Ireland's political and cultural magazine
Last month, the UK referendum on membership of the European Union posited a seemingly simple question and delivered an obviously complex outcome. The vote on June 23 came in with a massive turnout of 71.8 percent, the highest for any UK-wide vote since the 1992 general election. In the end, England voted by a strong […]
Interest rate changes following the end of quantitative easing, changing tax rules, overleveraged companies, global shocks and policy inertia pose big risks
In its Programme for Government, no less than 25 small-business-specific commitments were identified. This recognition and focus in and of itself has been significant, and is justified, as the economic importance of small firms in Ireland cannot be overestimated. Even more problematic has been the championing of the trade-union-backed €11.50 “Living Wage” by some Government […]
There is no surprise that Budget 2016 was an election budget. The budget will play an important role in framing the economic debate in the run up to the election. It is worth looking at Budget 2016 and the pre-budget submissions made by the opposition parties, to gain insights into the parameters of this debate. […]
Enda Kenny’s real vision is to make Ireland the “best little country in the world in which to do business”. Business doesn’t deserve him. Worse, business doesn’t deserve the rest of us. Business in Ireland is utterly corruptible. Big business in particular, Perhaps small businesses do their best but even there farmers are over-subsidized and […]
It has been a long and hard struggle for a Financial Transaction Tax in Europe. Now it looks like a breakthrough is possible. This has yet to make an impression on the Irish media and there has been no critique of the Irish Government’s refusal to participate. The European Commission had proposed an EU-wide Financial […]
NAMA has had many high-profile staff departures, but few are as likely to end up being the catalyst for a public inquiry into allegations of kickbacks and corruption at the agency as that of its former Head of Asset Recovery, Ronnie Hanna.