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ireland is the IT capital of europe for american multinationals , INTEL,s european headquaters are in ireland , ditto google , im not bragging btw , i could see theese companys upping sticks if our rock bottom corporation tax comes under threat , merkel and sarkozy were gunning for it in their drive towards tax harmonisation throughout europe , the purpose of tax harmonisation is to lure business back to the core and all signs point to an increasingly powerfull centre , if it was up to me , ireland would leave the eurozone , therefore copperfastening our competitive advantage , let the germans deal with their banks which the irish tax payer bailed out
My own gut feeling is that if some or all of the southern European countries and Ireland were to leave the Eurozone under one circumstance or another, Ireland would be the only one of them that would weather the shock with a brief setback while adjusting to the "new punt," and would then move steadily forward, maybe slowly....but with determination and focus.
No, I do not live in Ireland...a bit farther east and south.
My own gut feeling is that if some or all of the southern European countries and Ireland were to leave the Eurozone under one circumstance or another, Ireland would be the only one of them that would weather the shock with a brief setback while adjusting to the "new punt," and would then move steadily forward, maybe slowly....but with determination and focus.
No, I do not live in Ireland...a bit farther east and south.
im all for us leaving the euro but i think we wont under any circumstances and that includes surrendering every ounce of soverignty , their are a number of reasons for this
ireland economically is a nation made up of various vested interests who compete for space at the pigs trough , come election time , public servants , farmers , pensioners , the poverty industry and the sheltered sectors of the economy quee up with their list of demands to conspire against the tax payer , the goverment rely on europe to appease all of the above groups and to keep the gravy train going
were ireland to leave the euro , the highest paid police , nurses , consultant doctors and energy industry workers in the eurozone would see huge cuts to income , no politican in ireland has the guts to do any of this and would perfer leave it to germany , they can then blame europe for taking 50 euro per week of the old age pension which is redicolously generous , irish people are very fond of money ( despite not having an international rep for it ) and like many western nations , material comforts trump old school nationalism every time , we also have a very large farming class who put money above everything , farmers alone would prevent a euro withdrawl , i envy the british in this regard , they are proud to be different and are willing to face hardship rather than jump into an indentity diluted european pool
The EU is nothing like the United States. It is primarily an economic union. Too bad the PIIGS are ruining everything
Spain got an enormous black economy (around 22% of GDP), massive unemployment (over 24%), too much corruption, is not very productive (compared to Germany and Northern Europe).
You should quit reading National Enquirer. Primarily economic but bound to be a political union too.
Spain is the fourth economy in the EEC and the tenth economic power, the second most important investor in Latin America.
Thanks God we have black economy, that's why employment figures are false. Spain, Italy, France and Ireland sure can survive without Northen Europe and Germany (future rustbelt), but they need our demand but we only need cheap credit from them.
Keep reading National Enquirer and earning dollars!!!
You are writing from a mixture of prejudice, from the image of Spain as a major holiday resort, an image that the country was responsible for promotion from the 60 decade to attract tourist. There are regions in northern Spain where unemployment is less than 7% and regions with 25% of unemployment. As in Italy there are highly industrialized regions and underdeveloped regions. About the cars, Spain is the second largest producer of cars in the EU, the first in commercial vehicles ¿Surprising?. In fact, automotive industry employs 9% of the population. Along with the electrical or the textil industry is one of the most important. Appart from this, i will not give you data on all firms (mostly energy, telecommunications and textiles) that Spain has, mostly expanded in all Latinoamerican region. Obviously, tourism is an important pillar of our economy, and the rest of the economy is strongly linked with it, but is a important sector in other countries, not just in the South. My point is, you have no idea about the Spanish industry, i am not denying the shortages, bad management etc but you are flaunting ignorance here, my friend. On the other hand, i do not like the comments of some of my fellow either.
He's a descendant of Gallego immigrants....."la fe del converso"...
Unemployment figures are false thanks to submerged economy.
im all for us leaving the euro but i think we wont under any circumstances and that includes surrendering every ounce of soverignty , their are a number of reasons for this
ireland economically is a nation made up of various vested interests who compete for space at the pigs trough , come election time , public servants , farmers , pensioners , the poverty industry and the sheltered sectors of the economy quee up with their list of demands to conspire against the tax payer , the goverment rely on europe to appease all of the above groups and to keep the gravy train going
were ireland to leave the euro , the highest paid police , nurses , consultant doctors and energy industry workers in the eurozone would see huge cuts to income , no politican in ireland has the guts to do any of this and would perfer leave it to germany , they can then blame europe for taking 50 euro per week of the old age pension which is redicolously generous , irish people are very fond of money ( despite not having an international rep for it ) and like many western nations , material comforts trump old school nationalism every time , we also have a very large farming class who put money above everything , farmers alone would prevent a euro withdrawl , i envy the british in this regard , they are proud to be different and are willing to face hardship rather than jump into an indentity diluted european pool
Irish
Nobody will abandon the euro or the EEC, it's called the dynamics of empire building. Sure, the EEC and the Euro will blast away in the far future..maybe in a couple of centuries....Just what you say, the dynamics of accomodation.
You should quit reading National Enquirer. Primarily economic but bound to be a political union too.
Spain is the fourth economy in the EEC and the tenth economic power, the second most important investor in Latin America.
Thanks God we have black economy, that's why employment figures are false. Spain, Italy, France and Ireland sure can survive without Northen Europe and Germany (future rustbelt), but they need our demand but we only need cheap credit from them.
Keep reading National Enquirer and earning dollars!!!
Spain is a nation destine to fall. It has nothing. A declining aging population adds to that. No industry to speak of. Mass unemployment. Spain therefore will face harsh austerity from the core for the next 20 years at least. The party is over.
Spain is a nation destine to fall. It has nothing. A declining aging population adds to that. No industry to speak of. Mass unemployment. Spain therefore will face harsh austerity from the core for the next 20 years at least. The party is over.
I completely agree. I think this crisis is a harbinger of even more harsh truths.
Europe's getting too old and lethargic, and is very indicative of the EU.
When this crisis passes, whatever the outcome will be, Europe will then have to face the fact that it's bloated bureaucracies has made many of the countries slow, old, and growth-stifling. On top of this, what of the older generation that will need all of these benefits that they have been waiting for and could possibly be taken from them? And what about the younger generation? Will they want to deal with the tax hikes needed to support gramps? Will these countries then allow the immigrants that they now loathe so much, just to stay afloat? And after that, how will that change each countries society/culture/etc.?
I completely agree. I think this crisis is a harbinger of even more harsh truths.
Europe's getting too old and lethargic, and is very indicative of the EU.
When this crisis passes, whatever the outcome will be, Europe will then have to face the fact that it's bloated bureaucracies has made many of the countries slow, old, and growth-stifling. On top of this, what of the older generation that will need all of these benefits that they have been waiting for and could possibly be taken from them? And what about the younger generation? Will they want to deal with the tax hikes needed to support gramps? Will these countries then allow the immigrants that they now loathe so much, just to stay afloat? And after that, how will that change each countries society/culture/etc.?
Triste.
Europe will reinvent itself as always. It seems that many look with satisfaction this situation, but remember that there were crises in their own countries in the 80 with much less developed societies behind them. The crises are cyclical.
Europe will reinvent itself as always. It seems that many look with satisfaction this situation, but remember that there were crises in their own countries in the 80 with much less developed societies behind them. The crises are cyclical.
I disagree. When you really look at Europe's history, it really hasn't reinvented itself.
France has always craved control of the continent, and is now using the EU in a bid to stay relevant in a world dominated by "mega-nations" like the US, Brazil, China, etc.
Germany, when united (Holy Roman Empire, the times following unification of 1871) has always propelled growth in the region. Germany is still doing that, only this time through the EU. In fact, while much of the EU is in the crapper, Germany keeps humming along, like always.
The UK has always been wary of the continent's affairs, and chooses to intervene sporadically to remain relevant and to counterbalance a power in order for the UK to remain relevant. This exact thing has played itself out in the EU.
Europe has been xenophobic and wary of foreigners, especially Muslims, for centuries. Still happening today.
Iberia has always been seen as one big vacation, but never a place with "serious" countries on the level of France or the UK, for instance.
Italy's slow bureaucracy has been a horrible kept secret since the Romans. It is a part of the peninsula's charm at this point in history.
My point in saying all this is that Europe's history and Europe's present aren't all THAT different. The only difference today is that they all use the same coin. There is still xenophobia and extreme nationalism, Germany is still the powerhouse, and France still desperately seeks relevancy as the UK shoves its nose in affairs to balance things out.
It's the same movie, only this time we get to use the same currency if I wanted to watch it in Lisbon, Rome, or Munich!
Edit:
And while crises may be cyclical, population growth isn't. No matter what happens to the EU, the continent's getting old, and that's not good for growth.
Last edited by DginnWonder; 06-22-2012 at 07:29 AM..
Reason: Wanted to write more.
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