Government saves wisely with voters

Whether the Irish are a nation of spendthrifts or savers depends on how separate reports from the Central Bank and the Bank of Ireland are viewed.

According to the latter, a spending spree is unlikely to happen when the Government-sponsored savings scheme, SSIA, matures.

On the other hand, the spree may already have occurred, to judge by the Central Bank's report which shows that Irish consumers are becoming increasingly reliant on credit to finance their spending.