Irish Budget 2010: Jellyfish politics rule as Cowen sinks in fudge; Awaits “transformational” public sector reform plan from trade unions
Dec 2nd, 2009 | By Finfacts Ireland Business & Finance Portal | Category: News worldwide
Irish Budget 2010: The fudge agreed by Taoiseach Brain Cowen on curtailing the costs of the public sector via an agreement on unpaid leave that will provide possible cost savings ranging from the Department of Finance's reported estimate of €300 million annually, to the trade unions' estimate of up to €1 billion, is a return to the jellyfish politics of the boom years. A leader who has not once outlined a vision of reform since taking office in 2008, now appears to be banking on the trade unions to produce proposals on reform, which after years of resistance, they are now bizarrely dubbing "transformational."