Not much room to manoeuvre

Like a state opening of parliament yesterday’s plenary meeting of the parties to the Croke Park agreement was more ceremonious than substantive.

It allowed the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin make a speech from the throne by way of circulating an agenda for talks. After what one trade union leader described as the shock and awe of “Blitzkrieg Brendan’s” opening statement, the real business starts today.

The Government’s overriding priority is exiting the current bailout programme. If successful, we couldre-establish the degree of economic sovereignty possible for a small economy within the EU. Extending the Croke Park agreement and securing a further €1bn in savings over three years is one step to achieving an end to our dependency on the troika.