Kevin Myers the only one who talks sense

Biffa Bacon

Kevin Myers is about the only person who talks sense in Ireland today. Read what he wrote about the peace process yesterday here, he's spot-on.

ReefBreak

I agree.

He's of the few journalists in Ireland that doesn't pander to whatever (il)liberal bleeding heart agenda is currently fashionable. He provides a good balance against the Sam Smug Irish Times letter writer. And his views are generally rooted in reality and common sense rather than illogical, fairyland ideas.

Perfect example (and I don't want to start a lefty v righty debate) here : the main reason Ireland managed to get off it's knees economically was to lower taxes, increase investment and encourage enterprise and motivation for people to work.

I was glad to read at least one IT journalist who thought as much.

tools

Originally posted by ReefBreak
the main reason Ireland managed to get off it's knees economically was to lower taxes, increase investment and encourage enterprise and motivation for people to work.

The BILLIONS of EU aid and investment in education of course had nothing whatsoever to do it. No it was just paddy getting on his bike and looking for the shtart.

Manach

IMHO
- Myers is pretensious, but I would grudging admit he talks a bit more sense that the usual Irish times journalist.

- If all one had to do is throw outside aid at a country to improve it then Argentine should then have the world's best economy.

tools

There's a difference between aid to a stable democracy (which is spent on infrastructure, education and training programmes) and huge loans to a country (attempting to evolve from a military dictatorship) which are impossible to pay back.

ReefBreak

Tools: Of course the billions in aid and investment in education had a lot to do with with! I don't remember saying otherwise...

But without a sound economic base, i.e. low taxes and an enterprising workforce, education and EU investments amount to nothing. Look at the 80s (if you're old enough) - despite a good education system, we had thousands of graduates emigrating every year. And though I can't comment on EU investment, it was government over-investment (or over-spending) that almost bankrupted this country. Luckily, certain politicians knew what had to be done. By the mid-90s, it had all changed for the better.

And it doesn't take a junior cert economics student to see why.


Also I do agree: he is pretentious, but he is a journalist...

tools

Having the lowest corporate tax in the EU helped a good deal but that presents its own problems. I do think however that investing in education and making it available to as many young people as possible gave ireland a valuable computer literate workforce. I resent the idea that lazy paddy just got off his hole one day in the mid 90's and decided to work. I don;'t remember the 80's thanks be to f**k but people emigrated to London and New York and worked their asses off.

tools

From that Myers article:

It was not perfect, and sometimes it might have had a cavalier attitude to the way it ran informers and to the operation of the rule of law. But these were operational delinquencies, not institutional ones, and there was nothing about the Special Branch which could not have been attended to with reform, and with a more zealous regard to the rule-book.

He's having a larf isn't he? A police force predominantly consisting of one section of the community, its members colluding with loyalist death squads time and time again. That's "cavalier" is it? A shoot to kill policy which ruined the career of John Stalker when he tried to investigate it and got too close to the truth for comfort. That's "cavalier" is it? Blaming the peace process and the essential police service reforms for the death of the postman is disgusting but it's what we expect from Myers who is too up his tory west brit ass to point the finger at the real problem, sectarianism fuelled by Paisleyite bigotry and poverty within working class areas of NI.

What next? The B-Specials - A misunderstood bunch of guys?

Meh

Originally posted by ReefBreak

Perfect example (and I don't want to start a lefty v righty debate) here : the main reason Ireland managed to get off it's knees economically was to lower taxes, increase investment and encourage enterprise and motivation for people to work.

The economic boom started *well* before McCreevy cut personal taxes. One of the contributing factors to the boom was the low corporation tax for foreign companies though.
And the RUC reforms can't be blamed for sectarian murders like the one in the article -- how many hundreds of these murders did the RUC fail to stop before it was "gelded"?
As for Myers, he's a pompous, pretentious git. The most annoying thing about him is than he's (very) occasionally right -- like this article in today's IT.

Originally posted by tools
Myers who is too up his tory west brit ass to point the finger at the real problem, sectarianism fuelled by Paisleyite bigotry and poverty within working class areas of NI.

I believe he refers to the murderers as "loyalist fascists". That enough fingerpointing for you?

tools

I believe he refers to the murderers as "loyalist fascists". That enough fingerpointing for you?

Yes, loyalist fascists his beloved "cavalier" special branch had no problem in colluding with over the last 30 years.

Typedef

Lets not forget the EU structural funds go to regions, not countries, thats how the South of Italy and East Germany get billions of Euro too. In terms of Dublin of the pale, I would venture it is comparitavely affluent. I mean come on, does anyone really think that the reason the Irish have become affluent is because our "European friends" who let the English dominate Ireland for 600 hundred years suddenly turned around and decided to subside the Irish economy to such and extent that the Irish became more affluent then most of the rest of the EU? I think not, I think that Ireland never really underwent an industrial revolution as opposed to the UK, during the industrial revolution Ireland stayed ostensibly agrarian to the detrement of Irish industry. I think a combination of access to EU markets, low taxes, a civil service directing the macro economy for years and the hard work of the Irish and the fact that the information revolution is the first quasi-industrial revolution to take place in Ireland, thus placating conversion from heavy to high tech industry are the mainstays of Irish economic growth. I suppose the mentality of the dominated is always self derisory and that is why Irish people as so quick to think the worst of themselves and assume Europe creates wealth in Ireland. Make no mistake, Irish people and hard work create wealth in Ireland.
/rant

mike65

I'm a big fan of Myers even when I disagree with him (which is'nt often). Very few jornos in this counrty shoot straight prefereing
to keep onside, to a lesser or greater degree. His rants about
our roads and attitudes towards driving alone are worth his excesses elsewhere.

As for the "celtic tiger" the EU money did help but as a pump primer (I exclude the farmers dosh in this), the real change came with the first national agreement in the late 80's and devaluation in the early 90's. The tax reforms of McCreevy simply meant we kept more of what we worked for, and this was not at the
expence of public spending which has kept rocketing on.
Its just gone in the "wrong" place ie manily playing catch-up
of public sector wages, rather than being invested in infrastructure. The wages of nurses etc had to be addressed
but its a pity pay was an issue in the first place.

Mike.

Biffa Bacon

Make no mistake, Irish people and hard work create wealth in Ireland.

This is completely false. The real reason for Ireland's economic boom is the mulitnationals that have their base here, pure and simple. They are attracted here by low corporation tax, and if that goes, we're ****ed.

The most annoying thing about him is than he's (very) occasionally right -- like this article in today's IT.

Ironically I disagree with him on that one.

Blaming the peace process and the essential police service reforms for the death of the postman is disgusting but it's what we expect from Myers who is too up his tory west brit ass to point the finger at the real problem, sectarianism fuelled by Paisleyite bigotry and poverty within working class areas of NI.

He wasn't blaming the police reforms for the death of that guy but he is saying that they make it much harder for the police to prevent and solve these crimes. The real reason that gangsters are committing crimes with impunity in the North is because the law isn't being enforced. Just look at the pathetic response to the riots last week in north Belfast.

Sand

Ironically enough the original poster claimed he didnt want to start a leftvs right battle but hes got a proxy left vs right going on- massive EU spending or tax reform and encouragement of productivity. Might as well get my 2 cents in...:)

EU spending was extremely valuable, but its been there since the 70s and real economic development has only taken place in the 90s. The majority of EU spending in Ireland is the CAP unless Im mistaken which rewards farmers for being unproductive and uncompetitive. The change in the Irish governments philosophy, from disastrous keynsian spending to tax cuts can claim the most of the glory for Irelands economic development. Its extremely important we resist any moves to tax harmonisation within the EU, or well lose one of our great economic advantages.

As for the North, I guess its more important that terrorists human rights arent infringed in any way, rather than "bend" a few of them to end the threat of terrorism. Feel free to misinterpret "bend" as support for bloody sunday or something if you want, says more about you than me tbh:) Truth is, despite the excesses of the security forces they had terrorism on the ropes in NI. It was up to politicians to then resolve the causes of terrorism but unfortunately theyve failed to do so. And in the meantime they have hamstrung those who fought terrorism in the first place.

Winning Hand

Like or dislike him, myers does make you think. Sometimes you agree with him, other times he doesnt. Point is not many jornalists do that. Certainly he is pretensious, and a small bit too west brit for my liking but his articles aid my breakfast motions in college.

As for this

Make no mistake, Irish people and hard work create wealth in Ireland

Its just a shame irish people want to be paid 5 times for doing the job once.

Fidelis

He brings an enjoyable difference to the paper.

Victor

Originally posted by ReefBreak
Perfect example (and I don't want to start a lefty v righty debate) here : the main reason Ireland managed to get off it's knees economically was to lower taxes, increase investment and encourage enterprise and motivation for people to work.

No, it was demographics.

Victor

An Irishman's Diary re: PRSI

But of course, we are not talking about £100 here, Charlie. We are talking in tens of thousands of pounds. And that is why I get very scared when I hear talk of you lifting the ceiling on income which is susceptible to PRSI payments, which currently stands at £28,250. I don't mind paying tax at the same level as other people. But when I see my £10,000 being worth £700 less than the £10,000 earned by a barrister, and over £600 less than the £10,000 of the civil servant who devised the PRSI differentials, and £500 less than you yourself pay, Charlie, something dangerous inside me begins to stir as I see PRSI confiscations reaching into hitherto untouched zones.

This isn't 100% accurate as typically the self-employed (Myers presumption) Barrister will pay 3% PRSI on all nett income. As he isn't entitled to a series of benefits (dental / optical, unemployment and others) this is balanced. However, I do think that there should only be 2 rates of PRSI one for employed and one for self-employed, base dpurely on whether you are at risk of unemployment. It might mean the department might be able to employ a few more social workers and not people to work out how they are going to change the system next year.