Ireland is in transition. Philosophers now talk of how the world - and especially Europe - is moving now from a time of ideology to a time of thinking. And I've seen that shift in practice as I've visited the 31 constituencies over the last 12 months. There's a renewed questioning of self and of society. A quiet, but insistent search for the energies that create and connect communities. There is a palpable sense that people are wondering how best to deal with and to make the most of constant change.
The way I see it, we need a new focus on how best to balance rights with responsibilities. At every level: the level of the individual, the community, business and government.
It's now widely accepted that individuals live not just their own personal life but the life of the time. And it's clear that the coming years will be about reconciling the two. The challenge for us, then, is managing the rejection of the complacency, pomposity and self-interest of 'old politics'. And how we see ourselves infusing political culture with sense of the personal, of urgency, purpose, decency and aspiration. If you like, how we find the missing element that allows people to claim their rights while living up to their responsibilities. This is exactly the kind of 'new politics' that Fine Gael is to put to the people.
Under my leadership, Fine Gael will prosecute the people's case with passion and conviction. We will oppose and we will expose, where necessary. But we will also put forward our own particular vision. We're already building an alternative platform. A platform that guarantees that the interest of the country will always come before the interest of the party. We will be the people's champions, demanding value from the public services paid for out of the public purse. Demanding that the Government and public service become truly accountable to the people they serve. That is where we stand.
FF/PD Government
One of our biggest tasks now is to prosecute the Government for its fiscal wantonness and the economic havoc it has unleashed on society. Havoc that's costing the average family an extra 1,800 euro in charges this year alone. College registration fees for all students went up by 69%, VHI by 18%, ESB by 13%, bus fares by 9%. Insurance costs are crippling many businesses.
Since buying their way back to power with the people's own money, they have scourged the country with a series of random and ill-thought out cut-backs, showing particular savagery to those least able to bear it: our old, our sick, our poor, people with a disability, our families, our young people driven to distraction by life-sentence mortgages, all to just put a roof over their heads.
The truth is, though, that this Government and Responsibility are complete strangers. Responsibility means setting costs and keeping budgets. It means managing public projects properly and getting a real return for the public's money. Things like getting the LUAS in on time. Making sure that buses on the capital's busiest routes travel at more than 4.3 kms per hour. In a nutshell, the kind of thing that stops the Red Cow from becoming the Mad Cow Roundabout.
But, even in the area of traffic and road safety, they prevaricated. The penalty points system is a brilliant example of the power of a policy enshrining both rights and responsibilities. Yet, the Government dithered for years before bringing it in. And even now, we still do not have the basic technology to support a really effective system.
Nice Referenda
The first Nice referendum became all about the voters asserting their rights. When an arrogant and disconnected Government decided to take the electorate for granted, that electorate, in turn, gave them their answer. The information they needed wasn't forthcoming, so they didn't hesitate to exercise their constitutional right to say NO.
In Nice Two, though, the focus had shifted. The electorate, this time treated with the requisite respect, recognised and invoked Ireland's responsibility to the applicant countries. And, in a campaign in which Fine Gael took the lead, responsibility won the day.
Beyond neutrality
Fine Gael is proposing that same new thinking on Ireland's role in a new Europe. Because, like it or not, Ireland is no longer neutral. Shortly, the EU will move to create a common policy of security and defence. It is the next logical step for one of the most powerful and successful social, economic and political unions in the world. The question for Ireland is - do we want to be one of the architects of this plan, or will we simply accept an architecture designed by others without any deference to our wishes?
The hard fact is that if al-Qaeda were to target American interests in Ireland, we would have to call for outside help. A common European defence, however, would see us defended by members of a community of which we have long been a part. In turn, then, we would go to their aid, on a strict case-by-case basis, the engagement criteria for each, being decided by Dail Eireann. That is balancing rights with responsibilities.
Benchmarking
And that equilibrium is also relevant to the economic area. Take the benchmarking commitments contained in Sustaining Partnership.
The benchmarking process should and could, have been an open and transparent process for dealing with many of the problems in the public sector. Instead, it was shrouded in secrecy.
The report provided no detail whatsoever about the job comparisons between the public and private sectors, used to calculate the recommended increases.
Given the extent of the impact on the taxpayer, this opacity was extraordinary. It left unanswered many legitimate questions about the rationale for the increases. In turn, it left those public servants who are to receive lower increases disgruntled.
I am all for our public servants getting a fair salary. It's the very least of their entitlement. But, the movement cannot and should not be one way: our public servants must recognise that they have a clear responsibility to deliver quality services and to do so efficiently. There are some who portrayed benchmarking as being like the ATM machine - you just have to show up to get the money. Something that really stuck in the public gut. In fact, if we are at all serious about giving people value for their money, that notion must die an immediate death.
Fine Gael believes that better pay for public servants must and should translate into better public services. By all means, pay the benchmarking awards. But only if the consumer is guaranteed a measurable and efficient return.
Benchmarking provided the Government with a near-perfect opportunity to tackle the anomaly - or the misnomer - of big 'public service' bureaucracies. It should and could have been used to speed up long-overdue public service reform. It should and could have genuinely devolved power and responsibility.
It should and could have been used to join up the rights and responsibilities of all those paid by the public. But, because we have a Government who are not even on nodding terms with responsibility, that near-perfect opportunity was squandered.
Alcohol
Another area where the issue of rights and responsibilities must be faced up to is alcohol consumption in Ireland.
When it comes to alcohol, one thing is sure: Ireland is drinking itself to death. I'm not overstating it to say that Ireland risks losing a large part of the current, young generation unless urgent action is taken to address the national addiction. I do not accept that 50% of 12 year-olds - that's children we saw making their Confirmation just last month - have already had their first drink. Nor do I think it politically, morally or socially acceptable that 66% of 15 to 16-year-olds are now deemed to be 'current drinkers'.
For our part, we in Fine Gael published a series of radical proposals for reform of the licensing laws and for new measures to tackle the alcohol-fuelled carnage on our streets. The Government's response has been half-hearted and in some instances, ill conceived. But the response from some of the vested interests has been equally disappointing.
I have every sympathy for the decent publican who runs an orderly house. But as a society, we should have nothing but contempt for those who would, and every day do, line their pockets with the immoral earnings of a binge-drinking culture. This is one of the greatest injustices being perpetrated on our youth today.
Health
Our alcohol culture is storing up major health problems for us in the years ahead. And health, in general, is one of the critical areas where rights and responsibilities must go toe to toe.
Every patient has the right to appropriate, efficient and effective healthcare. But, they also have responsibility to take better care of their own health. We need to see a new approach to health care in this country: a radical shift from the curative disease-oriented model to a preventive model.
We believe that priority should be given to those who have, demonstrably, taken responsibility for their own health. Who, if they are diagnosed with illness, genuinely try to heed the medical advice given, be it to overcome their addiction to smoking, to tackle their dependence on alcohol or to get more exercise.
Right now, health promotion in Ireland is relatively ignored. If we are at all serious about future-proofing our health service in the light of our ageing population, then health promotion needs to top the agenda.
Fine Gael is looking at new ideas in this area. For example, on a phased in basis, offering every citizen a free annual health check. This would facilitate early detection, and in the case of diseases such as prostate cancer and diabetes, not only save lives, but free up resources in the longer term.
As you know, vaccination in Ireland is a contentious issue. Yes: there will always be a small minority of children for whom, medically, vaccination is not an option. But for the vast majority of children, it is a most desirable, preventive option. And we must make sure that the process is as safe and efficient as possible. Right now, there's no means of collating vaccination information.
Confusion and uncertainty mean that vaccination levels are falling below 70 per cent in some parts of the country. To solve the problem, we propose introducing a Vaccination Smartcard. This would greatly assist parents and doctors alike as it would contain all the necessary information relating to vaccination, for example, shots already given and or those due, vaccine batch numbers and so on. It would be kept by the parent and presented to their GP or clinic as necessary.
Conclusion
If the fallout of the last election tells us anything, it must be that the Irish people prefer the truth to the spin. They opt for fact over fiction. They understand that with rights come responsibilities. They are prepared to make the hard choices when they are the right choices. I believe that they want a political party to articulate those views and to do so unashamedly and confidently. I believe that Fine Gael will be that party. We showed it on Nice 2. We've shown it in relation to Ireland's neutrality.
Since being made leader, we've got 8,000 new members - increase of 40% - making us the fastest growing political party in Ireland. Now, our challenge in the months and years ahead is to give them and everyone in Ireland a choice - a new choice, rooted in old values. And we'll be doing that in every area of public life - looking at issues such as restorative justice, parental responsibility, victims rights. We will be insisting on proper management of the public finances in the public rather than the party interest. We will not shirk that responsibility
Fine Gael wants an Ireland with Equality of Opportunity, Enterprise and Reward, Security, Integrity and Hope writ large. But underpinning all of these values must be the commitment to promoting and upholding the rights and responsibilities of all our citizens.
ENDS
