Category: Economics
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The Brexit bonanza for border smugglers
As Theresa May meets with representatives of the devolved governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales today, one key issue she will have to consider is the status of the Irish border after Brexit. Despite Westminster’s focus on controlling the movement of people, the movement of goods way be an equally thorny problem
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Stymied at Stormont
Brian Feeney has some interesting thoughts today on the paralysis of the Stormont Assembly, and particularly on Nigel Dodds’ rejection of an all-island investment body: Faced with a range of experienced financiers and economists the said Mr Dodds drew on his own vast expertise as a unionist nay-sayer and said, you’ve guessed it, "No". Northern…
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Salmond and Paisley unhappy with spending deal
Mark Devenport brings us news that the devolved administrations are not happy with Alistair Darling’s spending settlement: Alex Salmond met Ian Paisley at Westminster this afternoon. He claims NI and Wales are just as upset as he is about the Comprehensive Spending Review and they intend to work together to try to get a better…
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Call for all-Ireland investment body
Today’s Irish Times carries a very significant article by the chairman of Ulster Bank, Dr Alan Gillespie, calling for the creation of a new all-Ireland investment agency. Dr Gillespie expresses strong support for an all-island corporation tax rate, but suggests that the UK Treasury’s Varney review will probably only offer marginal concessions, so that a…
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Varney’s tax offer: a poisoned chalice?
Colm Heatley has a useful round-up of the outlook at Stormont in the next few months. In particular, he has a scoop on the Varney review: Sir David Varney, the man appointed by British prime minister Gordon Brown to head an economic review into the North, will next month make his findings public. What Varney…
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Alexander says yes to fiscal autonomy
Pat Kane of Scottish Futures has a very interesting post over at OurKingdom on Wendy Alexander’s first press conference as Scottish Labour leader elect. The old Labour slogan of “Scottish solutions for Scottish problems” became “Scottish solutions for Scottish aspirations”, explicitly recognising how the optimistic, democratic-nationalist agenda of the SNP has tapped into a desire…
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Aer Lingus flies into controversy
Aer Lingus’ decision to withdraw its Heathrow service from Shannon in favour of Belfast has produced an interesting clash between high and low politics, the grand vision of the all-Ireland economy on the one hand, and the more parochial perspective that is the daily bread of Irish democracy on the other. David McWilliams takes the…
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The North/South divide
The Institute for Public Policy Research has released details of a forthcoming study which shows that the North-South divide has grown during 10 years of Labour government: ippr north’s report cites Government figures that measure the gap between regions. These figures show that since 1997, the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside and…
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Bunting on NI Corporation Tax
It appears that Gordon Brown has set his face firmly against giving Northern Ireland a 12.5 per cent corporation tax in spite of a formidable campaign. Not everyone in the North thinks a regional corporation tax rate is the way forward in any case. Peter Bunting of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has delivered…
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Devolved finance ministers meet Treasury
Interesting news from the Western Mail: Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham held a meeting earlier this week with Assembly Budget Minister Jane Hutt and their counterparts from Edinburgh and Belfast. The Cardiff meeting, which was not publicised, discussed general funding issues for the devolved administrations. (ICWales)