Surprisingly, or perhaps not so, the OECD praises the social partnership process. Even if social partnership is not in keeping with neo-liberal orthodoxy, the organisation appreciates and recognises the contribution it has made to Irish economic and social progress in the past 50 years. They praise it specifically for promoting "the common understanding of the emerging economic reality, even without a tax concession as offered by the government in the past". That is significant because a few years ago the view was that social partnership would hit the buffers once there were no longer tax concessions to offset against income moderation. However, that was not the case at the outset and the position remains the same. It is a great tribute to the good sense of the social partners that it continues to be the case.