Economy – Page 76 – Slugger O'Toole

Sinn Fein’s [amended?] Water Tax policy…

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2007, 10:11 pm

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Just before the elections Sinn Fein berated the Unions (broken, if inadvertantly, on Slugger Radio) for not threatening to take unilateral action to stop Water Rates bills hitting households. At the time it came out of nowhere. Last night, on UTV, Mitchel McLaughlin seemed to put some flesh on its bare bones. El Blogador has more detail. However, if Eamon McCann is to be believed Water Rates were never going to be subject to any serious re-negotiation. Never mind the …

“Northern Ireland Water will still be established, as planned, on 1 April”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2007, 1:54 am

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Eamonn McCann, writing in the Sunday Business Post, deals swiftly with the previously identified shadow-boxing and points instead to the deep fractures the election result actually revealed. He sees more internal difficulties for the DUP than for SF in the weeks ahead but he also wants to know whether the parties intend to re-engage with the shadow-boxing, given that the contracts are signed, and that the GoCo is.. apparently.. go.. [added new link]From the SBP comment piece Firstly the shadow-boxing …

“no prospect at all of a differential corporation tax in Northern Ireland”

Pete Baker on March 30, 2007, 3:51 pm

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There may have been an announcement of a review of the different tax rates between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, to be conducted by Sir David Varney a former chairman of HM Revenue and Customs – it was one element of that total package announced by Gordon Brown – but as the Belfast Telegraph’s Mark Hookhan reports, according to the Secretary of State for Wales, etc, corporation tax will not be affected. Speaking yesterday in Westminster, Mr Hain …

Alliance: Northern Ireland must become economically self suffient

Mick Fealty on March 25, 2007, 3:51 am

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Here’s a proposition that will go down like a lead balloon at Connelly House, and Dundela Avenue. The Alliance party had their AGM today, and resolved that… …Northern Ireland must set itself the objective of becoming economically self-sufficient, and no longer relying on subvention from London. The call was passed unanimously at a meeting of Party Council in Castlereagh. Proposing the motion, new Party President Colm Cavanagh stated: “We have seen yet again this week parties going to London and …

Which hat am I wearing now?

Pete Baker on March 22, 2007, 9:19 pm

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I leave the number crunchers to examine the finer detail of the reported extra £1billion allocated to the Northern Ireland budget over the next 4 years. Much more interesting is what the Secretary of State for Wales, etc, is telling his Welsh audience – an audience who will also receive an extra £1billion over the next 4 years.. Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said, “This is lift-off in the run-up to May 3, demonstrating the benefit of partnership with Westminster. It’s …

“the total package that we are talking about..”

Pete Baker on March 22, 2007, 3:40 pm

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A UTV & Press Association report quotes Prime Minister Chancellor Gordon Brown on Sky News – “I will then offer them capital expenditures for infrastructure development over a longer period of time and the total package that we are talking about for Northern Ireland is something in the order of £50 billion over the next period of time.” Which, as noted yesterday, is a very familiar figure.. Adds btw that’s not £50Billion over 4 years as the headline on the …

Laura.. have you found that phone number yet?

Pete Baker on March 21, 2007, 8:47 pm

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With the parties heading into what the government hopes will be the final furlong, for now, all the old set-pieces are being deployed. There are the phonecalls from the US President – which, despite what anyone might tell you, will be dutifully received. And everyone gets to meet Gordon, who’ll then announce a multi-billion pound package. In case anyone’s forgotten, they’ve had those phonecalls before. And the last time we had an announcement of a multi-billion pound package it turned …

Budgeting for the future..

Pete Baker on March 21, 2007, 4:42 pm

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Prime Minister Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown is in the Commons delivering his 11th, and probably final, budget. I’ll not pretend to be a master of the economic nuances involved but the BBC has some blogging journalists on the case, and there’s more at the Guardian. [and at the FT! – Ed] As Nick Robinson predicts in his budget check list – “No gag about Stalin who was, after all, a mass murderer” – which would be a swipe …

buy, sell, buy, sell..

Pete Baker on March 20, 2007, 4:31 pm

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The buying and selling which has characterised The Process™ continues as March 26th approaches. Pete Baker

World Police and Fire Games come to Belfast.. in 2013

Pete Baker on March 16, 2007, 5:57 pm

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Belfast will host the biennial World Police and Fire Games in 2013. In the BBC report Dame Mary Peters is quoted from Adelaide were this year’s competition is being held – “We had a very strong bid team; the lord mayor, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. We had the deputy chief constable, the head of the Prison Service, the head of the Fire Service and others.” In 2009 the event moves to British Columbia. The Secretary of State …

NI Affairs committee in favour of locating the National Stadium in the city

Pete Baker on March 15, 2007, 4:17 pm

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As being discussed on Radio Ulster’s TalkBack today, the NI Affairs Committee has published its report on Tourism in NI. It’s a lengthy report but the immediate focus is likely to be on the recommendation about where a National Stadium should be sited. Hint, it’s in line with the Secretary of State for Wales’ comments.. but not the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s.. Chairman Partick Cormack commented on the government’s preference for the Maze site – “The government is …

Why you need a PR Firm, not…

Mick Fealty on March 15, 2007, 12:44 pm

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Courtesy of Media Influencer, another dry rendering, this time on the definition of bad PR… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

“But the policies that small business have actually called for…”

Pete Baker on March 7, 2007, 1:34 am

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Back to economics again, and in particular to the Irish Times economics editor, Marc Coleman, who’s been looking [subs req] at some of Sinn Féin’s stated policy objectives – beyond harmonising corporation tax at 17.5% – to what the party has in mind to support the small business sector. In the Republic he says, “According to the Small Business Forum, some 250,000 small businesses in the Republic support almost 800,000 jobs”… and he argues that what small businesses have actually …

Voting by instinct and not by reason

Pete Baker on March 6, 2007, 4:59 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph Maurice Hayes argues that the “electoral rhetoric about bread and butter issues is shadow boxing, and everyone knows it.” The focus on populist issues he says is “to get people to the polls in the knowledge that once there, nature will triumph over nurture and they will vote by instinct rather than by reason.” There are some predictions and some criticisms of individual parties election stances, with the most pertinent criticism echoing elements from the economic …

Stratagem Policy Panel: Economy

Mick Fealty on March 5, 2007, 9:41 pm

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Fascinating conversation with John Simpson and Jamie Delargy kicking around some of the most pressing issues facing any new devolved administration. Simpson makes the point that what we are voting for is less a government, than a political opposition to the real seat of power, 11 Downing Street. We go on to talk about some of the risks attached to one of the few issues there seems some degree of consensus on, the lowering of corporation tax, and assess the …

Sharp loss of value in the Irish market…

Mick Fealty on March 5, 2007, 12:23 am

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Well, it’s apparently in response to global drop in world market values, due to concern over a number of factors. But it seems to have had an extraordinary effect on the Irish stock market in particular. But given the vulnerabilities laid out in the recent European Economic Advisory Group’s report highlighting the Republic’s high level of vulnerability to a world slump, there must some alarm bells ringing somewhere in Dublin, however softly. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He …

Belfast starting to put it’s troubles behind it…

Mick Fealty on March 2, 2007, 5:30 pm

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I was speaking to someone this morning who said of the new Belfast tourism adverts that they were so good, she really wanted to go there. Even though she lives in Belfast, it kind of looks more glamourous that it actually is. Tourism is not to be sniffed at. In 2004, Northern Ireland’s tourist related income totalled, £3.25m, some way behind the Republic’s £2.33bn. Even so, the real Belfast is clearly starting to make an impression on people in the …

Trying to catch the Celtic Tiger by the tail…

Mick Fealty on March 1, 2007, 5:34 pm

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We spoke to Mitchel McLaughlin last night, on the same day his party launched their manifesto. He was at pains to note the major problem (under performance of the private sector here, does not require downsizing our massive civil service but a boosting of the private sector – although he was decidedly hazy on how that might achieved other than suggesting the UK needed to join the Euro, and an expansion of cross border bodies. Interestingly the balance of the …

EEAG warns Irish economy “vulnerable to a global downturn.”

Pete Baker on February 28, 2007, 9:26 pm

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UTV picks up on the particular risks facing the Irish economy from a global economic downturn, as detailed by the European Economic Advisory Group which is holding a series of press conferences across Europe to launch their 2007 Report on the European Economy, press release here – the full report can be downloaded here. The report includes a chapter which focusses on the risks to the economies of Ireland and Italy [pdf file].. one an example of expansionary shock, the …

“Necessary provision will be ringfenced and is provided for in the unallocated reserve in the plan.”

Pete Baker on February 28, 2007, 6:48 pm

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The Irish government Finance Minister Brian Cowen has announced that his government is proposing five specific cross-border funds, covering: “education, skills and innovation; energy research including renewable and sustainable energy; regional development; tourism development; poverty, social inclusion and community infrastructure.” Although it’s not all new money, and despite the suggestion in the lead paragraph from the linked report, it probably isn’t actually dependent on a restored assembly. Notably there is already a fund for energy research including renewable and sustainable …