key commitments made by Labour leader Pat Rabbitte to cut the basic rate of tax to 18 per cent, and will also include core Fine Gael pledges such as the reform of stamp duty and extra tax relief for people working in the home.
It is expected that the manifesto will contain a commitment to index the tax bands over the lifetime of the next government.”
In all liklihood a joint manifesto will keep close to the documents issued jointly by the parties – just as Mr. Kenny’s Ard Fheis health commitments stayed close to the joint Health document. Interesting that the Irish Times editorial this morning refers to Fine Gael offering the electorate ‘something new’ when, in fact, they are offering broadly the same thing – tax cuts and new spending proposals. In this respect it will be interesting to see if any joint manifesto or economic document will refer to, and incorporate, the ESRI’s latest downbeat analysis of the economy: fewer housing starts, reduced credit-fueled spending, static productivity growth, falling exports, weakening dollar, rising interest rates, etc. Hopefully, they will otherwise any such documents emerging from any political party will be out of date even before they are published (though, in truth, these trends have been predictable for a long time so the ESRI analysis can’t have taken anyone by surprise).