Economics

I wrote an article yesterday on global inequality and its consequences for world poverty. I listed global warming as one of the causes and it occurred to me that the subject more than merits an article on its own. Looking at the consequences of recent severe weather patterns on Ireland and elsewhere, it seems to me that it is time we all woke up and did something about it before it’s too late. Unfortunately global warming is no longer a distant scientific theory or a politica

Many articles have been written on global inequality. Why is over 50% of the world’s wealth held by less than one per cent of the population? Contrastingly, why does the bottom 50% of people only own two per cent? There are numerous reasons: Globalization; the rise of super companies; the growth in billionaires; compounding financial systems; Government policies; monopoly power; shareholder primacy over workers’ wages; technological advancements; global supply chains; histori

I realize this may not be a riveting subject but I have long wanted to write an article about the Irish banks. Back in the 2010’s, at the time of the bail-out by the Irish Government, there were numerous critical articles. However, since all that cooled down, the banks appear to have gotten off scot free. Move on; nothing to see here. In the meantime the banks have continued to do what they always did; only more so because they were effectively taken over by venture capitalis

Old Trafford - United's iconic stadium. The first thing to say about this article is that if you are not a Manchester United fan, you may find it tedious. But bear with me; it outlines what has happened to the football club and why; there are parallels in many other walks of life and certainly in business and sporting empires. Now the reason I’m writing this article is because people have asked me, ‘what’s wrong with Man Utd?’ ‘How can a club with such a huge following and wi

Brendan in the early days. I saw an item on TV recently about the erection of a statue in a place called Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, in Ireland, to Dr. Brendan O’Regan. Who was he, many would ask — probably one of the greatest Irish innovators of the 20th Century or indeed of any time. The erection of a statue is hugely deserved but it cannot even begin to quantify what this man achieved or do justice to his legacy. I’m not too sure as to what positions Brendan held in Shannon A

Donough O'Malley - Ireland's pioneering Minister for Education I saw an article recently which listed and compared the world's top economies. There were two listings, the world's biggest economies and the world's richest economies. In terms of the world's biggest economy, the obvious largest was the United States, followed by China and so on. Naturally, Ireland didn't feature in this listing at all as it only went down to about number 20. But in the other list, which was the

This story may only be relevant to Ireland or possibly similar small states but I feel it is worth telling, if only to demonstrate that not all change is for the better and that there should be exceptions to every rule. When Ireland joined the EU, it brought the country many benefits, not least the structural and development funds that allowed us to improve our infrastructure. We also benefited greatly in agriculture although this was at odds with our huge loss in the fisheri