Irish pre-election spending promises abound despite Trump tax threat

Parties vying to lead the next Irish government are luring voters with ambitious spending plans, banking on a continued boom in foreign multinational corporate tax revenues that could be threatened by the incoming U.S. administration. With a strong economy, a population set to rise by up to 8% by 2030 and infrastructure provision 25% lower than many other high-income European countries, whichever party wins the Nov. 29 election will need to spend more just to keep up. An Irish Times headline on Sunday suggested "someone should take Simon Harris's phone away before he bankrupts the country", noting the prime minister's nightly unveiling of "all sorts of goodies" on Instagram.