Sean Whelan: Osborne’s sweet budget has a real kick

Forget sugar tax – look at what Britain’s chancellor has taken from Ireland’s corporation tax

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne holds his ministerial red box up to the media Pic: Getty

So you’re missing your key fiscal targets, and can’t do a big pension reform so as not to upset people ahead of the Brexit referendum. What’s a dashing young chancellor to do?

Distract people, of course – whip out a piece of shiny paper and wave it at the slack-jawed ones, who will gaze in wonderment and not notice what’s really going on. Not so much budget wizardry as fairground magic show misdirection.