John FitzGerald

Regulatory obstacles may stymie State ambition on carbon budgets

Government intervention was always seen as essential, and few economists see the pursuit of growth as the only goal

Best solution to consumers’ pain is for the Government to act to protect those on low incomes

Modern bank runs can escalate within minutes rather than weeks due to online social networks posing new challenges for central banks

Northern Secretary has blamed the £300m unplanned overspend last year on the absence of a government in Stormont

Obsessive focus on avoiding indebtedness forces countries to slam on the breaks in hard times, making the damage far worse than necessary

Lack of agreed international regulation, or taxes, means flying is likely to be the last battleground on fossil fuel use

By delaying the gratification from spending the bonanza today, the State will get much better value for money

A savings glut and low interest rates risk overheating the Irish economy and pushing house prices higher

Failure to address regulatory obstacles to climate-friendly forestry planting traps farmers in unviable and damaging beef cattle farming

John FitzGerald: State had been ne of northern Europe’s poorer countries, it is now one of the richest

European banking system appears to be better regulated and prepared for downsides but there could still be hidden problems waiting to emerge

Current mix of support mechanisms for producers is unnecessarily costly for consumers and uncertain for renewables investors

The €140m paid to lawyers by the State Claims Agency in 2021 represented approximately 15% of the profession’s income that year

John FitzGerald: Increasing the supply of rented accommodation, including social housing, is the better way to go