The UNDP has just released its 2011 Human Development Report.
I hope we shall all be cheered up to see that Ireland has moved up the league table over the years and now ranks seventh in the world on their Human Development Index.
Month: November 2011
The talking point about repayment of Anglo bonds not costing the taxpayer any money had received a sufficiently wide rollout that it was clear that this was something government politicians were being told was a good thing to say. Via Constantin, here is a note from the Department of Finance apparently distributed to government TDs.
The note tells the politicians that “It is important to state that the redemption of the bond will be made by the IBRC. It will not be funded by the Exchequer.”
Is it really important to state that? Why? So someone sitting at home might think that we’ve stumbled upon some money that eases the burden of paying the bonds, even though the US assets were being sold at a loss? So they might forget that the alternative to using the money to pay off the bonds is to return it to the exchequer?
Anglo has lost all of its equity capital multiple times over and has been continually recapitalised by the state. Money is fungible. All resources being used to pay off the bonds are state resources.
This talking point doesn’t work. Time to give it a rest. Please.
Enda Kenny’s article in today’s IT can be read here.
I have posted some thoughts on the potential Greek referendum over at the IIEA’s blog.