Ireland frozen in an anxiety recession
January 2, 2012
Did your mother ever tell you to be afraid of umbrellas because they could take your eye out? When I was a child, the humble umbrella transformed itself into a weapon of mass destruction in our house capable of all classes of contortions, which would lead directly to poking some misfortunate’s eye out. I have no idea where the…
Great Read -The Excellent John Mauldin’s Take on Ireland and Europe
October 10, 2011
Just as only four short years ago it was All Subprime, All the Time, and then it was the Credit Crisis, now it is Europe. (When) will Greece default and which banks will implode as a result? Is there another banking crisis in our future? I just came back from a whirlwind four-country visit to…
Superquinn saga sums up our economic tale of woe
July 20, 2011
IF anything sums up what went wrong with Ireland, it is the saga of Superquinn. On the positive side, if anything shows how we can get out of this mess, it is also the receivership of one of Ireland’s best-known brands. Before looking at the receivership and the implications for the rest of the country,…
Diaspora’s ‘soft power’ will help fuel our future
May 25, 2011
David Mc Williams watching Obama’s speech in Fallons in the Coombe on Monday afternoon. Photograph by Gabe Murphy. THE lad beside me in the queue for Obama had driven down all the way from Donegal. We joined the queue at 2pm, just at the back of Christchurch. The very same scarf seller who was flogging…
Time to play another game in a new Ireland
May 16, 2011
Last week was a great week. I have employed a few people and intend to employ a few more every month if things go according to plan. Ireland is full of good people who just need the proverbial ‘start’. There is always a great sense of excitement setting up a new venture, rolling up the…
We must go back to the land
May 3, 2011
With the sun glinting off the Shannon, boats meandering across Lough Allen and green rolling hills in the distance towards Fermanagh, this county on this gorgeous morning easily lives up to its tourist billing of ‘‘lovely Leitrim’’. In the centre of Drumshanbo, under a plaque to a local fiddler named Ciaran Emmet, a knot of…
Recession party poopers beware: the future is fun
April 27, 2011
When you leave this country for a few days, you get the distinct impression that we are stuck in a time warp. We aren’t moving on. This is the feeling I got over the weekend in London. On the eve of the Royal Wedding, the British capital captures the very essence of modernity or globalisation…
We’re broke but still buying rounds that we can’t afford
March 2, 2011
Yer man never stands his round. He does normally. But he’s not doing it now. ‘Cause he is broke. I don’t care; a man has got to stand his round. What are ye havin? I’m buyin’. Good Man. I knew you’d always cough up. Never let it be said I wasn’t good for me round….
Still time to save many billions
February 21, 2011
The only question that matters in this election is whether we should continue paying out money to people who invested in our banks and got their bet wrong. The more money we pay these bank ‘investors’ – who have no right to be paid, because the banks they invested in are insolvent – the less…
Before we sell the country we should ask the people
February 16, 2011
No wonder the Greeks are upset. Yesterday, the IMF and the EU were busy trying to limit the damage following their mission to Greece. One auditor, also the EC representative, Servaas Deroose, encouraged the Greeks to “sell beaches” to pay back the IMF/EU loan. We should take heed, because we are next. What would you…
February 2, 2012
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