COVID-19 IS AN EVENT WITHOUT MODERN PRECEDENT They say that a week is a long time in politics, but the past month has definitely been a very long time in the world of economics. All has utterly changed over the past number of weeks. When I presented at the IOD Evening Briefing series on 20th […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE IRISH EXAMINER JULY 12th 2019 One of the dominant themes in global politics over the past couple of years has been a growing sense of nationalism and a move towards isolationist economic policies. Nowhere has this trend been more obvious than in the UK decision to walk away from its […]
GOOD FIRST HALF, BREXIT LIKELY TO DOMINATE SECOND HALF By Jim Power As we move into the second half of the year, it is possible to look back on the first six months with a certain degree of positivity. On the whole, the Irish economy continued to make progress and thankfully the relatively negative prognostications […]
GLOBAL THREATS TO FREE TRADE The latest international trade data for Ireland confirm once again that the export sector of the economy remains a very important engine of overall economic growth and it is blatantly obvious that the future health of the export sector is crucial for the overall health and prosperity of the economy. […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN IRISH EXAMINER FEB 22nd 2019 As the Irish Government puts together legislation to deal with the potential fallout from a ‘no deal’ Brexit, the situation in the UK becomes more farcical by the day. Donald Tusk made a fair point a few weeks back when he queried as to what part […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN IRISH EXAMINER MARCH 1st 2019 After another eventful week in the UK it now appears possible that we are moving gradually towards some semblance of a soft deal on the Brexit front, or at least the prospect of a cliff-edge Brexit is possibly waning. March 13th will be a big day […]
I recently completed a report on the online gambling market in Ireland to investigate claims by PLI that online gambling companies pose a threat to the funding of good causes by the National Lottery. PLI has described those companies as ‘parasites that should not be allowed offer odds on the lottery numbers. For a full […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE IRISH EXAMINER OCT 5th 2018 On Tuesday next the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will present his third and very possibly the last budget of the current administration. He has been lucky in the sense that the budgets over which he has presided have been prepared against a positive domestic […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN IRISH EXAMINER OCTOBER 26th 2018 In the overall scheme of things, Ireland is a tiny country with a population of just 4.7 million people, albeit a population that is rising strongly. As a country we do many things well, such as attracting foreign direct investment, providing a decent enough education to […]
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE IRISH EXAMINER NOV 2nd 2018 As usual Ireland’s presidential election was a fractious affair, which demonstrates just how worked up and vitriolic people can become in relation to an issue that is of trivial significance at best. The only memorable part of the election and its aftermath was initially the […]