The Government announced an emergency budget for the end of this month as the economy continues to go down the tubes. Significant tax increases and ruthless government spending cuts will mean an even greater burden for most citizens. Brian Cowen said, again, that everybody must pull together, everybody must feel the pain if we’re to survive this deep crisis.
Meanwhile, the people of Ireland and the world came close to an even bigger crisis when the door of a helicopter carrying Tourism Minister Martin Cullen fell off 500ft over Killarney National Park. Some commentators expressed relief that the minister didn’t fall out as a result of the accident.
The incident developed into a full scale international crisis when officials realised that the minister’s Mercedes would not get him back to Dublin in time for a very important meeting.
A meeting in Washington between Barack Obama and Gordon Brown was interrupted to discuss the crisis. The UK Prime Minister, boarding a standard British Airways flight home, said that Obama was in the process of ordering Air Force One to pick up Minister Cullen when news came that another helicopter had been found in Cork.
An ordinary citizen who has just lost his job and is trying to feed his family and pay a massive mortgage on social welfare payments said that he was greatly relieved the Minister made it back in time for his very important meeting.
He also said that the €8,130 cost of the first helicopter trip and whatever the cost of the second aircraft was well worth it to get this very important Minister to his very important meeting.