Friday, Jan 27th 2012
The CSO has just published the first quarter National Accounts. If you want to avoid the spin go straight to Michael Burke’s cogent analysis on Progressive-Economy. Here I just want to look at one long-term development - a very concerning trend relating to the very structure of the Irish economy; namely, the growing gap between [...]
At this time of hardship, unemployment, emigration and even negative equity, the Greys have secured a famous victory and guaranteed their place in history. Last night, in a nail-biting near-finale they and their coalition partner FF The Corruption Party forced through a vitally important Bill to save Ireland from the terrible fate of Stag Hunting. [...]
Ireland’s Economy Is Still Being Managed by People Too Incompetent to See a Massive Housing Bubble | Beat the Press
It might have been worth pointing this out in an NYT piece telling readers how Ireland's deficit reduction has devastated the country and still left it with large deficits. It also might have been worth talking [...]
John J. Mearsheimer — Sinking Ship
Israel’s botched raid against the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla on May 31 is the latest sign that Israel is on a disastrous course that it seems incapable of reversing. The attack also highlights the extent to which Israel has become a strategic liability for the United States. This situation is likely [...]
FT.com | Spanish banks rage at end of ECB offer
Spanish banks have been lobbying the European Central Bank to act to ease the systemic fallout from the expiry of a €442bn ($543bn) funding programme this week, accusing the ECB of "absurd" behaviour in not renewing the scheme.
On Thursday, the clock runs out on the ECB [...]
Cuts won’t reduce the deficit - investment will | Left Foot Forward
Michael Burke on the contradiction of Thatchers legacy - how public spending actually rose during her time despite savage cuts and how this time around those who claim her legacy are going to make the same mistake, except to an even further extreme.
So, overall [...]
Why I use ‘middle class’ as an insult | Cath Elliot
For the vast majority of people, well those who haven’t read Marx anyway, class is increasingly defined by how much material wealth a person has, and by that definition I’m decidedly middle class. My husband and I have a mortgage for instance; we also [...]
Tony Judt Interview on BBC4’s No Triumph, No Tragedy about his disability
Only available for the next 7 days.
The number of Ireland’s rich, measured as those having investable assets of $1 million or more, rose by over 10 % last year. To top it off ‘Ireland is perceived to be ahead of the game’, because apparently, our efforts to rein in the public finances have paid off for the Irish economy. This is [...]
Adrian Weckler is doing what journalists should be doing - investigating stories rather than report press releases. We have, of late, been subjected to an avalanche of job-creation announcements. Take one example: Weedle, a Dublin-based company that marries recruitment with social marketing; Minister Batt announced 50 new jobs from this company.
‘The company, which already employs [...]
