Does anyone remember the months that followed the 2002 election? The sneaky tax hikes? The rise in prescription charges and in the cost of visiting a doctor? The school building projects that were cancelled due to lack of funds? The way everyone was talking the economy down?

Of course we don't because it was aeons ago. Well, it's all happening again, so I suggest that this time, the Irish electorate takes note of all that has happened in the six months since the election. Things like the shafting of Shannon; the recruitment freeze in the HSE; the cavalier attitude of Bertie Ahern to the Portlaoise cancer affair; the provisional licence debacle; etc.

Once again the government is talking down the economy. Lessening people's expectations means not having to do anything about tax reform for a couple of years, at least not till the next election looms over the horizon.

The chutzpah of Ahern and his cronies is absolutely unreal. Today, addressing the social partners at Farmleigh, he and Brian Cowen advised that wage demands should be kept to a minimum as tough times were ahead. Just after they helped themselves to a 14% pay hike, paid for by you and me, Citizen Taxpayer.

Last week, the Irish Times published a poll which showed a sharp drop in support for the coalition. I'd imagine that this news was greeted at Fianna Fáil HQ in the way that a teenager would react to being chastised by his parents. A roll of the eyes and a "Yeah, whateeeever!" They couldn't care less if support for the government was at zero right now, because the next election is four and a half years away. By which time, the economy will have miraculously recovered, and everything will be just fine and dandy.

And this is why we should take note of all that is happening now. So that when these trolls come out from under their bridges looking for our votes in 2012, we can remind them of the cuts, the hikes, the lies, the excuses and the hypocrisy.