Belfast Telegraph

Opinion

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John Simpson

The removal of stamp duty on properties priced less than £175,000 will tempt some back into the housing market, but as Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie  recognises, we can expect to see the for sale signs remaining unless fundamental adjustments are made

Homeowners pay 24% of income on their mortgage

Many housebuilders are facing frightening losses as market prices have fallen to the point where past costs cannot be covered at realistic prices. Where does blame fall: greedy or careful developers trying to anticipate the market place? Planners because they have over restricted the issue of planning approvals?
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Inside John Simpson

Are we really getting value for money from Translink?

Monday, 22 September 2008

Translink has published its attractive annual report for 2007-8. Passenger numbers are rising and over 70% of customers say that they are satisfied with the services offered.
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Gas and electricity bills spark boisterous debate

Sunday, 14 September 2008

Household home fuel bills are more than 50% higher than a year ago.
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The Innovation Centre at Belfast Science Park

Research, innovation and business development...

Monday, 25 August 2008

Our universities have a good record in these fields, but can they deliver more impressive results?
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There is scope for ministerial action by Social Development Margaret Ritchie on social and affordable housing

Housing market must adjust to realistic prices

Monday, 18 August 2008

The housing market in Northern Ireland is suffering the pain of an inevitable correction. For some stakeholders, there is pain, big pain, before there will be gain! Most owners of houses purchased in 2006-7 are, theoretically, living with negative equity. More importantly, builders and developers who were assembling land for development in 2008-10 are facing a total capital loss possibly in excess of £300m.
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The construction industry, both north and south of the border, has seen order books almost disappear for some firms

Same credit crunch, same crisis: but what impact?

Monday, 11 August 2008

Internal action needed to save Irish housing market from global economic slowdown. Whether there will be a recession or how much average living standards will fall is uncertain. What is certain is that jobs will go and, for many, living standards will fall.
Comment: 1

Executive decisions vital to safeguard NI Water’s future

Monday, 4 August 2008

NORTHERN Ireland Water (NIW) is too important as a public utility to be a shuttlecock between uncertain political direction and aggressive regulatory intervention.
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The Port of Belfast?s £630m investment plan envisages a doubling of capacity at the port by reclaiming a further 120 acres of land

Let Belfast Port lift the economy to new heights

Monday, 28 July 2008

The Port of Belfast has a £630m investment plan. This is desirable investment that should earn its own commercial return. Funding could come partly from the reserves built up by the port and partly by commercial borrowing.
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Boom times for border as shoppers flock north

Monday, 21 July 2008

How Newry is becoming a very attractive city for southern bargain hunters Break for the border: nearly four in 10 shoppers at one shopping centre in Newry is thought to be from the Republic.
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John Simpson: Clutching a defeat from the jaws of easy victory

Monday, 7 July 2008

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), with links to Tourism Ireland, now has better market prospects than at anytime for the last 35 years.
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Just let wind huff, puff and heat our buildings

Monday, 9 June 2008

Northern Ireland, along with the Republic, is well endowed with a valuable asset. There is sufficient potential energy from wind power to generate over 40% of the electricity needed on the whole island. That headline needs to be qualified.
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Holding the regulator to account over gas prices

Monday, 5 May 2008

On Thursday April 24 the public was informed that, for customers of Phoenix Natural Gas, prices would rise on May 1 by 28%.
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Premier Power, which runs Ballylumford (above), has issued a complaint about the outworking of the single electricity market on the island of Ireland

On the economy: Sparks between generators

Monday, 17 December 2007

Last month the single electricity market (SEM) for the island of Ireland was launched. But now an early commercial crisis has led to complaints from Viridian and Premier Power to the regulators about the outworking of the SEM.
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Finance Minister Peter Robinson has squeezed current spending quite hard

Budget hype exceeds the real allocation

Monday, 10 December 2007

The draft Northern Ireland budget has the objective of strengthening the regional economy. However, the proposed allocations are not entirely convincing in the current and capital budgets or departmental allocations.
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On the economy: Cash job no hanging offence

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

There is a lot of undeclared work about but no-one knows for sure how much. Does it matter? Tax and national insurance evasion is illegal but is sometimes ignored.
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In pictures: Doing the business

  • Paul Doherty, Managing Director of Urban Art with Des Gartland, Manager of Invest NI's North West Regional Office.
  •  At the launch of PricewaterhouseCooper's seminar programme are from left, Gerard Finnegan, from PwC's Derry office, Martin O'Hanlon, Dungannon and John Hannaway from PwC Belfast.

Cream of the crop in the business world

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Columnist Comments

view_from_dublin

View from Dublin: Beware of the midnight mugging on October 14

One of many possible reasons for having an early Irish Budget in October may be contained in the fact that new taxes on the “old reliables” — drink, fuel and and tobacco — would come into force at midnight on October 14.

john_simpson

John Simpson: Gas and electricity bills spark boisterous debate

Household home fuel bills are more than 50% higher than a year ago.

view_from_london

View From London: Interest rate cuts will only reduce the short-term pain

Those who oppose interest rate cuts seem to base their arguments on one of three ideas. First, rate cuts won't work. Second, rate cuts will simply reignite earlier housing or stock market bubbles. Third, borrowers simply don't deserve rate cuts. Some people seem to believe in all three of these ideas, an approach which, to my mind, is nonsensical.

Weekend magazine launch

  • Pictured at the launch of the Belfast Telegraph Weekend party at House of Frazer are from left to right:  Laura McManus, Chris Love and Cathy Martin.
  • Pamela McGookin (Belfast Telegraph), Gary Flynn (Brand Manager Corona) and Eimear Parke (Victoria Square).
  • Martina Magee (Spirit), Eimear Parke (Victoria Square) and Sally Smyth ((Victoria Square).

Weekend magazine launch

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Heading Out In Northern Ireland

  • Aoife MacSherry, Holly Seymour, Laura McDonald and Maeve Browne at Oktoberfest in Custom House Square

Northern Ireland Nightlife in Pictures