The Guardian: Meet the Healy-Raes: the rural Irish populists who have never lost an election

But the Healy-Raes, who hold three county council seats and two seats in parliament, tend to have the last laugh. They are savvy populists who have not lost an election since entering politics four decades ago – a remarkable record given the fact they run as independents.

They appear poised for fresh victories in the general election on 8 February – and could end up in government. The more Dublin snickers, it seems, the better for the Healy-Raes, who alchemise metropolitan disdain into votes at home. [...]

The family has elevated patronage and personal connection – venerable traditions in Irish politics – to high art. “The first commandment in Healy-Rae land is: thou shalt not turn off thy mobile phone,” Donal Hickey, a local journalist, wrote in a biography of the family.

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Bloomberg: Biggest Danish Pension Fund Targets Climate With Green Product

Denmark’s largest pension fund is offering a new product that gives customers the option of placing retirement savings in climate-focused investments. [...]

PFA Climate Plus will, as a starting point, “emit 60% less CO2 than the MSCI World Index and be completely CO2-neutral in 2025 at the latest,” the pension fund said in a statement. The aim is to have a CO2-negative portfolio by 2030.

PFA said it expects returns to fluctuate in the product’s initial years, because there are fewer assets from which to choose. In the long term, Climate Plus “will have the same level of risk and return expectations as” other market returns-based products.

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