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Everyone’s talking about…
The Budget still dominates the news cycle today, as debate resumes in the Dáil.
While it was not a giveaway budget, it was certainly one that had at least one eye focused on the general election, which looks set to be held in spring.
But, with Labour support having stabilised over the last few months, will the measures enclosed in the Budget be enough to save the party?
Joan Burton will certainly be hoping that the partial restoration of the social welfare Christmas bonus, increases in the pension and child benefit, the extension of the free GP scheme, paternity leave and a USC cut will be enough to go to the party’s base with.
But the party was swiftly hammered from the left and the right, with some saying Labour didn’t get enough as a coalition partner and others saying they got too much.
Ruth Coppinger criticised the lack of a social welfare increase for young people, while Lucinda Creighton said that the “Labour tail is wagging the Fine Gael dog”.
Even Burton’s own party’s youth wing had a go.
Labour TDs seemed to like the Budget, however, with the message that it was “family-focused” being a strong one among the junior coalition partner’s benches.
Either way, Joan Burton and Co will be awaiting the next round of opinion polls with bated breath.
The agenda
Inside Leinster House
All sorts turn up at Leinster House on Budget day and yesterday was no different. In the afternoon, we spotted comedian Oliver Callan in the Dáil bar and later former finance minister Alan Dukes was roaming the halls.
While in the evening, one of our most famous sons, actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd, was dining in the Dáil Members’ Restaurant as a guest of Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone and met his local TD Frank Feighan among others.
What the others are saying…
In case you missed it…
Good day for…
Fine Gael backbenchers. Facing the electorate will be slightly easier in the spring armed with a USC cut, a restored child benefit and increased public spending.
Bad day for…
Fianna Fáil. The party huffed and puffed, but failed to score a meaningful blow against the Budget. They were also the subject of scorn from the opposition benches, with both Pearse Doherty and Mary Lou McDonald having a go in their speeches.
On the Twitter machine…
Brendan Howlin’s Syriza zinger in his Budget speech was pre-empted on the tweet machine by its intended target.
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