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An IoD Northern Ireland Initiative

Allan Leonard
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  • Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • United Kingdom
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Paying benefits card options

Paying benefits card options

Interesting article in the Economist about using pre-paid debit cards to distribute benefits in developing and developed countries ("A plastic prop: Schemes to distribute aid and benefits").

In Pakistan, pre-paid debit cards were loaded with $300 per month that could… Continue

Posted on August 28, 2009 at 9:58am —

Allan Leonard

"Challenging how we do things has to become part of our makeup": Joanne Stuart

Joanne Stuart, Chair of the Institute of Directors (IoD), Northern Ireland, was guest speaker at the Alliance Party Conference dinner at the Dunadry Hotel, Templepatrick.

Stuart began by saying that having spent much of the past 16 years in England and Dublin, if someone had told her then that she'd be speaking at an Alliance Party dinner on the topic of the economy, she wouldn't believe it. But for her, that was an indication of how much has changed, where Northern Ireland is a place for peopl… Continue

Posted on March 21, 2009 at 8:30pm — 2 Comments

Allan Leonard

"We need to take the pain to take the gains": Simpson




At the Alliance Party Conference last weekend, economist John Simpson made a presentation on "Rebuilding the Northern Ireland economy" (see his concluding remarks in embedded video above).

Simpson said that in this regard, what mattered was: (1) productivity and (2) competence. Economic growth in Northern Ireland was not about subsidies or reducing the cost of living, but instead:

* enhancing our skills programmes
* re-evaluating our capital budget… Continue

Posted on March 21, 2009 at 8:30pm —

Allan Leonard

Measuring prosperity

When my wife and I recently travelled to Japan, I was worried about how supposedly expensive everything was. With the blessing of a high-valued Pound Sterling, most items, such as eating out and gifts, were less expensive than in the UK. Of course, with the Pound having lost a third of its value since we were there three months ago, the story has changed.

But what impressed me more was that although economic growth is now negative in Japan, and its output production down by a huge 30%, it's sti… Continue

Posted on February 5, 2009 at 8:30pm —

Allan Leonard

People's Bank vs end of free banking

Peter Mandelson is reported to be "warm" about the suggestion of a using the Post Office network for a British "People's Bank", which would offer essentially a full banking service. This would also have the benefit of deflating criticism of the British Government's plans to sell off/more fully privatise Royal Mail.

I find this an intriguing proposal for two reasons. One, it would provide a public alternative to th… Continue

Posted on February 3, 2009 at 8:30pm —

Latest Activity

Allan Leonard added a blog post
Paying benefits card options Interesting article in the Economist about using pre-paid debit cards to distribute benefits in developing and developed countries ("A plastic prop: Schemes to distribute aid and benefits"). In Pakistan, pre-paid debit…
August 28
Sorry Alan this is your post Hwever the continuel fault line between the public and provate sector is something that needs to be looked at in great detail the social economy has the ability to heal such a fault line and it is long over due that this…
May 23
Hi Joanne i have said for years that the social economy linking very closely with the S.M. A. is the way forward and able to react quickly One issue however needs to be dealt with with only a few exceptions we have no social economy business,s in N.…
May 23
Joanne Stuart and Allan Leonard are now friends
May 12
Re DUP's reform agenda document, much reminds me of previous DUP proposals for political reform when the Assembly was last suspended. While I do favour any value-for-money cost savings, I would like to see where the reform agenda addresses generatin…
May 12
I'm afraid I'm very cynical about all of this. Such a great story for the media to run on ... every ... single ... day ... this ... week. With utter hypocrisy by MPs to do anything about it. Also provides politicians with convenient distraction from…
May 12
In reply, The Economist has an interesting leader this week, comparing the economic models of les Anglo-Saxons with continental varieties.
May 12
Couldn't the Assembly Committee for Finance take this upon itself, calling upon said existing agencies for evidence?
May 12
Allan Leonard added 7 blog posts
May 12
Allan Leonard is now a member of NI Crunch Talk
May 12

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On the 1st October we published the results of our second bank lending survey.

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