It's more than P. Flynn could do, that's for sure!On the average industrial wage, Gerry Adams is able to maintain three properties (Belfast, Louth and Donegal, I believe). He should be the next Minister for Finance the way he's able to handle his own finances!
I've always been a big believer in decentralisation, but I'm starting to wonder if it is really realistic for a country with our sized budget to have 3-4 main cities with sufficient infrastructure to meet the expectations of the types of companies we are trying to encourage in Ireland as the last English speaking tech hub in Europe (FB, Google etc.)? Dublin needs some very serious investment in public transport if it is to continue growing as it has been, far more aggressive and ambitious than what is included in Ireland 2040. Perhaps there is an argument to ploughing money into Dublin to allow it take the next phase of growth, and hopefully hit a point of critical mass where subway systems etc. start to make sense?
Out of interest, comparing the sizes of the top four UK cities by population 1:0.14:0.10:0.09 to Ireland's top four 1:0.18:0.08:0.07, there isn't that much difference in how much bigger London is to the next three than Dublin is to our next three. The difference of course is the 1m people living in Dublin vs. 7m living in London, and I wonder how feasible it is to have a well infrastructured modern city with only 1-2m people in it.
I'm obviously not suggesting these other cities should be neglected by any means, but just wondering if there is a risk of spreading public finances too thin and not ending up with even one city that can perform on the international stage...
I can't see them ever getting in, they are far too left leaning. Ireland is too conservative a country.
A mate of mine is a SF supporter and bets in every election that they will get over X amount of seats. He loses his money every time. When it comes to voting for them, people stay away as they don't want to be taxed to high heaven...it's bad enough as it is!!!
While I'm no supporter of SF, it is reasonable to point out that income inequality is wide in Ireland.
Pre taxes and transfers, it is wide.
Now, this is partly due to too many people not being in employment.
But it's also due to cartels/excessive fees/charges in legal/medical/property sectors.
Definitely a fair point! I was using it more to challenge the narrative that the size differences between the cities is way outside the international norm, but I completely agree that we should be aspiring towards some of those countries with better standards of living.Why would we consider the UK to be a healthy example to emulate?
Alternatively, if the issue of high earners is paying too much tax then they could take pay cuts? That would reduce their tax contribution, the money could be used to increase wages at the lower end (bringing them into the tax net) and income inequality is reduced.
So all at once, high earners, low earners, average earners , Gekko and SF can all be happy together.
Group hug
The Problem and I suspect you already know the people in power have already implemented the crackpot economic policies you fear just people who are still benifiting from these policies shortterm do not want to know ,If Sinn Fein/IRA ever get into power and implement their crackpot economic policies, they’ll get a shock when people stop doing that extra job or piece of work and when high net worth individuals leave the country. It’s a point that the powers that be up in Belfast don’t seem to get.
I've always been a big believer in decentralisation, but I'm starting to wonder if it is really realistic for a country with our sized budget to have 3-4 main cities with sufficient infrastructure to meet the expectations of the types of companies we are trying to encourage in Ireland as the last English speaking tech hub in Europe (FB, Google etc.)?
I don't know if "capricious" is an accurate representation at all. There have been a small number of high-profile MNC departures over the years, Dell being an obvious example, but the likes of Apple have been here a long time, Google/Facebook/Amazon/et al have been here a fair while and have shown few signs of faltering.Should we build our infrastructure around capricious multi-nationals, or invest more in indigenous businesses around the country?
Is there an over-reliance on the multi-national IT and Pharmaceutical industries, similar to past over-reliance on the construction industry.
In the larger scheme of things, is the fact that we speak English a major consideration for multi-nationals? Ireland is not the most multi-lingual country but English is widely spoken throughout the EU as a second language.
It's estimated that 13% of employees in Ireland are employed by Foreign Direct Investment companies. Is 13% really tipping the balance?
what’s the solution, turf them out? Or try to turn the Ballyhaunis Bazaar into the next Amazon?
Who has suggested this?
Somewhere between 20 and 25% including direct and indirect apparently.That's directly employed. How many more are indirectly employed
It's estimated that 13% of employees in Ireland are employed by Foreign Direct Investment companies. Is 13% really tipping the balance?
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