http://www.shane-ross.ie Independent TCD senator Shane Ross Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:59:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en “The clearest account of [Ireland's] fall from grace comes from Shane Ross, a stockbroker-turned-business journalist, and Senator with a record of exposing corruption.” The Economist “Read this super book. Cry, get mad and get even.” Irish Times “There aren’t many better at puncturing the pompous world of Irish banking than Ross.” Sunday Tribune “Prose that sizzles ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/670/the-bankers-2/ WELCOME to the third farce in banking. Yes, that appears to be one of the Government's glib solutions to the banking crisis. The plan of action is to merge EBS, Irish Nationwide and Irish Life's banking arm into a third force. Anyone else who wants to join in is welcome. Halifax Bank ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/703/the-third-farce-in-banking/ AER Lingus still rules OK? Last Wednesday a basement in the bowels of Leinster House resembled a padded cell for the insane. Michael O'Leary has turned the lunatics in the aviation asylum on their heads. A man who was shedding no less than 1,100 jobs at the airport descended to the ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/699/mary-muddled-or-muzzled/ MICHAEL O'LEARY is offering Mary Coughlan a simple deal. Give me Hangar 6 and I'll give you 300 jobs. More chillingly put: no hangar no jobs. That is the way he does business. Three arms of the State have joined forces to block him. While Michael is parading himself on the airwaves, they ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/697/mary-and-the-little-tramp/ SHED no tears for the Halifax Bank of Scotland; but say a prayer for the 750 people that the retreating bankers are dumping on Ireland's dole queues. Far from increasing competition in the Irish market the Scottish invaders have spread contagion around Ireland over the last decade. They are exiting a ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/694/good-riddance-to-invaders/ DID you ever surrender your savings or pension fund to the tender mercies of Goodbody stockbrokers? Or, for that matter, to any stockbroker? Goodbody is owned lock, stock and barrel by the mighty, but deeply troubled AIB. Not a comfortable corner for any poor sinner; but imagine the dilemma of a stockbroker ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/690/goodbody-takes-a-bath-in-aib/ SHOULD small business take to the streets? As public service unions gear up to damage the economy, small business — the backbone of Ireland — is being bled dry by the banks. Credit is dead. Healthy outfits are being driven to the wall by the bucketful. Public servants have trade unions ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/687/sfa-no-small-firm-saviour/ AS I arrive at RTE's hospitality room for the Frontline programme, there are only two people present. Pat Kenny offers the usual polite greeting while there is a freeze from the other man in the room. His face, or the small part of it that the world ever sees, looks ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/683/cie-could-constipate-an-actuary/ PATRICK Honohan has made a dream start as governor of the Central Bank. He is already gloriously offside with the Government, his patrons. Brownie points for Patrick. Brian Cowen must be spitting blood at the governor's call for an inquiry into what went wrong in the banks. Brian Lenihan's protegee had ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/680/let-patrick-lead-the-probe/ BRIAN Lenihan was born to be Taoiseach. No, nothing to do with his pedigree. Lineage once gave you a leg up in Irish politics, but no more. Of course, the finance minister is blessed with tribal bonds unequalled in Fianna Fail. Of course, his father Brian senior and grandfather Paddy were ... http://www.shane-ross.ie/archives/677/taoiseach-in-all-but-name/