A sane and fiscally sustainable economic policy is a bulwark for the small business sector in Ireland, but a bespoke policy, made-to-measure for any faltering sector, is delusional.
Institutions have been spooked by the prospect of capped returns, meaning Dublin has struggled to compete with other European cities for investment. Just €440m was invested in Ireland’s build-to-rent market in 2023, compared with €1.9bn the previous year.
Fine Gael is proposing to increase capital spending, implement a €7bn tax package, and maintain an element of fiscal rectitude. However, it has set aside €5bn less than Fianna Fáil to cover the cost of existing service and a public sector pay claim.
There is a difference of almost 100,000 homes between the Department of Housing's estimate of the housing deficit and the Commission on Housing's. The reason is the department does not understand what unmet housing need actually is.
Being called for an interview for a promotion is one thing; being asked to interview for your own job is another. It usually leads to a bigger role or a redundancy payment. Either way, you need to game out your strategy in advance.
What happens if the electoral parity of esteem between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is not there after this election?
As artificial surfaces become increasingly prevalent in Irish rugby and beyond, the sport must maintain a delicate balance between embracing innovation and ensuring player safety.
If mainstream politicians do not start reassuring the public that all sources of immigration are being watched and controlled in the best interests of voters, our politics might follow the nastier turn that has been taken in so many of our peer countries.
Between 2026 and 2030, the party is “reclassifying” €700m a year in spending. The money is still being spent, but the party says it will sit outside the state spending rules, and as such, it is not counted in its overall budgetary package.
Trump's regime shift appears to be protectionist with higher tariffs and the unleashing of animal spirits in the economy. Assumptions about impending sky-high inflation levels are likely wide of the mark.
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