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HE’S IRELAND’S FOREMOST celebrity economist and, as you might expect, David McWilliams’ own media company is doing pretty well as a result.
Iconic Media Limited, which was established in 1999, handles McWilliams’ numerous media interests.
The company posted accumulated profits of €629,846 for the year ended 31 March 2014, an increase of some €20,000 on 2013. This remains someway short of the company’s most profitable year (2012) however, which saw figures jump by €209,000.
The company boasts financial assets of €1.16 million at present, while its shares are worth €1.27 a pop.
McWilliams himself is the sole shareholder, with both he and his wife Sian Smyth serving as the company’s directors. The company is officially listed as a small business, that is one whose balance sheet does not exceed €4.4 million.
Along with his various appearances on radio and television, McWilliams writes weekly on economics for both the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post. He is also the author of several bestselling books on economics and Ireland.
The economist has become something of a go-to media figure when it comes to dissecting both the recession and the financial implosion of the country’s banks.
He was famously intensely critical of the property bubble that emerged in Ireland in the early 2000s, one of the very few to express such views at the time.
Last month McWilliams made one of the standout appearances to date at the government’s banking inquiry.
The inquiry has been a relatively dull affair to date (though that is soon to change) so McWilliams be-sunglassed appearance has proven to be something of a highlight.
He detailed the advice he had given to then finance minister Brian Lenihan as the credit crunch began to bite in late 2008, whilst also suggesting that Irish people have ‘an inability to accept reality’.
First published at 12.30pm
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He deffo needs to set himself aside from the torys on this or he will be sent to the waste bin also
@JG: he’s appealing to the uk public. They don’t like strikes or union leaders and politicians on picket lines waving copies of socialist worker about. Its why Corbyn lost in a landslide.
@Tom Quin: Every poll on the rail workers strikes had the public in support of them.
I take it back a YouGov poll didn’t. Savanta Comes poll of 2,300 58% of the people questioned said the strikes are justified, with 34% deeming them unjustified.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: No it doesn’t.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: The only ones showing support I can find are the ones carried by or for the RMT. No suprises there.
@Tom Quin: The Savanta ComRes poll wasn’t Carrie out for the RMT. Its funny how we only see what we want to see isn’t it Tom?
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: It must be the only one then, an outlier. An online one rigged by activists probably.
@Tom Quin: The IPSOS one was equal support at 35% to opposition at 35%. Doesn’t show the British public detesting unions. The only reason the Tories do so well is because the Brits use FPTP elections. It’s well established UK Labour would come out on top with PR voting. So no the British people don’t hate the left.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness:
Keeping in mind that, despite the name, YouGov is a private polling company founded by a conservative party member who is now a conservative party MP.
@David Bourke: Absolutely, good point that!
They sabotaged their party from within with their revolt on Corbyn. It’s no wonder they’re a bit lost for direction these days when they promoted a fence sitter to party leader.
@Rochelle: With FPTP electoral system and a very hostile media, Corbyn was never going to get in.
@Rochelle: Corbyn handed the Conservatives their biggest majority in donkeys years. He let Boris off the hook when he was suffocating to death through the pressure of brexit and a minority government. Corbyn showed the worst judgement of any leader in modern history when he agreed to that election. He then bombed out un the election campaign. He will be remembered as one of the worst Labour leaders in history. His decisions, scandals and his unprecedented unnecessary election defeat will ensure that.
@Rochelle: Corbyn lost to a Tory landslide, the uk public do not want left wingers. Starmer is trying to win an election in the real world.
@Tim Dawson: Corbyn was utterly railroaded by the media.. Even the BBC photoshopped a Russian style hat onto him on their backgrounds. He was absolutely hounded out of his position. The recent report shows how much the New Labour (Blairite) side of the party and the NEC completely shoehorned him. 100′s of thousands of people joined the Labour Party because Corbyn was the leader and the NEC screwed that membership over.
@Tom Quin: The UK public are too easily led by their right wing media barons.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: the british public have only ever once voted for a socialist government that was after ww2. The media did not give Boris that huge landslide.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: that’s very, very weak. you thinking the uk public are so thick because they did not vote for the guy you wanted them too is the sort of arrogance that switches people off the left.
@Tim Dawson: To be fair he didn’t get the support of the higher up’s in the labour party,the papers were all against him,his own wanted him to fail,he was elected by the people on the ground in the labour party,not saying he was perfect but he never had a chance,look at the head of labour now.
@Tom Quin: They voted for to leave the EU,yes they have a huge amount of badly informed people that believe lies and think the empire is still alive.
@Daniel Roche: No they just voted the way you didn’t like. It’s not a crime to leave the EU.
@Tom Quin: Who said it was a crime? Clearly you’re just a troll.
@Tim Dawson:
I’d love to hear about the Corbyn scandals. Please provide the details
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: So people who disagree with you are not just thick and gullible but also trolls?
Forgetting that working conditions would still be in the dark ages if it wasn’t for Unions. This isn’t simply a matter of one mp not abiding by party protocols, starmer has been on the fence all along. His fear of the electorate and the right wing press could be considered cautious and prudent but not at the cost of handing everything to the Tories on a plate. Surely it is easy enough for him to highlight that transport issues are created initially by the govt and not by the unions?
@alan: the brit public do not support unions and lefties like Corbyn. Starmer needs to win them over to get the Tories out and going full on Corbyn will give tories another landslide.
Starmer must’ve thought, the Tories are ripping themselves apart with this leadership contest, we can do better than them!
Labour party for the working class there’s a joke
If I understand it correctly, he wasn’t sacked for supporting the strikers, but rather because he said it was Labour policy to advocate for a pay rise in line with inflation. Which would a) would make no economic sense – increasing wages in line with inflation will only lead to further inflation, and b) clearly would be a major policy proposal, and as such if someone just says it is the party position when it isn’t, that person should be sacked. Such a proposal is ludicrous, and would just give the Torries the chance to portray Labour as some kind of looney left part that would end up bankrupting Britain, hurting small business owners, etc. etc. Right now, Labour just need to sit back and quiet while the Torries destroy themselves.
Always the same with Labour, when the Tories are on the ropes they proceed to shoot themselves in both feet. Fairly much unelectable as they’re perceived as differing factions all adopting opposing views. Should just split into three different parties and be done with it.
Starmer did the correct thing to sack him. What are all these whingers going on about?
Shouldn’t Labour ya know, be on the side of workers. I’m guessing that day has long since past since Tony Blair and ‘new Labour’. Moderate Tories in disguise
Unable to govern themselves anymore over there…Maybe we should tie in with India and jointly go in to save(colonise) them and restore good governance … ;)
Bye bye Keir
Like our own labour party. Labour supposed to be pro worker.
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