Cowen must earn public's trust in Nama.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen made a rare, impassioned speech in the Dail yesterday.

He implored the public to trust him when he vowed Nama will not be a bail-out for greedy bankers and developers.

It galls ordinary people to think their hardearned cash is going to rescue the very people who screwed them to the wall at every opportunity they got.

Whether it was banks charging families huge penalities to get out of crippling fixed mortgages or developers ripping off struggling first-time buyers, everyone has a story to tell.

So when Cowen vows that Nama will not be a get out of jail free card for these greedy merchants, he better prove it.

Safeguards within the EUR54billion plan, which are meant to prevent developers trying to influence Nama, must be strictly enforced.

You would think developers would be grateful for this huge burden the taxpayer is taking on.

But we heard Construction Industry chief Tom Parlon on the radio yesterday, arrogantly making demands about how Nama should operate.

But Green leader John Gormley had a strong message for Mr Parlon and the lobby of developers that he represents yesterday when he blasted: "Keep your noses out of Nama."

If the Government want to build public trust in Nama it would do well to heed Gormley's warning and make sure the interests of taxpayers are at all times put before those of the developers.