Brian Cowen’s latest brainwave on Innovation is doomed from the start because little if any of its proposals will ever be implemented under a Fianna Fáil Government, and there isn’t even a timetable for implementation, Fine Gael Innovation Spokesperson Deirdre Clune TD said.

While I agree with almost all of the report’s recommendations (pdf 1.45MB), I don’t expect to see many of them implemented under a Fianna Fáil Government:

We already know that Ireland urgently needs to improve its education system, especially in core science and maths areas;
We already know that Ireland’s broadband lags far behind global standards;
And it’s a long-established fact that Ireland needs to improve its record on turning ideas into concrete business plans.

What we really want to know is what the Government plans to do next. Fianna Fáil has had 13 years to build a dynamic and smart economy. It has singularly failed. So there is little hope that any of this plan’s recommendations will ever be realised under Fianna Fáil.

Fine Gael has the plans and the policies to create jobs, get Ireland working again and build a viable future. Our NewERA proposals would create more than 100,000 new jobs and completely overhaul our infrastructure. And we have plans in place to help small businesses and protect 80,000 existing jobs in this vital sector.

I read the Taoiseach’s statement, hoping against hope to find a timetable or implementation plan. All I see is that he’s using it as a marketing tool as he and his Ministers indulge in their annual St Patrick’s Day globe-trotting exercise. So even Brian Cowen has reduced this report to a piece of Paddy’s Day Paddy-whackery.

Click here for full Innovation Taskforce Report (1.45MB pdf)
Click here for summary Innovation Taskforce Report (pdf 576KB)