Note of caution amid all the electioneering

WITH a general election looming early in the new year, the clamour for tax cuts is relentlessly mounting as politicians of all hues cynically promise the sun, moon, and stars to voters in the hope of being returned to the gravy train of Dáil Éireann where TDs enjoy lucrative pay, perks and pensions. 

As the poll deadline approaches, the familiar game of playing for the glittering prize of personal gain is getting under way in earnest. Even those who genuinely adhere to the lofty principle of serving the public might be tempted to lay aside that ideology. In an ideal world, high standards of public service rather than dipping in the greasy till, should be the goal of every politician, whether they are left, right or at the centre of the political spectrum.

But as we also know to our cost, Ireland is far from being an ideal world. The promised abolition of domestic rates, for instance, which swept Fianna Fáil back into power after the 1977 general election is a painful testament to that classic example of auction politics which has now come back to haunt homeowners in the form of a property tax which some resent but all must pay.