Spirit of Christmas - Tale of two cities

IN spite of the economy’s much vaunted turn-around, as instanced by today’s up-beat and indeed very welcome Retail Ireland forecast that Christmas will be the best in five years, there is no avoiding the reality that society is super-glued in two inflexible tiers — the haves and the have-nots.

If the poor were once in the minority, their ranks have been swollen by the much clichéd ‘squeezed middle’. Following years of grinding austerity, they are now mired together.

According to Retail Ireland, key indicators — more jobs, more disposable income, and positive sentiment — point to Christmas shoppers spending nearly €400m, an annual rise of 2%. There is no doubt some people are benefiting from the slow economic recovery, especially in Dublin. However, the capital has a chilling back-to-the future echo about it.

Outside a handful of urban areas, in vast swathes of the country, people will rely on the St Vincent de Paul appeal.

It would be foolhardy to pretend otherwise. Most people have little or no money in their pockets. Relatively few boats have so far risen on a tortuously slow rising tide.