‘Good news’ from the Government calculated to secure election win

Brace yourself for a barrage of ‘good news’ over the next nine months or so, courtesy of the Government, as they, against the advice of the Fiscal Advisory Council, among others, prepare to secure the outcome of the next general election.

You will hear, for instance, that the unemployment level is now magically in single figures and decreasing. What you will not hear is that the ‘real’ unemployment figure is in excess of 20%, if the 250,000 emigrants are taken into account.

This awkward and alarming statistic is equivalent to the population of Cork City. The media has been silent on this matter, often willing to report the official line verbatim.

The loss of this vibrant cohort of our citizens mirrors the tragedy of the Great Famine, from which Ireland never fully recovered, economically or socially.

The other conveniently hidden statistic relates to the much-vaunted new jobs. We are not told how many jobs, because of our skewed and inadequate education system, nor how much money is annually repatriated out of the Irish economy by immigrants.

The Coalition is like all its government predecessors, preparing to spend over a billion of borrowed money, paid for by us, to buy our votes.

When will they, or, more importantly, we, ever learn?

John Leahy

Wilton Road

Cork