Analysis

May 2022

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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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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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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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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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.

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Margaret Canning Opinion Cost of living crisis will only get worse as full impact of war in Ukraine still to be felt

Soaring energy prices are hitting us all in the pocket in a fast-deteriorating situation.

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Andrew Webb Opinion Time to fix the climate at any cost?

Climate scientists are unambiguous about the need for rapid reductions in carbon emissions to meet the aim of limiting average levels of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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Ralph Hewitt Opinion How the Ukraine conflict is starting to hit home – and we are all paying for it

For anyone who believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine is too far away to make a difference in our everyday lives, the shocking rise in energy prices will hit every household in Northern Ireland as a result.

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Marguerite Shannon Opinion Strategies are needed to prioritise developing soft skills in students

The last 24-months have highlighted the need to understand skills requirements and potential mismatches in the economy.

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February 2022

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John Simpson Opinion Invest NI has a chance for a fresh start

The performance of Invest NI in recent years is being closely scrutinised.

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Margaret Canning Opinion Frustration for Invest NI as it deals with budget uncertainty

Invest NI, which supports economic development here through grants to companies, is in a frustrating predicament where it is unable to function as normal due to a lack of certainty over its budget for 2022-23.

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Lisa Smyth Opinion Swann must untangle a complex and sometimes inconsistent rulebook as NI employers and staff wait

Health minister Robin Swann made his eagerly awaited announcement on Covid-19 restrictions on Monday evening.

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John Simpson Opinion The return to normal working is near

The Northern Ireland economy has been disrupted by a long period of coping with the pandemic.

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John Mulgrew Opinion The Ivy promises to deliver a ‘memorable experience’ in Belfast

What locals and visitors will be able to peruse on the menu when one, or more, restaurants within the Ivy Collection opens in Belfast city centre depends on what iteration — or iterations — it chooses to launch.