Partisan • Patriotic • Internationalist
For most workers, whether living standards are improving comes down to something fairly tangible: what comes into the household and what has to go out again. A pay rise matters because it increases the claim a worker can make on the goods and services produced by society, but that gain […]
Turmoil has characterised international bond markets across September. As a reminder, governments borrow money mainly by issuing bonds. Investors lend money to governments, receiving interest in return, with the original sum repaid later. Bonds are bought by typically large financial institutions: banks, pension funds, insurance companies and investment funds. They […]
Have pay increases for teachers kept pace with inflation over the last number of years? No, the same as the rest of the public service and, more broadly, most workers. Pay increases under the “Building Momentum” pay deal and the first two years of the Public Service Agreement 2024–26 amounted […]
UK consumer price inflation, the relevant measure for the North’s economy, was at 2.6% in June, down from 2.8% in May. Food inflation was just 1.7%, below the rates experienced during the 2022–2024 inflationary spike. The inflation rate has fallen, but the general price level remains roughly 30% above where […]
In May of this year, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers, TD, published details of an enhanced expenditure control and escalation process to curb what was described as out-of-control spending. It was stated by the Minister that spending was already over the 6% […]
The cost-of-living crisis has not disappeared and is set to get worse over the coming year. Prices are far above their 2021 level and the next pressure is likely to come again through essentials: energy, food, clothing, transport, heating and housing. These basics are already up multiples of wage increases […]
Growing up during the cold war, China was a distant, mysterious, menacing spectre. During my new left years, during the cultural revolution, China became a beacon of possibility, when masses seemed to be examining the foundations of knowledge and pushing at the boundaries of the social order. Then it seemed […]
My first car was a 1990 Mitsubishi Colt, which I picked up for €500. Although I did not love it at the time, I have recently been reminiscing about it. With comfortable seats, an ergonomic design and a reliable engine, I even remember the smooth motion of the door as […]
Recent reports on the Irish economy show that Modified Domestic Demand, a better estimate of economic activity than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ireland because it strips out some of the distortions caused by foreign multinational activity, rose by 0.3% between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, spurred by personal spending […]
Across Ireland, north and south, immigration has become one of the defining political issues of recent years. From the racist violence witnessed in Belfast to protests outside accommodation centres and anti-immigration demonstrations across the country, a familiar political argument is repeatedly advanced. Migrants are blamed for housing shortages, overstretched public […]
The Communist Party of Ireland expresses its solidarity with the workers and families affected by the announcement that up to 500 jobs are to be cut at Aer Lingus. The Communist Party supports trade unions in opposing compulsory redundancies but urges unions to demand nationalisation. These proposed redundancies are not […]
The Government’s Summer Economic Statement sets Budget parameters for 2027: an €8.5 billion package, involving €7 billion above the 2026 expenditure ceiling and €1.5 billion of tax measures. The €1.5bn announced for tax measures likely signals changes to income-tax bands, thereby preventing what is known as ‘fiscal drag’ – when […]
As we move into the summer, developments demonstrate continuing instability and geopolitical reorganisation of global capitalism. Throughout May and June, inflation remained stubbornly above target. As the business press reports, capitalists are no longer assuming an automatic return to the ultra-low-inflation world that characterised the 2010s; access to cheap capital […]
We are witnessing a full-court press of business lobbying against workers’ rights – specifically, for the focus of this article, but against so-called ‘gold-plated’ regulations more generally. Pay Transparency is meant to be legislated for and in place from June by the Government in Dublin. However, they have now said […]
Ireland is experiencing an inflationary slowdown. Forecasts point to growth falling from expectations of near 3% to now 1.6% for 2026. Higher energy prices, alongside the decline in last year’s exports surge, feed that dynamic. Inflation is likely to register at least 3.3% in 2026. There are already signs of […]
The rapid expansion of private credit over the past decade, previously discussed in October’s Socialist Voice (“IMF Fears Looming Capitalist Crisis”), has created a fragile pillar of global finance. Now estimated at roughly $2 trillion, the sector has grown by extending loans to riskier, often highly leveraged companies. As detailed in October, […]