Irish Independent, March 26, 2007

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern promised an extra €300m a minute to voters as he took pre-election auction politics to a new level. In the course of his 23-minute address to the Fianna Fail ard fheis, he promised €6.9bn in tax cuts, pensions and public service spending.

Irish Times, September 5, 2007

A tough budget could be in prospect for December as new figures show that weakness in the property market is feeding through into the public finances.Exchequer returns released by the Department of Finance yesterday reveal a €268 million shortfall in stamp duty receipts since the start of the year.Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has told Cabinet colleagues that the rise in Government spending next year will be sharply below that allowed this year as a result of the disappointing trend in the Government’s finances.

*To honesty, not economics