This morning I was unsure whether I had really heard the phrase. Perhaps I had only imagined it being uttered on last night’s RTE news–such an absurdity seemed more likely to be coined during a particularly choppy REM pattern.But no. It was confirmed, in black-and-white, by this morning’s Irish Independent: Mr Ahern said the increases [of 38K to the Taoiseach and 25K for Ministers], recommended by an independent review body, would be going ahead.”I think for the future it should be on a three-year period. But, you know, governments can defer these things for a period and then, as they’ve previously done, go back and pay it all again. I mean, that’s really only playing smokes and daggers with it. I mean, the fact is, this will ultimately be paid and it’s better for the Government to be up front on it,” he said. [Italics mine]At least the Americans know when their language-mangling political chief executive is leaving office for all time.