Fine Gael earmarks key electoral issues

24/04/2006 - 17:42:39
Fine Gael today launched a major campaign focusing on the issues it believes could lead it to success in next year’s General Election.

Health, crime and the waste of public money will be the themes of posters and billboards appearing around the country in the next six weeks as part of the party’s ‘Ireland Deserves Better’ initiative.

Party leader Enda Kenny will outline his plans to tackle the problems at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis on May 5 and 6.

“Ireland deserves better than rising crime and falling detection rates. It also deserves a Government that uses the taxpayers’ money wisely and well. And, most certainly it deserves better than a health system that regularly sees hundreds of people stranded on hospital trolleys for days on end,” he said.

“On foot of repeated comments at public meetings and constituency clinics about these issues we have put together a campaign.”

Mr Kenny said the first phase of the campaign identifies real fears, frustrations and grievances that taxpayers feel on a day-to-day basis with quotes gleaned from members of the public at meetings or constituency clinics.

“This element of the campaign includes a national network of billboard sites, bus shelter ‘6 sheet’ posters in Dublin and Dart cards in every carriage,” he said.

“This phase of the campaign will run up to our Ard Fheis on the 5th and 6th of May, at which point I will outline further detail on Fine Gael’s plans to solve these problems in health, crime and in managing the public finances.”

Mr Kenny said the Ard Fheis will mark the beginning of Phase 2 of the campaign which will include a national series of public meetings centring on the solutions offered by Fine Gael.

“We will hold at least one public meeting on the theme of ‘Ireland Deserves Better’ in every county in the country,” he said.

“These will follow a similar template to our very successful Anti Social Behaviour meetings last spring and summer.

“The final phase of the campaign from the end of May, into June, will complete the promotion of Fine Gael solutions in these key areas. The public meetings will continue while in parallel Fine Gael will directly market a summary of our proposals to up to 500,000 households.”