European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters
The nation will go to the polls on Black Friday, a concept imported from America when stores kick off the Christmas shopping spree with highly publicised sales at supposedly discounted prices. According to a poll commissioned by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), just over one third of us are planning to buy something. That’s down from 45pc last year, although we are planning to spend about 26pc more – €431 instead of €343.
While women are more likely to buy something on Black Friday, men are more likely to spend big with 42pc of them expecting to splash at least €500, compared with 24pc of women planning to splurge that amount.
It’s off to the polling stations after that. Will the final TV debate change anything? It’s to be hosted by RTÉ’s Prime Time on Tuesday, with presenters Miriam O’Callaghan and Sarah McInerney putting the questions to Fine Gael’s Simon Harris, Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald and Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin.
The Government parties will be wary about the release of any statistics this week that puts their performance in a bad light. On Wednesday, for example, the Central Statistics Office will publish figures for “recorded crime detection”. The following day, the CSO will have data about retail sales and prices.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters
It will be some time before the next cabinet is appointed here, but the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is likely to have her team of 26 commissioners approved by a vote of the European Parliament on Wednesday. It includes Michael McGrath, the former Fianna Fáil minister for finance, in the portfolio of Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law.
To mark the event here, the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) is hosting a panel discussion at 8am on Wednesday entitled ‘Von der Leyen’s New Team – What Next for Europe?’ It will be chaired by broadcaster Eileen Dunne, and feature Catherine Day, former secretary general of the European Commission, economist Dan O’Brien, and Professor John O’Brennan.
To more taxing matters, and Revenue is hosting webinars on Tuesday and Wednesday to help taxpayers make submissions to Revenue Technical Services. The annual tax conference organised by Chartered Accountants Ireland is on Thursday morning. The Goodbody-sponsored 17th annual equity conference is on Tuesday at Croke Park, with Entain, Evoke and Playtech set to be in attendance.
Easyjet are due to publish results on Wednesday, the same day as Santiago Capital hosts an audience with former Tory minister turned podcaster Rory Stewart at the RDS Concert Hall. The rest will indeed be politics.
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