Dare I say it : No s**t.

Four years too late. The ESRI demonstrates once again just how far behind the curve it is.

Lack of regulation brought about the global financial crisis and crippled the Irish economy. We thought we would have learned our lessons but alas we have not.

Competition regulation is a joke in this country. In 2004, Dr. John Fingleton as head of the Competition Authority stated that anticompetitive practices were costing the economy €4 billion a year yet successive Governments starve the Competition Authority of funds and this Government is no different.

Why are we seriously underfunding the one agency whose modes operandi is to ensure competition works effectively. The benefits of enhanced competition have a cumulative effect greater than any ‘jobs scheme’ the Government can conjure .

Take for example the cement and concrete industry which is displaying strong signs of collusion and cartel behaviour yet the Government refuses to investigate even though it is costing taxpayers and consumers millions and millions of euros.

Richard Bruton, the relevant Minister for competition is a former employee and current shareholder in CRH. Again we see vested interests in Irish politics and it is the Irish people who have to suffer.

Who regulates the regulators?

I want a job with the ESRI. Stick my head out of the water every 3 months, tell people they are overpaid and stop spending money, then skulk away back into my cave.. 100 k a year pease….

My pet dog’s got more economic sense than that crowd of wasters! A waste of time, money and airtime!

More regulation???? Why not enforce what is already in place and then see if more regulation is required. What we need is more ‘INDEPENDENT Regulation’ of our Banks, instead what we had/have are regulators who are former bankers, who have a natural bias in favour of their ‘friends’ in banking.

We certainly saw that with the NO regulation of banks by Patrick Neary and before his office was set up it was the Irish Central Bank in charge,all of whom were completely in the pocket of the banks. We see some strides in the right direction with the appointment of Elderfield, but still alot of the practises of the Banks mainly in selling financial products have not being addressed. Whereas your independent broker is suffering because of over regulation and the ‘closed shop’ enviornment pursued by the banks.

Jesus all that academic training and research to state the obvious. Do some research on something we need to know, like how much damage shell have done to the community in mayo. Or how much damage fiana fail have done to the social fabric of Ireland.