Select a language
Two years after being hit by recession, nothing remains of Ireland’s golden years of double digit growth but a sense that the country is back where it began – mass unemployment, mass emigration, and trains that still take 4 hours to cover a piffling 200 km coast to coast. With drastic cuts to public services announced for the December 9th budget, intended to boost the shrinking economy (-7.5% for 2009), the mood is increasingly bitter. The Irish Times leads with yesterday’s demonstration in Dublin, one of a spate of protests to culminate in the national public service shutdown 24 November. Although the European Commission is giving Ireland an extra year in its timetable for restoring the public finances, Taoiseach Brian Cowen is adamant, arguing in delightful officialese that “adjustments” – i.e. cuts – are necessary now, otherwise later “a greater adjustment would have to be considered”.
Was this article useful? If so we are delighted! It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans. Discover our membership offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!
