A week back, I wondered about the contradiction between two items I came across online. On the one hand, Kerry TD Brendan Griffin was reported as saying he had handed back half his salary, and would continue to do so. It took just five minutes to do so, he told the Irish Times. On the… Continue reading Email filter
Tag: public spending
Ink and the law
The Smithwick tribunal will not provide overnight transcripts to lawyers because it will cost too much, tribunal chairman Peter Smithwick ruled today. Last month, 200 Words reported Smithwick’s decision not to publish daily transcripts, and the protests that followed from several legal teams. Today, having considered their arguments, Smithwick confirmed his earlier decision. He said… Continue reading Ink and the law
Remember this?
Brian Lenihan said the bank guarantee scheme was “a necessary first step” and “the cheapest bailout in the world so far” compared with bank rescues where “billions and billions of taxpayers’ money are being poured into financial institutions”. “It allows us to move on and examine other questions which may have to be addressed to… Continue reading Remember this?
Confidence in action
How much will we owe in 2012? Ireland’s Debt/GDP reached a record low of 25% in 2006. At the end of 2009, it stood at 66%, as the government went on a borrowing spree to bail out banks while tax revenues plummeted. Our gross debt ratio is projected to rise to 84% by end 2010.… Continue reading Confidence in action
Don’t Know
A cabinet minster is unable to say whether or not public funds have been awarded to An Smaoineamh Mór, the company behind Your Country Your Call (YCYC), or on what basis they might receive such funds. YCYC, a competition to come up with Ideas To Save Ireland, has previously been mentioned here, mostly because I’m… Continue reading Don’t Know
Famine Road 2.0
I spent a couple of days designing a charity newsletter last week. The newsletter will go out a handful of times a year, updating donors on how their money is being spent, and telling the local community what services are on offer. I wasn’t paid. I volunteered. It’s for a good cause, I get to… Continue reading Famine Road 2.0
Natural Causes
Christopher O’Driscoll was seventeen. The HSE knew about him since he was ten. Since then, he had been in and out of care facilities, an when they were full, bed and breakfasts, or hotels. On May Day weekend last year, he had nowhere to go. The administrators had shut down their computers, closed their offices,… Continue reading Natural Causes
Design
Logos (singular) is a Greek word meaning, roughly speaking, the word of God. Logos (plural) is a word meaning opportunities for pointless productivity. Last month, Brian Cowen announced a fairly minor reshuffle of his cabinet ministers. Perhaps aware of how underwhelming the changes were, the Taoiseach also juggled a few words. Enterprise, Trade and Employment… Continue reading Design
An Cúige
David Cameron has let the cat out of the bag. Northern Ireland costs too much. Wikipedia puts the cost to the British exchequer at five billion quid in 2006. That’s one fifth of all economic output. Annually. Despite this, the North remains an economic basketcase. By contrast, the Republic benefited from a EU investment in… Continue reading An Cúige
On the record
Having reported on the first hints of Declan Ganley’s return to the political arena on Friday, as announced through twitter, I couldn’t but notice that twitter isn’t quite on the record. The Irish Times print edition managed to report on the story without mentioning twitter, referring only to ‘speculation‘. The newspaper of record either didn’t… Continue reading On the record