Irish Examiner view: Budget giveaway

Political choices

Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney dismissed rumours of a constituency switch. Picture: Dan Linehan

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney spoke at length to the Irish Examiner in recent days, dismissing rumours of a constituency switch to East Cork among other matters.

Coveney’s commitment to Cork South Central was followed by Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe's bullish prediction that his (and Coveney’s) party will be returned to power at the next election.

“I believe not only can Fine Gael increase the numbers of seats it has in the next Dáil,” said Donohoe. “But I also believe the Government will be able to do so as well.” 

This jockeying before the off is no surprise, particularly when government parties have an eye on Sinn Féin making ground on the rails, to mix the horseracing metaphors.

One traditional way for an incumbent administration to seize the electoral initiative is with a generous budget, and the huge corporation tax receipts are surely a temptation to the government to try a giveaway next October. 

It was no surprise yesterday to hear the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) urge the Government to stick to its spending rules to avoid “repeating the mistakes of the 2000s".

Yet the Government is also aware of people’s general dissatisfaction with the status quo. Coveney said converting Ireland’s “extraordinary economic success story into contentment across Irish society” is a major challenge for the Government, acknowledging particular issues with housing.

That raises an obvious question — whether the country can be experiencing economic success, when the housing sector is such a mess.

It also raises a less-obvious question. Can the Government resist the temptation to use the budget to create “contentment” for electoral purposes?