Solidarity Books Talk: by Dr Conor McCabe - 'Who Benefits from Austerity?' Cork launch of the Irish Left Review Journal

by Comyn - 'Diversity in Unity' Wed Jan 30, 2013 15:51

Who benefits from Austerity? We on the Island of Ireland should know the answer to this but if we do, we are being hampered greatly by a Troika that is using us as a guinea pig to expedite a solution to the Euro crisis. It is nice and neat to call us exemplary but then to penalise us and not waiver debt/bailout costs is surely unacceptable. An 80 year old billionaire has written an essay featured in the New York Review of Books about the tragedy of the European Union and how to resolve it. Expertise and experience of men like George Soros is worth exploring.

David McWilliams today writes an article in the Independent which every concerned Irish citizen on the Island of Ireland ought to read to re-activate the thinking process that is needed to survive this economic crisis. Title: 'As we forge deeper ties in Europe we are forgetting our closest ally'.

McWilliams hits the heart today. The Irish and Britain. 1950's Ireland destitute from the concept of 'self sufficiency, DeValera and FF provided the education that exported our doctors and nurses to the UK along with those who built Britain, the construction workers. McWilliams talks about the newest wave of emigrants that London welcomes that takes me back to the late 1980's Ireland and no work here and the opportunity of work in the UK. When you add to this Ryanair and cheap fares this forged an economic growth that is often ignored.

The ties that bind us according to Williams: 'whether our top civil servants and politicians like it or not, is Britain, and neither Germany nor France, will remain the natural home for Iriish products investment and people. Why? McWilliams states the most interesting facts for consideration:

9.8 million people in 2011 flew between the Republic and Britain ie 186,000 per week (note Ryanairs profits this year). Apparently only 400,000 travelled from Germany.

Euro and Sterling - 30 years down the road with part of Ireland in Sterling and the rest aligned to Euro, the fact is we still cannot equal the trade we have with Britain which is Ireland's second largest export partner. We send £14.265bn of goods / £15,052bn worth of services per year to the UK. According to McWilliams article, Ireland imports more from Britain than from the whole of Europe combined. What does this say? For me it explains that sense of void when one enters EU House on Dawson Street and get that feeling that inspite of all the data/publications provided by the EU gravy train bureaucracy, nobody is really interested that much in Europe because they know Britain albeit via colonialism and 700 years.

Bord Bia states that the UK is Ireland's key export partner for food. Irish beef accounts for 60% of the British market. The UK has a food deficit which Ireland can supply (what has changed!). Ireland uses and contributes greatly to the UK ports. Then there is the fact that 40% Northern Ireland exports go south of the border.

1973 and our entry to the EEC opened up opportunities for our small Island but we must take account of why the EEC considered our entry with a degree of favour. It is and still remains the fact that Island status surrounded by sea gives a certain geo-political status. Exploration oil and gas are too the fore again as resources.

Too add to this, we now can add that there is a huge potential in the area of energy between our two countries. Renewable energy is on the way with an East-West Interconnector.

The challenge is ours. Cameron is paving the way to give the British people the option at Referendum of an EU Exit. We need to ask what this would really mean for Ireland? Does this mean that if Britain holds a referendum, that we will follow suit? We speak English, in the US - they speak English. The upwardly mobile Chinese seek education in the US and the UK, the law is Common Law.

Ireland should not be cowed down for its small size and for the fear of being a precedent to other PIIGs, Troika, have some honour when making decisions about our future and our young generation.

Comyn