Now we are all Victims of McCreevynomics

Sand

Good thread. I didn't realise things were more or less in balance when mcCreevy left. I took his "lets spend it when we have it " comment at face value.

Yup, I have to say that while I knew McCreevy had things under control when he left, the sheer scale of spending increases between 2003 year end and 2009 year end is staggering. Already significant spending by historical standards more than doubled in 6 short years.

It was a real historical reverse when McCreevy was forced out by Bertie and his fear of the unpopularity McCreevy was attracting from the social partners and the Irish Times intelligensia: he was a far, far stronger Finance minister than Cowen was: definitly there would have been spending increases over the years, but would a minister as idealogically hostile to tax and spend and as openly dismissive of the health sector have boosted spending to 40 or 50 or 60 billion? I doubt it.

Cowen on the other hand was a very weak, party man, who only understood that his job was to give Bertie election winning budgets every single year. McCreevy didnt even bother telling Bertie what was going to be in the budget until a day or two before his speech. His cabinet colleagues would only be told a few hours before hand.

You will see a lot of the usual suspects on the left try to spend ( lol - blame....projected freudian slip?) the uncontrolled spending between 2004-2010 as being somehow linked to McCreevy: it is ironic that this spending was led by Bertie in a bid to appease the Irish lefties/beards. That the hatred of McCreevy still burns so bright for the social partners and the IT only speaks for his own exceptional status as a truly strong economically liberal Irish Finance minister. Imagine if McCreevy was to have drafted the 2010 budget...does anyone really believe the unions would have dared voice their stupidly ridiculous 12 days of christmas offer? McCreevy would have slapped on an extra 10% paycut just for insulting his intelligence!