Much of the decade that followed that election was caked in economic misery. Economic misery is really just human misery, after all. They concluded that, despite the already-booming and in parts overheating economy, another bulge in public spending “seems to be what the electorate wants”, especially when it comes to health and housing. A recent report by the council reminded us that, between 2002 and 2018, public spending rose by an average of 3 per cent a year, a manageable overall run rate. But in the barmy years directly before the crash, public spending was rising at up to 9 per cent per year, which was completely mad.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2020 05:15 UTC