“One aspect that is missing in this debate is how we leverage our relationship with the south. We are very aware of the challenges that the Republic is facing – and is dealing with - and we have a unique opportunity to explore how we could work better on an all-island basis.The IoD goes on to say that:
“While recognising that north and south remain independent jurisdictions, we believe the potential for even greater synergies exists across a range of areas including transport, health, energy, tourism and economic development.”
Ann Riordan, President of the IoD in Ireland, echoed Ms Stuart’s desire for closer working on an all-island basis. She said: “Cooperation between North and South will be a key factor in strengthening our economies. By sharing the knowledge and expertise of our business leaders and leveraging the wealth of talent that exists on both sides of the border, we can develop strong and cohesive business networks, offering real and sustainable benefits to both economies.”
What would the IoD know? Well:
The Institute of Directors in Ireland is the representative body for senior, strategic business professionals in Ireland. Members include chief executives, chairpersons, board members, senior executives and partners of large national and international entities in Ireland.
So, senior, strategic business professionals including executives, chairpersons, board members, senior executives and partners of large national and international entities think that ‘the potential for even greater synergies exists’. Even a blind man could read that message! The border is a business and economic impediment, north and south, and the people responsible for creating wealth – as opposed to just spending other people’s money – want less border and more north-south co-operation.
As this blog has pointed out before, the border makes no sense and diminishes the lives and welfare of all Irish people, north and south. It must be removed.
The unionist response to the opinion of the business class will be, as always, a deafening silence. Unionism is not a rational creed – it does not seek the economic betterment of the north – it merely seeks to block the tide of ‘Irishness’. It is, to all extents and purposes, merely an ethnic nationalist movement, with the added spice of sectarianism.
Nobody claims that the IoD is republican – or even nationalist. They are rationalist. And their rationalism tells them that unionism’s border is wrong. Presumably, behind the scenes in quiet fora and meetings, the IoD is pushing its position. Economic rationality tends to win at the end of the day – ask the Soviet Union!
Elections, demography, and economics – all pushing in one direction. Unionism’s nasty little statelet is doomed.
3 comments:
On every economic level, the more united the north and south the better. A single country with a small, highly trained population, in Europe, with both Dublin and Belfast would, so long as infrastructure continues to develop, be an economic *killer*.
> While recognising that north and south remain independent jurisdictions,
Why not just take this at face value. It's not a recommendation for a united Ireland, is it?
Damning the "nasty little statelet" isn't really the language of reconciliation. Is there no scope for this?
Sammy Mc Nally says,
Horseman, I'm afraid your stance here does not really tally with your earlier pronouncements on the issue of harmonised Corpo tax which would surely be consistent with the IOD quote ‘the potential for even greater synergies exists’.
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