With the Dail debate playing in the background, some notes on what Brian Lenihan insists is not a bail-out.Professor Morgan Kelly relates an incident at a conference he attended:
‘Bankers are well known for getting carried away during bubbles which is why governments appoint central banks to keep an eye on them. You probably think that [...]

As of this writing, the full text of the draft pay deal is still not readily available but the broad outlines are clear.  The pay element contains real wage cuts, the provision for the low-paid is minimal, there is no acceptance of the right to collective bargaining and as for mandatory pensions (one of ICTU’s [...]

From the American political blogosphere - an interesting concept (actually the religious-political-progressive blogosphere). Yes, American religious-progressive.
With all the European media focused on Governor Sarah Palin and her supporters (Rush Limbaugh calling on all those who believe in ‘babies, guns and Jesus’ to support her), it’s important to keep in mind that religion in America [...]

I don’t know Dr. Gerry Burke.  Were he to walk past me on the street, I wouldn’t know him.  So, please, someone point him out.  I want to buy him a pint.  For Dr Burke has been going around getting himself disliked in certain circles.  He has made a complaint to the Competition Authority, [...]

In the current economic climate it’s hard to know what is more depressing: the fact of economic recession, the onslaught of the Right through all the channels at their disposal, the unsettling quiescence of the Left, or the besieging of the trade union movement. It’s all coming down the pipe so fast [...]

With Exchequer finance spiraling out of control, what should the Left argue? Shore up capital spending? Cut current expenditure (i.e. public services, wages, social programmes)? Increase taxes? What should the Left’s prescriptions be? How can we show the public that we have a handle on these matters? What is the best way forward?
Difficult one. A [...]

In case there are other people who have not read the book ‘Sugar Blues’ by William Dufty - originally published in 1976 - it can surely be highly recommended. Dufty was an ardent exponent of trade unionism who died in 2002 at the age of 86. He is also known for his interest [...]

What a good news week for Fianna Fail was last week. It wasn’t just the latest Irish Times poll even if it’s only a honeymoon result. There was also that report– the ESRI’s Medium -Term Review: a little rough patch and then clear skies and calm waters for . . . well until 2025 minimum. [...]

The Labour Party is proposing a Private Member’s Bill that would require the Government to draw up a national strategy to combat fuel poverty. Party spokesperson, Liz McManus, TD, said:
‘The strategy would require the Minister to specify a comprehensive set of measures to ensure the efficient use of energy and set a target date for [...]

Sometimes a proposal comes along that is so simple you say to yourself, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ That’s what I said when reading ICTU’s ‘Economic Outlook: Narrowing the Pay Gap’. The highlight of this comprehensive review of the economy is its discussion of the growing pay gap between the upper echelons of [...]