This budget ritual is now an elaborate farce. There is no need for the secrecy that surrounds the annual budget, no need for the series of resolutions to be rushed through the Dáil as the evening wears on, writes Vincent Browne.
No need for the frantic on-their-feet responses of the Opposition spokespeople. No need for any of the hoopla. But that is the way we do things and why change?
Nevertheless, there will be some interesting pointers. Not just from the Budget speech of Brian Cowen - we know broadly what he is going to say anyway. More interesting will be the speeches of Richard Bruton and Joan Burton and then the intervention of the Sinn Féin spokesperson.
The interest in the Richard Bruton and Joan Burton speeches will be in the extent to which they contradict each other or overlap with each other. Labour has committed itself to going into government with Fine Gael without any clear idea of what they would do in government together. In agreeing to this Labour has thrown away its negotiating cards. It has no option but to go along with whatever Fine Gael now insists upon. Not that there are many indications of policy divergences because Labour is tamer now than ever with a leader from a party that supposedly was well to the left of Labour, Democratic Left (remember them?).
But even on the marginal issue of the possible introduction of a windfall tax or a wealth tax, Labour will have to defer to Fine Gael's insistence on no new taxes. It won't represent much of a climbdown for Labour as they hardly nailed their colours to the wealth tax mast, but it is an indication of the subservience that Labour must accede to in its dealings with Fine Gael.
There will be variations of emphasis, maybe, in the speeches of Richard Bruton and Joan Burton, but nothing to frighten the horses.
Lots of bombast about the profligacy of the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition, about the failures in the health system, about stealth taxes, and childcare, but not much substance, so not much chance of significant disagreement.
Essentially what Fine Gael and Labour are/will be proposing is more of the same. No radical shift in the allocation of society's wealth and resources in spite of the manifest unfairness of the current allocation and the spillover of these unfairnesses into the spheres of health, education, power and influence.
But also of significance will be Sinn Féin's contribution. Just watch that one. A lot of bluster about the inequity of the present situation and then a studied vagueness about remedies. Sinn Féin is in favour of higher taxation if higher taxation is necessary to fund necessary public expenditure initiatives.
The crucial word here is "if". You can bet your top dollar or bottom dollar that, if necessary, Sinn Féin would discover that buoyancy in taxation revenue and the savings that would be made on other public expenditure projects, as well as closing some of the tax loopholes, would be quite sufficient - no need for any further taxes.
Bertie Ahern's claims that a deal with Sinn Féin would be impossible because of unbridgeable differences on economic policy will seem and sound thinner tonight as Sinn Féin avoids saying anything that might frighten the same horses Fine Gael and Labour are afraid of frightening.
Basically there is no unbridgeable policy difference between Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil. Actually there is no unbridgeable policy difference between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael. Come to think of it, aside from the bluster on both sides, what is the difference now between Sinn Féin and the PDs? Sinn Féin is part of the soft-core centre of Irish politics that doesn't want to disturb the status quo or at least won't do anything to disturb the status quo.
Did you notice how a few weeks ago Gerry Adams on Prime Time was asked about a statement in a Sinn Féin policy document to the effect that all disadvantage or injustice had its roots in private property? Instead of saying straight out, yes this is true, and citing examples that would illustrate this, Adams obfuscated on this blindingly obvious statement of reality. You would not think that from the tone of the Prime Time "discovery" of this truth (Prime Time obviously thought this was the "smoking gun" of republican revolutionary intent).
There are rumblings about the creation of a new alliance of the left, of parties, TDs, Senators and candidates who want to see a radical redistribution of wealth, power, opportunity and welfare. There is certainly a need for a party or parties or candidates to argue the case for equality and to convince a sizeable portion of the electorate of the need to support equality. The objective is not - for now at least - to get into office but to gain power through convincing the electorate that the present arrangement is unfair, that the current Irish Ferries scandal is the true face of the brazen greed that is now pervasive (almost). And that such greed will grind down all but the "winners", those who have made their fortunes from speculation, the exploitation of labour and the swindling of what is known as the "system".