Ireland under fire

Charlie McCreevy, the Irish finance minister, no doubt believed he was doing the right thing with a Budget that cut taxes. His Fianna Fail party fights a general election next year, and the Irish, like most voters, will reward politicians who put more money in their pockets. What McCreevy almost certainly didn't expect was that the wrath of Brussels would descend upon his head. Nor that he would provoke a full-scale debate about who is now in charge of making economic policy within the eurozone. That, however, is what he appears to have done. Last week, the European Commission criticised ...