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Building a M1 corridor
Read more about: Economy, Government, Longford-Westmeath, Northern Ireland, Waterford 
A nice event for Brian Cowen — he gets to meet his fellow leader-in-waiting north of the border, Peter Robinson (no mention of what Ian Paisley said about his lips), and they agree on a scheme which will see the International Financial Services Centre extended to Northern Ireland via a modification of IFSC’s tax exemption to ensure that jobs in Northern Ireland still count as within IFSC. Cowen burnishes his finance and all-Ireland credentials at the same time. So let’s be curmudgeonly.
Why should only NI get the benefit of an IFSC satellite? Just to pick something from today’s news, why not Collinstown, Co. Westmeath, where 400 jobs are about to go (or another 25 in Waterford)? Of course there are counterarguments, such as Collinstown not having the kind of skills than an IFSC operation might need. Nevertheless, it’s a safe bet that if IFSC jobs do materialize in NI, they’ll be in or around Belfast. Thus on an all-Ireland basis, more development on the Dublin-Belfast axis. Less clear what’s in it for the lagging parts of the island, north or south.
P,
Good to play the curmudgeon but sometimes curmudgeons are only looking for things to complain about. if there are 5000 jobs vacant in Dublin its unlikely that they were ever going to be filled in Westmeath. Howevr Belfast would have such a pool that would not necessarily have the same inclination to move to Dublin. The development of a broadened axis of wealth on the east coast is not a bad thing. I agree whoileheartedly with you that the development on the east-west axis has been very poor and there should be strong efforts to ensure that a west coast axis is developed. However as there is real infrastructure linking the major population centres then I am not confident. The south’s spatial development strategy was the right move towards balancing devcelopment but unfortunately it was trying to stand on so many stools at once it didnt get off the ground. Like Transport 21 the Spatial strategy was a crock o’ shite that sounds good but needs strong leadership to prove useful.
Wont Brown and the Exchequer be pissed that the North managed to squirm their way around not being to bring Corporate Tax down to the Republic’s rate?
Robinson can talk this initiative up all he’s want – but Brown will have none of it, mostly because if the North gets invovled in this type if stuff then Wales and Scotland are gonna be pissed and start looking for something similar.
Malore,
I would be surprised if Brian Cowen and Peter Robinson went on a solo-run without clearing this with Gordon Brown.