piigsty

PIIGSty.com dissects the academic ‘speak’, shrill doomsday rhetoric and needless jargon (which no one really understands anyway, lets be honest) to provide our readers with simplified, fun and memorable explanations on topical EU and related issues.

Our mission is simple. We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Our team offers exclusive original publications, article/book summaries, lessons, good reads/views and, of course, our musings (our own…so don’t steal ‘em without at least saying where you got ‘em!) on topics ranging from basic economic concepts to history and public policy.

PIIGSty.com isn’t an uppity website for those ‘know it all, pointy headed’ types (although they too are welcome!) it’s for all ages, abilities and ideologies with a little something for everyone.

Why ‘PIIGSty?’ – You’ve heard the term ‘PIIGS’ being bandied about in the news? It’s an acronym for the so-called weakest links in economic terms in the eurozone (according to some)…Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. As this website is essentially a collection of bit and pieces around the EU/eurozone – it’s a ‘trough’ of easily consumable nuggets.

So, we called it PIIGSty and our logo is a pixelated pig. Genius, we know. Oh, and follow us @PIIGSty

Who We Are

Darren Lawlor  (Editor and Lead Researcher)

Darren founded PIIGSty in June 2011, after much frustration with not having a clue what all that EU jargon we’ve been hearing lately actually meant. Darren’s experience spans policy research, advocacy campaigns, media communications, training/tutoring and website administration. A graduate of economics and political science from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters graduate of European economic and public affairs from University College Dublin, Darren manages and coordinates PIIGSty’s daily activities.

He maintains PIIGSty alongside his regular (“real”) job as economic researcher with the research service for the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas).

ie.linkedin.com/in/darrenlawlor1

Alan Hatton (Creative Director)

Alan has been aboard the good ship PIIGSty since its creation. Coming from a background heavily heaped in design, his skillful eye and taste for all things graphical have helped shape the site into what it is today. An editorial design graduate from the University of Wolverhampton, Alan’s aesthetic centres around clear, bold colours, with a strong emphasis on typographical flourishes. Alan also manages PIIGSty social media presence.

ie. linkedin.com/in/alanhatton

Contributors

PIIGSty’s daily activities are also supported by external contributors, both temporary and permanent fixtures. If you are interested in submitting an OpEd, essay or just some random thought on EU affairs, send us an email at editor@piigsty.com. We’d love to hear from you!