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Boston Consulting Group has released new research showing how marriage equality has bolstered wealth and wellbeing. We discuss the findings, including a higher net worth and spending for married same-sex couples. The “durable relationships” debate gets a mention. We also look at the latest CSO population projections (2023-2057). It shows a range of projections for a population as high as 7 million...

After years of political uncertainty, the UK has decisively voted in a new Labour government with a supermajority. We delve into the election results and scrutinise the First Past the Post voting system—has it outlived its usefulness? The new administration hit the ground running, but decades of historically low investment present significant economic challenges for the new Chancellor, Rachel Reev...

When the US economy sneezes, the world catches a cold. For a change, we focus this episode on the US economy and the various data points that reveal its strength. The post-COVID years have seen a solid US recovery, and if it continues, it will give a strong incumbency advantage to the US Democrats into the November election. However, all recoveries eventually wane, and the US will be no different....

Daft.ie released their Quarterly House Prices report for Q2 of 2024, showing housing prices nationally rising again! With housing inflation on the radar, we look at house prices in the context of loans and prices – how do ratios compare with the world? Ireland is on an election footing, and we speculate (or place a bet like in the UK!) when we are going to the polls – pre- or post-budget? It’s les...

Hugh O’Connell is Political Editor for The Sunday Times in Ireland. Having spent more than a decade reporting and writing on politics in Ireland, we discuss with Hugh the fallout from the 2024 local and European elections. With a mixed bag of results, did the government win? Did the opposition lose? Or a bit of both? What made things go completely wrong for Sinn Fein, is Mary Lou a busted flush? W...

It’s D-Day (literally) and tomorrow and over the weekend Ireland and Europe decides in crucial elections. We look at how the elections will logistically unfold. With underwhelming performance by Sinn Fein in the polls and an uptick for Fine Gael, will there be sweeping change? We look at how social media affects campaigning. Nigel Farage returns and Reform UK surges in the polls, are the Conservat...

As the UK general election campaign unfolds, national service is the big Tory policy offering to the young electorate. The UK Labour Party picks up significant business support. We look at how this compared to Sinn Féin in Ireland, which has traditionally lacked such support. Ireland’s far-right is a real movement, but the local elections might reveal it to be a movement absent from the doorsteps....

With inflation “beaten”, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a general election for 4th of July (Independence Day!). We look at the numbers and examine what are the indicators that may spell trouble for his gamble. The Housing Commission has said the Government’s housing policy needs a “radical” reset; we examine what the ideal housing target is. Ireland is world leading in population growth...

PTSB announces a large cut in mortgage interest rates and more could be ahead. We compare the Irish and UK markets and explore if this (unfortunately!) will lead to house prices increasing again. It’s been a busy week in Silicon Valley with the next generation of artificial intelligence products being released, we explore the impact AI might have on jobs and the economy, and will it be a net posit...

With Elon Musk sounding the alarm on the birth rate crisis that affected the Roman Empire and now our generation, we examine the causes and possible solutions and if history is doomed to repeat itself. Good news might finally be on the horizon for the Dublin rental market and we examine the increase in housing stock while also looking at the effect of rent controls on the housing market and their...

Do you need to have a partner or significant other to buy a home? We examine the rise of dual income mortgages and has there been correlation or causation to higher house prices in Ireland and across the world. With asylum seekers reportedly heading to Ireland en masse because of the UK’s ‘Rwanda Bill’, which has earmarked the country as safe for deportation, we look at where does the spat go from...

What did the government know before proposing to widen the definition of the family at the March referendums? We look ahead to what asylum applications might do in the coming quarters, and how it feeds into politics. As Paschal Donohoe takes to Instagram to share the latest business grant, we discuss if corporate welfare is the new norm in the Irish economy. We respond to a listener who asks if po...

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