Being monitored

A poem by Sven Kretzschmar. The sit-in protesters of North Circular Roadtook their seats just when the word came aroundof the government spying on you and fellow artistsfor inadequate subordination to this green-great country.Brothers and sisters of basic dignity unclad in the lack of rebellious red, some in everyday clothes,others […]

What The Minister for Housing Proposes: Thinking Outside The Council House

A poem by Kevin Higgins. Easy for the Opposition to hang around overheated TV studios, spouting impossible promises which at this stage soundlike a recorded message from Santa Claus.But out there, in what I like to callthe world, a constituent of mineand his wheelchair recently spentthe coldest night of the yearin a discontinued […]

Talking period poverty with Homeless Period Ireland

Interview with Claire Hunt by Evelyn Flynn. Evelyn Flynn, a medical student from Dublin, sat down with Homeless Period Ireland’s Claire Hunt to talk period poverty.  EF: What is Homeless Period about? How did it come about? CH: In December 2016, the Homeless Period Dublin initiative was born with a view to helping women and girls who found themselves unable […]

The paradox of plenty: Why we all need to worry about precarious work

By Marie Sherlock. Looking from the outside in, the Irish economy is performing really well at the moment – on course to have the second-highest GDP growth across the European Union (EU) this year. Malta and Ireland have alternated positions at the top of the EU28 scoreboard for GDP growth […]

Brussels’ plan for bad loans is a second bailout for the banks

By Emma Clancy. Barely a word has been said in the Irish media to date about an extremely important new proposal from the European Union (EU) Commission – to develop a so-called ‘secondary market’ for non-performing loans. If implemented, this package of policies will directly cause an increase in evictions […]

The market can’t resolve this housing crisis

By Carly Bailey. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t hear mention of some facet of the ongoing housing crisis. Stories are regularly reported regarding the numbers of vacant housing lying empty and families left sleeping in Garda stations or in their cars. We hear about students […]