Comments on: Marc Coleman:The Best is Yet to Crumble

By: Noel Geary

Noel Geary — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:08:49 +0000

I note with interest the findings of the committee on the Ghost Estates built over the last 2/3 years around the country and now going into decay.

With a view to preventing this from happening I make the following suggestions:

1/There is over €100bn in savings in the country.
2/With this in mind would it not be possible to simply sell the unfinished properties to the public at a cost of say €20,000 (for near completed units) each with the proviso that a bond of €40,000 be lodged to pay for the completion of the properties by the new owner.The new owner to give an undertaking that they will reside in the completed property and that they would complete works within 1 year.
3/ A scaled pricing for the properties depending on state of completion to be introduced.
4/Completed properties could be sold for 1995 prices- €50,000 to €70,000
5/Properties only at the superstructure stage to be sold for €5,000 and above conditions to apply.
6/All above to be taken over and administered by local authorities.
Adopting above would ensure that NAMA got some return instead of a nil return and perhaps a cost -if sites had to be cleared.

I look forward to your response to the above suggestions.

Best Regards

Noel Geary (Retd.)
10 Kings Court,

By: Remi Moses

Remi Moses — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:01:06 +0000

Aprpos of nothing, a rather fantastic slip of the tongue by Coleman on Newstalk the other night

http://achgohairithe.tumblr.com/post/841150373/massive-slip-of-the-ahem-tongue-on-newstalks

By: David

David — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:46:35 +0000

I had an exchange with some senior person in the IT a year or so ago about property and Mr. Coleman was mentioned. I didn’t publish because it was meant to be followed with an interview that never materialised (it seems permission wasn’t granted). Here’s some bits:

Me: Marc Coleman warned Irish Times readers in 2007: “We are not on course for a property crash, unless we choose to manufacture one with irresponsible comment.”

IT: Marc Coleman no longer works for this paper and one only has to point to the title of his fairly fresh book on the economy, The Best is Yet to Come, to develop a view as to his credibility! I think that the only person touting Mr Coleman as a prescient soothsayer is… Marc Coleman.

Me: I’m glad we agree about Marc Coleman’s credibility, but the fact he served as Irish Times Economics Editor for over 2 years is far important than the fact he now doesn’t.

IT (responding to some examples): “All will be well - if politicians don’t meddle in the property market.” [Marc Coleman, January 25, 2007] ‘nuff said…

“Nothing exciting - or dangerous - is in prospect for the market over the next two or three years.” [Marc Coleman, March 1 2007] ‘nuff said, part II

By: Garibaldy

Garibaldy — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:57:27 +0000

When Conor put up the SF/WP pamphlet on the banks, you could see how heavily it relied on an Irish Times analysis. What chance the Irish Times producing the sort of detailed information that can be turned into political analysis under the new regime?

By: LeftAtTheCross

LeftAtTheCross — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:06:28 +0000

Scary, the groupthink effect

By: Donagh

Donagh — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:16:03 +0000

Great minds, Left, great minds. Didn’t see your comment when I wrote mine.

By: Donagh

Donagh — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:12:52 +0000

Well, Dan O’Brien has just been appointed as Economic Editor of the Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0626/1224273366735.html

So, as we can see here, it’s not the accuracy of your economic insights that you get you that handy little number.

http://dublinopinion.com/2009/05/19/dan-obrien-cut-minimum-wage-fuck-yeah/

I’m sure at this very moment he is working hard on his book about how to save the Irish economy by sacking half of the public sector, slashing wages across the board, declaring a state of economic emergency, cancelling elections and making Peter Sutherland Taoiseach for life.

By: LeftAtTheCross

LeftAtTheCross — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:08:36 +0000

Isn’t Dan O’Brien of the wonderfully named “Economics Intelligence Unit” now doing that job in the IT? When will his book be published?

Conor, get back in your tardis there, you have vital work to be doing!

By: Conor McCabe

Conor McCabe — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:55:00 +0000

It’s a scab on your leg that you can’t stop picking. Any page and there’s guaranteed gibberish. It’s like the written equivalent of a Jackson Pollack painting, but with less structure.

How the fuck did he end up as economics editor of the Irish Times? Fuck me.

By: Michael Taft

Michael Taft — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:19:14 +0000

In the months running up to the 2007 general election Marc saw that property prices were rising unsustainably (even above the 15 percent overvaluation the Central Bank spied). Marc came up with an answer to counter this. Marc proposed that stamp duty should be cut. Marc said that if you cut stamp duty during a property boom, property prices would fall. At that time Marc was economics correspondent of the Irish Times. It was also during that time that Marc was writing the book, Conor, that you can’t tear yourswelf away from.