If you don’t agree with the protestors in Dublin city centre on Saturday, that’s fine. I am not sure I do myself. Or I haven’t really engaged with what they are protesting about to understand what aspects of ‘lockdown’ are being protested. However, I understand why many felt the need to protest and the right […]
Bord na Móna has moved to end all peat harvesting from Irish bogs – now Irish workers watch as briquettes and energy are being imported from Germany and elsewhere. Gript speaks to some of the people affected. #gript
Two new reports have highlighted that, while the world’s richest people have made billions during the pandemic, the number of people living in poverty has doubled, with the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs lost across the globe. The International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, says that 8.8 per cent of global working hours […]
All peat harvesting and production has been stopped AHEAD of schedule, leaving Ireland importing peat for power AND for horticulture. All to keep hanging even more Irish workers out to dry. Ben Scallan reacts. #gript
One of the unforeseen consequences of the closure of the midland peat-burning power stations is the threat to thousands of jobs in the horticulture sector because of the sudden shortage of horticultural peat. Last year, Bord na Mona suspended all peat harvesting on its bogs, and peat-burning power stations were closed down ahead of schedule, causing “significant shock” to […]
For most of the past two decades, Ireland’s economic strategy has been predicated on keeping corporation tax low, and attracting multinational companies to invest in Ireland. By and large, it’s worked a treat, with some downsides that we’ll come to in a moment. But attracting companies is one thing. Attracting skilled workers to lead and […]
To make sure everyone suffers equally, Gardaí are now making spot checks at Tesco and Dunnes and Aldi to be sure that nobody is buying coats or scarfs or underwear. Here was Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, explaining how he was saving us from the self-harm of buying coats and other ‘non-essential’ goods this winter. Tánaiste Leo […]
“NO MEN NEED APPLY”: Irish politicians go full-radical feminist. Ben Scallan reacts #gript
I’m writing this on the evening of day six of our four week “lockdown” (as if we were in prison) in New Zealand. So far we have survived pretty well, something I put down to having jobs which have so far not been too disrupted by the shutting down of the entire country, and good […]
Independent TD Carol Nolan has said communities throughout Offaly and the midlands have been left devastated by the shock announcement from ESB management that both the West Offaly Power and Lough Ree Power Stations are to cease the generation of electricity at the end of December 2020. Deputy Nolan was speaking after ESB issued a […]
It’s a brave new world for the IRS: taxing robots. Uncle Sam is padding the Treasury with millions of dollars to assess bots at the same time that corporations invest more in advanced technology and labor-saving machinery, according to experts. New “robot” taxes are expected to multiply in the coming decades as millions of Americans […]