With €4 being spent for every €1 coming in, it's clear that the Irish government are bankrupt.
But, evidently, mere financial bankruptcy isn't enough for them. With Brian Cowen refusing to intervene in the recent clerical abuse revelations (see this Irish Times piece "Cowen shows he is second an Irishman, first a Catholic") it's clear that they're also morally bankrupt.
And now today's budget will, it's widely reported, cut excise duty on alcohol in a bid to stop Irish shoppers from crossing the border to shop. Now I'm not suggesting that this move shows a lack of morality but it raises questions at the very least. With many studies clearly showing a direct link between the price of alcohol and the amount people drink perhaps this knee-jerk move, essentially encouraging supermarkets to expand their use of alcohol as a loss leader, needs a bit more thought.
Personally, I'm all for cheap alcohol (for me at any rate) but I can see the wider picture. This grubby little sweetener ascribes to of a frantic government who will try anything, with scant regard the consequences, to save their dismal, discredited hinds.
2 comments:
You're wrong again of course.
Booze prices kept rising and rising for most of this decade, and consumption kept on rising too.
Now that fowks have no money, they're fecking off north to stock up on Crimbo booze. And while they're there, they're stocking up on everything else too.
Knocking a few cent off the price of drink won't make it cheaper to acquire - it just makes it cheaper to acquire in this jurisdiction.
In doing so, it saves the jobs not only of pub landlords and offie managers, but also that of the wee girl in Next, and the spotty yoof in Gamezone.
This is actually quite a smart move from the increasingly likable Mr Lenihan.
I must admit, that didn't jump out at me.
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