Cuts dominate agenda as government adopts Fianna Fáil strategy

THE Fine Gael/Labour programme for government will not alter the fiscal strategy of the previous Fianna Fáil government in any appreciable way.

The previous government’s fiscal adjustment targets are being maintained for the most part and there is no suggestion of any serious renegotiation of the EU/IMF deal.

The lofty wording in the document that the parties have been granted a mandate to renegotiate the deal would seem to be totally at odds with the fact that all they are committing to is a reduction in the interest rate on the deal.