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) and stimulus through European funds…
Tagged By Banking Crisis
Draghi says NO to Bank Debt writedown after Irish Yes vote! Well, what did you expect?
“The yes vote shows that the Irish people consider fiscal consolidation and fiscal stability a basic pillar for growth and for further European integration. But I don’t think there was ground or any statement for…
Pratap Chatterjee | Bailing out Germany: The Story Behind the European Financial Crisis
Pratap Chatterjee | Bailing out Germany: The Story Behind the European Financial Crisis Peter Böfinger, an economic advisor to the German government, put his finger on it when he told Der Spiegel last year: “[The…
The Future of Austerity in Europe
I’m posting this interview that Kate Hudson of Reality Radio did with economist Michael Burke mainly because it covers so much and does so with great clarity. Radio interviews, if done well, can sometimes be…
Charles Dallara of the IIF and How to Negotiate on Both Sides of the Table
There has been widespread horror at the rise of the far right Golden Dawn party in the recent Greek elections (they polled 7%), with appalled references to the activities of their “t-shirted thugs”. They are…
You Couldn’t Make It Up
Do you know the way that bastion of bigotry Richard Littlejohn, the ex-Sun now Daily Mail columnist, coined the catchphrase, “you couldn’t make it up”, about the crazy goings on in British society like, I…
ECB gets Valentines Card but Government Shows Little Love to People
On Valentine’s Day, the Anglo: Not Our Debt campaign has called on the Irish Government to show people in Ireland that it “really cares” by suspending repayments of Anglo Irish Bank’s debts. The Debt Justice…
The Relation of Profits and ‘Austerity’
In what may be an important development the Financial Times reports that, in return for accepting much larger ‘haircuts’ (imposed losses on the value of the bonds they own) bondholders are demanding that there must be…
The Banks Have Burst
From Eoghan O’Neill, co-ordinator of Repudiate the Debt campaign. On Monday the 24th of October 2011, the river Liffey burst its banks. What the people of Dublin witnessed was a month’s worth of rain fall,…
Why is the Government Going to Pay the 700 million Unguaranteed Anglo Bond?
I’m sure like me, readers of this have been consumed with the great debate going on in Ireland at the moment. Apart from the rain and receding flood waters, it’s all anyone wants to talk…
Open letter to the foreign speakers at the conference: Iceland´s Recovery—Lessons and Challenges
Rakel Sigurgeirsdóttir, an Icelandic teacher from Reykjavík sent on this explanation for the open letter (below) that is addressed to the foreign experts invited to attend the Iceland´s Recovery-Lessons and Challenges conference, being held on…
How Broke is the State? A Review of “An Audit of Irish Debt”
With very little media attention or analysis, the first quality report on the scale of Irish debt was published in September. It was compiled by Dr Sheila Killian, Dr John Garvey and Frances Shaw of…
Keeping it Going
From Diarmuid O’Flynn of Ballyhea bondholder bailout protest and Bondwatch Ireland. Our 32nd weekly protest march in Ballyhea coming up this Sunday (11.30am, meeting at the church) and we’re being asked – ‘How long more are ye…
Wiping Clean the Anglo/INBS Debt Slate
This was originally co-written for Progressive-Economy.ie with Michael Burke and Tom McDonnell. The Anglo-Irish and Irish Nationwide debt must become a major political issue. The Anglo/INBS debt-burden is an unjust and unwarranted charge which the…