Your Ideas

Here is just a probably wacky idea, but I’d like to throw it up in the air, just to see how it falls back to the earth, for the sole benefit of my own wisdom. How to default “in style”, in an employment-friendly way: In short: Apply a haircut on bank bond holders (guaranteed senior…

Hi All, I have a very ‘out there’ idea that will be welcomed by a lot of people and not by others but something has to be done for people and also to increase peoples spending power. The situtation we find ourselves in requires urgent creative solutions and a bit of vision. My idea is…

According to the EU/IMF directives, Irish deficit GDP has to be reduced by 9% of GDP (down from 12% to 3% GDP) within 3 or 4 years. The EFSF cost of funding is currently 2.8%, and the premium Ireland pays over that is 3%. Total: currently 5.8% Whenever Ireland will manage to reduce its deficit…

1. A point of history: Over the past 15 years, Ireland often has had a budget surplus, while France and Germany often were in breach of the Maastricht criteria, for both Debt and deficit levels (2003 and after). Were France and Germany sanctioned for cheating their way? No Nay Never! Was Ireland rewarded for its…

As Fianna Fail wll not be returning to power for the forseeable future, they should impement futher reductions in goverment pay and pensions starting after 1 march2011.This would ensure genuine candidates , not the usual in for perks and great pay. Fianna Fail might then have finnally achieved something useful. Previous governments have provided tax…

Exceptional Property Gains Tax (EPGT), a step towards a solution for our problems? In the weeks ahead we will hear the details when the budget will be presented by the government. Everyone knows: it will be ugly. More people (the lower paid!) will have to pay income tax and PRSI. Cuts in welfare, in health,…

It would be interesting to get information on how many people are employed are in Ireland on contract now. It seems to be a rapidly growing sector during this recession. This of course is going to cause major revenue problems for the government. The minimum wage or little more is the going rate. No pension…

Hi David Like many of the 2nd generation Irish in Britain, I have fond memories of the summer holidays in Ireland in the 1970s, when our parents used to take us on their compulsory holidays back to the West. No Costa del Sol for us, instead we had our two weeks in rain-drenched Kerry. While…

Regardless of your political beliefs or allegiances, there appears to be one major fallacy permeating current government behaviour, which is the fundamentally bemusing notion that the State can continue to provide the same level of services as before when it is an undisputed fact that the State has significantly less revenue available to fund such…

David i agree with you, increasing Taxes and cutting goverment spending is going to be disastrous. I believe you and your collegues who understand the circumstances and the economic cycle, “The Dept of Finance are the most conservative of any dept in government” need to force the minister of finance on a route that will…