Current Account »

• Brian Lenihan’s Patriotism

  December 9, 2008 @ 12:01 pm | by John McManus

  Northern Property developer – and Newry shopping center owner – Gerard O’Hare has a pop at Brian Lenihan and his call for shoppers to be patriots and eschew the bargains to be had north of the border this Christmas  in Francess McDonnell’s Belfast Briefing Column today.

  To quote Dr O’Hare:

   ”This is not about politics, it is about economics and those who are in charge of economics. This is all about bringing the benefits of two economies on the one island together and making the most of it.

  “That is what modern-day Ireland is about, and anyone who goes back to patriotism in the sense of nationalism is harking back to 1916 and 1921, when two-thirds of the island got themselves sorted out from the English hierarchy on that occasion and forgot about the rest of us for 60 years – don’t forget about that, Brian Lenihan – and I am not a republican”.

  Over to you Minister….

• Too little too late?

  November 25, 2008 @ 5:54 pm | by John McManus

  Economic issues are finally back on the agenda in Northern Ireland, but after a five month standoff over justice,  Stormont is having to play catch up when it comes to dealing with the recession, writes Francess McDonnell in her weekly Belfast Briefing column.

• Arlene Foster playing down North’s woes

  November 18, 2008 @ 2:08 pm | by John Collins

  In her Belfast Briefing today, Francess McDonnell asks if Northern Ireland’s economy minister, Arlene Foster, is in denial about the state of the North’s economy, which many believe is already in recession.

  “Foster is one of Northern Ireland’s most capable Ministers. She is articulate and intelligent but in recent weeks appears to have developed a worrying trend towards underplaying the severity of the economic downturn in the North.

  No one expects the Economy Minister to talk the North’s economy down – she is its first official champion. But what you might expect of an economy minister and a key economic government agency is a degree of awareness of the current situation.

  Foster claims she is “well aware of what the official statistics are indicating” but she also believes it is important not to “exaggerate our condition”.” 

  Hopefully with today’s news of a DUP/Sinn Fein deal the executive can get back to the task of shoring up the North’s economy.

• Time running out for North’s politicians to rescue economy

  November 11, 2008 @ 6:44 pm | by John McManus

  The Northern Irish economy continues to slow, with activity contracting for eleven straight months according to the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland Purchasing Manager’s Index. As Francess McDonnell, our woman in Belfast, points out in Belfast Briefing there are few businesses and companies in Northern Ireland that have been lucky enough to escape the slowdown in the economy, which serves to underscore the call from Arlene Foster, the economy minister, for her fellow politicians to put aside their differences and get to work on a plan to help rescue the local economy.

• It’s official – the whole island is in recession

  November 4, 2008 @ 11:31 am | by John Collins

  To date Denmark and the Republic have been the only two EU nations to meet the technical requirements of being in recession (two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth) although the European Commission has been predicting that Britain, Germany and Spain will follow suit this year. Yesterday it downgraded its forecast further and said “the economy is expected to come to a virtual stand-still in both the EU and the euro area in 2009″.

  New data released today by Ulster Bank in its NI Quarterly Economic Update suggests that Northern Ireland is now in recession as well.

  As columnist Francess McDonnell points out in her Belfast Briefing today “Northern Ireland has shot past the rest of the UK when it comes to the recession timetable” and business leaders are increasingly frustrated by the lack of leadership from the Executive which hasn’t sat since June.

  “Business leaders in the North have been urging politicians to put aside party loyalties and act in the best interests of “Northern Ireland plc”. But their appeals have met with little sympathy.”

  Read the full column here.

• Will high-tech Cinderella will have a fairytale ending?

  October 21, 2008 @ 2:36 pm | by John Collins

  BELFAST BRIEFING: Andor has huge potential but has yet to deliver on its promise, writes Francess McDonnell

  THERE IS the promise of a hint of drama tomorrow in west Belfast when shareholders in Andor Technology get the opportunity to vote on a proposal to take the company private.

  Andor is not only one of the North’s best-kept secrets; it is also one of its most frustrating.

  On paper, the Northern Ireland company’s potential appears limitless. But Andor has been in operation for nearly 18 years and has yet to deliver on its early promise. (more…)

• Executive deadlock seen as threat to Northern economy

  October 14, 2008 @ 11:20 am | by John Collins

  Francess McDonnell/BELFAST BRIEFING: THERE IS a potential collector’s item just waiting to be snapped up today in the Assembly shop in Parliament Buildings at Stormont in the North. On sale at £5.95 (€7.60) is a genuine, pristine Northern Ireland Assembly business card holder. (more…)