John Moran: SMEs need a bailout to prevent an economic zombie apocalypse

By saving small businesses, we save jobs, tax revenues and communities – and we can borrow cheaply to fund it

Government decisions have hit small businesses really hard.

It feels like deja vu. We’re back talking about spreads on Irish debt, deficits and austerity. Bailouts, unemployment and fear for the future have replaced the optimism of 2019. It might feel like last time, but it is different in some very important ways.

EU solidarity and investor trust in our pre-Covid-19 economic model mean our government now has an option to borrow cheaply over a longer term to fund measures to ease the pain ...