Of all the State-covered institutions for which information is available, IBRC (formerly Anglo) has – proportionately - by far the largest number of staff earning €100,000 a year or more. By Eadaoin O'Sullivan.

143 employees at State owned IBRC are earning €100,000 or more a year, according to information released in the Dáil to Fianna Fáil Finance Spokesman Michael McGrath.

At State-owned AIB, 861 employees are earning €100,000 or more, while at Permanent TSB the figure stands at 61. Bank of Ireland has yet to supply the information requested by McGrath.

According to its Annual Report for 2011, IBRC employed 1,186 people as of December 2011. Assuming no major change in staffing levels in the five months since, the figures released today indicate that some 12% of IBRC employees earn €100,000 a year or more. This ‘basic salary’ figure does not include other elements of the remuneration package, including pension contributions, subscriptions, health insurance and company cars.

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Had Labour remained in opposition, they could have increased their political capital, rather than destroying it. By Philip O'Connor.

Ever since they abandoned any pretence of socialism or social democracy to go into government with Fine Gael, I've found cause to be extremely critical of Ireland's Labour party. Naturally enough many members have contacted me to express their displeasure, via social media and otherwise.

But rather than clarifying their position, their communications to me throw up a whole new set of worrisome issues, not least regarding the party's view of itself.

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Controversy has erupted surrounding the Government’s use of public funds for an allegedly neutral “information” campaign for the forthcoming referendum on the “Stability Treaty” (aka the Fiscal Compact).

While the Referendum Act 1998 provides for an independent referendum commission to inform voters on proposed amendments, the Government has committed an additional €2million for a separate “information” campaign. This has been spent on a website, stabilitytreaty.ie, already live, as well as a booklet due to be sent to all households next week, along with a leaflet later in the Campaign.

Sinn Fein has declared it will seek legal advice on the constitutionality of this expenditure. Indeed, while the Government has responded that the campaign is “informative” only and therefore not unconstitutional, it is somewhat odd, to say the least, that it has decided to launch a separate publicly-funded campaign outside of the independent statutory framework that already exists for informing voters.

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On Monday afternoon, psychology and economics professor Erich Kirchler gave an interesting seminar here at the Kemmy Business School on the factors that affect taxpayer compliance or evasion. He finds two dimensions – power and trust – impact on the overall tax take. If the taxing authorities are seen to have high power, unsurprisingly this will mean greater compliance with tax laws. However it is equally important, particularly for self-assessment, that there is high trust in the system. If taxpayers don't trust the authorities to use tax revenue properly, then the level of taxes raised will fall. By Sheila Killian.

 

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Over the last 15 years Labour never saw its role as arguing for radically different politics, preferring to prioritise a return to government with Fine Gael. By Vincent Browne.

Eamon Gilmore's speech to the Labour Party conference last night could have been more plausible and, maybe, ultimately more electorally satisfying than the one which he delivered. (As this is being written prior to the delivery of the speech, I am assuming he adhered to the conventions of leaders' addresses at such gatherings, with the usual triumphalism, exaggerations and hype.)

Such a speech might not have stirred the faithful - still less the faithless - and there would have been none of the rapture which these addresses usually evoke.

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Essentially, the TD you elect does not matter. They have no power. So why continue with the charade of electing individuals - why not just vote for parties? By Philip O'Connor. 

Joe Costello's car-crash appearance on Tonight With Vincent Browne was another fine example of the capacity of our politicians to delude themselves.

His assertion that their first year in government had seen more of Labour's way than Frankfurt's way will have come as news to many - not least those in Frankfurt.

Or, for that matter, in Ireland.

Regrettably, and contrary to Joe's assertions, it hasn't been Labour's way at all, as they have repeatedly laid down and played dead in the face of the troika and their senior partners in government, Fine Gael.

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Ahead of the Labour Party's national conference in Galway this weekend, Labour TD for Dublin West and Swords, Patrick Nulty writes that his party's identity has been "somewhat eroded" since it entered government. Motions being put to party delegates, if passed, "will signal to the leadership that a new direction is required", Nulty writes.
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The claim that Fine Gael has to respect Michael Lowry’s mandate is hypocritical. By Vincent Browne.

Following the publication of the report of the Moriarty tribunal on 22 March 2011, Denis O’Brien said: “This judge [Michael Moriarty] is flawed...you have to challenge and I don’t care who it is, a judge when he’s flawed. I lost my challenges [in the High Court and the Supreme Court] against this judge because the judiciary have put a ring of steel around him because they know he was never up to the job of actually writing this report and subsequently said ‘God, we better protect this man’.”

The remark was not just a challenge to the integrity of Michael Moriarty, the chairman of the tribunal, but a challenge to the integrity of the judiciary as a whole. It was several days before any Minister responded. Enda Kenny never did so.

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