Richard Boyd Barrett’s Wafer Thin Economic Polices Exposed - Andrews

Richard Boyd Barrett’s shallow, populist rhetoric was exposed this afternoon when he stated that Irish banks should be shut down but all staff should be retained, bar of course six or seven senior executives. 

The hypocrisy of his approach to banking was exposed this afternoon when he said on RTE’s This Week that he wanted to close Irish banks but all banking jobs would be retained.  In the next breath, he said we need a functioning banking system.  So according to Richard, the only job losses in the Irish banks would be the six or seven senior executives, who are currently in place.  He said that he wanted to set up a State bank but could not say how it would be funded or how much capital would be required. 

Having attacked foreign direct investment for the best part of a decade and having pledged to increase corporation tax he is, the Sunday before the general election, suddenly worried about jobs in Pfizer in Dún Laoghaire. 

Richard Boyd Barrett likes to pretend there is no cost to voting for him.  Mr. Boyd Barrett wants to increase our low corporation tax which has been a cornerstone of industrial policy for decades and a key attraction for foreign direct investment to Ireland.  On the Sunday before the General Election, he had discovered a newfound concern for the workers in Pfizer in Dún Laoghaire.  And yet his policies would drive foreign direct investment out of Ireland.  The economic recovery will be export led.  Chemicals and Related Products produced by the Pharma sector now account for nearly 60% of goods exports from Ireland.  2 out of every 5 pharmaceutical jobs created in Europe were in Ireland.  To follow Mr. Boyd Barrett’s policies would threaten the future of these jobs.

The veil has slipped as far as Richard Boyd Barrett’s wafer thin economic policies are concerned.  His policies would spell the economic destruction of this country.