Relative to other world cities, Dublin continues to be one of the world's most expensive cities to live in.The latest edition of the Mercer Cost of Living Index reveals that Dublin is now the world's 16th most expensive place to live, marginally behind New York.Think about that for a sec. You're paying New York prices for Dublin living standards. Sad but true.This is two places higher than Dublin was last year, indicating that the cost of living relative to other cities is still rising in Dublin, despite cooling house prices. Conclusion: rip-off Ireland is still alive and well and scorching the wallets of everyone in the Pale.Moscow tops the list of the most expensive cities in the world to live - not a surprise to anyone who's tried to get accommodation there or even buy a sludgy coffee...
Following such box-office smashes as JFK - The Musical and Jerry Springer - The Opera, now we're getting an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza about the 1916 rising!Here's their pitch:Come with us on an incredible musical journey of courage, pride and determination, ‘1916’ is set against the backdrop of the Easter Uprising and political upheaval. Tracing the lives of those on the front line, the little people in the shadow of major events, this story of love and pain can only end in tragedy and betrayal.Nice! This comes from the people who brought you Subtransmission, a play described as the 'Anti-Mary Poppins'.Wherein, of course, a transvestite found on the internet comes to save a suburban family from hell, in case you hadn't guessed.Inevitably, the people behind this nonsense...
Living in denial seems to be one of the most common pastimes these days.In fact, it's probably the third most common pastime in Ireland today, behind slumping in front of the telly to watch CSI: Miami and slurping wine with friends while comparing the notional values of their overseas property portfolios.I thought it might be useful to run through a few known facts that people are living in denial of in Ireland today, just as a reminder and in the vain hope that some people might snap out of their torpor and face up to some of the scary realities that await us all.Today, we'll kick off with a biggie - the Irish property market.Irish property prices are about to collapse, because it is the biggest bubble in the global property market bubble. Yes, people have been predicting this for years,...
A Guardian journalist just spent seven months undercover as a member of the British National Party. Amazingly, he made it as high as London organiser for the party during his stint.Splashed all over the paper's front page today are his exclusive revelations, gleaned as a result of his undercover efforts. These include:Members are advised not to be racist or anti-semiticThey are told to act at all times in a way that brings credit to the partyThey use encryption software to protect their member listsThey occasionally use false names while on party business for fear of losing their jobs otherwise, especially those in the public sector.Is it just me, or do all of those 'revelations' seem perfectly sensible, and in some cases, admirable? I'm no fan of the far right, but from the sounds of...
Flagship BBC current affairs show Newsnight is inviting the public to vote on a series of 13 short films of 'citizen journalism', the best of which they will then show on the programme.Whether you care to vote or not, the subjects are all fascinating, each film is only two minutes long, and every one of them is worth a viewing.From a poor Cuban woman in a hurricane to the extent of immigration and integration in London and the now infamous video on how cocaine is made in Colombia, all the material on show is diverse, current, important and fascinating.My vote? It's gone to this lad's succinct and searing expose of the British government's witch hunt against alleged dole......