The news that his Groceries Order campaign turned out to be a load of cobblers has caused great unrest among consumers in aisles up and down the country. Nobody is calling for his head yet, but watch this space.

On Wednesday, a study by the Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) was published, showing that supermarket prices have risen despite the abolition of the Groceries Order. This is not as it was supposed to be. The reign of King Eddie promised plummeting prices and consumers pursuing renewed life, love and happiness at multiple retail outlets.

Doing away with the order was Eddie's great wheeze, which began last August with the Rip-Off Republic TV fest.

The country fell at his feet.

Eddie said the Groceries Order had to go.

The banning of below-cost selling by supermarkets was hurting the consumer and he was going to lead his people out of perdition. With the order gone, competition among the multiples of darkness would increase and prices would head south pronto.

The first blow for freedom was directed at the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheal Martin. On Eddie's instruction, thousands of consumers . . .

well, reportedly thousands . . .

sent the minister nappies as a form of protest in August last year. Resistance had moved on since the days of Eddie's predecessors, when freedom to live rather than consume was the goal. Brian Boru rained down spears and his own-brand vodka on the enemy. Daniel O'Connell hit out with oratory skills and mass movement of people.

Eddie's weapon of choice was nappies.

It worked. Martin, up to his neck in nappies, relented.

Prior to that he had taken his customary position on the fence in relation to the Groceries Order. The nappies knocked him sideways, and with Eddie threatening all manner of damnation, Martin said he would abolish. The consumer was told to expect an annual saving of at least 250 from her shopping trolley. Eddie walked on air, sprinkling his charisma and wisdom on Irish consumers.

The economy had never seen the likes of him before.

The order went in March. By July, there was little sign of the supermarkets playing ball. It was time to raise the stakes, no more faffing around with nappies. The King called for an email campaign, designed to bombard the forces of darkness with consumer ire. Still, the supermarkets kept schtum and refused to publish profit levels which would illustrate clearly the level of rip-off afoot.

Six months on, the CAI survey has deflated the royal balloon. As the hot air oozed out, Tesco announced it was reducing prices on 5,000 lines.

You have to hand it to them for PR. Many of the reduced items had risen in price in the previous 12 months by more than the heralded reduction.

Then there was the great savings to be had on the likes of Tesco own-brand Ten Fish Fingers, slashed from 45c to 41c. Or the own-brand Six White Cross buns, collapsed in price from 1.59 to 1.55. At that rate, the annual 250 would be saved in no time.

Fair play to Tesco though, they gave the king a lifeline.

Now Eddie wants shoppers to teach Dunnes Stores a lesson by switching their consuming affections "temporarily" to Tesco, to teach the Irish retailer a lesson. The king of consumers has issued a royal decree, to which a grateful Tesco might reply, "every little helps".

But make no mistake, the king is wounded. His crown of economic 'bon mots' is slipping. It can only be a matter of time before he opts for exile.

And where to? What better place than Cape Verde, the archipelago newly discovered by and for Irish property buyers. Therein he will repose before rising again one day to return to the Irish economy and save more of his consumers. Steady as she goes, Eddie.

mclifford@tribune. ie