If you are thinking of donating to a charity this year you might consider the Kerry Rape Crisis Centre for their support of a victim of sexual assault subject to horrific community bullying in Listowel.
The latest NAMA loan transfer data – completion of “Tranche 2″ with Anglo loans — is out. The discount on the Anglo loans is 62 percent. Bloomberg News had a good quality leak over the weekend. Since the discount includes the “long-term economic value” that NAMA adds to each loan, the implied value of the [...]
Minister engages in excessive expenditure for private jet citing pressures of schedule and lack of commercial options to attend an event. Resulting public outcry causes minister to resign before he is sacked.
It’s France, last month, when the aid minister Alain Joyandet chartered a jet to go a donors conference for Haiti — conveniently located in [...]
Central Bank board member* David Begg reviews Peader Kirby’s book on the collapse of the Celtic Tiger –
It cannot be gainsaid that the social outcomes were less than were hoped for but the last agreement, Towards 2016, was the closest we have ever come to a social democratic programme in this country. This collapsed in [...]
A little Saturday puzzler. One likes to believe that the annual report of a financial organisation provides a somewhat comprehensive description of its activities and accounts. With that in mind, consider the following: Where in the 2009 annual report of the Central Bank of Ireland is there a discussion of its approximately €10 billion loan [...]
From the just released IMF annual surveillance report on Ireland –
The authorities agreed that property taxation would also help broaden the tax base while at the same time making it more stable than the current system of stamp duties. In the transition to a valuation-based tax, a flat tax rate is under consideration.
If you haven’t [...]
It’s worth looking at this Bloomberg News interview with Brian Cowen. Although Bloomberg was in some ways going along with the hype surrounding Cowen’s visit — “Ireland primes the pump” — the charts flashed during the interview told their own story. More importantly, the interviewer extracted an acknowledgement from Cowen that AIB will almost certainly [...]
In a week when the use of forged documentation in the asylum-system was highlighted with the rejection by the Supreme Court of the appeal of Nigerian asylum-seeker Pamela Izevbekhai against her deportation, FG and Labour are proposing the allow asylum-seekers to work. Despite 13% unemployment and mass-emigration – Alan Shatter and Pat Rabbitte are now [...]
Brian Cowen, today presenting the awards for outstanding achievement in the field of excellence in the Public Service –
It will be a challenge, and equally an opportunity – an opportunity to dramatically accelerate the pace of change in the Public Service, to the benefit of all stakeholders. And an opportunity to ensure that the Public [...]
July 1st, 2010. A momentous day for Ireland, and one that will be remembered in history for a long time to come. Not as momentous as July 7th, 1993 perhaps, but astonishing that we’ve reached this point just 17 years after Mary Robinson signed into law the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Wall Street Journal (possibly $ req’d) –
Things are clearly starting to look up,” says Alan McQuaid, chief economist at Bloxham, Ireland’s biggest independent stockbroker. “Assuming the euro-zone debt issue doesn’t turn into a full-blown crisis, Ireland should be roaring back up over the next 12 months, led by a strong export performance.”
So it’s New York [...]
The Department of Finance has issued a somewhat cryptic Friday afternoon statement from the Minister concerning the European Central Bank’s legal opinion on his legislation to create a new Central Bank Commission to consolidate the functions of the McCreevy-Harney two-headed hydra that was our former CBFSAI. Somewhat tellingly, the statement doesn’t provide a link to [...]
In today’s UK emergency budget, George Osborne announced a new levy on bank liabilities (excluding retail deposits and capital) of 0.04 percent rising to 0.07 percent after a year. It will raise about £2.5 billion when fully operational. Today during Leaders Questions when Enda Kenny put Brian Cowen on the spot about the shock new [...]
March 2008. It’s an important period in the Irish banking crisis. How much space does it get in the Honohan report? 1 paragraph (8.5). Joan Burton deserves credit on this one. She’s been pushing for some time now for the government to explain its thinking and actions in March and April. It comes up again [...]
This is odd. The Irish Times and the Wall Street Journal seem to have gotten the same background briefing on the new framework for financial regulation to be announced next week, but it was the WSJ that identified the more obvious scoop –
[The Central Bank/Regulator] also will present plans for a new national system for [...]
Another day, another confidence motion. Well it may have been if #fgheave was not going on in the background.
If you care to watch the main speeches you can watch Enda Kenny here (with James Reilly his new best friend/wannabe deputy leader sitting beside him) , Brian Cowen and him saying sorry for the government’s part, [...]
Answer these simple questions and you too can understand how to have 25 billion to your name — in debt*. To make it even easier, we’ve indicated where in the banking inquiry scoping reports hints are to be found.
Dan Boyle sheds the green jersey. His Sunday Tribune comments (which only got a weblink late in the day) are noted by Reuters.
Ivor the Driver — full Seanad report. It was nice of Bertie to send Ivor’s letter of appointment to his Cork address.
How ossified is Irish politics? In the blink of an eye, Australia — which had no recession — replaces its Prime Minister.
I’m a victim of unique Irish blame culture, says Harney
Things Ministers don't do part 2: Harney is not really responsible for these clinial fuck-ups. Sure kick her over policy but not failure. Typical Irish begrudgerry.
