subvention

Northern Ireland’s fiscal deficit is shrinking, but not in a sustainable way

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on September 22, 2019, 2:25 pm

| Readers 8448

Given recent polling showing that support for Irish unity is at all-time highs in Northern Ireland, there has again been a significant amount of scrutiny on the Northern Ireland fiscal deficit (also known as the subvention or block grant), the gap between taxation and government spending in Northern Ireland that it is assumed would have to be absorbed by the Irish government in the event of Irish unification. The charts at the top of the post show Northern Ireland tax …

Would a United Ireland be affordable?

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on July 22, 2018, 1:44 pm

| Readers 27858

Given recent polling that suggests that a border poll on the question of Northern Ireland joining a unified Irish state could be a close contest, there has been a renewed focus on the question of whether a unified Irish state would be affordable. There is a gap of roughly £10bn between tax revenues and public expenditure in Northern Ireland, an effective subsidy from Great Britain to Northern Ireland that is often referred to as the “subvention” or the “block grant”. …

Growth and the ‘subvention’

Soapbox on November 12, 2015, 5:02 pm

| Readers 1865

Economist Michael Burke writes for us on the British government subvention to Northern Ireland. The economic case for Irish unity is a growth story; that people across the whole of the island would be substantially better off. So, as the author of a recent report, the Economic Case for Irish Unity I was disappointed but not surprised to find that most commentary on it related to the issue of the ‘subvention’. Apparently, supporters of the Union want to make the …

Inattention to the deficit syndrome – how Northern Ireland spends more than it earns

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on March 13, 2015, 6:57 pm

| Readers 2950

Today’s public sector strike reflects widespread antipathy towards what was agreed in the Stormont House Agreement. Traditionally trade unions have been supportive of agreements made between local parties, and as Eamonn McCann points out, this is the first time that trade unions have opposed a deal. There is certainly a lot of anger on issues such as redundancies and cuts to services, but it is important to bear in mind the reason why the fiscal measures outlined in the Stormont …

Shane Greer awakens a hornet’s nest over NI’s £7 billion annual ‘dig out’ from England

Mick Fealty on June 7, 2011, 10:09 am

| Readers 69

Just been listening to Shane Greer getting it in the neck on the Nolan Show… It was extraordinary, for the amount of raw abuse he took for, wait for it, his mid Atlantic accent… He had to go early to catch a business flight to DC… Here’s some quotes from callers: “Nolan is mad for having you on… You need to take lessons in speech.. All Americans are stupid anyway” “Your accent is not like any American accent I have …

Phew, what a relief!

Brian Walker on May 20, 2010, 4:21 pm

| Readers 15

So Northern Ireland isn’t to be picked out for drastic cuts after all. On his flying visit the Prime Minister couldn’t have been more reassuring, backed up by his Secretary of State. He said the assembly could defer cuts to the Northern Ireland budget for a year if it wanted to. Secretary of State Owen Paterson said it was not sustainable for Northern Ireland to have more than 70% of its gross domestic product spent on public spending. “What we …

An Cúige: Where government spending buys peace, not votes

Gerard Cunningham on April 25, 2010, 2:15 pm

| Readers 4

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 infrastructure of ten billion euro after the Maastricht treaty was signed. That spend is credited with kickstarting a boom lasting close to two decades (though …