Howlin hits out at former IMF chief's debt comments
Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has hit out at the IMF's former mission chief for Ireland, who suggested we could have had a better deal on our debt burden.
Ashoka Mody yesterday told Newstalk that Ireland could have negotiated a write-down as well as a "slower pace of austerity", but ended up following the demands of Berlin and Brussels.
Brendan Howlin said Ireland "pushed to the limits of what was possible" in order to get the best deal from the Troika.
He also said Ashoka Mody's comments did not reflect the changes to Ireland's bailout programme.
"He wasn't particularly helpful to us when he actually could (have) helped us," he said, " and now that he's out of office - I don't know whether it's a Pauline conversion or (the result of) reflection.
"In truth, people will be aware that we have engaged with the Troika from day one from the time we went into Government, and have altered the programme."
