Latest news with #Cassidy
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ireland is most expensive country in EU after Denmark as prices continue to soar
Prices here are 38pc above the EU average – we are behind only Denmark when it comes to high costs. In 2015, prices in Ireland were 28pc above the average, but since then Ireland has been getting increasingly more expensive. The findings, from the statistics agency Eurostat, will put a new focus on the Government's decision not to pay out universal cost-of-living packages in the next budget. Eurostat found that when it comes to alcohol and tobacco, prices here are the most expensive in the EU – more than double the average. Daragh Cassidy, of price comparison site said this is due to taxation and, more recently, minimum unit pricing on alcohol. When it comes to alcohol, prices here are the second-highest in the EU. Finland has the dearest. Food and non-alcoholic drink prices here are the third-highest in the EU at almost 15pc above the EU average. We are behind only Luxembourg and Denmark when it comes to what we pay for food. However, this is an improvement on recent years, as these prices were more than 21pc above average in 2020. Ireland's restaurant and hotel prices are the second-highest in the EU – Denmark's are dearest – at 29pc above the average. Communications costs are almost 40pc above average. Ireland is the third-most-expensive country for electricity, gas and fuel, with prices 17pc above the average. However, clothing prices in Ireland are 1pc below the EU average and cheaper than in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Mr Cassidy said Ireland will never be a cheap place to live Non-EU countries Iceland, Norway and Switzerland were also included in the research and generally have prices higher than those in Ireland. Mr Cassidy said we have known for a while that Ireland is an expensive country and these figures from Eurostat confirm that. 'There are several reasons why prices here are so high,' he said. 'These include our higher wages, a lack of competition in certain sectors, high taxation on certain goods such as tobacco, alcohol and fuel, and lower government subsidies in certain areas such as public transport and childcare compared to our European neighbours.' He said businesses are also faced with high insurance and energy costs, which then get passed on to consumers. Mr Cassidy said Ireland will never be a cheap place to live. 'And it's worth noting that many of the world's most expensive countries, such as Switzerland, Iceland and Denmark, also have some of the highest standards of living in the world,' he added. He said wages in Ireland, while high by international standards, generally do not match the salaries in those countries. At the same time, taxpayers in more expensive countries tend to get back more from their governments in terms of better and more affordable healthcare, childcare and public transport, though there have been improvements made here in recent years. Mr Cassidy called for the Government to lower the standard rate of Vat, which at 23pc is one of the highest in the world.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana state lawmaker challenging Cassidy in GOP primary
Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez (R) has launched a primary bid challenging Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) ahead of 2026, adding to a growing field of Republicans vying to unseat the two-term senator. Miguez in his launch video on Tuesday declared Cassidy 'sucks' and prominently features footage of the GOP senator saying he voted to convict President Trump in 2021. The state lawmaker casts himself as a more conservative alternative. 'Do you want a senator you know will have Trump's back? A straight shooter who doesn't flinch when it's time to fight?' Miguez says in the ad, picking up a rifle. 'I'm you're guy. We're done being fooled by weak Republicans.' 'Bill Cassidy had his shot. He missed. I won't,' Miguez adds, firing his gun, which sets off an explosion in the ad. Cassidy's campaign shrugged off Miguez's announcement, saying it wouldn't impact the result of the race. 'Anyone can join this race, but it won't change the outcome — Senator Cassidy will win,' said Cassidy campaign spokeswoman Ashley Bosch in a statement. 'He's a proven conservative fighting alongside President Trump to secure our southern border, unleash American energy, and put America First. Senator Cassidy is fighting to protect our values and delivering real results for Louisiana.' A handful of Republicans are looking to beat Cassidy in next year's elections; among the names running, Treasurer John Fleming and Miguez are among the most notable. Both Fleming and Miguez have positioned themselves as the Trump-aligned, hardline conservative candidate and both are hammering the Louisiana senator for his vote to convict Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack — a vulnerability for the senator in his red state. The president was ultimately acquitted in the Senate. Cassidy, meanwhile, has sought to align himself with Trump, including helping get some of the president's more controversial nominees, like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed. He's also aligned himself with Trump's priorities, suggesting, for example, that he's in favor of shutting down the Education Department. Cassidy is also contending with a different primary system this time around, where he'll have to compete in a Republican primary first before the general election; previously Senate elections used an open primary system where all candidates running for an office ran under one ballot. If no one candidate outright received a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters would head to a run-off. Louisiana still holds some of its elections using the 'jungle' primary system while other offices, including Senate, go through a closed primary process. Multiple hardline candidates, however, could benefit Cassidy, splitting the vote among more conservative voters and offering Cassidy a potentially easier path to winning the GOP primary. Updated: 10:01 a.m. ET Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ireland is the second most expensive country in the EU
They show that Ireland is the second most expensive country in the European Union for typical goods and services. Prices here are 38pc above the EU average. We are only behind Denmark when it comes to high prices. Back in 2015 prices were 28pc above average in this country. But since then Ireland has been slowly climbing the 'league of shame' when it comes to the cost of living. The findings from the European statistics agency, Eurostat, will put a new focus on the Government's determination not to pay out universal cost-of-living packages for households in this year's Budget. Eurostat found that when it comes to alcohol and tobacco, prices in Ireland are the most expensive in the EU. They are more than double EU average. Finance expert Daragh Cassidy of price comparison site said this is due to government taxation, and more recently, minimum unit pricing on alcohol. When it comes to alcohol alone, prices here are the second highest in the EU, after Finland. Our prices are almost 198pc of the EU average, or close to double what people are paying in other European countries. Food and non-alcoholic drink prices in Ireland are the third highest in the EU, despite this country being a huge producer of agricultural produce. ADVERTISEMENT We are only behind Luxembourg and Denmark when it comes to food prices. They are almost 15pc above the EU average. However, this is an improvement on recent years, as prices were over 21pc above average in 2020. Restaurant and hotel prices are the second highest in the EU, behind only Denmark, at 29pc above average. Communications costs are almost 40pc above average. And Ireland is also the third most expensive country for electricity, gas and fuel with prices over 17pc above average. In better news, clothing prices are actually 1pc below the EU average and cheaper than in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Non-EU countries Iceland, Norway and Switzerland were also included in the research and generally have prices higher than Ireland's. Mr Cassidy of said we have known for a while that Ireland is an expensive country and these figures from Eurostat confirm it. 'There are several reasons why prices here are so high. 'These include: our higher wages, a lack of competition in certain sectors, high taxation on certain goods such as tobacco, alcohol and fuel, and lower government subsidies in certain areas such as public transport and childcare compared to our European neighbours.' He said businesses are also faced with high insurance and energy costs, which then get passed on to consumers. Mr Cassidy said Ireland will never be a cheap place to live. 'And it's worth noting that many of the world's most expensive countries such as Switzerland, Iceland and Denmark also have some of the highest standards of living in the world.' He said that wages in Ireland, while high by international standards, generally don't match the salaries in these countries. At the same time, taxpayers in more expensive countries tend to get back more from the Government in terms of better and more affordable healthcare, childcare and public transport — though there have been welcome improvements made here in Ireland in recent years, Mr Cassidy said. He called for the Government to lower our standard rate of VAT, which at 23pc is one of the highest in the world.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate race turns nasty as Republicans target incumbent Bill Cassidy, who opponent says 'sucks'
Louisiana's 2026 U.S. Senate race is heating up with MAGA state lawmaker Blake Miguez joining the campaign by saying fellow Republican incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy "sucks." Miguez, a state senator from New Iberia, joins Republican state Treasurer John Fleming in targeting Cassidy, with both saying Cassidy committed an unforgivable political sin with his vote to convict President Donald Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial. They will compete next April in the state's first closed primary elections in decades. "I'm running for the U.S. Senate because Bill Cassidy sucks," Miguez said in an opening video announcing his candidacy. During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Cassidy said he expects a flurry of attacks as the incumbent. "The more the merrier," Cassidy said about Miguez's entrance in the race. "It won't be the last attack ad." Cassidy said his voting record "has closely aligned" with Trump despite his 2021 vote to convict during the president's impeachment trial. Cassidy took credit for shepherding two of Trump's most controversial cabinet nominees — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — through confirmation. "(Trump) has got two cabinet secretaries he would not have unless I'd gotten them approved," said Cassidy, who has a massive $7.5 million campaign war chest to defend his seat. Miguez touts himself as the "MAGA choice," though Fleming said he was an architect of MAGA who was appointed by the president to three positions during Trump's first term. "Anybody who voted to impeach or convict Trump in a red state will all be gone when their terms are up," Fleming said in an interview with USA Today. More: Louisiana treasurer accuses Gov. Jeff Landry of Senate election scheme involving Julia Letlow Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Senate race turns nasty as Republican opponent says Bill Cassidy 'sucks'
2 days ago
- Politics
Conservative Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez announces bid to run for US Sen. Bill Cassidy's seat
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez officially launched his bid on Tuesday to unseat fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy in 2026. Miguez is the latest GOP challenger to Cassidy, who has been chastised by his party for being one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial. 'Phony politicians like Bill Cassidy can't shoot straight," Miguez, 43, says in a video on social media to announce his campaign. In the video, Miguez, a champion competitive sharpshooter, shows off his skills — using various firearms and, literally, aiming at targets brandishing words like 'Marxism,' 'food dyes' and 'crime.' Miguez served in the state House for more than eight years and was elected to the Senate in 2023. A staunch advocate for the Second Amendment, Miguez has sponsored gun-related bills, including a measure that allows residents, 18 and older, to carry concealed handguns without a permit. Over the past year, he has also authored legislation that aids in federal crackdowns of immigration enforcement. In the Statehouse, Miguez has demonstrated a confrontational approach during bill debates — a tactic that was apparent in his campaign announcement. 'I'm running because the American Dream is worth fighting for -- and DC phonies forget that. Bill Cassidy betrayed our state, our President, and our principles,' Miguez posted on X. Cassidy, who is in his second term, is up for reelection in reliably red Louisiana, where residents overwhelmingly supported Trump in the past three presidential elections. While Cassidy, 67, won his last reelection handily, he has not been on the ballot since his controversial vote to convict Trump over the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Cassidy's vote resulted in the lawmaker being trashed on social media and censured by Louisiana Republicans. Recent actions by Cassidy suggest he's working to mend ties with Trump loyalists. He has emphasized his commitment to work with the president to advance his agenda and showed support for many of Trump's cabinet appointments. Most notably, in February Cassidy joined Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Cassidy currently has a significant fundraising advantage, with more than $7.4 million in his campaign account at the end of the first quarter. But in the eyes of some, Cassidy's past actions make him vulnerable. In addition to Miguez, Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who served in Trump's first administration, has announced that he will run for the Senate seat. The 73-year-old has also lambasted Cassidy. Republican U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow is also rumored to be considering running against Cassidy. A big change in the upcoming election is Louisiana's new closed primaries. Until the new system was adopted this year, congressional candidates from all parties seeking the same office ran on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation. In the state's unique 'jungle primary," voters could choose any candidate, even if they do not align with the voters' registered party. If a candidate earned more than 50% of the total vote then they would win the office outright. If no one reached the threshold, the top two finishers would face each other in a runoff. Under the new primary system, only voters who are registered Republicans will be able to participate in the GOP Senate primary. The effect is seen as a potential challenge for Cassidy, who had benefited from the less-partisan nature of the old system. The election will take place November 3, 2026.
