“Like A Giant Condom” - 21st Century Hiberno-English Rules!
November 6, 2007
Estate agent similes are the best.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Mr Wyse said: "This penal system of stamp duty is overtly anti-family. It is like a giant condom preventing people from having more children, because they can’t afford to trade up to a bigger house. Stamp duty has created a minor recession on its own."
Take that, Walt Whitman!
On a more serious note, in Ireland housing registrations fell 66% in October, when compared to the same period last year. Yep, that’s down two-thirds. In the US, foreclosures are really taking off in some areas. To my eyes, Ireland seems to have been mirroring some of the ‘bubbliest’ parts of the US housing market with about a 12 to 18 month time lag.
In case you missed it, the Amnaoiseach yesterday added ‘smokes and daggers‘ to his growing list of original and always interesting phrases. It joins such gems as ‘I attended the LSE’, ‘I did not have fiscal relations with that money’ and ‘I cannot recall’ in the canon.
