Those hard decisions - These deals must be challenged

THE Government parties have — so far — survived their autumn sleep-overs without any calamities like the one that opened the last chapter in Brian Cowen’s tawdry premiership.

Both parties have warned of unavoidable and hard decisions ahead. Speaking in Carlow Labour leader Eamon Gilmore ominously warned: “No government wants to have to cut spending and increase revenue. But it has to be done, for the sake of our country, and for the next generation.”

Fine Gael meet in Galway and it would be surprising if the tone was different to the one that prevailed in Carlow. Naturally the parties will accentuate the positive but they must dread having to impose the measures made unavoidable by our decade of foolishness.