Buying the election
Tuesday September 05 2006
This was the publication in Dublin of the latest monthly set of Exchequer Returns, which show the property boom still steaming, employment and consumption still spectacular, and tax revenues pouring into the Government's hands faster than ministers can spend the money.
When Finance Minister Brian Cowen presents his annual Budget to the Dail in December, he can give away €2.5bn or more and still restrict the deficit to 0.8pc of gross national product. He can thus claim to be prudent, responsible and generous: virtues which in the public mind more than equal those of discipline, cohesion and unity.
His Cabinet colleagues, meanwhile, can answer any criticism of their mistakes and follies, waste of money or neglect of infrastructure, by pointing to tax reliefs and social welfare increases and making the simple claim that we are all better off.
Is that all there is to it? Are we to endure a general election campaign lasting eight or nine months at this level of argument? If so, the voters will tire of it and "switch off" politics. They need something more stimulating.
They are unlikely to find much stimulation in yesterday's Fianna Fail "think-in" and the similar events about to be staged by the other parties. These are singularly misnamed. They have very little to do with thought and a great deal to do with readying the troops for the election.
Bertie Ahern had a point yesterday when he accused the main opposition parties of negativity. He may also be said to have had a nerve, considering Fianna Fail's obstructionist record during their brief spells in opposition, but undoubtedly Fine Gael and Labour to date have come up with very little solid, and very little inspiring.
They should not respond with elaborate policies jointly agreed with Labour or gimmicks to elevate their leaders' profiles. They can do themselves a favour if they shoot accurate shafts into chinks in the Government's golden armour. And they will do the country a favour if they raise the standard of public discourse.
Fraud on the internet
NINE customers of the Bank of Ireland lost a total of €160,000 when they fell victim to the internet fraud known as "phishing". The number of other Irish bank customers defrauded in this way is unknown but almost certainly much higher. In the United States, the scam costs businesses an estimated $2bn a year. The fraudsters operate by sending out persuasive-looking emails purporting to come from a bank. Recipients are directed to a false bank website where they are asked to provide details and access codes for online accounts.
When such frauds occur, the banks are not guilty of any negligence. Why, then, should one of them have agreed to reimburse the group of nine victims, who made contact with one another through this newspaper?
The Bank of Ireland has refused to comment on "individual cases". It says, correctly, that if customers give personal security information to fraudsters the responsibility is their own.
It also says that it has "communicated extensively with customers to warn them about phishing." No doubt, but financial executives know very well that astonishing numbers ignore the most urgent communications and fall for the advances of the most untrustworthy people. They need better ways to send out the simple message: Never reveal these personal details unless you are certain of the recipient's identity.
