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"What Bertie Ahern would have done..." - Here's who said what on Budget Day
“Not at all Brexit-proof,” one lobby group leader said. “Shite,” said one (unnamed) TD.
AS FAR AS Irish Budgets go, today has been one of the quietest in years.
Some lobby groups – those representing people with disabilities, for instance – are far from happy with the breadth of measures announced today.
But, for the most part, the reaction has been muted. The fact that most of the headline measures have been discussed in the Dáil and on the airwaves for weeks may have something to do with that.
Nevertheless – this being Irish politics, after all – there’s still plenty of criticism out there this Budget Day.
Here’s what people have been saying, in the Dáil – and beyond…
“I don’t want boot-loads of soft drinks coming down from Newry.”
- Michael Noonan on why he’s delaying the introduction of the sugar tax till 2018.
“It has done what Bertie Ahern would have done if he was still in power: it’s basically make sure that anybody and anyone was satisfied so it’s politically proofed but it actually doesn’t transform anything.”
- Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty gives his response to the Budget.
“We are required to allow the budget to pass, provided we agree with the content… We certainly have had our say; and I think our influence on the budget is clear.”
- Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath on his party’s input to the Budget.
“The failure to retain the 1916 Commemoration Budget as a permanent expansion of the Arts funding base is a rather sad comment on the shortness of vision in this Government.”
- Labour’s Joan Burton decries arts spending cuts.
“What’s this Government’s problem with young unemployed people? Measly €5 for many, but young people don’t even deserve that apparently.”
- Paul Murphy of the AAA-PBP on the decision to give young unemployed people less of a weekly increase than others (via Twitter)
“They had the capacity to do something substantial here. There’s no step change.”
- Senator John Dolan (left), CEO Disability Federation of Ireland on the lack of measures for people with disabilities.
“A two month delay means a loss of €40 to someone struggling to keep their home warm or to pay for medicine.”
- Justin Moran (4th from right) on the decision to delay the increase in payments for pensioners.
“Giving people more money to compete for limited new builds will drive up prices and help restore developer profits.”
- John McCartney of property group Savills Ireland responds to the help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers.
“Not at all Brexit-proof”
- Patricia Callan of the Small Firms Association responds to the Budget.
“We’re pretty sure we’ll be able to handle Brexit responsibly.”
- Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor.
“Shite.”
- An unnamed TD gives their opinion of the Budget to TheJournal.ie.
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