One of Howlin’s silver linings turns out to be a hand-me-down from the previous government

WHAT is the difference between Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin and the ousted tánaiste Mary Coughlan?

The former Fianna Fáil minister believed she could get 89 extra training places from the same multi-million euro handout from the European Union.

One of the few bits of good news in Monday’s first installment of Budget 2012 appeared to be the announcement of a “new” €20 million Labour Market Activation Fund (LMAF).