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1 week ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Mick Fealty
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) recently released an interesting comparison of the economies of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and there’s some pretty striking stuff in the report. According to their figures, disposable household income per capita in Ireland is around €25,334, way above Northern Ireland’s €19,603. Productivity levels are miles apart too—Ireland’s productivity per worker clocks in at €99,600 per year, compared to just €55,900 in Northern Ireland.
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1 week ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Arnold Carton |Mick Fealty
Why did Britain (or England) prosper in the late 1700’s and lead the way in the Industrial Revolution? Was this in part due to the earlier Glorious Revolution when our own ‘King Billy’ defeated the Catholic King James and ensured that Britain was a ‘Protestant State’ and had a Protestant work-ethic? Why do some countries like the USA become rich, while nearby countries like Mexico remain poor; what makes one country successful and another fail?
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1 week ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Mick Fealty
There’s two things I love about golf. One is the sheer beauty and multigenerational memories of the greats playing the Masters course in Atlanta, Georgia. The other is the boundless courage, natural decency and outrageous genius of Rory McIlroy.
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2 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Mick Fealty
Ministers describe Trump tariffs as “deeply regrettable” and warn that NI must not become “collateral damage” This week, NI politicians reacted to Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariff announcement. UK exports to the US will face a tariff of 10%, while EU goods have been hit with a 20% tariff.
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2 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Mick Fealty
The old Chinese curse that runs ‘may you live in interesting times’ holds today much as it ever did. Two days after Donald Trump announced his new tariff rates (and the international stock market when into meltdown), the air has yet to clear. Since the Second World War, the average US tariff has sat at around 4%, so what we are seeing is a remarkable shift in post war norms. World wide it is thought likely to affect around $700b of trade. Long established trade arrangements are up in the air.
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3 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | David McCann |Mick Fealty
The View had an excellent report last night highlighting some of the threats and abuse faced by our MLAs.An Electoral Commission survey on the 2024 UK general election found that many candidates continue to experience unacceptable levels of intimidation and harassment. A group of leaders from the Centre for Democracy and Peace’s Fellowship Programme have called for action to tackle the abuse.
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4 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | David McCann |Mick Fealty
Powered by RedCircleThe State of the State Report is back for 2025. With a full year of devolution under Northern Ireland’s belt, this report surveys sector leaders in Northern Ireland the public to find out their attitudes towards key issues. Northern Ireland has the biggest appetite for lower taxes of any region in the UK. 42% of people said they favoured lower taxes and lower spending. 27% said they preferred the opposite.
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4 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Mick Fealty
It’s rare for me to question or criticise or even quote a press editorial of any paper never mind that of my favourite The Irish Times. In twenty plus years of blogging I’ve never succumbed to the old habit of “fisking” and I won’t start now. But given the important influence of the paper, I thought I’d share a contrary view.
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4 weeks ago | 
sluggerotoole.com | Brian Clifford Pope |Mick Fealty
Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, has just made a shock announcement to the Assembly to send forensic accountants into NI Water to investigate a potential budget overspend. The short-term and long-term funding of the water industry and infrastructure is clearly becoming a political ‘hot potato’!Back in 2020 the then Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, published a report from the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Infrastructure detailing proposals for new Infrastructure Commission.
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1 month ago | 
sceptical.scot | Mick Fealty
It is gob smacking that the Dáil has yet to appoint any committees to scrutinise government in the sort of detail that is particularly necessary at a time in European history when the tectonic plates of international relations are shifting so radically. I cannot think of any time after civil war when the opposition in the south effectively went on strike and refused to do their jobs.
