Editing Fine Gael (section)

===Economic policies===
Fine Gael has, since its inception, portrayed itself as a party of fiscal rectitude and minimal government interference in economics, advocating pro-enterprise policies. In that they followed the line of the previous pro-Treaty government that believed in minimal state intervention, low taxes and social expenditures.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallagher |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/politicalparties0000gall/page/43 |title=Political Parties in the Republic of Ireland |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=1985 |isbn=9780719017971 |page=[https://archive.org/details/politicalparties0000gall/page/43 43]}}</ref> Newly elected politicians for the party in the Dáil have strongly advocated [[economic liberal|liberal economic]] policies. [[Lucinda Creighton]] (who has since left the party) and [[Leo Varadkar]] in particular have been seen as strong advocates of a [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] approach to Ireland's economic woes and unemployment problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lucindacreighton.ie/?cat=9 |title=Lucinda CREIGHTON TD – Economy Vision |publisher=Lucindacreighton.ie |access-date=4 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728061715/http://www.lucindacreighton.ie/?cat=9 |archive-date=28 July 2010 }}</ref> Varadkar in particular has been a strong proponent of small, indigenous business, advocating in 2008 that smaller firms should have benefitted from the government's recapitalisation program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leovaradkar.ie/?p=256 |title=Leo Varadkar – Small Business Fund must be included in recapitalisation plan |publisher=Leovaradkar.ie |date=16 December 2008 |access-date=4 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629011621/http://www.leovaradkar.ie/?p=256 |archive-date=29 June 2009 }}</ref> Its former finance spokesman Richard Bruton's proposals were seen as approaching problems from a pro-enterprise point of view. Its fairer budget website in 2011 suggested that its solutions are "tough but fair".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairerbudget.com/alternative.html |title=fairerbudget.com |publisher=fairerbudget.com |access-date=22 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919002728/http://www.fairerbudget.com/alternative.html |archive-date=19 September 2009 }}</ref> Other solutions conform generally to conservative governments' policies throughout Europe, focusing on cutting numbers in the public sector, while maintaining investment in infrastructure.

Fine Gael's proposals have sometimes been criticised mostly by smaller political groupings in Ireland, and by some of the [[trade union]]s, who have raised the idea that the party's solutions are more conscious of business interests than the interests of the worker. In 2008 the [[SIPTU]] trade union stated its opposition to then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny's assertion, in response to Ireland's economic crisis, that the national wage agreement ought to have been suspended. Kenny's comments had support however and the party attributed its significant rise in polls in 2008 to this.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1123/finegael.html |title=Union criticises FG on wage agreements position while FG gains 35% in polls |publisher=RTÉ.ie |date=23 November 2008 |access-date=4 June 2010 |archive-date=28 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628234314/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1123/finegael.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fine Gael's [[Simon Coveney]] launched what the party termed a radical re-organisation of the Irish semi-state company sector. Styled the New Economy and Recovery Authority (or NewERA), Coveney said that it is an economic stimulus plan that will "reshape the Irish economy for the challenges of the 21st century".<ref>{{cite news |date=26 March 2009 |title=Fine Gael launches stimulus plan |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0326/115573-economy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207234422/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0326/115573-economy/ |archive-date=7 February 2015 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=RTÉ News}}</ref> Requiring an €18.2 billion investment in Energy, Communications and Water infrastructure over a four-year period, it was promoted as a way to enhance [[energy security]] and the digital reputation of Ireland. A very broad-ranging document, it proposed the combined management of a portfolio of semi-state assets, and the sale of all other, non-essential services. The release of equity through the sale of the various state resources, including electricity generation services belonging to the [[ESB Group|ESB]], [[Bord na Móna]] and [[Bord Gáis]], in combination with use of money in the National Pensions Reserve Fund, was Fine Gael's proposed funding source for its national stimulus package.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 April 2009 |title=FG Launches 11bn Euro Stimulus Plan |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2009/0326/115572-economy2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223021149/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0326/economy2-business.html |archive-date=23 February 2011 |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=RTÉ News}}</ref>

The plan was seen as the longer term contribution to Fine Gael's economic agenda and the basis of its program for government. It was publicised in combination with a more short term policy proposal from [[Leo Varadkar]]. This document, termed ''"Hope for a Lost Generation"'', promised to bring 30,000 young Irish people off the [https://www.cso.ie/en/interactivezone/statisticsexplained/labourmarket/whatistheliveregister/#:~:text=The%20Live%20Register%20is%20used,the%20Department%20of%20Social%20Protection. Live Register] in a year by combining a National Internship Program, a Second Chance Education Scheme, an Apprenticeship Guarantee and Community Work Program, as well as instituting a German style Workshare program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://yfg.ie/downloads/2010JobsLeaflet.pdf |access-date=8 November 2018 |title=Hope for a Lost Generation |year=2009 |via=SlideShare|publisher=[[Young Fine Gael]] }}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>