Government is again washing its hands of fiscal responsibility

AUSTERITY is now an orphan. Fianna Fáil and the Green Party begat it when in government. Fine Gael and Labour said the foundling child had to be fostered if we were to regain our self-respect and self-sufficiency.

Now, hardly out of short trousers, blamed for everything wrong in the house, the child is back on the side of the road; bedraggled and bad-mouthed.

The Greens, for now, have vanished. Fianna Fáil, whose DNA is implicated in the original deed, and Labour, who, to the horror of its natural family, became godmother, have recanted, and deserted their responsibilities. Each, in turn, had staked their credibility as patriots, as distinct from their self-interest as politicians, on their commitment to austerity. All repeated the same mantra: any hit in the opinion polls was worth it, if we returned to a sturdy, strong, self-respecting state of affairs.