Taking Stock

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at cost and benefit of Saint Brigid’s day; with the first bank holiday of the year happening she asks what's bill to the exchequer and the workforce? Mandy is joined by Elizabeth Bowen the acting Director of the Small Firms Association, Mandy will also be discussing the EU's recent announcement of a comprehensive plan to support new investment in 'Green' sectors. With the US making a push to attract green investment, we'll see how this plan could potentially enhance investment in green energy here in Ireland. Mandy talks to Javier Espinoza the EU Correspondent for the Financial Times. Plus Mandy talks to Sean Keyes of the Currency about commercial property investment in Ireland, and why it seems to be lagging behind.

As the UK marks the three-year anniversary of its exit from the EU this week, on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston asks if the country is living up to the "golden age" promised by the Conservative leaders and she is joined by Hanna Ziady, a writer for CNN Business in London, Mandy also looks at the current issues facing the medication supply chain and talks to Kathy Maher of the IPU about how you can protect yourself from buying counterfeit drugs online. Mandy also delves into the state of the housing market, exploring the impact of the "Bank of Mum and Dad" and the growing reliance on property inheritance and large deposits for mortgages. She chats to Karl Dieter.

This week on Taking Stock as global leaders gathered in the Swiss Alps, Mandy Johnston looks at the origins of the conference - and finds out what its all about with Jon Sopel of the News Agents Podcast. And over at Disney the Executive Chairs were spinning like a merry go round. Mandy chats to the Financial Times’ LA Chief Christopher Grimes about all the drama in the boardroom of one of the world’s largest media companies. And finally we ask why so many new Chinese investors are flocking to the Emerald Isle?

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to journalist Jeff Maysh about the strange story of what happened when he went to be buy his wife a Rolex Watch. Mandy also chats to Former Diplomat Ted Smyth about why Ireland can't take the special relationship between Ireland and the US for granted. Plus Marian Ryan on Taxback tells us about all you should be claiming back.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Federica Taccogna an International Anti-Financial Crime expert about taking down the Mob and why Financial Crime is so widespread. Mandy asks leading Economist Cormac Lucey if Ireland, Europe or the US are headed for a recession in 2023? Plus the Tourism Industry Confederation CEO will be joining Mandy to explain why he thinks the sector will not fully recover from the pandemic until 2026!

There's a Special Taking Stock this week when Mandy Johnston talks to some of her regular contributors about the best business and politics books they read this year. You'll hear from the likes of Mick Clifford and Will Hutton. You might get some last minute gift ideas for the news-obsessed person in your life.

The bounce back from Covid lockdowns is over. Growth is slowing and we can’t rule out a recession here in Ireland. But it is not showing up in the exchequer figures, with an extraordinary surplus of €12 billion reported for the first 11 months of the year last week. This week on Taking Stock Mandy chats Dan O Brien, Chief Economist for the Institute of International and European Affairs and columnist for the Sunday Business Post about why despite being awash with cash, the Government needs to tread carefully. And so too do CEO’s navigating business in these uncertain times – Mandy will be asking Leadership and Human Behaviour Expert Jodie Rodgers, about some of the alternative ways that business leaders are getting through these challenging times. And finally, with all the buzz about drones this Christmas, if you are lucky enough to get one of these winged wonders, what are you required to do legally to make sure you are protected? Mandy chats to an industry expert to tell you all the does and don'ts for your maiden drone voyage this Christmas.

A UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Scottish government does not have the legal authority to hold an independence referendum without agreement from Westminster and this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined by Minister Ivan McKee of the SNP who is Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise in Scotland This week saw unprecedented protests against President Xi Jinping and his zero-Covid policy in China. Mandy talks to Cindy Yu the Assistant Editor at The Spectator and she will tells us what lies beneath the uprising. And finally, a new study shows that over 600,000 people who are living with a disability in Ireland are unable to access services online. Mandy talks to a man with a solution.

He’s the man with a plan to halt Donald Trump's bid for re-election – but who is Ron DeSantis? This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Bernd Debusmann Jr who is a BBC journalist based in Washington to talk about DeSantis the man, his mission and his meteoric rise within the Republican Party. And the man with no plan at all - Sam Bankman Fried, the owner of collapsed crypto exchange FTX. is facing multiple charges of company fraud in the US. Mandy talks to the Financial Times journalist Joshua Oliver about the extraordinary rise and fall of yet another Tech Messiah. And finally what’s your plan to deal with new pension regulations that are set to kick in for business in just five short weeks? Pensions expert Mairead O'Mahony who is Head of Wealth Solutions with Aon Ireland has some advice on how to prepare.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston look at the historic nature of the mid-term reshuffle which is due to take place here in Ireland next month and takes a deep diver into the Government; how it was formed, how it has performed and what is likely to happen when the changes are made by Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar. They’ll be switching places as they try to deal with everything that entails including a cost of living, energy and housing crisis. Mandy is joined by three experts who watch politics here in Ireland to give us all their views on what lies ahead for the new administration. And Mandy takes an alternative looks at the sector by speaking to one of the Approved Housing Bodies ‘Circle Voluntary Housing Association’ and hears about how the profile of the people needing this type of assistance has changed radically in recent years.