Balancing the books - Taoiseach must stick to his guns

ANY negotiations leading to do-or-die decisions will be characterised by leak and counter leak, by kite flying and brinkmanship of the most imaginative and undermining kind. Some represent realistic proposals, others are toe-in-the-water long shots to distract or provoke.

That may be why Liam Doran, of the INO, yesterday called on people to “back off and keep their mouths shut” while public service pay talks continue. Presumably he recognised that the issues at hand will define whether we remain economically independent or not.

Nevertheless, it is reassuring that Taoiseach Brian Cowen has reiterated that the target of saving €1.3bn in public sector pay has not been abandoned. He insisted that agreement would only be possible if the scale of the reduction in the public service pay bill was sufficient – presumably that’s €1.3bn unless mental reservation applies here too – if it was permanent and if there was no negative impact on services.