Government backs Apple: Appeal is not in long-term best interest

We have a reliable end-of-year choreography. The Rose of Tralee knees-up warns winter cannot be far away; September brings All-Ireland finals and their fevered speculations. Those Croke Park weekends are followed by Listowel Races and the ploughing, the great harvest-time jamboree. Later, the Budget heralds the turning of our year.

Speculation about corner forwards and barley prices is replaced by crystal-ball gazing about how pensioners might fare, tax breaks for housing or, increasingly, carbon taxes. Opposition parties goad governments, suggesting the impossible as an option. Governments try to balance prudence with seducing a fickle electorate, especially if, as is the case today, an election looms. This year budget imaginings are almost low-key. The predictable voices, caught in the Brexit headlights, accept that this year things are different. Indeed, they may be very different and not just because of Borisorama.