General election: can any political party bring down the cost of living?

The cost of living is repeatedly mentioned as one of the main issues to the forefront of voters' minds in the run up to the General Election. In the US, president-elect Donald Trump made the economy one of the pillars of his campaign, regularly promising to "make America affordable again." But the reason for price spikes across the industrialised world are complex. So how realistic is it that any political party here could bring down the cost of living? And how can you tell what's within the next government's gift and what is just populist rhetoric. Irish Times writer on economics, Cliff Taylor, explains the factors at play and how to gauge whether party pledges could actually work.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.