Ahern hits out at ‘profiteers’

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night hit out at “rip-off” merchants for scaring tourists away from Ireland.

In a concerted attempt to regain the political initiative after the Government was put on the back foot by a wave of complaints about the high cost of living, Mr Ahern claimed consumer champion Eddie Hobbs was his ally in a war on greedy "profiteers".

Mr Hobbs's TV series, Rip Off Republic, has been a huge ratings success for RTÉ and drawn strong condemnation from some Government ministers.