Madam, - It is amusing to hear some commentators claiming the outcome of the US presidential election is "bad for Ireland" because of fears that the tax arrangements for US multinational companies operating here may now be changed to encourage domestic US employment.
What this exposes once again is our infantile dependence on foreign companies to employ our people when we should be more than capable of generating our own indigenous innovation and job creation.
The Government is fond of promoting the concept of a "knowledge economy"; but with the emphasis having been placed on uncontrolled construction, imported business and irresponsible land and property speculation, it would be far more honest to describe our recent economic regime as a "lazy economy", an "infantile economy",or a "degenerate economy" — to use some of the more polite terms.
What a shame that, as the worldwide market for sustainable goods and services is expected to grow in value by €500 billion over the next two years, Ireland continues perversely to shun these opportunities and to rely instead on outmoded economic policies from the 1960s. - Yours, etc,
Madam, - Irish politicians have expressed concern about the potential loss of US businesses in Ireland under an Obama administration. Some have suggested sending a delegation to the US to express our concerns.
My I suggest an alternative approach — namely, to send a delegation to the US to offer them help. We can offer verified capabilities and know-how in lifelong learning and retraining, as well as high-end skills in pharmaceuticals, computer technologies, food science, tourism and a multitude of financial service. So why not send a high-level team from the Government, university and third-level IT sectors, the IDA, Fáilte Ireland and FÁS to offer our experts and expertise to the many struggling towns across the US which need help to retrain their unemployed and create new business initiatives in tourism, computing, pharmaceuticals and services. We could also offer third- and fourth-level places in Irish colleges to US students at extremely low costs by comparison with US colleges.
If we can send such delegations to China, set up Irish business subsidiaries in eastern European countries and bring foreign post-graduates in their droves to Irish colleges, surely we can trade skills, expertise and college places with the US in exchange for continuing healthy business ties.
Let us turn the current concern into an opportunity. - Yours, etc,