Wednesday 22 April 2009

Celtic tiger de-clawed

Is Ireland a good example for a future independent Scotland?

Perhaps not. See here.

I walked past Bute House yesterday and wonder if they were thinking along these lines for Scotland:

The Irish economy rests on the precipice of devastation. Government interventionism has left Ireland with little room to maneuver in this difficult economic climate. The answer to Ireland's economic woes is not further government intervention in the economy, but a return to economic liberalism, small government, and sound monetary policy. Ireland needs to look closely at Austrian economic theory and take a step back from the dissolving, failed Keynesian model. Ireland needs to return to a firm base: it must eliminate, or at the very least curtail, its leviathan public sector; it must bring inflation under control through responsible monetary and fiscal policy; and it must cut down government economic controls in order to bring lasting stability to its economy.

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Mark
The article you reference misses the big point that Ireland has too strong a currency against its two major export markets, the USA and the UK.  
 
About 60% of Irish exports go to these two non euro markets.  
 
But actually in the case of an "independent Scotland" more than 80% of our exports would go to the USA and England, which will retain sterling and have a new common land border with us. 
 
Yet the SNP want the Euro for the same nationalistic anti sterling symbolism as the Irish did. 
 
But never mind, McCreevy and Lenihan are still blaming the UK not adpoting the Euro for Republic's problems even 90 years on.  
 
Expect the SNP would go on with whinge politics - it would all be the result of an "unfair" seperation agreement. And it will be "unpatriotic" no doubt to shop in Berwick or Carlisle.

5 May 2009, 14:42:04 GMT+01:00
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Jack Maturin
Have you seen this map of what Ireland should really look like, given the death of socialism there? 
 
http://angloaustria.blogspot.com/2008/06/free-scotland.html 
 
(Oh, and there's some stuff about an independent Scotland there too, but ignore that - just look at the map of Ireland!

1 May 2009, 16:29:19 GMT+01:00
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Neil Craig
Since Irish politics are based on who fought whose grandfather rather than economic idealogy it may have been easier for them to adopt the free market policies in 1989, which led to 7% growth but equally provides less of a barrier to backsliding. They were never that progressive in the first place (eg their opposition to nuclear electricity except when imported & their smoking ban) but did well because we were worse. We still are.

30 April 2009, 13:56:43 GMT+01:00