Gavinsblog.com

Category: Irish Politics

  • Manning the barricades

    Courtesy of the Economist Intelligence Unit, an attempt to gauge the instability of countries around the world as the economic recession deepens. The report is available in PDF. Ireland is ranked joint 132nd with the UK on the social unrest index (being the 132nd most unstable), between Singapore and Tunisia. Of course that situation may…

  • The Brian Cowen story

  • Fianna Fail and house prices

    I came across another interesting article from the archives. This time it’s from April 3, 2001, and is an opinion piece by Maev-Ann Wren. It’s title says much: Why is Government against falling house prices? Wren argues that vested interests have a bigger role in Government circles than is widely known and the latter half…

  • Warning of problems

    While scanning through the Irish Times archives I came across this little gem. Tucked in the corner of the business pages on February 12, 2000, was this: “The former head of supervision at the Central Bank, Mr William Slattery, has reiterated his recent warnings about the danger of negative equity for house owners if house…

  • Paddy McKillen

    The Sindo has named a fifth member of the Anglo 10, along with the four already in the public domain. Mr McKillen is the man behind the successful Jervis Shopping Centre in Dublin and is a member of the consortium that recently mothballed the proposed U2 tower in Dublin docklands. So now we have: Paddy…

  • Green Party Ard Fheis 2009

    I made it here this morning and am updating on Twitter with the hashtag #gp09. You can also follow over at Scribble. 12.30: Got a good picture of Senator Dan Boyle playing with an iPhone before he takes to the stage shortly. 15.40: Someone in the Green party has apparently let slip that the date…

  • Ideas Campaign

    What a crock. It was launched on Prime Time last night by Aileen O’Toole, co-founder of The Sunday Business Post. In submitting an idea you also agree to its publication in any form by The Ideas Campaign. By submitting the idea you are thereby granting The Ideas Campaign the perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right to use,…

  • Anglo question

    Maybe someone out there can lend a hand. I was re-reading the Moriarty Report and came across this: The genesis of Guinness Mahon Cayman Trust Limited, and how it became a bank in its own right, has already been referred to. In 1984 it was sold by Guinness & Mahon (Ireland) Limited to Guinness Mahon…

  • Dempsey and Fitzpatrick

    I was interested to note the following: On June 13, 2002, it was reported that outgoing Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey made his appointments to the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. The appointments were: Lar Bradshsaw (Re-appointed chairman) Angela Cavendish (Alexsam Corporate Finance) Donal Curtin (Accountant of Byrne Curtin Kelly) Declan McCourt (Auto dealer OHM…

  • Shane Ross responds

    Says Ross in last Sunday’s Independent: LAST April I met a hotshot Dublin businessman in a southside pub. He was not a household name but — at that time — he was as rich as Croesus. And he was angry at a piece I had written about Anglo Irish Bank. The meeting was cloak and…