Jim Power is putting the Government’s latest financial strategy, ’Ireland Connected’, under the microscope and you don’t want to miss it.

A clean and safe water supply is vital for our economic prosperity, writes Jim Power.

Amidst all of the political chaos that has enveloped the world over the past year, the emerging global growth recovery has been gaining scant attention, other than by equity markets.

The world of politics has been thrown into total and utter disarray over the past couple of weeks. Donald Trump has hit the ground running as US president and has introduced a number of executive orders that have created global apoplexy.

As somebody who grew up in a remote area in rural Waterford, I have watched with despondency as the Irish countryside has become increasingly denuded of economic activity, social vibrancy and young people.

This is a big, big week for the global economy and international geopolitics.

Fewer than two weeks into the new year the domestic news agenda continues to be dominated by various crises: The hospital system, the problem of homelessness and the latest political crisis in the North.

Over the holiday period, I met a retired businessman who asked me, in a very concerned way, about the possibilities for the Irish economy over the coming year.

‘May you live in interesting times’ is an old Chinese curse that has resonated strongly around the world over the past year. 

Last week, I wrote about how strange and interesting 2016 was from a global political perspective. However, it was also a strange and interesting year from a domestic political and economic perspective.