What are to make of the CSO’s release of new GDP figures?  The Irish Times claimed it showed the domestic economy growing for the first time in two years.  The…

Okay, so you’re not one of those who believe in soaking the rich.  But what about bathing?  A good bath is healthy for the body and the mind.  And the…

When the unemployment figures were released yesterday, showing the highest levels since 1993, Glas Securities wrote a note that described the situation as ‘disappointing’.  Well, that’s a word for it. …

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I’ve been hammering away for some time at our low level of social insurance.  Minister for Social Protect, Joan Burton, TD, has…

First there was Claiming our Future with its bold but common-sensical proposals to promote growth and equity in the economy.  Now we have the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) laying…

Over the last four years we’ve heard the same mantra repeated on a daily basis:  there is no alternative.  Claiming our Future (CoF) challenges that dismal chant with the launch…

Well, that was peculiar.  An ESRI working paper that estimated the cost of going to work was published made the top story on RTE Six One news and then was…

The Government is bringing forward proposals for a constitutional convention.  Dr. Conor O’Mahony of UCC calls it a ‘charade’.  It might be that.  It certainly is irrelevant.  With unemployment and…

After one year in office we can now see how the Government has fared with unemployment.  The data is not encouraging at all.  Since the 1st quarter of 2011, when…

The debate is falling even deeper down the rabbit-hole.  We’ve been promised a bank-debt deal (if only the ECB and the German Christian Democrats, CDU, would play in our sandbox)…

It is becoming great sport following up the Minister for Finance’s comments.  However, a retraction:  in the previous post I compared the Government’s projections from April 2011 and April 2012…

This economic debate is getting beyond the beyond.  RTE reported: ‘Speaking at the Bloomberg economic summit in Dublin Mr Noonan said the Irish economy is in a much better position…

It is better not to be cynical.  But this Government is not only making it easy to be cynical, they are practically making it mandatory.  We now read that the…

This debate – you wouldn’t know whether to laugh, cry or bang your head on the asphalt repeatedly.  Following the rejection of austerity parties in Greece and France, the Taoiseach…

This was originally written for Progressive-Economy.ie Will the Fiscal Treaty – in particular, the notorious structural deficit rule – require additional austerity?  John McHale of the Fiscal Council says it…

Understandably, in this referendum we are focused on the impact of the Fiscal Treaty on Ireland.  But this is a Treaty for the Eurozone and the entire EU (with the…

The Government is doing everything possible to prevent a debate on the Fiscal Treaty.  The tactic employed is as old as government itself – fear.  It is hard to keep…

This following was written with Tom McDonnell, Policy Analyst and Economist with TASC. It originally appeared on Progressive-Economy.ie In our first post, we outlined some of Ireland’s financing alternatives; namely…

Even when presented with cold hard reality, Government ministers refuse to acknowledge it, preferring to live in a fantasy island.  Spin is one thing, denial is another. Take Lucinda Creighton…

The following is my presentation to the Dail Committee on European Affairs. On behalf of UNITE the Union I would like to put forward seven points regarding the Fiscal Treaty.…