Posts by Michael Taft

Michael Taft @notesonthefront
Michael Taft is an economic analyst and trade unionist. He is author of the Notes of the Front blog and a member of the TASC Economists’ Network.
Questions that should be put to the Minister
Michael Taft 27/07/2011
Michael Taft: The Cabinet has approved the interim Household Charge of €100, designed to ‘raise’ €160 million from 1.8 million households. …
Enclave-led recovery
Michael Taft 20/07/2011
Michael Taft:The Enterprise Minister was extremely upbeat about the recent CSO report that the trade surplus had grown. Mind you, it was not due to …
The butler did it
Michael Taft 14/07/2011
Michael Taft: On Morning Ireland, Fergal O’Brien, economist from IBEC, stated: “Austerity is not killing the economy." Oh. We are treading into, …
Trapped in an analytical prison
Michael Taft 07/07/2011
Michael Taft: Seamus Coffey has written a provocative post over at Irish Economy on the recent Exchequer statement, showing that Government borrowing …
A long, long, long way to go
Michael Taft 16/06/2011
Michael Taft: A good step; but a very small step: the Finance Minister’s announcement that the Government will seek a substantial write-down of the …
A picture paints a thousand essays
Michael Taft 07/06/2011
Michael Taft: After all the arguments, tables, charts and footnotes, sometimes it takes just a picture to tell it as it really is. Courtesy of Mark …
Why are businesses going out of business?
Michael Taft 01/06/2011
Michael Taft: To listen to employers’ groups and Minister Bruton, you’d think that businesses are going out of business because the lowest paid …
Stating the facts again .... and again
Michael Taft 10/05/2011
Michael Taft: Apologies for going over this ground again but if employers’ organisations insist on misrepresenting the issues, we have to keep …
Full steam nowhere?
Michael Taft 06/05/2011
Michael Taft: Sometimes we get a set of numbers which leaves us guessing. In some cases, we have someone who can give some insight. On the face of …
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Vic Duggan
Vic Duggan is an independent consultant, economist and public policy specialist catering …
Paul Sweeney
Paul Sweeney is former Chief Economist of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He was a …
Kirsty Doyle
Kirsty Doyle is a Researcher at TASC, working in the area of health inequalities. She is …