During the Covid-19 crisis, the British exchequer is helping many businesses in the province financially. Once the pandemic is over, we hope for a growing economy again. This will rely on SME businesses, which need to be smart in terms of innovation, science and technology. Any government that fails to focus on innovation and growth will be eclipsed by more progressive economies.
Tiny states such as Luxembourg and Singapore grew after the Second World War, perhaps because their small populations were focused on recovery and through stability, attracting Foreign Direct Investment. Recovery was largely aided by one key factor, the control of fiscal levers.
In the Government of Ireland Act 1920, devolved powers were outlined for many functions of government, but some matters, such as external defence and fiscal policy, were reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (supported by Irish MPs such as John Redmond). The matter of reserved powers may sound familiar to many in modern-day Northern Ireland.
From 1949 on, the developing Irish Republic applied various fiscal levers such as low corporation tax, to encourage FDI. However, the left-wing socialists consistently opposed that policy.
In today’s Northern Ireland, devolved powers allow the executive at Stormont to run many branches of government, except for UK-wide matters such as external defence, fiscal policy and so on, which are reserved matters that the British government legislates for. The present finance minister at Stormont mentioned needing more fiscal levers when he took on the job. Perhaps a reduction in the corporation tax rate to 15 per cent would be desirable.
Yet there are nay-sayers who wish to deny the existence of Northern Ireland as a legal entity.
In his recent letter J Burns (November 2) painted a one-sided picture of the past. He avoided any mention of the families of ‘the disappeared’. The nay-sayers never mention that an innovation strategy across all sectors of the economy is needed, regardless of the shades of blue, green, orange, red or yellow in Stormont.
The media recorded what the PIRA bombing campaign did to the many ‘mom and pop’ businesses across Northern Ireland. Many decent families had their livelihoods destroyed by bombs placed in towns and cities. Many uninvolved families also lost loved ones at the hands of loyalists.
The media also recorded what various loyalist groups did. Prior to the last loyalist ceasefire, their stated strategy was “to terrorise the terrorists” – but many uninvolved persons were killed. Clearly neither republicans nor loyalists had a strategy to unite the entire six-county population.
After the final ceasefire declarations, there was talk was of a truth commission in NI, along the lines of that in South Africa. Could a truth commission be a calming salve for the emotional and spiritual wounds affecting many? Doubtful, because looking back in anger is like a pandemic, it spreads from person to person until the whole population is infected. Keeping one eye on the past is wise but focusing two eyes on the past is folly.
DAVEY BUSTARD
Holywood, Co Down
Behind closed doors shenanigans
Another debacle at the Leinster House mad hatters’ tea party, with Leo Varadkar trying to fend off accusations regarding his loose lips episode. Then we have poor Micheál Martin who keeps calling Leo the taoiseach. He was always a ditherer and he is not going to change now until such time as Fianna fail’s poll ratings disappear off the radar altogether.
On the question of national territorial integration, Martin has kicked the referendum on a united Ireland as far down the road as he possibly could. Where does that now leave the ‘republican’ in Fianna Fáil, the ‘republican’ party?
We used to listen to Ian Paisley shouting never, never, never, now we have a taoiseach reiterating that same backward sentiment moulded by the new watered-down Fianna Fáil who are content with 26 rather than the natural progression to a unitary state of 32 counties that benefits everyone on the Island.
One glaring problem with Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil is that they are so used to being immersed in one scandal or another and it is like water off a duck’s back to them.
It’s not as if this government is short of being embroiled in one scandal after another in recent times. The mother and baby scandal, the €5.5bn PPE scandal, then the golfgate scandal and now the leakage of confidential government documents by the taoiseach at the time Leo Varadkar above all people.
No wonder Sinn Féin has tabled a motion of no confidence.
Donald Trump has been creating so much outrage of his own by threatening board up the doors of An Teach Bán because he has no intention of leaving, that it has distracted the media from this Irish government’s behind closed doors shenanigans.
JAMES WOODS
Gort an Choirce, Dun Na nGall
It’s people who work in NHS that make it great
I am a loss to understand talk about the NHS system being a reason not to have a united Ireland. The creation of the NHS and welfare state concept were two incredibly brilliant ideas produced by Britain, but the ideas and beliefs have long gone, and we must admit they are in ruins. I have a brother and sister who are doctors and a sister-in-law who is a nurse. They would tell you the same thing, that the NHS is in ruins. Before Covid, nurses were on strike, waiting lists were crazy, it was on its knees. It is not that the NHS is a great organisation, it’s the people who work in it, they are what make it, just as the doctors and nurses in the south, France, Spain, Germany etc.
Three weeks ago a local radio station had a vox pop concerning the idea of a united Ireland. One respondent said: “Don’t we have the NHS.” I almost fell off my chair laughing, either this gentleman has been out in the sun too long or he has been reading The Sun newspaper for too long. If he only knew what the home truths were, he would change this idea.
The last 10 days we have seen which system is coping the best and in the last two to three days I have been hearing that the idea of transferring patients from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland hospitals may not be so far fetched. So much for the ‘They don’t have our NHS’ thought.
P MILLAR
Lisburn, Co Antrim
Time to show dedicated NHS staff we care about them
Last winter nurses and health workers were forced to take to the picket lines to highlight the need for a decent pay structure and to draw the public’s attention to the dangerously inadequate staffing levels throughout all the hospitals.
In March when patients with Covid-19 were admitted to hospital, most with life threatening conditions, it was taken for granted that hospital staff would step up and put their lives on the line to care for us and our families.
In appreciation for these efforts the population in general came out every week and clapped their hands.
The need to respect their calls for improvements to their working conditions have so far been ignored.
Now with the second wave of Covid-19 upon us hospital staff are just expected to put their lives on the line once again.
The very least we the public can do in appreciation is to call upon the government to release funds immediately that will show our dedicated staff that we care for them as they have and are caring for us.
MARGARET GATT
Belfast BT10
