MOST people have a choice when buying. They can decide to splash out on an expensive suit, or pair of shoes, or go for something that won’t break the bank. They may even choose to save their money for a rainy day.

The announcement that the HSE is to try to shave €110m from its drugs’ bill this year by renegotiating prices with drug companies is very welcome, even if the proposal has an all-too-familiar ring to it — and even if such very welcome savings would fall well short of 10% of the estimated €1.7bn spent by the Government on drugs last year.

When voices as diverse as Greenpeace, the Irish Farmers’ Association, and some of Britain’s most eccentric Colonel Blimp champions of Brexit agree, and when Europe’s trades union and France’s Front National’s Marine Le Pen find common cause, it is time to sit up and take notice.