The worst of both worlds
It really should be one of the golden rules of government: if you are going to throw money at a problem, at least be sure that the cash will fix it.
Last autumn’s attempted solution to the Irish Water problem came at significant cost to the exchequer. But it also undermined two important principles: the first that charges should be linked to consumption, and the second that Irish Water was independent from government.
The fix took some of the fizz out of the street protests, though the boorish behaviour of some of the protesters was probably just as damaging to the movement. The short-term ...
