Fine Gael will announce Fianna Fáil budget with a splash of Independent Alliance

Today we will witness the county’s first opposition budget.

Despite exaggerated protestations and insisting they have no ownership of the Budget 2017, today’s package divided up 2:1 between increased expenditure and tax reductions, has Fianna Fáil written all over it.

In fact, many of the measures were first hammered out during negotiations on the confidence and supply agreement drawn up out after the election.

Essentially, Fianna Fáil will abstain on something they have had massive input in, while the Independent Alliance will vote in favour of a budget which bears few of their political priorities.

As a result — and with the expected backing of Independents Michael Harty and Michael Lowry — the budget will pass, by a whisker.

Last night Independent Alliance TDs entered Government Buildings in a last ditch effort to have their stamp imprinted on the budget.

The Independent Alliance, three of whom have coveted seats around the cabinet table, met with Finance Minister Michael Noonan, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny to make sure at least some of their ideas are included.

On his way into the meeting Finian McGrath said that the Alliance had to ensure that “the polices that we have been pushing for inside the Dáil and outside the Dáil are delivered on”.

Asked why they had left it so late, especially when Fianna Fáil have managed to get their paws all over the coming year’s taxes and expenditure, Shane Ross maintained this sort of last dash scrambling is par for the course. “I think that’s the way budgets are always agreed unfortunately... some of us find it very difficult to take but that’s the way it always happens,” he said.

While Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran insisted: “In fairness to us we have been negotiating over the summer, it’s not just today but there are a few key issues we want to get over the line in respect of the people we support and the people who support us.”

But undeniably those who will be staring over at Fine Gael as they announce the contents of the budget today have scripted and shaped a lot of the contents.

There were even jokes filtering around Leinster House last week that Fianna Fáil’s public expenditure spokesman Dara Calleary would be penning Mr Donohoe’s maiden budget speech.

Dara Calleary

Fianna Fáil went into discussions about the timing of increases in the pension yesterday, while the Independent Alliance had to wait until 6pm to be called into Government Buildings.

However, last night all sides were still squabbling over the finer details.

Today it will still be the job of Fine Gael to announce the joint Fianna Fáil budget with perhaps a splash of Independent Alliance.