Spring Atatement: Not much meat but some thing to chew on

Noonan and Howlin’s spring statement was full of hints of what lies ahead in the budget

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once observed that in diplomacy you have to listen to not only what is being said, but to what is not said. What is not said is often more important than what is.

Last Tuesday’s spring statements from two cabinet ministers did not go down well in many quarters, with several commentators expressing frustration at how little useful detail was on offer. Brendan Howlin seemed to be ...