The legislation which permits lockdowns was set to expire on 9th November last, but the Oireachtas extended it. It is expected the government will push for it to be extended yet again, beyond the current expiry date of 9th June. That should not happen. The legislation is Part 3 of the Health (Preservation and Protection […]
The good news here, you might say, is that at least Paschal Donohoe seems to envisage Ireland being fully out of lockdown by 2023. He’s going to get into hot water with the Zero Covid people, who markedly do not share that assumption. But that’s sort of where the good news ends: Paschal Donohoe said […]
Research conducted for the St Stephen’s Green Trust (SSGT) has found that over 80% of Travellers are unemployed. This means that 8,500 of the 10,650 Travellers in the labour force are out of work or unable to find employment. The data is contained in the Travellers in the Main stream Labour Market: Situation, Experience, and […]
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 […]