Professor of Economics at University College Dublin.
Sep 28, 2023 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Some of you will have seen the story of the apartment block in London ordered to be demolished because it failed to comply with the planning conditions. You may not be aware of other stories about these Irish developers, Luke and Brian Comer. A thread. theguardian.com/global/2023/se…
Close to where I live, an apartment block derlict since 2007. The Comers bought it in 2012. Despite a severe lack of housing, it's still a shell. galwaybeo.ie/news/galway-ne…
Mar 4, 2020 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Ireland's recent election was unusual by international standards for its intense focus on housing shortages, homelessness and the widespread need to build more housing. Events since however show that Ireland has as big (or bigger) a NIMBY problem preventing housing being built.
And often it's the same people who complained about housing during the election now blocking it. Rezone 55 hectares of industrial wasteland for residential? Sounds like a good idea. Dublin city councillors say no. irishtimes.com/news/environme…
Nov 17, 2019 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
We've been building to this for a few years but here it is. The first few paragraphs (prior to the actual book review, which is also pretty bad) are the worst paragraphs about Economics I have ever read. The money creation stuff is particularly execrable. nybooks.com/articles/2019/…
I'm not going to do point-by-point on this pile of nonsense but seriously who are these people who borrow $1 million just to keep it in the same bank they borrowed it from? Why do they do this? Do they just like losing money? Alternative theory: These people don't actually exist.
Oct 16, 2019 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Prediction: If Boris gets the EU to agree the whatever-this-is now withdrawal agreement deal, Brexit will happen and Boris will be PM for quite some time.
Will the deal pass the current Hoc? Maybe. Probably not -- DUP probably say no in the end, a few ERGers object, Labour MPs don't like lack of regulatory alignment, Hammond/Grieve types don't like the trade frictions with EU. Numbers don't seem to be there.
Aug 11, 2019 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
A medium-sized thread on the Irish government’s position on the backstop.
Irish public opinion is still supportive of the government’s position on Brexit but there is an increasing drumbeat of newspaper columnists suggesting they should back down in order to secure a withdrawal agreement deal with the UK.
