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IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE to live in Dublin than London according to a new global study.
The Economist magazine’s business intelligence unit ranked Ireland’s capital 19th out of 133 cities in its latest cost of living report, up six places on 2017′s index.
Meanwhile London was considered the 30th most expensive place to live, dropping six notches to its lowest ranking in two decades.
According to the Economist’s analysis – which compares the prices of hundreds of items like rent, food, clothing and transport – the UK capital is now 9% cheaper than Dublin.
The researchers attributed London’s decline to the sharp drop in the value of the pound and economic uncertainty following 2016′s Brexit referendum.
It’s worth noting that the results are heavily skewed towards currency fluctuation and don’t necessarily take into consideration local purchasing power.
For the fifth year in a row, Singapore was declared the world’s most expensive city. Paris and and Zurich were joint second while Hong Kong and Oslo completed the top five.
The French capital is the only eurozone country to feature in the top 10.
The Economist said French capital “remains structurally extremely expensive to live in, with only alcohol, transport and tobacco offering value for money compared with other European cities”.
Copenhagen also featured in the 10 priciest cities “largely owing to relatively high transport, recreation and personal care costs”.
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‘Encouraging’ year
The report’s authors said the weakening of the dollar against other currencies meant that no North American city ranked in the top 10, although New York and Los Angeles rank highly in 13th and 14th position respectively.
Syria’s capital Damascus was the cheapest city surveyed. Also at the bottom of the table were Caracas in Venezuela, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Lagos in Nigeria and Bangalore in India.
The Economist’s business intelligence unit said 2017 was an “encouraging” year because the rate of economic growth was at its fastest since 2011.
This year is expected to “proceed along similar lines, with the US economy and the euro area motoring along, the Chinese government managing its economic slowdown carefully, and Japan growing again by more than 1%”.
However, the authors of the report added that 2018 could see “fallout from a number of political and economic shocks taking deeper effect”.
They said the UK has seen sharp declines in the cost of living thanks to Brexit and the related currency weaknesses, which has already hurt the pockets of British consumers.
“In 2018 these are expected to translate into further price rises as supply chains become more complicated and import costs rise.”
Written by Conor McMahon and posted on Fora.ie
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What a pity! The political class and the many chancers in public life have no one left who will challenge them. Time to circle the wagons.
As television in ireland continues to go down the road of the bland leading the bland,I think it’s safe to say we will won’t see his likes of Vincent anytime soon. Unless Gene Kerrigan fancies turning his hand to TV?
Vincent was the only one to ask the right questions and stick it to politicians and the like. Never one to be fobbed off. Well done
A cantankerous contrary old git. Never though he got the best out of his guests because they were constantly on edge with him.
@mickmc: like many of us he had a total aversion to the bullsh*t most politicians and media feed us with on a daily basis.
@mickmc: Which is to say what? He upset the politicians who are used to being given a verbal lap dance by the likes of Miriam O’Callaghan or Pat the plank???
@Martin Critten: Yes that’s true but I’m not sure his style of interviewing cut through it either. Sometimes you have to be clever about these things and tease the issue out unknowns to the interviewee.
@mickmc: Put your money where your mouth is and apply to replace him, mick
@Tony Skillington: If he was doing his job properly he wouldn’t be there to upset anyone, just give sensible debate to the issues of the day. VB was only interested in himself getting points across.
@mickmc: hi joan !
@Chris Kirk: I disagree completely, Chris. It was VB’s job to hold these people accountable, not just to give them another platform like they already had on RTE. If he wasn’t grilling them and making them squirm (knowing what we now know about the level of corruption in government), then he wasn’t doing his job. It was a very valuable service he provided in tandem with exemplary journalistic skills.
It was his job to expose BS. If he never upset anyone, the whole program would’ve been pointless.
@Joe Phillips: he held no one to account, he was making tv, nothing more nothing less. It was mildly entertaining but nothing more.
Listening to you would would swear it was the public accounts committee he was running.
@james connolly: no offence, james, but you’re not a reasonable commentator and I don’t know how to talk to you without paper and crayons.
@Joe Phillips: Try balloons and buckets of confetti , he seems to like clowns .
@Chris Kirk: RTE have been giving ‘sensible debates’ for 30 years and are frightened of upsetting the hand that feeds them. VB while acerbic in his questioning at times, does what any good journalist should do…shake up the political elite and cut through the horse $h1t that RTE seem only too happy to dole out. He is a breath of fresh air in public broadcasting and I applaud him for being so.
@Joe Phillips: Did I in any way suggest I had the knowledge or the skill to do his job. You don’t have to be good at a job to recognise when someone else is doing a equally bad job too. I don’t think I ever make it as a premier league footballer at this stage, but that doesn’t say I wouldn’t recognise a bad one when I’d see him.
Thanks Vinny for making politics interesting and being our cat among the pigeons.
TheJournal.ie, how many articles have you published on this guy’s last show? I’m not sure you’ve got the finger on the pulse of the nation on this one.
Yes, acknowledged it but you’re milking a very average news story over the past three days.
Why did Glenda feel the need to capture the choir on her smartphone? Could she not have merely recorded the bleedin’ show? Yours, etc.
@shouldweallbe: I agree! It just seems to be an automatic reaction for so many. They miss the actual core of what’s happening while trying to get a balanced photo on the phone! But what I couldn’t take my eyes off was Mary Lou smiling! She looked so different and quite lovely!!!!
I didn’t bother watching it after his vomit inducing lovefest with the Leo the previous night.
@Dante Marquinhos: That’ll show him who’s boss!
@Honeybadger197:Oh I’d say you showed yourself who’s boss watching Leo the other night. That’s the thing about you Blueshirts, were other political supporters just follow their respective parties, you Blueshirts treat them like they are a boyband and you are a bunch of 14 year old girls with a crush.
Extremely bizarre and disturbing behaviour from supporters of a political party.
@Dante Marquinhos: Dry your eyes Dante. I’m sure in time you’ll forgive Vincent for talking to a Taoiseach and making you all upset and nauseous. I hope this helps x
http://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-vomiting-remedies
@Dante Marquinhos: Talks about lovefest between presenter and politician, talks about sexual infatuation with politicians regularly… Methinks the Dante doth protest too much! Tell me Dante, how did this predilection for politicians first present itself?
@Dante Marquinhos: “Psychological projection is a defense mechanism people subconsciously employ in order to cope with difficult feelings or emotions. Psychological projection involves projecting undesirable feelings or emotions ontosomeone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with the unwanted feelings”
Its not your fault Dante. Its not your fault.
@Honeybadger197: Good, the first step is admitting you have a problem. Well done Honey, you’re on the road to recovery. Best of luck!
@Dante Marquinhos: Yes, would you please admit you have a problem.
@Dante Marquinhos: Few things in life as funny as a triggered shinnerbot. You never disappoint.
@Dante Marquinhos: Yep , disappointed with that one myself , perhaps if Vincent will do “one offs” in the future he can do a real interview with this smarmy git
The underclasses though VB shows was about politics, everyone else saw it for the entertainment show it was.
@james connolly: VB having a laugh at everyone elses expense
@Chris Kirk: exactly.
#gutted
About as politically astute as my dead hamster, give me Andrew Marr and Andrew Neil any day of the week.
I hope he still pops up on TV3 or somewhere else from time to time. It would help with the DTs!
I liked his no nonsense couldn’t give a flying f*ck who you are approach.
So apart from Gene Kerrigan what other journalist do we have that has the balls to take on the establishment .(Sorry ladies not meant to be a misogynist comment )
Good riddance. A rude belligerent individual with no redeeming features. His interruptions made Cathal Mc Coille look like an amateur.
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