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One of Bertie Ahern’s home stretch events today was to launch the Dublin Airport Authority’s plan for Dublin Airport City. Not to put too fine a point on it, this seems like one of the crazier proposals to have emerged over the last year, and symptomatic of much of what is wrong with governance and [...]
A nice event for Brian Cowen — he gets to meet his fellow leader-in-waiting north of the border, Peter Robinson (no mention of what Ian Paisley said about his lips), and they agree on a scheme which will see the International Financial Services Centre extended to Northern Ireland via a modification of IFSC’s tax exemption [...]
The new union, UNITE (the merged ATGWU and AMICUS unions) has just published a report on Irish wages which is sure to prove controversial. It flatly contradicts the prevailing consensus that Irish wages are somehow ‘high’, that Irish wage growth is high relative to our EU trading partners and that these ‘high’ wages are one [...]
Paul Tansey wrote an impressive list of economic achievements during Bertie Ahern’s tenure as Taoiseach:
On Ahern’s watch, the Irish economy almost doubled in size, while the numbers at work increased by one-half . . The unemployment rate declined from 10.4 per cent in 1997 to 4.6. In the 10 years from 1987 to 1997, [...]
Brian Cowen released a statement in the last hour announcing his candidacy for the Fianna Fail leadership and succession of Bertie Ahern. It is interesting to see he was nominated by Brian Lenihan, a man widely tipped to have his eye on becoming the Brian Cowen’ to Brian Cowen and succeeding the next Taoiseach when [...]
The Live Register jumps 12,000 in one month, the biggest ever such increase for the third month in a row while the standardised unemployment reaches 5.5%.
International factors I hear you say? Then why has unemployment being falling over the past year in the EU and the industrialised world more generally?
The time of the departure of Bertie Ahern has now been announced. What of his legacy, his place in Irish history? Here are some points that might be considered.
The two areas of Irish life and politics, understood widely, that are likely to feel the fallout of Ahern’s announcement today are the Lisbon referendum - for a myriad of reasons, not least the implication an FF leadership race has for setting a date and the distraction from debate said provides - and the worsening [...]
Economic growth to slump to the lowest levels since the recessionary 1980s. Unemployment to rise. Inflation heading back up. Tax revenue slumping. Exchequer deficit out of control. Export growth sluggish. No direction, no respite, no hope and . . . no ideas. Yep, it looks like Fianna Fail is odds on to win the next [...]
Today’s ESRI Quarterly report is not pleasant reading. Growth at 1.6% a deficit of nearly €10 billion by end-2009, the construction slump to continue well into 2009 and worries about unemployment.
Happy St Paddy’s weekend all.
This post actually started a while back, the last time Bertie mentioned we would be tightening our belts this year, I decided to finish it because he mentioned it again yesterday.
We know that the US is as good as in a recession, their central bank doesnt seem to have much capacity to stall the bad [...]
From Fine Gael
February saw the biggest ever monthly increase in the live register in absolute terms, proving that Fianna Fáil has killed the Celtic Tiger. The crucial 5% barrier has been broken with unemployment now running at 5.2%, the highest since August 1999. The spectre of mass unemployment has returned to haunt the country.
The [...]
A number of European leaders have been going through a difficult patch: President Sarkozy, Taoiseach Bertie, Prime Minister Brown and caretaker Prime Minister Prodi. But spare a thought for His Serene Highness Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marko d’Aviano Pius von und zu Liechtenstein, Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Reitberg and Duke of [...]
On a Private Members Bill in the Dail tomorrow, Sinn Fein and Labour will jointly propose enshrining rights for agency workers into law. The bill itself is most worthwhile, agency workers are often the last to benefit from employment rights as their netherland status allows for ‘flexibility’.
The Sinn Féin/Labour motion says that without legislation [...]
If there is any element of good news out there for a party down to its vamps, it is that there will at least be a contest for the leadership. After it appeared that senior party figures were united in their desire not to lead the party, both Senators announced after the meeting today that [...]
The bankers reassure us that “new lending continues to moderate in a mortgage market that is still growing in overall terms.”
Translated, this means that people, mostly young people seeking their first home, are flocking to buy houses at prices they regard as realistic. (Irish Independent editorial, 14 February, 2008)
So. The spinning continues.
The above quote comes [...]
Female Clinton Supporters In Focus Groups See Talent, Mudslinging In Palin’s Speech
Very interesting instant focus grouping of Palin's speech. It remains to be seen how the issue of sexism becomes resolved for the Hillary supporters who remain to be won over - how does Palin need to come across to get support? As tough as the men or picked on - and is she better of playing base politics than worrying about marred Clinton-women in Nevada
Plugged-in politics hits our shores
Online politics hits Australia
The Dail Ministers: Mary Harney
Dail Minsters profile of Mary Harney. Words dont do it justice, just go read it.
How the Conservative party square the politicisation of personal life and their belief in the small state.
A second Irish referendum? Eurocrats have a better idea
Dan Hannan at the Telegraph reckons the plan in Brussles is not for a second referendum but instead to parachute in sections of the Lisbon Treaty via legislation.
