My attention was caught this morning by this analysis by two professors of economics in the International Business Times, arguing the economic case for boosting workers' wages in response to escalating inflation. Addressing the current situation in the UK they argue: "The current high inflation rate is largely caused by factors which are not connected to pay levels, so will not be solved by restraining wages. Secondly, a restriction on real wages is likely to bring forward the prospect of a recession."

Staying over the pond a moment, the shallowest end of the political talent pool has produced eight candidates for the Tory leadership. Candidates will need to win at least 30 votes today to progress to the next round of voting tomorrow. The first of a series of hustings for the candidates was with the 'Common Sense' group which focused on "their views on their approach to culture war issues including statues and the interpretation of British history."

Really addressing the important issues there lads.

Elsewhere, it's reported that the Government has committed to new funding for Defence Forces recruitment, equipment and pay increases every year until 2028, while The Children’s Rights Alliance says the “single most important measure in addressing child poverty” would be the provision of “free, (or nearly free)” access to childcare “for parents living in consistent poverty.

The Indo and other outlets report that two Dublin Airport workers are being questioned on suspicion of drug trafficking after gardaí seized over €1m worth of cocaine. The paper reports that two of the men in custody are Dublin Airport workers employed through a third party contractor, while the DAA confirmed that none of its employees were involved in the incident.

Calling all cabs

Each of the bulletins we published last Friday led with this information about how members can update their contact details via forsa.ie. We're actively encouraging you to share this in your networks in order that the Solas system can capture data updates ahead of any ballots held in the coming weeks and months. Those details are now also at the top of the newsfeed at forsa.ie.

LUbercant

If you've been following the coverage of the Uber Files story, you might enjoy Rafael Behr's analysis from a couple of days ago. It's well worth a few minutes of your time. He concludes his analysis with the following:

"The revelation of Uber’s sharp practices tells a simple truth about the tech revolution. It is the same one that is told by the arduous working conditions in an Amazon warehouse and the poisoned reservoirs of public debate where Facebook discharges hatred and misinformation. The cost of innovation might be invisible to the consumer, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And the job of democratic politicians is to be guardians of public interest, not the lubricants to private gain." 

Spice box, taxi by the Centra?

I don't know if Limerick's finest, Denise Chaila, frequents the same pubs as Michael Noonan (it seems unlikely), but she's touring the festivals this summer and doing her city and country proud.

I'm reliably informed by some of the junior Shanahans that she delivered a terrific set at Longitude last week (suffice to say I had to play taxi driver that night myself), and yesterday I found this spirited Zen-worthy performance from the BBC studio stage at Glastonbury.

Have a great Wednesday.

Niall