Sir, – As all good gardeners know, plants, shrubs and trees occasionally need pruning to supply additional energy for the healthy development of the plant. Pruning plants from the top down will generally result in a more vibrant and healthy plant, but improper pruning can ruin or greatly reduce a plant’s potential and its future growth.
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan is currently wielding a very large shears and he is chopping away at the economy like a man who has heard that pruning can regenerate growth; but he hasn’t a clue where to start.
Perhaps he should dispense with his expensive economic advisers and hire a few horticulturalists, who will tell him to start at the top and work down. – Yours, etc,