We either change the game or resign ourselves to it. The latter course is easy. We can veil our resignation in all sorts of good intentions and sincere aspirations. The…

The Government insisted on inserting the following phrase into the proposed public sector pay deal: ‘The implementation of this Agreement is subject to no currently unforeseen budgetary deterioration.’ Now the…

In a previous post we saw that public sector labour costs are below-average by EU-15 standards. The argument that Irish public sector workers are ‘over-paid’ in relation to their European…

With industrial action in the public sector ramping up a couple of notches, it is worth revisiting a couple of issues in relation to pay. A critical issue is the…

The latest DAFT report is out covering rents.  I have written the quarterly commentary which can be read here (and thanks to Ronan Lyons for inviting me to write the…

So George Lee has resigned.  No doubt this will fill newspaper columns and blog posts with analysis of what this means for Fine Gael, Enda Kenny (will he be pushed?,…

Yesterday evening I was on Matt Cooper’s The Last Word (5:00 segment) with a representative from IBEC discussing wage levels. I quoted the numbers from the US Bureau of Labor…

The Government has a plan. And, yes, you should be worried. The Government’s approach to fiscal stabilisation – namely, a deflationary approach – is often portrayed as ‘the only option’.…

Sometimes numbers tell the best story. They may not tell us why – that comes afterwards, when we try to explain. But numbers are a good starting point. The OECD…

One could despair. All the major political parties are supporting another round of fiscal contraction, though they may differ on the balance of tax increases and public spending cuts. In…

The discussion on Frontline last night at some points bordered on the surreal. Take the discussion on taxation. The question was posed – how high would tax have to rise…

IBEC’s recent quarterly review should give us pause. They are one of the few groups who attempt to project economic growth up to 2013 – and the numbers are not…

Professor Terry McDonagh made an interesting point at the recent TASC conference when he pointed out, using the US experience during the Great Depression, that a statistical end to economic…

Sometimes, something happens that takes your breath away. The chain store Boots is engaged in a deplorable assault on their employees’ wages and working conditions – employees who are some…

Such is the success of the National Treasury Management Agency, it has created a new economic and fiscal pitch for us – one that progressives should now seriously consider playing…

‘Minister Lenihan) warned the cuts proposed by An Bord Snip Nua would be a picnic compared to what future governments would have to implement.’ As we are all frog-marched down…

Over the next few days there will be considerable analysis of the ESRI’s current quarterly review. I’d like to highlight just one projection – the rising annual deficit. There are…

Some arguments I just don’t get. For instance, if I were an owner or manager of an enterprise that sold goods and services into the domestic economy (that’s most enterprises)…

David Begg’s suggestion that the target date for returning the Irish budget to Maastricht compliance (that is, bring the annual deficit to below -3% of GDP) be postponed for four…

Imagine you’re walking a high-wire. You’re nearly at the end of line. You’re doing everything possible not to fall – balancing with your arms, moving snail-like, praying; the last thing…