'It’s not discrete elements of the system we can improve, It’s the structure of the system itself'
There’s not much debate about the future of work here in Ireland yet, but as the gig economy expands, expect to see much more discussion. Whether these workers will get to own a home or not will depend on how the system evolves
The reality of the Summer Economic Statement is this: there is very little available to spend on anything
The Taoiseach suggested there was not just the €400-500 million of fiscal space we had expected, but ‘hidden fiscal space’. I am not sure what hidden fiscal space is, but if it exists, it needs to be spent on capital projects. Full stop.
One generation needs house prices to be low, the other needs them to be high. One votes, the other does not. Who do you think will be listened to?
An administration strong on function and less reliant on commissions might actually manage to fix the crises in health, housing and education
By the end of 2020, almost 90 per cent of all workers in the public sector will have had their 2008 levels of pay restored
The government they support may not show the necessary care towards their neighbours in the South. We are now in serious trouble. And then you have Brexit . . .
Defining Ireland’s relationship with the world is your problem now, Leo, and you will need to manage the Irish economy through a period of de-globalisation
There are lots of review bodies, working groups and commissions. But Ireland doesn’t need any more plans – if we found a way to build houses out of old plans, we’d have the problem sorted already’
Noonanomics was a cautious combination of carefully judged sectoral policies that the Limerick TD’s stature helped to make possible
Private sector workers have a right to be enraged when a public sector worker, just by dint of a job choice, enjoys a stream of lifetime benefits
The budget must react to protect the interests of those affected by a hard Brexit. But for a Brexit budget, you need fiscal space. And that seems to be disappearing
Trump ‘plan’ is simple: it will create a vast sucking noise as the funds which enrich the IFSC and other business-friendly financial services destinations head back to the US. But it needs to turn into an actual plan first
In the wake of Britain's snap election, Ireland's ability to adjust in the face of uncertainty like this is probably our greatest asset
