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    Planning shenanigans in Wicklow

    By Frank Connolly The various controversies surrounding planning and re-zoning irregularities in county Wicklow are mounting not least on the spacious desk of the environment minister, Alan Kelly, who is to decide very soon on the precise nature of an inquiry into all or any of them. Among those against whom serious allegations have been […]

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    Mystery €7m beneficiary

    By Frank Connolly As the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is forced to explain that “the Police Service of Northern Ireland is investigating activities relating to the purchase of €1.7bn of its assets, NOT the sale,” its latest controversy has embroiled the North’s first minister, Peter Robinson, in a battle for political survival that may […]

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    Countering buggy and other myths

    By Anna Victoria Lynch False and damaging rumours are all too regularly spread about migrant people. This is because we often don’t react well to difference and, in particular, it can be more difficult to understand people who have a different culture. The rumours can have negative immediate and long-term effects. They build barriers between […]

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    Citizen Economics

    By Ronan Burtenshaw As politicians begin to throw around proposals for the last Budget before Fine Gael and Labour face an election, it’s worth remembering that this time is really the only window where citizens are encouraged to engage in economic debate. Even then the space of time is too short and the range of […]

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    IBRC judge, Daniel O’ Keeffe

    By Frank Connolly The appointment of retired High Court judge, Daniel O’Keeffe, as chairperson of the commission of investigation to examine a series of financial transactions by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation in the wake of the Siteserv/IBRC controversy earlier this summer must have the vulture funds and their corporate advisors cowering in their offices […]

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    O’ Brien – Desmond Letter (parallel universe)

    As he prepares for the hols, Denis shares his thoughts on life in business, with his fellow billionaire, Dermot.                                                                                 D E N I S  O’  B R I E N Dear Dermot, I woke up in Haiti on the morning of April 29th to a phone message saying that RTÉ […]

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    Nouthern Ireland.

    By Anton McCabe. For years, coming up to the the marching season news in the North was dominated by controversy over parades and street violence. That still simmers. However, this summer news coverage has been dominated by allegations of corruption in the sale of NAMA properties in the North. There has been blanket coverage of […]

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