Bertie Ahern - Controversy

Controversy

In an November 2009 interview with VIP magazine, Ahern spoke of how critics who blame the Government for the economic crisis should “dig the garden or grow bluebells or do something useful”. He continued, saying that the Irish property bubble was not the fault of his Government and that "cynics and knockers, people who always see the glass as half empty. I can’t understand people who are always bitching, saying ‘It’s the Government’s fault, it’s the doctor’s fault, it’s the cat’s fault.’ It’s everybody’s fault except their own.".

He said that since he resigned as taoiseach last year, “life is not as controlled as it was. I’m busy doing different things, some quite important, but it’s just not the same. If I want to go to a match, I go to a match; if I want to see some friends tomorrow night, I can do that, so it’s a big change.”

Commenting on the economic difficulties facing his successor, he said: “Brian has had it rough because of the huge international slowdown. The big trick for him is how we can get out of it quickly.”

In January 2010, Ahern has said he would have no difficulties giving evidence to the investigation into banking, nor having his testimony heard in public. Saying he would appear if asked, Ahern defended his record while in government, attributing the crisis in banking to international factors and the banks’ over-exposure to borrowing on international markets. "By and large we all know what happened. The banks borrowed money on the open market in the short-term. And as soon as things went, they had to pay that money up but they hadn’t got it to pay," he said. "That’s what happened. I don’t think it will take too long to write up what the position is." He continued saying, "The greater issue was the protection and the regulation of the bank rather than consumers’ interests." Mr Ahern also said that people were "jumping over developers" but also needed to remember they employed 200,000 people. He said that one of the first things that Brian Cowen had done when he became minister for finance was to abolish many of the property tax incentives. He also stood over many of the incentives that benefited property developers. "When they were brought in, the place was in a disastrous way. Look at the quays in Dublin. There were reports around for 40 years that said the quays needed something done about them and nothing happened until we brought in the urban renewal status and gave the tax incentives."