Climbdown
Biffo blinked. As I write, I’m watching live coverage of the Taoiseach’s press conference to announce the government is backing down from the decision to remove free medical cards from all citizens...
View ArticleOn The One Road
How long can you stay angry? Old age pensioners marched on the Dáil last week to protest against budget cuts, as did students. Teachers are planning demonstrations this week. Army families are upset at...
View ArticleAcceptable Losses
It was almost as a throwaway item during the 9pm RTÉ News. As part of budget cutbacks, the government has decided not to go ahead as planned with a programme to vaccinate teenage girls, saving ten...
View ArticleNewsworthy
More than thirteen thousand people joined a Facebook group urging Slovenia’s ‘perennial foreign minister’ Dimitrij Rupel to retire from political life. The Slovenians are annoyed that Rupel remains a...
View ArticleNews Management
Remember back when when all those junior ministers lined up to declare they were willing to lose their positions, and we really didn’t need twenty of them? It was all part of the Share The Pain the...
View ArticleBrace Yourselves
Less than a month ago, I described the new tax on public sector pensions and cuts in departmental spending as a minibudget. This month’s minibudget has just been announced, though the full details will...
View ArticleThe Accused
There’s a stairwell in the middle of the courtroom, linking the district court to the nearby Bridewell Garda station. Guards lean against the balcony as they listen to the cases. When he emerges from...
View ArticleComeback
Nine days from now, Brian Lenihan will stand before the Dáil and announce the government’s latest budget. The cabinet has made quite display of how seriously they take the crisis in public finances,...
View ArticlePromises, Promises
Employers want to cut dole payments by 3%. They mentioned a few other ways for the government to save or raise money too, including an increase in the income levy, but the dole cut is the one making...
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Numbers game
It’s been bothering me for a while, but until tonight I never bothered to do any research on it. Here’s Brian Lenihan’s version of it, as paraphrased by The Journal earlier today: “The Finance Minister...
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