50 years and four days in the European Union today

Tax, duty, registration charge, call it whatever Dear Irish government, but its nuts. In 2016, I registered an EU car in Germany while working there. If I recall, it cost me around €30 fee, which included the two number plates.

In 2018, I brought the car back to Ireland, they wanted €8,000 VRT! Even though I had payslips, rent receipts, bank statements, car insurance, etc. To prove i lived in Germany for 2 years and it was my car during this time ... they still wanted more, and more, and more evidence that it was for personal use, that I had a reason to return to Ireland (like its my home with my own house is not good enough), ie. They wanted evidence that I had secured a job in Ireland to make me stay, that my lease was up in Germany to prove I had left for good, etc. In the end I drove it back sold it in Germany just as I was sick of all the sh*te.

Yes I know. All to do with Ireland illegally applying goods import duty for EU goods. And VRT is just a name to get around it being an import duty.

I really don't understand this mentality. However, this article is a really good rebuttal of the EU flat-earthers.

"Anthony Coughlan always seemed to me to be harkening back to a traditional Ireland reminiscent of De Valera’s comely maidens dancing at the crossroads. By large majorities, the Irish people have decided to move on and embrace their opportunities in Europe and beyond leaving behind old conflicts based on religion, tribal affiliation, class, defensive definitions of national identity or gender. The vast majority of our people are now attaining third level qualifications which enable them to work in high skills, high productivity occupations in many parts of the world or in Ireland as they choose. Please forgive us if this comes across as disinterest in the problems of the old world. We have a new world to build."

He makes some good points but you quote the silliest paragraph in the article.

"Anthony Coughlan always seemed to me to be harkening back to a traditional Ireland reminiscent of De Valera’s comely maidens dancing at the crossroads."

Coughlan was a university lecturer, a literary editor, a Labour Party organiser and an early Civil Rights activist. But yeah he just wants to live in a rustic pictureseque land of rolling hills and farms.

Irish lefties and nationalists have traditionally been anti-EEC. But similar to Labour in the UK, they become more pro-EU in the late 80s/early 90s (except people like Anthony Coughlan and Jeremy Corbyn).

Coughlan may have some good points about national sovereignty, but in all honestly, what do you think Ireland’s economy would look like if we hadn't joined the EU?

Coughlan may not like to admit, but we would be poorer. There would be less inward investment, meaning we would still be more reliant on the agricultural sector etc. The “maidens dancing at the crossroads” is an old cliche, but i certainly see the point of an Ireland outside the EU/EEC being more socially conservative, with a bigger percentage of the economy in farming etc. Portugal had similar issues and transformation (albeit essentially a dictatorship until the 70s).