Question: which European country has the highest level of child income payments while at the same time having one of the highest levels of child poverty? Yes, Ireland. And what…

It may not be as sexy as the debate over the Celtic and Christian character of Irish society, but the issue of endemic low-pay in the economy is one of…

David McWilliams excellent article on early education hit the nail on the head, stating that early intervention at pre-school and early primary level was the most effective way to combat…

It’s now official.  Public sector workers don’t count.  That’s the conclusion of the Irish Times’ Marc Coleman: The fact is that the business community is the taxpayer. In contrast to…

This was originally written for Irishelection.com Pity the Labour Party. They have bent over backwards to insist they will not raise taxes. The first issue of their free tabloid, The…

For many, it is not an issue that rushes the ideological blood but the looming battle over mandatory pensions could well determine the future direction of the welfare state. The…

As I will be off-line until January 15th I would like to extend best wishes for the holiday period.  Thank you for visiting the site and especially those who took…

Imagine you own or manage an enterprise and someone approaches you with a proposal to increase productivity by 20% – at very little investment cost. You’d at least give them…

This was originally written for Irishelections.com Budgets are like viewing an impressionist painting but in reverse: the closer you are the more clearly you can make out the image, the…

Finally, finally at least one of the commentators beating the drum for stamp duty cuts has admitted what every first year economics student would know: that cutting stamp duties will…

The Green Party’s pre-budget submission is a largely progressive contribution to the economic debate. Of course, the Greens bring a particular perspective, which is becoming increasingly popular if the ‘stealing-of-green-clothes’…

With a traditional emphasis on social redistribution combined with a greater willingness to employ public sector resources, the Left should be leading the agenda on childcare issues. A few months…

The Left ties itself into knots over the issue of market choice, mostly because the Right have hijacked the idea that only in the market can you have choice, a…

Sean Lemass seems to be back in some fashion.  This is more than mere nostalgia.  With an economy addicted to multi-nationals, property, consumption and private borrowing, no wonder we look…

David McWilliams informs us that we are all, now, middle class. Yet Noel Whelan refers to a powerful middle class whose entrenched interests discourages political parties from enacting progressive reforms.…

Remember the recent Deloitte report on the electricity market, accompanying the publication of the Green Paper on Energy? The overriding headline emerging from the report’s publication was ‘according to Deloitte,…

Fine Gael’s Finance spokesperson, Richard Bruton, wants to be Minister for Finance. If so, he will have to up his game. In response to the Estimates he issued a statement…

The Labour Party’s new policy document, A Fair Deal: Fighting Poverty and Exclusion is truly welcome. Its publication shows why Labour continues to be the leading progressive party in the…

This is the first post.  It is hoped that this weblog can make a contribution to political and economic discussion in Ireland.  I would like to thank Gerry O’Quigley of…

Michael Clifford and Diarmuid Doyle have offered a welcome perspective on the phenomenon known as David McWilliams in the Sunday Tribune (November 12/06).  While it is widely recognised that society…