Prudence is the name of the game for cautious Cowen

THE old joke about Brian Cowen is that if he was in the Garden of Eden, he wouldn’t bite the apple of temptation but merely lick it. Caution has been Cowen’s watchword in every department he has run, despite his public image as a bristling bruiser.

And so it was with yesterday’s Estimates. Anywhere else in Europe, there would be a wow factor to announcing how much of our money the Government will spend next year.

Cowen unveiled a €3 billion increase yesterday, bringing overall State expenditure next year to €48.5bn (and more than €50bn when the social welfare and childcare packages are announced on Budget day). It almost goes without saying that it is the highest ever.