Behind the barricades of Leinster House lies a broader story: of a country thriving economically yet grappling with the quiet anxieties that shape politics and public life.
Ireland is in a bubble, not one related to credit, but to complacency and a misunderstanding of the world as it now is.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke talks through the nuances of Budget 2026, arguing that it is designed to bolster the indigenous economy at a time of global threats.
Vat reduction was the clearest Budget 2026 success for the Buswells NGO and lobby-group crowd. Everyone else had to settle for compromises in a budget that the finance minister said could not achieve everything.
The capital allocations in Budget 2026 simply confirm those in the National Development Plan. The Government’s challenge is “barriers to delivery,” Jack Chambers said.
Budget 2026 swaps short-term giveaways for long-term investment. The challenge now is whether fiscal restraint can hold in a system used to overspending.
In the first of a series of articles exploring the risks audited by State bodies, Fiscal Advisory Council records point to a scaling down of its activities unless its funding ceiling is raised.
Despite strong warnings from the Central Bank, the ESRI and the Fiscal Advisory Council, the government looks set to blow past its own spending rules. Colm McCarthy warns that Ireland risks repeating old mistakes.
While the Irish economy continues to thrive, it presents no justification for runaway budget spending and remains exposed to US risks – but still offers a healthier picture than those of its neighbours.
The economic and political situations of troubled France and confident Ireland could not be more different. Or are they?
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