Economy – Page 74 – Slugger O'Toole

On our way to a new relationship with property?

Mick Fealty on July 20, 2007, 6:26 pm

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For those who missed the Thatcherite council house revolution, or (what now look like unbelievably) low house prices of just a few years ago, Becky Pugh’s plaintive cry for a rich husband must sound familiar. I am 27, have £114.34 in my savings account, no cash injection from my parents and no likely benefactors. Each salary increase means only that paying my bills becomes less of a burden. First-time buyers are borrowing as much as six times their salaries to …

Spinning through the holidays?

Pete Baker on July 20, 2007, 2:23 am

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The Minister for Employment and Learning, the UUP leader Reg Empey, has apparently announced [Official statement to follow? – Ed] that workers here are to get at least 8 extra statutory holidays added to their entitled amount – in two stages beginning in April 2009 October 2007. Although it’s not quite as straight-forward as it might seem. It’s less than the 10 extra days announced in January this year by then-Secretary of State for Wales etc, Peter Hain – also …

Regional Development Minister agrees to vesting of land in Derry City Council

Pete Baker on July 17, 2007, 1:27 am

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The current City of Derry Airport manager remains temporarily suspended whilst an internal investigation takes place into the failure [absence?] of safety management systems and today the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, issued a statement in which he agreed that a vesting order enabling Derry City Council to acquire lands adjoining City of Derry Airport could go ahead – in effect a compulsory purchase of the land. The Department also issued a separate statement [Word doc], and released other …

The problem with Derry…

Mick Fealty on July 13, 2007, 3:07 pm

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Both in its Georgian architecture and its people Derry has bags of character. But argues (subs needed) Fionnuala O’Connor, in this fast moving modern world that is not enough. Its real deficit is economic development. In that respect, its once dependent hinterland in Donegal has begun to draw ahead of the walled city: and not least in the superior quality of its service industries. Recognising the damage done to its own cross community social capital during the Troubles might be …

Drawing a line under the past?

Pete Baker on July 6, 2007, 2:58 am

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The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee published its first report today – on the “very significant overspend and late delivery” on the upgrade to the Belfast to Bangor railway line, was budgeted at £15million for completion by December 2001, final cost £34million in September 2002 – press release here – and the full report is here [Don’t they know how to use links from the index? – Ed]. But with the NI Audit Office report already in the public domain, 20th …

all that previous work looks like being academic..

Pete Baker on July 4, 2007, 10:38 pm

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As previously noted back on 29th May, the First and Deputy First Ministers revealed – via a letter to the Speaker dated 24th May[pdf file] – that the NI Executive had “agreed there would be a review of Local Government aspects of the Review of Public Administration led by the Minister of the Environment.” I’m not sure whether the BBC read that letter or not, but they’re reporting that tomorrow, “the executive will discuss setting up a committee to be …

Spinning in infinity

Pete Baker on July 4, 2007, 3:20 pm

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It’s been so long since I’d heard anything about Steorn’s perpetual publicity motion machine I thought they’d gone away for good.. but apparently not. Some of the detail in what looks like a Steorn press release republished in the Belfast Telegraph breaking news report is also dubious – “22 of the world’s top scientists”? That would be the un-named panel selected by Steorn.. ANYhoo.. The machine will, seemingly, be put on display in London today, for what it’s worth.. There’s …

“we have demanded that all information is brought to City of Derry Airport Committee”

Pete Baker on June 28, 2007, 11:32 pm

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The Independent Review of the decision by the CAA to suspend the publicly-owned City of Derry Airport’s licence, during 4-day period in May, has reported back to Derry City Council.. and they’ve issued a press release after passing a resolution – the report doesn’t seem to be online. is available here[pdf file – thanks jone] There’s a BBC report on the moves here. But watch the short online video report by Mike McKimm [RealPlayer file] which contains the key details; …

Is it dead yet?

Pete Baker on June 28, 2007, 10:17 pm

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The BBC’s man in Washington, Jamie Coomarasamy, says that the Z Visa Immigration Bill, previously thought to be pining for the fjords.. is now officially an ex-Bill after the Senate voted 46-53 against moving on the proposals – “It could try to resurrect legislation, but Thursday’s vote was probably the last serious attempt to get immigration reform through Congress under this presidency”. Meanwhile, although agreeing that it’s a huge defeat for Bush, Slate’s Mickey Kaus is predicting that the House …

“It will not be and I’m told it cannot be under the planning act.”

Pete Baker on June 22, 2007, 12:46 am

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Whatever your views on any proposed alternatives to the Maze site for the new multi-sports Stadium, with the incentive of Olympic qualifying soccer matches carrot-like on the horizon, you’d be forgiven for imaging that the Sports Minister, the DUPs Edwin Poots, would have the responsibility to decide from any proposals after his recently imposed deadline of 30th June.. except that the First Minister, DUP leader Ian Paisley seems to have already ruled one of the potential proposals out.. and it …

A ringing endorsement then..

Pete Baker on June 19, 2007, 6:59 pm

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Former US President Jimmy Carter has stated, “I would say that the Irish Government has become the pre-eminent voice for human rights in the European Union.” – just after the Irish Government gave his Carter Centre [which has its critics – Ed] €600,000 to add to the previous donations of €50,000 in 2005 and €70,000 in 2006. RTÉ points out the latest funds will be paid over three years. A report yesterday noted the comments from an Irish Aid spokesman. …

Paisley, McGuinness and Salmond to form fiscal pressure group?

Mick Fealty on June 18, 2007, 12:38 pm

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The variation of Corporation Tax across the UK may one of the unlikeliest (and possibly least important) outcomes from today’s summit between Scotland and Northern Ireland’s devolved leadership. But when Alex Salmond talks about fiscal independence, he may be pushing at a slightly open door with both the DUP and Sinn Fein since both have talked about the desirability of tax varying powers. Scotland already has these, but under a Labour administration never seemed in the least tempted to use …

“We don`t have the time to go down the route of the comprehensive spending review within government”

Pete Baker on June 13, 2007, 5:55 pm

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Whether it’s “great news for the local farming industry” or “selling off the family silver”, it would have been better to have seen more visible deliberations before yesterday’s announcement that the publicly owned 100 acre Northern Ireland Plant Testing Station at Crossnacreevy is to be sold to cover the costs of meeting an EU deadline on improving environmental protection measures on farms. According to the Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew The minister revealed: “We are selling the land at Crossnacreevy because …

Gordon’s tight Scots fingers on the UK purse…

on June 12, 2007, 5:20 pm

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Fascinating exchange in which the Belfast Telegraph’s Ed Curran’s easy stereotyping of the Scots, and the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer as, well, ‘tight’. EC: Some people have suggested that the British Government has been pretty mean – and Gordon Brown in particular – with you and the new power-sharing administration? What is your view on that? IP: Well we have an economic package? It is not as good as it should be, and it is not as good as …

Review of water charges passed to independent panel

Pete Baker on June 11, 2007, 6:53 pm

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The Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, is to pass responsibility for the review of water and sewerage services to an independent panel, membership to be announced later. There is to be a particular focus on the costs involved and how those costs will be funded. Under the terms of the review, however, one possible mechanism, privatisation, has already been ruled out. There are also existing contracts to consider. And in the footnotes we find out what the Minister has …

“there’s no need to slow down..”

Pete Baker on June 8, 2007, 7:25 pm

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Both sides seem keen to downplay the news that the Finance Minister Peter Robinson has told Sinn Féin Ministers to either use drivers from the official assembly pool or pay for their own from 23 May as “this ensures there will be a consistent approach which confirms with best accounting practice”. Previously, it appears, public funds were paid to the party to cover the cost of drivers they then supplied. But in this ‘new political dispensation’ we keep hearing about …

NIO’s ‘no-brainer’ decision for judicial review.. again.

Pete Baker on June 6, 2007, 1:35 am

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David Cairns is no longer with us, but that doesn’t mean the remaining NIO team and, in particular, their boss shouldn’t be held accountable for the decision to issue a notice of opinion to approve planning permission for a major retail development at Sprucefield. That decision is now to be the subject of a judicial review. This will be the second judicial review of a NIO Minister’s decision on this proposal. The first judicial review upheld a legal challenge to …

Another reason to review that “barmy” structure

Pete Baker on June 2, 2007, 1:29 am

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We’ll have to wait to see whether the briefing on Gordon Brown’s intentions, as noted by the BBC’s Freedom of Information blog, is accurate [although the Beeb are not always so enthusiastic about FoI requests – Ed] and likewise for the Irish Government’s intention to extend similar legislation to An Garda Siochana. But while it still applies to the Assembly, the Belfast Telegraph’s David Gordon will continue to use it to get otherwise unattainable information. The key to the apparently …

“and in light of the other budgetary pressures facing the Executive”

Pete Baker on May 30, 2007, 5:28 pm

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The BBC report that Finance Minister Peter Robinson has criticised members of the NI Executive who voted in favour of the Alliance party’s amendment yesterday, and he says those that did broke the ministerial code as the executive had unanimously agreed not to vote for high-spending measures unless all ministers supported them. However, as observer correctly pointed out in the comments zone here last night, the Assembly actually passed the UUP amendment to the motion, after voting on the Alliance …

Dragon’s Den on Northern Ireland’s economic future…

Mick Fealty on May 30, 2007, 3:40 pm

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Spotlight have last week’s programme up on line. Beware though, I could only get it to work on Internet Explorer. Good idea, well done. Mike Smyth, it says, has the toughest assignment: arguing that Northern Ireland could become economically independent. Fine start though: “Northern Ireland is the grumbling appendix of the United Kingdom. First of all because it gives the host pain and grief from time to time. Secondly, nobody really knows what its purpose is. And, thirdly, as you …