Our so-called Policing Authority is a useless and ineffectual quango
The report of the newly created Policing Authority makes alarming reading for two reasons – firstly, the omni-shambles it describes in Garda management, and, secondly, the frightening picture it paints of the Policing Authority itself – a grim self-portrait. In truth, the Policing Authority is not an authority at all; it is an ineffectual and […]
Gerry Adams’ long goodbye will put Enda’s in the shade
The observation by Littlefinger in Game of Thrones that “chaos is not a pit; chaos is a ladder” comes easily to mind when we watch the way in which Gerry Adams tries to keep Sinn Féin at the centre of public attention by keeping the political situation in crisis mode and playing a game of […]
Creating a ghastly housing quango is not the way to solve this crisis
To put it politely, the Government is showing signs of deep-seated confusion in relation to the homes shortage crisis. I could be less polite. First, Simon Coveney announces a help-to-buy scheme for home-seekers. Then Eoghan Murphy announces it is being dropped. And, lo and behold, we are now informed that the government is thinking of […]
Only Trump’s successor can make America great again
We are now eight months into the presidency of Donald Trump. The good news is that means that one sixth of his term is already over – assuming, that is, he is not re-elected in three years’ time. What is there to show for it? What will be there to show for it? There is […]
Capital Gains Tax and Local Property Tax are in need of radical reform
At this time of year, officials in the Department of Finance survey the entire horizon of taxable activity in the hope of finding some low-hanging fruit which would help fund increased expenditure, lowering of other taxes, or debt reduction, or all three. As this activity coincides with the media silly season, the potential for scare […]
Our housing and home-ownership problems require more than government talking and hand-wringing
Irish society is sleep-walking towards another tipping point. That point is when the younger cohort of our state’s population begin to strongly believe that things are not going to be better for them than they were for their parents’ generation. It is, of course, good news 10 years after the financial crash that economic growth […]