Irish Election are pleased to announce our collection of Irish 
The answer must be no
Read more about: 1916, Blogging, Europe, Government, Irish Election, Irish Politics, Lisbon Treaty, Lisbon Treaty, Media, News, Polls, Taxation, Unemployment
Wednesday’s Irish Independent is a case-in-point for those of us who suspect the press of siding with the Establishment against the people over Lisbon. With jobs losses growing by the week, they cynically attempt to link the issue to the possibility of a “No” vote to the June 12th referendum. This article is pure facile scaremongering and beneath contempt. But it deserves a reply from the “No” camp, and as a determined “no” voter who believes the time has come to draw a line in the sand against further surrender of sovereignty to Brussels, I firmly believe it merits - just - a response.
These job losses are already happening - without Lisbon in force. Why should they suddenly soar after a “No” vote? This is utter rubbish. If anything a “Yes” vote will jeopardise the Irish economy considering the threats of Article 113 which calls for the harmonisation of indirect and turnover taxes to combat “distortions of competition”. It also copperfastens the plan by EU Tax Commissioner Laslo Kovacs to introduce destination-taxes on companies exporting from Ireland under a scheme - said to be backed by 2/3rds of member states and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso - known as CCCTB (Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base). During last Monday’s debate on the Treaty, Declan Ganley, leader of the anti-Treaty group Libertas, read out comments by IBEC condemning CCCTB about a year ago. It is highly strange then, that IBEC has lined up with the Establishment behind Lisbon, especially as other senior businessmen like Ganley, Ulick McEvaddy and Chris Coughlan (President-elect of Chambers Ireland) have come out for a “no” vote. Clearly they can’t all be right about what is best for the economy and business.
The reality is that after 4 years during which 400,000 nationals of the 12 new Eastern European EU member states entered the EU in a “Big Bang” Enlargement, and during which unemployment has risen from 4% to 5.5% with dole-queues now over 200,000 for the first time since 1997, and with most new jobs in 2007 going to non-nationals according to the CSO, we would be wrong to once more be taken in by the propaganda of an increasingly self-serving, patronising, and demonstrably wrong Establishment. Much of the blame for what has happened has to lie at their door, as they hoodwinked us into voting for Nice. As someone who voted “Yes” to the Amsterdam and Nice treaties (both times) and even went on radio to argue for their ratification, I believe a lot of us feel hoodwinked about the consequences of voting for Nice, and if given a chance to take back our “Yes” votes would do so in a heartbeat.
senior businessmen like Ganley, Ulick McEvaddy and Chris Coughlan (President-elect of Chambers Ireland) have come out for a “no” vote. Clearly they can’t all be right about what is best for the economy and business.
Ganley famously works for the US security apparatus these days (Rivada/’Libertas’ has enough weight of US military brass on the board to sink a cruiser). McEvaddy also does a lot of work for the US security services.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87311
Now I don’t know this Chris Coughlan, but that’s two out of three there that ‘FutureTaoiseach’ really shouldn’t have opened his mouth about. And I’m actually going to vote No today, just not for reasons that I think these two will be.
Well EWI don’t forget the ties of people like Peter Sutherland to the US military too. In any case my understanding is that Rivada Networks provide emergency disaster relief and as such were involved in helping the US National Guard in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. I don’t think it’s fair to describe that as ‘links to the US military’ in the way such a comment would come across normally.
The me feiner left is in cloud cuckoo land over Lisbon. Much of the progressive legislation affecting workers of the last two decades has come from Brussels. If you think FF and FG are going to do that job you are quaintly deluded.
Well EWI don’t forget the ties of people like Peter Sutherland to the US military too.
Frankly don’t know, and don’t care. Most Irish people these days would ask “who’s Peter Sutherland?” and be justified in their ignorance.
In any case my understanding is that Rivada Networks provide emergency disaster relief
[Leaving the interesting question of where you get your "understanding" from (not another old FI hand sock-puppeting, are you?)]
and as such were involved in helping the US National Guard in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. I don’t think it’s fair to describe that as ‘links to the US military’ in the way such a comment would come across normally.
Rivada has at least four high-ranking former US military officers on the board http://www.rivada.com/about/keypersonnel.htm. A person might reasonably ask if having such individuals involved in running the company suggests that a rather more martial bent exists to Rivada’s work than is suggested either or by their somewhat coy website or by fellow travellers posting on De Internets.
Certainly, if having such a curious makeup of management personnel and having such a resumé of work in “providing public safety and defense agencies with a broadband interoperable network” and “install[ing], integrat[ing], and operat[ing] IAA technology into mobile command and control vehicles [...] provid[ing] training and maintenance for deployed units and selected USNORTHCOM personnel” doesn’t qualify as links to the US military, then one wonders what will. (Maybe making Dave Cochrane, John McGuirk et al wear some nice US sailor outfits at the office?)
http://www.rivada.com/about/index.htm
Anti-Americanism is not in our interests considering it is US multinational investment that sustains our economy and that for 20 yrs after joining the EU we had mass emigration and double-digit unemployment.
Anti-Americanism is not in our interests[...]
Nice moving of the goalposts there, btw.
considering it is US multinational investment that sustains our economy
Yes. God knows how many Chinese workers would be laid off should the PRC turn turn “Anti-American”… oh, wait.
The me feiner left
As opposed to the non-mé féiner right, one guesses.