What’s the EU’s endgame?

The headline in yesterday’s Irish Independent was eye-catching. It said that half of all Irish businesses are on the verge of collapse, according to stress tests carried out by business and credit risk company Vision-net. Companies in the hospitality, construction,...

Deadly mix of market forces

When I was a boy, there was a very popular game played by all the kids on our road. It was called “clackers”. It involved two plastic balls on two strings tied together at the top. The balls hit off each other with force making a “clack” noise....

Financial Contagion

Thirty-one years ago this week the great Bob Marley passed away and ascended to the great Rasta heaven in the sky. For most of us, Marley was reggae and reggae was Marley. I remember the day he played in Dalymount in the summer of 1980. What I actually remember most...

The Isolation of Germany

Yesterday was International Workers’ Day. It was celebrated all over Europe with public holidays. It is a bit ironic that on the day that Europeans celebrate our workers so many millions of these workers are on the dole. Traditionally, periods of high unemployment are...

Growth and monetary apartheid is a Catch-22

Financially, Spain is like Ireland but it is much, much bigger. There is little doubt that Spain will need a massive bailout. The question is, who has the money to bail out Europe’s fourth-largest economy, and when Spain topples what happens to Italy and what...