Irish, EU & international politics & economics
By Emma Clancy. A decade of austerity imposed by the European Union institutions and EU member state governments has caused significant deterioration in healthcare services across the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the EU’s healthcare and public sectors to be ill-equipped to respond to the outbreak in accordance with […]
By Conor McCabe. This article is the third in a four-part series adapted from the Unite union’s policy document, Hope or Austerity: A Road Map for a Better, Fairer Ireland After the Pandemic, written by Conor McCabe. In its response to the Covid-19 economic challenges faced by businesses – particularly micro and […]
By Helena Sheehan. Of the many dimensions of the present pandemic that is swamping our lives and suspending our normal reality, one of the most central has been the role of science. Every report on our all-virus-all-the-time news references science. The new media stars are epidemiologists, virologists, mathematicians, physicians and […]
By Conor McCabe. This article is the second in a four-part series adapted from the Unite union’s policy document, Hope or Austerity: A Road Map for a Better, Fairer Ireland After the Pandemic, written by Conor McCabe. The effective shutdown of large sections of the Irish economy has led to the introduction […]
By Manon Aubry and Martin Schirdewan Covid-19 has brought the world to a standstill, claiming thousands of lives and bringing economic hardship to millions. As EU governments now take steps towards reopening, the need to avoid the mistakes of the past and reimagine the European project is greater than ever. […]
By Conor McCabe. This article is the first in a four-part series adapted from the Unite union’s policy document, Hope or Austerity: A Road Map for a Better, Fairer Ireland After the Pandemic, written by Conor McCabe. The Irish government’s initial response to the outbreak of COVID-19 was somewhat slow […]
By Niamh Ní Bhriain. Back in February, when murmurs of Coronavirus seemed irrelevant to most of us, people came together in Ennis, Co. Clare, for a hustings event in advance of the general election. The sense of anger was tangible in the crowd. There was a chorus of outrage that […]
By Emma Clancy. After the Eurogroup meeting concluded last night, Eurogroup President and Portuguese Finance Minister Mário Centeno tweeted: “The Eurogroup answered the call from our citizens for a Europe that protects. We agreed to 3 safety nets (for workers, businesses & public finances) adding up to half trillion euro, and […]