Echoes of Haughey

SPEAKING of the ordinary citizen, the one liberating element in the Taoiseach’s address to the nation were his words: “You are not responsible for the crisis.”

This has had to be said by the powers that be for a long time.

However, viewed in the context of the breech of the salary limit for his new advisor, his words “Right now, you are spending €16bn a year more than you are earning” rings hollow and has a distinct echo in Charles Haughey’s “We (meaning you) are living way beyond our means” and prescription of hair shirts for Sean citizen while he popped champagne and donned Charvet shirts.

Kevin T Finn

Kingston Close

Mitchelstown

Co Cork