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Margaret Ward

This tag is associated with 18 posts

There’s a lot of living to be done in so-called old age

By ⋅ May 1, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Originally published as a business column in the Irish Times on May 5, 2009 Western society has hang-ups about ageing, and older people are often invisible or ignored.

Democracy at risk in media meltdown

By ⋅ April 3, 2009 ⋅ 4 comments

Ireland’s international reputation is in tatters thanks to strange goings on in business, government and regulatory circles. Now, more than ever, we need a strong investigative media committed to shining a light in all those dark places. Who dares to fund it?

The cost of “Keeping up with the Fitzpatricks”

By ⋅ March 6, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

Ireland needs a drastic shift in cultural attitudes – away from entitlement and towards personal responsibility. The arrogant aristocracy has made taxpayers as cheap as chips.

Mansergh vs. Ward on BBC2 NI “Hearts and Minds”: Youtube

By ⋅ February 27, 2009 ⋅ 20 comments

Martin Mansergh, junior minister for Finance, and I had a very lively discussion on the telly last night. We were, of course, talking about the economy. He was a nice man but he was completely unprepared. Our lovely interviewer Noel said we’d just have a nice discussion but it quickly turned into a row. I suggested [...]

Wanted: a maverick gunslinger to save us from the cowboys

By ⋅ February 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

WANTED: MAVERICK gunslinger to cut down enemies of the State. Year 2010: Tumbleweed blows through the empty streets of the International Financial Services Centre. The once proud little place in the wild west of Europe is almost abandoned. A few nervous survivors squint through cracked glass at the young, fair-haired woman outside. She is wearing [...]

Toxic tips from D’Oh School of Economics

By ⋅ October 3, 2008 ⋅ One comment

Originally published as a business column in The Irish Times, October 3, 2008 BREAKING NEWS: Homer Simpson has been operating the controls of the international financial system for the last several years. Mr Simpson, normally the animated nuclear safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Plant, is known to spend much of his time eating doughnuts, [...]

Wanted: celeb to emulate Buffett

By ⋅ May 13, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

The Irish Times Business This Week, May 11th 2007 On tonight’s episode of “Sage of Omaha: the next generation” Grandpa interviews his potential successors from Europe’s greatest economic success story – the Emerald Isle Stay tuned to see if they have the modesty, frugality, economic knowledge and common sense to become . . . the [...]

Sub-prime time or Abbatoir of debt

By ⋅ April 16, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

This column was originally published in the Irish Times business section on April 13, 2007. Fresh meat is needed to feed the insatiable appetite of the international abattoir of debt. Our Government has been waving a big juicy carcass in the air – your mortgages – for some time, writes Margaret E. Ward. Recently, the [...]

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