Once upon a time, a man in white gloves and a bow tie appeared in a pool of light to caution: No gouging, biting, kicking or hitting below the belt. A bell rang, and skin and hair flew as a heavyweight contest began.

Yesterday's election began in a distinctly lightweight manner as the Taoiseach took to Twitter to inform the nation that February 26 would be polling day. Whatever the prelude, only one issue dominates: It's the economy, Taoiseach - and we're not stupid.

It is the privilege of the party in power to nominate the battleground, and the Coalition partners opted for a narrative built on recovery and stability.

Yet inexplicably, Mr Kenny was in no mood to discuss potential black holes in the new 'fiscal space'. Finance Minister Michael Noonan also found himself on the back-foot defending figures that add up to an eye-watering €12bn in resources to allocate to tax cuts and spending increases over the next five years.

The outgoing Government's storyline holds that the barren wasteland they inherited in the wake of the worst economic crash since the war was transformed into a land of milk and honey. They appear to no longer deem it necessary to engage with facts.

Not all find themselves embraced by the new good fortune. The glib summary of precisely what transpired over the Government's term is lacking one fundamental but vital truth: It was the sacrifices of the people of this nation that made the recovery possible. Had there been mass protests at the levies, taxes and swingeing pay cuts, we would still be an economic ruin.

Relentless austerity and the greatest absorption of private debt by a nation in modern history were borne with stoicism.

Mr Kenny's failure to address legitimate questions about spending projections was indefensible. He didn't want to "get into economic jargon which the vast majority of people don't understand". Fine Gael's entire election platform is built on these projections, so his refusal to give specifics was cowardly and treats the 'vast majority of people' with contempt by implying they won't understand the answers.

The truth is the Government has done much that is right. But dodging questions or debates will not serve Mr Kenny as the gauntlet is thrown down to the people. He deliberately chose a short run-in for the campaign, curtailing the opportunity for faux pas. Scrutiny of all projections is critical when debt is still running at 93pc.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was similarly simplistic in his insistence that "it is all down to a choice of whether the people want a fair and decent government or merely one that looks after the wealthy." Fianna Fáil can rightly claim that the Coalition adopted many of its policies in its recovery plan; but Mr Martin cannot shirk responsibility for his party's playing a central role in the crash. Meanwhile Sinn Féin, between abolishing water charges and cutting taxes, are also running up promise lists into the stratosphere. Their fiscal policies have been described as a risk to the economy by Goldman Sachs.

Amid all the bold declarations, what matters is that an election is not the plaything of any political party or individual candidate, it is the voters who are its custodians, and whose job it is to see that the wheat is sorted from the chaff in manifestos. As Abraham Lincoln so eloquently put it: "Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters."

Just as favourable winds helped us attain growth rates of up to seven per cent, any change in the economic climate could set things back. That is why prudence and responsibility must temper all the giddy pledges.

The election campaign is only one day old - and already the first casualty appears to be reality.

Irish Independent