Politics

Basically, tax, labour-market and benefit changes that hit low-income groups damage women hardest

Enda Kenny should follow Éamon Gilmore and come out for marriage equality

The government’s commitment to the merged Equality and Rights Body will be clear even before it starts work

By Emer ó Siochrú. The design and manner of introduction of the household charge exposed the mindset of the Department of Finance which believes that simplicity (€100 per dwelling owner with almost no exceptions) was more important than fairness for public compliance with a new tax.  It appears Irish people are not that simple-minded and […]

The Irish economist doffed his Copeland suit and tie and dropped manfully if a little droopily into the bath. Why couldn’t everything be like irisheconomy.ie he wondered. Right and in writing and with lots of economists, even Colm McCarthy sometimes, and no other people. He loved Colm McCarthy. Big and gruff and no nonsense. All […]

By Rachel Mullen. Minister Richard Bruton has unveiled his proposals for merging the existing five employment redress fora into one two-tiered structure. The blueprint for the new ‘Workplace Relations Service’ announced by the Minister aims for it to be ‘world class’. However, from an equality perspective, the proposals of the Minister seem to fall well […]

By Suzy Byrne. Party conference season concludes this month with Sinn Féin meeting in Killarney.  The three party conferences televised so far this year have shown little hope for policy debate and analysis in political parties or even the harnessing of new ideas. This year Fine Gael had Ministers and Oireachtas members sitting uncomfortably on […]