Budget must help those most in need first

Inside six weeks, Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin will present us with the bad news for 2015 — that is, the ministers will present next year’s budget.

Will they present a budget that has as its focus the interest of the very many people who have suffered greatly from the economic collapse and all that followed it, or will they put in front of us a budget that is designed for only one thing, and that is to get themselves re-elected? Will they prove once again that self-interest always trumps national interest?

For the last five years, we have endured the impact of the imposition of austerity budget after even worse austerity budgets.