Let’s get rid of all those freebies and put a ceiling on child benefits

A FEW years ago at a meeting with a senior banker in relation to financing an acquisition I raised the question of their fees. The head honcho replied “I love to talk dirty…”

He meant money. With prior EU approval required, the heavy lifting for budget day will be done in the next few weeks. It’s time to get down and dirty with the specific measures to close our fiscal deficit by the required €4.5bn. My blueprint requires slaughtering sacred cows.

More than 70% of current spending comprises welfare or payroll costs. Savings are impossible without addressing these head on.