Fine Gael tears lumps out of Sinn Féin’s ‘alternative budget’, revealing its concerns

Good morning,

The budget is now entering into its final phase. On Wednesday, the Opposition parties began rolling out their alternative budgets, with Sinn Féin promising a blitz on bank profits and higher earners to fund a dizzying array of spending promises, and the Social Democrats striking a similar pose.

Elsewhere, the Rural Independents proposed axing the USC. Depending on how you look at it, these forays are either a fairly futile staging post on the way to the real thing, or a spirited effort to put it up to the Government ahead of the high point in the political calendar.

The truth is they’re the last chance for the Opposition to claim a bite in the media cycle between now and budget day, to try and send a clear message to the electorate on what they’re about.

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The Sinn Féin alternative budget showed how large the party looms for Fine Gael, who pumped out six press releases before it was even officially launched, tearing lumps out of it.

Then, for good measure, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe gave it another going over at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, saying Sinn Féin is trying to promise radical change while moving to the centre ground and telling colleagues that they cannot “run with the hares and hunt with the hounds”.

Over on his Instagram, Donohoe is striking a more mellow pose, posting a multi-part story scored with jaunty songs. (Since you ask, Whitney Houston’s Step by Step over a video of a pep talk to officials, Livin’ Joy’s Don’t Stop Movin’ over shots of him and the Minister for Finance making a video, and Dire Strait’s Walk of Life over footage of him and McGrath, er, going for a walk. Can a budget day Spotify playlist be far away?)

The last days before the budget have also sparked a frantic last-minute lobbying push - as we cover on our main political story this morning, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, and his budget overrun, are centre stage, with worries over new spending on drugs being sacrificed.

Elsewhere, almost as soon as the corks began to pop over Ireland’s imminently successful Euro 2028 bid, the focus began to shift to costs and benefits.

Meanwhile, the DUP is gearing up for a scrap on the proposed redevelopment of Casement Park.

Best reads

Read Pat Leahy’s analysis of the Sinn Féin alternative budget here.

Newton Emerson notes that Sinn Féin is scrambling to clarify what it means by an “Irish NHS”, given that the health service has in effect collapsed in Northern Ireland, partly under that party’s watch.

Our midweek Inside Politics podcast is discussing whether a slew of “common sense” policies can revive Rishi Sunak’s Tories.

Miriam Lord is casting a wry eye over the budget battles and “The Great Misleader” in the Dáil.

Naomi O’Leary is looking at the end of an era of innocence in European trade and in particular a resiling from the idea that trade with authoritarian regimes creates peace.

Playbook

The Taoiseach is in Granada today and tomorrow for talks on European security as part of the European Political Community meet-up - where he is expected to cross paths with British prime minister Rishi Sunak, among others.

In the Dáil, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan takes oral questions at 9am, followed by Michael McGrath at 10.30am and Leaders’ Questions at midday. Government business in the afternoon will deal with legislation on human trafficking and the funds industry, before topical issues at 6pm. The last item on the parliamentary agenda for the week is Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry’s Bill to ensure more key information is made available to buyers of property.

Here’s the full Dáil schedule.

In the Seanad, the main business of the day will be a private members’ Bill on animal health and welfare, focused on rehoming seized dogs, brought forward by Sinn Féin Senators; that’s at 11.45am.

Find the full Seanad schedule here.

In the Oireachtas committees, PAC meets at 9.30am and will be examining business with the HSE. Eamon Ryan is in the environment committee at 1.30pm on the windfall tax Bill.

For those that way inclined, the full committee schedule is here.

The final throes of pre-budget lobbying are under way - childcare will take centre stage when Early Childhood Ireland host Oireachtas members in Buswells from 10am-2pm today. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Belfast, with the DUP executive meeting this evening amid ongoing stasis on a return to Stormont.