Analysis

May 2022

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Stephen Kelly Opinion Manufacturers like Schrader Electronics and Almac give us optimism for the future

Despite all that has been thrown at them, once again Northern Ireland manufacturing community is demonstrating its problem solving and positivity as they lead the fight for economic recovery post-pandemic and Brexit.

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John Simpson Opinion Northern Ireland firms’ pre-tax profits are on the up despite challenges

The 100 businesses earning the highest pre-tax profits, in the reports for the latest annual results, have, on average, improved their performance. Northern Ireland has over 100 locally registered companies which recorded pre-tax profits of £4.8m or over.

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Ann McGregor Opinion Investment in infrastructure is key to Northern Ireland’s recovery plan

A look at the list of organisations on this year’s Top 100 is a reminder, if it were needed, that Northern Ireland is home to fantastic businesses — innovators, exporters and global industry leaders in multiple fields.

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Andrew Webb Opinion All eyes on consumers as recession fears mount amid inflation shock

Starting with the dot com bubble bursting, I think I am on my fourth, maybe fifth, ‘once in a career’ economic shock. There was hardly time to draw breath between the most recent two – the pandemic and the inflation shock — both of which are having a profound impact on our economy.

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Maeve Hunt Opinion Despite it all, post-pandemic Northern Ireland is still in a good place

The last couple of years have posed an unprecedented challenge for society, for government and for business. It has been tough for many people. Many have struggled and some have experienced personal loss and tragedy.

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Glyn Roberts Opinion We need to empower people to instigate retail change

The companies listed in this year’s Top 100 deserve to be congratulated on their achievements and should take time to celebrate rewards that have been reaped through hard work.

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Richard Ramsey Opinion After Covid-19, Netflix habit has come full circle

In practically every economy, bar perhaps territories like China, consumer spending is the dominant factor in driving economic growth. In recent years the pandemic and lockdown restrictions turned consumer spending habits on their head.

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John McGrillen Opinion Tourism in Northern Ireland is facing new challenges

Over the last two years resilience and collaboration has been the bedrock on which the recovery of our tourism industry has been built.

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Adrian Weckler Opinion No end in sight for Musk’s mean spat with Twitter chiefs

Can Elon Musk legally back out of buying Twitter at the $44bn (£37bn) price agreed? No.

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Richard Ramsey Opinion Toxic issues pile up for future Executive

If the politicians can agree to form an Executive following last week’s election, there will be no shortage of major issues for incoming ministers to deal with.

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Esmond Birnie Opinion Hard choices to be faced after NI election

It is commonplace to say that elections in Northern Ireland prioritise constitutional issues over so-called bread and butter ones.

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Adrian Weckler Opinion Elon Musk is destroying Twitter’s reputation for safe speech

What an asshole.

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April 2022

Margaret Canning Opinion Household budgets will need reworked to meet costs

Within 15 months, customers of SSE Airtricity in Northern Ireland have gone from having to find an extra £22 a year to pay for price increases, to a whopping £248.

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Mark Ennis, chairperson of SSE Ireland Opinion Maximising the potential for renewable energy

SSE was pleased to partner the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce recently as they hosted question and answer sessions from leaders of the five main parties, ahead of the Assembly elections next month.

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Adrian Weckler Opinion Netflix soon to crack down on shared accounts across households

It’s been a bad week for your ex-partner’s brother’s girlfriend. Just as she was starting to get into Peaky Blinders, Netflix has hinted that it’s about to crack down on shared accounts.

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Gillian McAuley Opinion NI Protocol: We need a united political voice to move from crisis to opportunity

Next week, voters across Northern Ireland will head to the polls in what is likely to be the most important election in a generation for business, and society as a whole.

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John Simpson Opinion Will the new Executive avail of fiscal options to benefit Northern Ireland?

After the elections on May 5, the Northern Ireland Assembly, working through the re-established Executive, will be able to bid for an agreement with the UK Treasury which would allow the Executive to vary many of the revenue taxes which currently apply on a UK basis..

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Eimear McGovern Opinion The arrival of Pret-A-Manger chain is a growing concern for independent businesses

On any given week I might buy a book from Amazon out of sheer laziness, call into Starbucks to drink something coffee-adjacent while using their free wifi or, having given up on the thought of cooking that evening, buy a cheeseburger from McDonald's in lieu of tarting up the healthy alternatives in my fridge.

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Dave Morrissey Opinion Why TikTok offers a bright future for social commerce

TikTok landed its billionth user in 2021, just four short years after its global launch — half the time it took Facebook, Instagram or YouTube and three years faster than WhatsApp.

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Jordan Buchanan Opinion Deposits too high for first-time buyers

This day two years ago, the housing market was effectively closed and would be for several months.

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Adrian Weckler Opinion Elon Musk might find that running Twitter is not rocket science – it’s much harder

Spare a thought for Sinéad McSweeney.

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Margaret Canning Opinion Figures don’t tell us whether the Spend Local scheme was a success or failure in helping local businesses

The figures behind the Executive’s £140m Spend Local scheme bring good news about how effective it was. But there’s also a lot they don’t tell us.

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Marguerite Shannon Opinion The labour market must be made more diverse

The demographics of Northern Ireland are changing. Growth in the working-age population has slowed significantly and will continue to slow over the coming decades.

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Paul MacFlynn Opinion Why war in Ukraine boosts net-zero case

In case you haven’t noticed, we are now in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

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March 2022

Richard Ramsey Opinion Food pricing to be drastically affected by war in Ukraine, Europe’s bread-basket

Exactly two years ago, we thought we were entering a food crisis.

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Margaret Canning Opinion Spring statement: Sunak has failed to ease the pain of the cost of living squeeze

In 2020, the Chancellor came to the rescue of businesses and their staff with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

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Thomas O'Hagan Opinion Time to get out of first gear in EV drive

The seemingly meteoric rise in the cost of fuel at the pumps is leaving many motorists considering whether now is the time to make the switch to lower or zero emission vehicles.

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Margaret Canning Opinion P&O Ferries: Operator of busy link with Scotland recorded £3.8m profit in 2020, but other factors at play here

P&O Ferries’ route from Larne to Cairnryan is a crucial artery in Northern Ireland’s sentimental and economic connections with Scotland.

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John Simpson Opinion Infrastructure plans for Northern Ireland disappointing and lack specific ideas

Just days before the First Minister resigned, followed by the Deputy First Minister, they signed an ambitious document Infrastructure 2050, the investment strategy for Northern Ireland.

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Simon Hamilton and Andrew Webb Opinion A large city centre population is the missing ingredient in Belfast’s regeneration

Belfast has been on an unprecedented regeneration journey over the last 20 years with new Grade A offices, numerous hotels and purpose-built student accommodation.