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.
All pain, no gain, no gain at all
Michael Taft 08/10/2010
Michael Taft: No doubt the Government will blame the need for increased contraction through a multi-annual budget on the banking crisis. There …
The Governor is wrong
Michael Taft 30/09/2010
Michael Taft: Patrick Honohan, the Government of the Central Bank, was on News at One today. He stated: ‘€3 billion next year will not do it …
Reading the fine print in export figures
Michael Taft 26/09/2010
Michael Taft: There was some cheer when the goods export figures were released on Friday. The Irish Times’ was positively bullish: ‘Strong growth …
Invest, tax and restore spending cuts: Challenging the deflationary orthodoxy
Michael Taft 23/09/2010
Michael Taft: Previous posts by Paul Sweeney and Sinéad Pentony refer to articles from two newspapers which occupy different ideological zones. Yet …
Debating on the Titanic
Michael Taft 20/09/2010
Michael Taft: The confusion between fiscal contraction (i.e. public spending cuts) and reducing the fiscal deficit continues apace. On Morning …
The bearable lightness of taxation
Michael Taft 16/09/2010
Michael Taft: In the run-up to the budget we will hear a lot about the ‘dangers of high taxation’. This will be used to justify a programme of …
Jim's equation
Michael Taft 02/09/2010
Michael Taft: ‘The bank is something more than men, I tell you. They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money. It's the monster. Men made …
The excuse factory
Michael Taft 27/08/2010
Michael Taft: During the Greek debt crisis, we were constantly told that we weren’t Spain or Portugal or Italy, that the international markets were …
Airbrushing in
Michael Taft 23/08/2010
Michael Taft: Here is an antidote to recent attempts to airbrush out of the economic debate anyone who doesn’t follow the line. An Irish Times …
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Contributors
Shana Cohen
Dr. Shana Cohen is the Director of TASC. She studied at Princeton University and at the …
Paul Sweeney
Paul Sweeney is former Chief Economist of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He was a …
Vic Duggan
Vic Duggan is an independent consultant, economist and public policy specialist catering …