Howlin off to the trough with his union cronies

The choreographed and 
nauseating public courtship of the sitting Labour Minister and the unions has begun, writes Eddie Hobbs

Brendan Howlin has suggested that public sector staff might have their pay cuts reversed

Eddie Hobbs

It's confirmed, the Great Restoration is upon us, but don't get too excited, it looks like the fattest child will get fed first. This is Ireland, the only crisis economy in the world where, except for the low paid and contract workers, the most protected, those with corpulent benefits, were best insulated from the worst of the rationing that accompanied the biggest financial siege since the 1930s Depression.

The Great Restoration starts in the run up to the general election. This was confirmed last week by Minister for 'Virtually No Reform in the Public Sector' Brendan Howlin, whose existential moment was formed when he gazed into the allowances abyss, baulked and declared all the past wheezes to obscure giveaways were 'core pay'. The former teacher chose August 9 to promise to reverse the effects of the pension levy and pay cuts on the public sector, sagely advising us that there will be no 'big bang' - restoration by stealth beckons instead.