Bertie Promises Lower Taxes At Ard Fheis

Calls For Referendum On Children's Rights

In a hard-hitting speech at the 70th Fianna Fail Ard Fheis at the City West Hotel in Dublin, Mr Ahern told delegates that "the hard won prosperity which we have in Ireland will be strengthened, not squandered. There is no going back as long as this Government leads this country. We reject the course of buying your way into office by promising all things to all people. We reject the empty promises of the opposition.

They can promise something for everyone in every audience if they want, but we instead commit to chart a strategy of prosperity based on real plans, real numbers and real results. Our strategy is practical and it is achievable. And at its heart is an Ireland that is fairer and stronger."

An All-Ireland Policy

Highlighting the opening of new road links to Belfast and the North East, the Taoiseach promised that his government would now put the "same energy and determination into developing links to Donegal, Derry and the North West".

He also announced that the final few border crossings closed during the Troubles would be reopened and that there were plans in place in the North and South to start restoration work on the Ulster Canal - "creating a major inland waterway for the border region."

A Warning To Those Seeking To Divide

The Taoiseach also had a warning for those who would like to see a return to the sectarian strife of the past, saying that although his party and government believed in a united Ireland, "cherishing that aspiration," "We have always stood against those who sought to use violence to achieve it."

Noting the tributes to both the heroes of 1916 and the dead of the Battle of the Somme this year in Dublin, he sought to assure Unionists that the Irish government held a deep-seated belief in democracy and the rule of law: "We respect those who share our island but do not share our aspirations. We recognise their democratic rights and we acknowledge both their history and their tradition.

"I believe the agreement at St Andrews will finally and fully unlock the massive potential for permanent peace and progress. That agreement creates space for everybody."

Children's Rights

The Taoiseach also unveiled a major policy initiative, proposing a referendum on children's rights, probably held next March, to decide whether or not to introduce a clause guaranteeing them in Ireland's Constitution.

The reason for the proposal, he said, was that it was "very clear that our country has frequently failed to respect and protect many of its children. Some of the worst cases of institutional abuse arose partly because of an environment in which the interests of children were often not recognized or were systematically ignored."