IT Sunday: The rising cost of living and a possible way to make Irish people wealthier

Welcome to IT Sunday, your weekly briefing on some of the best Irish Times journalism for subscribers.

As has been the case for some time, inflation and the cost of living were never far from the news agenda this week. This winter will present us with challenges we have not experienced for generations as the cost of living soars and uncertainty over energy grows. We have already seen energy prices increase by more than 50 per cent, with more increases likely.

With that in mind, Conor Pope this week compiled 25 potentially money-saving tips for the winter months ahead. Switching energy providers, spend-nothing days and eating more grains are among Pope’s simple recommendations.

Staying with the economy, David McWilliams examines what he deems to be possibly “the least well-appreciated chapter in the Irish economic story”: Ireland’s manufacturing sector. One way of harnessing the “manufacturing miracle”, McWilliams says, would be to establish a citizens’ wealth fund. “Imagine the transformative impact of a wealth fund accruing to every citizen, every year. How many start-ups could be de-risked using this citizen’s wealth as collateral for funding?” asks McWilliams. In fact, he writes, a wealth fund in tandem with a well-executed site value tax would bring down house prices, while increasing the personal wealth of every citizen, and it would broaden the tax base. “Surely that’s worth fighting for?” Read the piece here.

This week, tributes poured in from both sides of the Border and abroad following the death of former UUP leader, and former first minister of Northern Ireland, David Trimble — who died aged 77. In his column this weekend, Fintan O’Toole says Trimble was the one unionist leader who managed to break Ian Paisley’s “noxious spell”. And, during some crucial years, “without Trimble’s decision to negotiate and sign it, there would have been no Belfast Agreement. And without his courage in standing by it for long enough to make it a reality that even Paisley had to accept it, the agreement would not have held.” Read the full piece here.

Amid the continued fallout from the findings of the congressional committee investigating the US Capitol riots on January 6th, 2021, Michael McDowell has written about how QAnon, the network of bizarre conspiracy theories, is on its way towards becoming the US’s latest religion. McDowell notes that “while most Americans disbelieve and reject the beliefs of the QAnon conspiracy, recent surveys show that one-fifth of Americans share some of its beliefs, including more than 60 per cent of Republican voters who say they believe the last presidential election was stolen”, adding that this could have implications for Donald Trump’s chances at getting elected again.

In Sport, Ken Early previews the upcoming Premier League season, and how prodigious talent Erling Haaland might fare as part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City set-up: “Guardiola wouldn’t be Guardiola if he didn’t try to rewire him. It will be fascinating to see if Haaland has the patience to allow it.”

Getting through the long summer months with a young teenager can be very challenging. Secondary students in Ireland have longer school holidays than most countries in Europe and outside an exam year there is so much time for them to fill. This week, John Sharry gave advice to one parent who was worried as they felt their 13-year-old son was spending the entire summer indoors on his phone. “With school and all his sports stopped he does not have much to do all day and would spend it all day watching YouTube videos if he could,” the parent writes, adding that their son “gets depressed and very moody”. See what John Sharry has to say here.

In the latest Tell Me About It, Trish Murphy advises a man whose wife announced that she wanted to separate after five years of marriage. The man says he was taken by surprise and that the only explanation he can think of for his wife’s decision is the recent discovery of his fertility issues; he “cannot accept that the marriage is over, when there may very well be solutions” for conceiving, such as sperm donation. Read what Trish Murphy advises here.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including coverage of the All-Ireland senior women’s football championship final in Sport (preview here: Meath have the nous and experience to retain their crown), the latest rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, and tips for the best restaurants to try out in our food section. You can find more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

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