A sideways look at Budget 2015: A touch of Frost after the Big Chill of austerity

THE Big Chill is over but a distinct frost remains in the air. Robert Frost to be precise as Michael Noonan quoted the poet’s most famous work The Road Not Taken as his narrative guide when the Government declared austerity to be at an end.

Reprising the opening line: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...” the finance minister loftily promised he would never again allow Ireland to take the road through boom and on to bust, but in reality he was tipping the wink at side-kick driver Brendan Howlin to slam on the accelerator and bomb it down the yellow brick road to the next general election as they scattered borrowed fivers from the open car windows while speeding away in a desperate attempt to buy back some popularity.

With more leaks than the collapsing water supply system, this budget ensured that austerity went out with a whimper rather than a bang, but as the opposition gleefully pointed out €5 on child benefit here, and 0.5% off USC there, is all going to be swept away by the gush of Irish Water bills in January.