It’ll be like the night before Christmas in the Department of Finance this evening.
Nearly all the little presents have been tied up with civil service bows, the stockings stuffed with tax cuts and the milk and cookies laid out for Simon Harris and Jack Chambers’ speeches on Tuesday.
Despite reports that the busy budget workshop, at times, may have resembled more of a nightmare before Christmas, as Ministers supposedly squabbled over the naughty and nice list - the big day is almost finally upon us.
Given the modern budgetary way, the politicians have been leaking like proverbial sieves and most concerned citizens will have a fair idea of what will be in the document come time for the official reveal.
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Indeed, some of the measures we’ll be hearing about, such as the new savings scheme, have been trailed for months.
Discussions on the remaining minutiae are likely to continue throughout the day, with a reported boost to childcare subsidies one of the key elements.
For families with a young child attending a creche full-time, a €1,000 per annum reduction could be on the cards. It will be lauded by the Government, but most likely panned by the opposition as still being well-off its pledge to cap such costs at €200 a month.
As of last night, there were still senior ministers pushing for their preferred pressies - like James Lawless and his “last ditch” effort to secure a €250 cut to the student contribution. It sounds like the Minister for Higher Education’s forces were left spent on the battlefield - with sources cautioning against such an idea.
On Saturday, the Taoiseach signalled there would be no further increases in the carbon tax applied to home heating oil - and there would be a Christmas bonus payment to pensioners and welfare recipients.
Public servants will be tuning in tomorrow to get a sense of what may have been left in reserve for a potential pay deal.
Over 70,000 teachers belonging to the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland have today embarked on a work-to-rule that brings the total numbers involved to over 250,000. The Teachers Union of Ireland will join the action next Monday.
With Ministers pleading for engagement, full-blown strike action is still planned for October 14th and 21st - and is likely to shut nearly every school in the State.
Speaking of being shut down, efforts to bring some sort of resolution to the dispute over the Orange Order’s intention to parade down the Garvaghy Road are continuing.
With the British Secretary of State Chris Bryant still clinging to the notion that a mutually acceptable compromise can be struck, residents have taken to the Court of Appeal in Belfast.
They are seeking leave to apply for a judicial review of the Parades Commission decision that reopened the whole saga.
The uneasy peace surrounding the stand-off managed to survive the weekend. The Belfast Irish rap trio Kneecap paid a visit to residents on Sunday, saying no community should be subjected to sectarian intimidation.
There will, meanwhile, likely be a bit of political noise this week, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill today expected to face an ‘urgent question’ during plenary business at Stormont.
Unionists want to know why she took part in an unlawful protest on the road in question, while her party leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Sinn Féin will “of course” cooperate with a PSNI investigation.
As for now, nobody is blinking.
Getting back briefly to the Budget talk, one man who could only imagine the joy of being able to actually deliver one is Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez.
Under pressure due to an on-going housing crisis, Sánchez this morning called a snap election for the end of next month.
Street demonstrations have engulfed his administration following the eviction last month of an 87-year-old woman with disabilities.
Such are the controversies and difficulties surrounding his tenure, Sánchez hasn’t been able to present a single government budget since retaking office in 2023.
No milk and cookies for him.
