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Posts by Paul Sweeney

Paul Sweeney @paulsweeneyman

Paul Sweeney is former Chief Economist of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He is a member of the Economic Committee of the ETUC and chair of TASC’s Economists’ Network. He was a President of the Statistical and Social Enquiry Society of Ireland, a member of the National Competitiveness Council of Ireland, the National Statistics Board, the ESB, TUAC, (advisor to OECD) and several other bodies. He has written three books on the Irish economy and two on public enterprise, including The Celtic Tiger; Ireland’s Economic Miracle Explained and Selling Out: Privatisation in Ireland, chapters in other books and many articles on economics.

Varadkar turns out to be a surprising believer in State enterprise

Paul Sweeney 01/01/2018

Looking back over the year, an interesting speech by the Taoiseach, which got lost in the confusion around Brexit, deserves attention for three …

Eurofound

Paul Sweeney 19/12/2017

Eurofound My last blog focused on growing inequalities in Europe, which it was argued, is due to the breakdown in the Post War Social Compact (PWSC). …

The new European Pillar of Social Rights should help address Inequalities

Paul Sweeney 30/11/2017

On 17 November, A European Pillar of Social Rights was declared in Gothenburg by the European Parliament, Council and Commission. This Pillar …

Public Investment Good, Financialisation Bad

Paul Sweeney 14/06/2017

An interesting speaker at this Friday’s TASC conference in Croke Park will be Ṏzlem Onaran, Professor of Economics, University of Greenwich. She …

The EU cannot stop us investing the proceeds of the sale of AIB

Paul Sweeney 02/06/2017

The Government is trying to shut down the debate over what should be done with the proceeds of selling AIB. It blames the EU’s Stability and Growth …

Time to Break Up the Monopolies

Paul Sweeney 26/05/2017

A major reform which helped saved capitalism from collapse was regular decisions to break-up trusts or large companies. The 1890 Sherman Antitrust …

IMF Study of Downward Share of Labour Income is Recognition of the Major Economic Issue of our Time

Paul Sweeney 15/05/2017

A new IMF study of the downward share of labour income is some more recognition by the elite of a major economic and social issue of our time. With …

Good News on the Economy from Europe but a Warning?

Paul Sweeney 27/04/2017

There is some good news on the Irish economy from Eurostat. But hidden in the text is a warning to another member state, Luxembourg, that may …

There is no “value for money” in giving away public assets for nothing

Paul Sweeney 23/04/2017

The Minister for Health Simon Harris insists that “his ‘golden share’ in the new €300 million State-funded national maternity hospital means …