Need to run to local meeting now so will return to this later. Joan doing well in telling the truth so far. This is another one for the wealthy-as Dave Begg says the Small Firms Association, IBEC and their fellow travellers have won the day.

Sheila Noonan puts her finger on it in desribing us as disgusted. Pay cut of €3 to €4k on teachers pay. Public sector workers have been singled out and she's right in bringing us back to the truth-Fiann Fáil are serving the masters of industry, the banks and on the backs of public sector workers! Glad to hear determination from Sheila top fight these cuts. Right too on Lenihan's condescension to us at beginning of his speech. Ahern says yes they're bracing themseves for months of industrail strife with a big grin on his face. He takes 5% while I'm expected to take 7% on top of the almost 10% i've already given. Almost a fifth of my wages gone while the super-wealthy pay nothing!

Bruton puts his finger on it now-only €55million from non-resident non-patriots. And who is being brought to book for what has happened in our rotten banks(my description here).

David Begg's reaction-people will be seething and he's right this will be hugely defaltionary. Again he asks the question why is it that Britain's way of spacing it out is wroing and that we are such economic geniuses? David's right again-it's all about driving down wages and Patricia Callan shows her colours-we must increase competitiveness-competitive with who? They want us down to Mongolian figures. The figures about pay cuts from the CSO are lies according to SFA.

And in the Blue Corner

The real cut of Ministers is 5% says richer while public servants on 30k will take more cuts-unfortunately FG has been no friend of the public service in the past year. Think I'll stick with the real opposition. Richard must have been reading my blog for that line on Teddy!:-)

Missed the €16 cut in child benefit. This will have a huge impact in poorer families. Sorry opting over to the analysis on RTÉ 1. Dermot Ahern telling us they looked after Social Welfare recipients- Brian Dobson hitting on the 8% cut in carer's benefit-hitting at the most vulnerable again. There;s nothing here to get anything from the highest earners. This rubbish about the marginal tax rates is just old-fashioned Thatcherism with a bit of 'No New Taxes(unless you're a public servant of course) thrown in. Alex White spot on aboput the impact on people on the edge.

Even Micahael Noonan says it fails the fairness test. The cleaner in your department is taking the same as you! Good man Michael. Brings to mind his best ever moment when he compared the Fianna Fáil minister of the time to Barney Rubble hammering away at the moving stone engine!

Dermot Ahern saying we're engaging in Voodoo economics-lectures from the incompetent and inglorious .........!

Corporation tax is staying the same-it's here to stay. Changes in the finance bill to help the finaincial services sector. A retro-fit programme for environmental improvement-that's welcome and locval councils will get it also-glad to see the greens getting something! Iarnród Éireann will give cheaper travel to visiting elderly people while continuing to jack up the prices for the rest of us. Usiong Teddy Kennedy in the budget-a Kennedy visitor centre. Try keeping our young people at home instead! Here comes the BS-we have in place a plan- we have been fair. Reduced the cost of the public sector. We will save jobs=we have turned the corner-just like the nonsense of 'the fundamentals of the economy are intact' of 2 years ago.

€70 million for flood relief-the excellent work done in Kilkenny cost the guts of that alone and that's what he gives the country! Cross border shopping reaction-excise duty on drink brought down and he thinks that will stop it. Fianna Fáil threatening the publicans-I'm sure that'll worry them, He reverses the half percent VAT rate but nothing further. A car scrappage scheme.
A return from the banks!! A credit review system. You can be guearanteed that checking up on the banks lending to small businesses will never be followed through on. We don't need a committee to ask the banks to give credit-we need a national bank that will do it!

Everyone must make a contribution but no new taxes for the high-rollers in the private sector. The CSO figures told us the truth about the huge numbers in the private sector who have taken no hit. Here somes McCarthy-an efficiency review of local Government-are we getting cuts or not? An investment in school buildings-that'll make a change!
Investment programme for mental health-who's he going to sell the HSE and and buildings top now that the market is flattened. Back to Dev's bonds! More money for training for the poor people who you've thrown onto the dole queues-as long as they're not 20 or 21 of course.

No pay cuts to existing public service pensioners-you remember last year Brian! Here come the Social Welfare cuts-a cut of 4% and a cut down to €100 for young people who find themselves jobless because of your Government's bungling. That should fill the planes and the boats.

There were lengthy negotiations until you pullede the rug from under your boss so you could get away with this nonsense. Reduction of 5% for first 30k and up to 8k for the rest of us. Now he tells us that no tax on lump sum after half of the top grades have retired in fear of it after a year of uncertainty. Not another pension levy! No yellow pack pensions for new entrants so our pensions are as pathetic as the private sector unregulated pension cowboys.

Carbon tax-they'll use the proceeds to end fuel poverty. Tell that to those in receipt of the pathetic fuel allowance for the past decade.They won't believe you and what about the impact on rural people with no public transport alternatives? 20% off Cowen's salary-he'll be just like Barack so. Again the judges will be urged!!! to take a paycut. Time for a referendum to ensure that we decide their rates of pay rather than a voluntary action.

Here comes the action for many of us. 'More is required'.

Mother of God-we have definitely the fairest tax system in Europe don't you know. It has 'progressivity' at its core. Accepted the need for a propoerty tax but it will take some time. Water charges are back but there'll be a free amount. Non-resident taxpayers get off scot-free again-sorry 200,000 for our tax exiles but only if their earnings in Ireland exceeds €5million.

Guess what it's all down to the International economic crisis! And who created this property bubble Brian? Here comes the pain-reduction in labour costs. Wages went up by 70%-for who? We can't borrow but Obama and Brown can. Another IBEC budget so. I'll bet decisive action won't apply to the super-wealthy.

Here we go again-pain for all?

Sitting down to my annual ritual of watching the budget speech. Here we go- everybody thinks we're wonderful in the way we're rebuilding our nation's confidence! €4billion but we'll ignore the recommendation to go to 2014. Let's screw everybody now instead.

The worst IS over!!! That one will come back to haunt you Brian.