• Farmleigh Progress Report The Department of Foreign Affairs recently released a report on the progress toward meeting some of the goals set out in last year’s Farmleigh summit. I have to confess to a degree of unease about a process that doesn’t permit people to debate and scrutinise ideas in full open view. I am pretty sure that [...]..more

• Axel Weber at IIEA Bundesbank president Axel Weber gave a speech on “The Reform of Financial Supervision and Regulation in Europe” today at the Institute for International and European Affairs. The Institute has provided the text of Weber’s speech and an audio podcast here. ..more

• European Parliament Papers on Deficits and Global Imbalances Here’s a link to the latest set of briefing papers for the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. One set of papers (including one by me) focuses on global imbalances and the role they played in the financial crisis. The other set of papers focuses on European fiscal issues. These papers include a summary [...]..more

• Asset Booms and Structural Fiscal Positions: The Case of Ireland Daniel Kanda has written a new IMF working paper on this topic: you can download it here. Summary: Asset booms and sectoral changes can distort traditional estimates of structural fiscal revenue, and could lead to serious fiscal policy errors. This paper extends the estimation of structural revenues to take account of asset prices and sectoral changes, [...]..more

• New Guidelines for NAMA Pricing Following the approval of NAMA by the European Commission, the Department of Finance has published revised guidelines in relation to NAMA’s pricing of assets. This is a revised version of these regulations released before Christmas. Based on a quick read, there are appear to be a couple of changes, both of which show that the Commission is pushing [...]..more

• Cullen - more stumbling through valleys than scaling high mountains? Martin Cullen quoted Woodrow Wilson when announcing his resignation last nigh (Richard Nixon also liked the phrase and possibly made it more famous): “Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” Share This ..more

• Martin Cullen, ex-minister, ex-TD Take a look at this press statement just issued by the Government Information Service. Martin Cullen has resigned, not just as Arts Minister, but as a TD. This presumably means a Waterford by-election. Interesting times indeed! Share This ..more

• Green jobs that are not very smart The Green Party, its chairman Senator Dan Boyle argued this week, is not about individuals and personalities, rather about policies.   The phrase is a compelling one and the thinking behind it may be laudable. Indeed, it has been common currency among Green members for almost three decades, ever since the Irish ecological and green [...]..more

• Thank God it?s Thursday Having written a piece in Tuesday’s paper that the cabinet “reshuffle” would not take place that day and probably not the next, I feel a certain sense of relief at being proved right. Thank God it’s Thursday! Share This ..more

• Greens rotating the crop If John Gormley stands down as Minister for the Environment and as party leader to honour a rotation agreement brokered two years ago, it’s not going to do the Greens much good. Share This ..more

• Varadkar calls for Govt action to bring down commercial rents FG to question Coughlan on commercial rents in Minister?s Questions today   Speaking in the Dáil during Enterprise Questions this afternoon, Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD will call on the Government to bring in new measures to level the playing field between commercial landlords and their business tenants.   ?Ireland is uncompetitive and costs are too high. [...]..more

• Varadkar proposes new form of Social Partnership Image by Conor Pendergrast via Flickr A new type of social partnership offering universal health care, State-backed pensions and targeted welfare in return for public and private sector reforms is being proposed by Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade and Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD today (Thursday).   Addressing the Industrial Relations News conference in the O?Reilly Hall in UCD [.....more

• Parking System in Connolly Hospital must be changed Image via Wikipedia Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Leo Varadkar, has called on the management of Connolly Hospital to change the pay-and-display parking system which is causing problems for patients and visitors. The pay-and-display car parking system is similar to that used for on-street parking in the City Centre. Drivers have to guess [...]..more

• No amount of IDA reports can fix a broken economy Image by via Wikipedia It?s time for Govt action, not ?old rope?   ?While I very much respect and value the work that has been done by the IDA over the years, no amount of reports, task forces, or strategy documents will fix our broken economy and get Ireland back to work,? Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade & [...]..more

• Green Light for traffic calming in Tyrrelstown and Diswellstown Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Leo Varadkar, has welcomed confirmation that traffic calming for the Diswellstown Road and the Tyrrelstown Boulevards will be provided this calendar year.    The traffic calming on the Diswellstown Road will be provided from council funds.  It is proposed to consist of twelve speed cushions and traffic islands along the [...]..more