FURTHER DIFFICULT decisions lie ahead Taoiseach Brian Cowen warned yesterday, but he expressed confidence that the economy had turned the corner.
Mr Cowen told the annual conference of the Chartered Accountants Ireland in Dublin there was a need to acknowledge that the outlook for the economy and the international outlook in particular, was not as secure as we might like.
“That is why we must keep a clear focus on those factors that are ours to control. We are heading in the right direction. And that is the direction in which we must continue,” he said.
“And it is important that we should understand fully what went wrong and how it went wrong. This is not just so that individuals can be held to account, as they will be, but also to ensure that we can be confident that a recurrence can be avoided,” he said.
“The decisions we have taken are difficult, even unpalatable in many cases. But I am convinced that they were necessary and are proving to be effective.”
He said the objective had been to apply the burdens of adjustment fairly and to encourage recovery and long-term prosperity, while dealing with the crisis swiftly and credibly.
He said decisive action taken by the Government since the crisis broke had restored stability during 2009. The latest indicators are consistent with expectations of a return to growth in 2010, he said.
Interest rates are on the rise,banks will be cutting rates on savings accounts,increasing rates on loans and mortgages,budget cuts of €3,000,000,000 or more is imminent.These are just some of the things we know about-what do we not know?
Are you in position to cushion yourself for what lies ahead??
If not,there is a way
