Succession planning in sport: From kings to loose-heads

The majority of policies agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party to achieve the transition towards a greener economy were already known from previous commitments or set in EU legislation. Yet a new level of ambition is emerging, with concrete actions most clearly spelled out in transport – and a lot left to be teased out in agriculture.

There will be many commissions, task forces, committees and action plans. But these are all subject to the fundamental rule that what is bought by the government must be paid for. As Tom Waits said: “The large print giveth, the small print taketh away”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has chosen confrontation over conciliation. As Covid-19 reshapes global supply chains, a more affirmative China offers both challenges and opportunities for Ireland, writes Ian Lahiffe in Beijing.

More than five trillion dollars is sitting in low risk/low yielding investments. Once the pandemic shows signs of stabilisation, we can expect that investors will put this money to work. Plus, the central bank stimulus will drive the market.

The political contortions in Britain and the US matter greatly to Ireland. But the unfettered weirdness of the past three months makes it clear that we need another election this summer.

What will the reopening mean for different sectors of the economy? Up to date data show some firms are about to get Christmas-eve levels of demand, while others see the middle of Lent. How should the government react?

The second instalment of ECB’s pandemic plan is unnecessary and rushed. But the actions are also likely to put a floor in equity markets - the combination of aggressive monetary stimulus measures and on-going fiscal stimulus measures is a benign omen for equity markets.

In the aftermath of a crisis, the data shows that highly skilled workers - rock star employees - seek the safety net of larger employers with less debt and more certainty. Unless we make policy changes, Irish indigenous exporters and early-stage high growth companies are likely to bear the costs.

The sea-change towards remote working has been bubbling under the surface for years - not only as a employee acquisition and retention strategy, but as a way to solve many societal issues. And as we have seen in this crisis, it has been implemented smoothly and quickly.

There's a growing consensus among policy wonks that, for depressed economies, fiscal stimulus is the way to go. The problem is that the prescription doesn't fit Ireland very well. Government spending relieves suffering but in Ireland, it doesn't grow the economy.