Notes on the Front

Commentary on Irish Political Economy by Michael Taft, researcher for SIPTU

  • Abandon Paddy’s Day

    Progressive parties and civil society groups should jointly campaign to force the Government to drop the annual St. Patrick Day’s visit to the White House.  There is almost nothing to…

  • Electricity, Prices and Millionaires

    The Taoiseach recently criticised the demand for new electricity credits.  Addressing Sinn Fein in the Dail: “You want to add another €2 billion to it in terms of a short-term…

  • The Perverse Logic of the Government’s Immigration Policy

    The Government’s narrative is that asylum seekers are a cost that must be reduced – by making Ireland an unattractive place for those seeking international protection.  This ignores that fact…

  • The Affordability Deficit

    We have an affordability deficit.  Even with low unemployment, solid job creation, relatively low inflation and reasonable economic growth, nearly half of households are finding it difficult making ends meet.…

  • Profits and Threats in the Irish Housing Market

    While the VAT cut on food services was farcical, the tax cuts for property developers was insidious. It was framed as necessary measures to increase apartment construction viability.  But the…

  • Some Facts to Help You Survive the Budget

    There is always a lot of noise and numbers in the run-up to the budget.  Here are a few facts that might help you wade through this forest of assertions,…

  • Wasteful Spending, Irrational Policy

    In order to assist restaurants, cafes and coffee shops, the Government intends to cut VAT in the upcoming budget at a cost of nearly €700 million.  There’s one problem:  restaurants,…

  • Unpackaging Tax Cuts

    In the debate over the ‘tax package’ in the upcoming budget there is an assumption that the tax base should be further reduced, overall tax revenue should be cut, that…

  • The Small Business Excuse

    A number of measures have been justified on the basis of their impact on small business.  Postponing the Living Wage – impact on small business.  Postponing the extension of statutory…

  • Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum: The Summer Economic Statement’s Magic Beans

    The Government’s fiscal policy is high risk to the point of irresponsibility.  The recently published Summer Economic Statement (SES) attempts to mask this.  According to the  Irish Fiscal Advisory Council…

  • We’re Not Spending Enough

    Voices are growing louder. Government spending is getting out of control:  ‘surging public spending’, ‘rising faster than planned’, ‘fiscal incontinence’; and the killer punch:  public spending has doubled over the…

  • Breaking from our American Dependency Model

    Fair dues to the Taoiseach – escaping the White House badger pit without getting mauled.  This still leaves the outstanding question:  is our over-reliance on US multi-national investment in the…

  • Deregulating the Public Interest

    The Government intends to launch a drive to ‘de-regulate’ business activity which could put the public interest at risk.  The Programme for Government is filled with commitments:  ‘. . .…

  • Trump’s Tariff Tantrums and Ireland’s FDI Model

    So Donal Trump blinked.  After all the tariff threats to Mexico and Canada, he came up with a ‘deal’ that merely repackages the status quo.  And the alleged main purpose…

  • Wage Inequality is High and Still Rising

    Wage inequality in Ireland is one of the highest in the EU.  And it is rising.  Eurostat’s Structure of Earnings Survey measures the ratio of hourly earnings between the 9th…

  • Corporatocracy Rules OK

    Look up the word ‘corporatocracy’ in the dictionary and you’ll find a link to the new Programme for Government:  a government heavily influenced by the interests of corporate owners. The new…

  • We’re Not Really all that ‘Rich’

    A common complaint heard, especially during the recent election campaign, is that while we are a ‘rich country’, there are a lot of people not feeling it.  This is certainly…

  • Negotiating Childcare

    As the main parties resume their negotiations for a new government, what are the options for a new policy approach to childcare?  The option of direct provision of childcare services…

  • Forest for the Trees: Debating Educational Expenditure

    Sometimes the debate gets stuck on a small item and ignores the larger issue; that is, it can’t see the forest for the trees.  Take the debate over the mobile…

  • It Feels Like 2006 All Over Again

    Back in 2006 the Government cut taxes and increased spending.  It balanced the books by relying on the tax receipts of property related activity.  When the property market crashed, everything…

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Commentary on Irish Political Economy by Michael Taft, researcher for SIPTU