Ireland Should Not Join the War Machine

Ireland should resist pressure to abandon neutrality and instead develop a serious doctrine of active neutrality and peace realism. Neutrality should not mean passivity, evasion, or underinvestment. It should mean disciplined statecraft: peacekeeping, humanitarian response, maritime and cyber resilience, disarmament diplomacy, civilian protection, refugee protection, and a consistent opposition to imperial violence, regardless of whose flag is flying over it.

The immediate context is the renewed militarisation of European politics: NATO nuclear rhetoric, pressure for higher defence spending, Germany’s rearmament, Japan’s pacifist settlement under strain, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s coercive pressure, and the United States demanding loyalty from allies while often destabilising the order it claims to defend. Against that background, Ireland’s comparative advantage is not military deterrence. It is legitimacy.

The essay also rejects the lazy claim that welfare states, gender equality, climate policy, migration governance, and defence restraint are signs of weakness. These are not distractions from security. They are security infrastructure. A republic is not made serious by learning to frighten the world. It is made serious by protecting life, law, dignity, democratic accountability, and social cohesion under stress.

Ireland will not lead the world by becoming a miniature great power. It may, however, lead by showing that peace is not childish, neutrality is not silence, and small states need not become pawns. A republic born in defiance of empire should not join the war machine. It should stand in its path.

I have uploaded a new essay, Ireland Should Not Join the War Machine, to Zenodo. It is available here: https://zenodo.org/records/20759250. 

 

Ireland - From Developing Country to One of the Richest in 100 Years

After hundreds of years of being under the thumb of the imperialist/colonialist neighbor,  Ireland in 1957 shifted from a proto-communist model to a property capitalistic model. Once the "sick man of Europe," the Tallaght Strategy changed the country's economic trajectory. 

Fast forward to just a few years ago, the Republic of Ireland is an unlikely pick for an EU economic and political maverick. A nation of fewer than 5 million people, it was one of the hardest hit by the 2008 global financial crisis. But the country has managed to grow its economy at rates well above the EU average (and on par with the People's Republic of China, in some areas) and went through several landmark cultural transformations that brought it closer to its European neighbors. So, how did Ireland do it?

Republic of Ireland Workers Have the Highest Productivity

In 2017, Irish workers crossed the line to becoime the most productive in the world, adding an average of $99.50 (€87) to the value of the economy every hour they work, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).


Read More... https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/irish-workers-now-ranked-as-most-productive-in-world-1.3783173

Ireland's First Report on GDPR

Last month marks the release of the first annual GDPR report from Ireland’s data protection supervisory authority, the Data Protection Commission (DPC). This is a follow-on from the DPC’s final pre-GDPR annual report and covers May through December of 2018.

The report confirms the DPC’s role as the clearinghouse for cross-border privacy complaints: A new category, termed ‘multinational complaints – others’, makes up 22% of all GDPR complaints in the report. These complaints are second to access rights as the largest category of complaint. 

This document also sets out the DPC’s views on the new complaint-handling mechanism under the Data Protection Act of 2018. When a negotiated resolution is not possible, the DPC is no longer legally obliged to make a formal, statutory decision. Instead, the DPC has a range of options: providing advice to the complainant; issuing statutory notices to controllers or processors; and, opening statutory enquires.

If a non-EU company is offering services over the internet to consumers in the EU, these companies are required to have a  data protection representative due to increased territorial scope. Article 3 of the GDPR applies to any ‘data subject’ in the EU, i.e. a person living in the EU. Notably, Article 3(2) applies to the processing of personal data of any individual “in the EU.” The individual’s nationality or residence is irrelevant. The GDPR protects the personal data of citizens, residents, tourists, and other persons visiting the EU. So as long as an individual is in the EU, any personal information of that person collected by any controller or processor who meets the requirements of Article 3(2) is subject to the GDPR. Learn more about having a data representative here.

Download the full report here…

New Film - The Burren

"An uplifting and emotional celebration of people and place, which captures the delicacy of the natural world; the heart and soul of a farmer-poet, Patrick McCormack; and the ancient rural spirit of Ireland which stands behind him. The Story is centered around Patrick and the land, The Burren, Western Ireland. A wild place where Mesolithic tombs, famine villages and present day small rocky fields are like jewels telling of our long human story on these hills. Patrick longs to farm in the quite pace his ascendants did. But his life gains a different momentum when he’s called to Battle in the Supreme courts to decide on the fate of this iconic wilderness."

https://vimeo.com/221612391

Ireland - tax haven? How about "Knowledge Haven"!

Ireland's strength is in the intelligence of its citizens. Providing knowledge workers (and the companies that build the products they use) a legitimate international (and EU) base makes great sense. Like when the monks of old squirreled away knowledge from the viking invaders, and saved information so western civilization could rise again after the plague/Dark Ages.

This NY Times article makes Ireland seem like a haven for extra-nationals, but, in fact, the Republic has done wonders (think, Celtic Tiger) to open the EU to U.S. and other companies, from China and Japan, for example. EU unfair treatment of Asian trade was first tackled in Dublin. And the heart of innovative financing (yes, even derivatives) can be found in Dublin's financial district. Not so mention the US-Ireland bond that is so strong, Ireland's own legal system mirrors the U.S.

Complex tax systems are meant to be scrutinized by companies' accountants, and the best value for share-holders delivered at the lowest cost. Ireland recognizes this capitalist truism.

Google in trouble for predatory pricing -- for NOT charging.

Fairsearch Europe, a group including rivals Microsoft, claims Android operating system is 'deceptive way' to dominate markets. The group says Android is "a deceptive way to build advantages" which aims to "dominate the mobile marketplace and cement its control over consumer internet data for online advertising as usage shifts to mobile.

The complaint comes as the European commission's antitrust chief, Joaquín Almunia, continues an investigation into Google's dominance in search that has ground on for more than two years without any clear action. The EC competition group has raised four principal objections to Google's activities in Europe – normally a precursor to regulatory action.

Android-powered phones make up about 70% of those shipped in Europe at present, though a smaller amount of the installed base. Microsoft's Windows Phone makes up around 5%. Not to be left out, Apple has been the subject of European Union complaints about anticompetitive practices carried out by Apple, and its administrative department -- the European Commission -- is closely monitoring the situation.

Carriers throughout Europe (but mainly French carriers) have sent information regarding their contracts with Apple to the European Commission saying that Apple's rules for carrying the iPhone are anticompetitive.

According to many, predatory pricing is a practice of selling a product or service at a very low price, intending to reduce competitors out of the market, or create barriers to entry for potential new competitors. To many economists, this is an absurd concept: as long as any transaction takes place because the parties to it agree to the price, the only reason they will do so is because each party thinks he will be better off doing the transaction, than not. One party is not "preying on" the other.

To this author's mind, the term of arbitrary and moralizing based on non-economic views -- whoever is using the term disapproves of an actual price for whatever reason; there is no reason why Google should offer its mobile operating system for free, if handset makers agree. They do have a "EULA" or licensing agreement to abide by, after all.

Some argue that it is particularly hypocritical for a government agency to criticize companies' pricing, since the funding of government comes from taxation, which is not a voluntary transaction, but is based on coercion -- ultimately the threat of imprisonment. The only real predatory pricing is taxation, to many anarcho-capitalists.

Carbon Tax Works to Make Ireland More Green

Using tax to get people to change behaviors works -- Germany has reached a tipping point with the installation of solar and other renewables by consumers. And using tax to dis-incentivize is not a new idea. Ireland, in the face of economic down-turn, set up taxes on most of the fossil fuels used by homes, offices, vehicles and farms, based on each fuel’s carbon dioxide emissions. While this drove up prices for oil, natural gas and kerosene, the result was reduced usage (economizing, as it were). Household trash is weighed at the curb, and residents are billed for anything that is not being recycled.

But the results are impressive: considered one of the E.U's highest per-capita producers of greenhouse gases, with levels nearing those of the United States, Ireland has seen its emissions drop more than 15 percent since 2008. The Irish love their cars almost as much as Yanks, but being a small country with a large urban population, curbing use is a no-brainer.

Read more here at NYT

Only 22? The British Empire Really Was World-Spanning

A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe. The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British. Among this group of nations are such small and out-of-the-way places as Guatemala, Tajikistan and the Marshall Islands, as well some European ones, such as Luxembourg. Read more here...

Groundhogs, snakes and half-way through winter

To wisdom I call out, wisdom I invoke
Wisdom I embrace, wisdom that once spoke
in every wheeling star,
in every sturdy oak.
Show you face, again, Bridgit
Remove your shadow cloak!

Happy Imbolc, people! It's time to see if the groundhog (or snake) decides to stay warm-and-cozy, or if spring will arrive early. Imbolc is an Irish holiday ("Oimelc" - ewe’s milk), the precursor to the end of winter when the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs. Spring and the planting season are right around the corner. To the Romans, Imbolc is halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (Lupercalia). Thong-clad men ran through the city, whacking people with bits of hide -- those struck were fortunate indeed. This is one of the few Roman celebrations that is not associated with a particular temple or deity. Instead, it focuses on the founding of the city of Rome, by twins Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a she-wolf.

It's my goal to get out and encourage people to fully embrace technology and to completely integrate it though-out every aspect of business: from marketing, to how you work with and interact with clients and other stakeholders, to how you manage your business.

Mobile platforms (specifically, iPhone/iPad) enable you to integrate and take advantage of all the benefits that today’s technologies have to offer:  virtual events and social media, data management with cloud computing and any other aspect of technology that will help increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability. 

At this, the mid-point of the winter of 2012, choose mobile technology because this will be a ‘game-changing’ year for how business is conducted -- mobile is having significant impact on the way we live and the way we interact. 

Post-conflict, the need for a reconciliation process remains

After the fighting ends, as we have seen in South Africa, and lately, Liberia, a reconciliation needs to take place. In Ireland, this was glossed over in the peace accords. But many recognize the need to salve what has come before, and move on.

If the ending of violence is a prerequisite for political reconciliation in Northern Ireland, the project remains unfinished. The Northern Irish settlement is essentially a consociational scheme; it is not designed to facilitate the fostering of a common perception of citizenship among Northern Ireland's inhabitants. The Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin have agreed to shelve their differences about nationhood for the foreseeable future, but this means that their day-to-day cooperation will always be qualified by the absence of a shared patriotism. When another country's courts (the US, in this case) stirs up the past, there is no method to manage old wounds.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-ireland-crimetre80o01p-20120124,0,7156048.story

Mid week roundup...

There's danger in green construction… http://www.usbuildingdigest.com/channels/daily-briefs/health-dangers-in-green-construction. Well, maybe.

I pretty much dislike CES, but anytime one can build robots to serve us, I am all for consumer electronics. MeeMo, bringing me my Rob Roy. NO! NO! Not the person, the drink!

A good point to consider -- the "Darwinian" nature of Facebook's privacy policies are adequate.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/12/21/facebook_irish_data_protection_commissioner_implement_best_practice_improvements/
Which kind of reminds me of this position -- there is no privacy on the internet anyway, so just deal with it.
http://allthingsd.com/20090216/you-have-zero-privacy-anyway-get-over-it-that-goes-double-on-social-networks/

Today, the Settling of Grievances

The day after Xmas (or perhaps, on Festivus itself), the airing of grievances is a regular event in the Termini household. This corresponds with Wren's Day (St Stephen's day), when kids mark betrayal by the tiny wren…

So I'm marking today with a list of tech issues I'd like to see addressed in the coming new year.

• Apple TV. No, not this one, I mean a forthcoming Apple TV. Will I be speaking to my TV, instead of fumbling with remotes? In the Termini house, we use a Mac Mini connected to a Visio tv to get our info-tainment. I got to sample the above-mention AppleTV over Xmas, and mostly liked it. But still too limiting (filtered access to YouTube?? Really, Apple).

• Kill off NetBooks already. As regular readers know, I did make an initial foray into the NetBook world while ago (well, ok, maybe I dabbled in Hakintosh). And quickly abandoned it (well, re-gifted to my daughter) when I started developing for the iPad. If you look at the apps available for iPad that are business-savvy (Pages, Keynote, Bento), the battery life, the form-factor, you'd agree. NetBooks are a dead-end branch of the PC tree.

• Speaking of killing off, get rid of the wallet! In Japan, you pay for many things with your mobile phone. Google is in the forefront with their approach. I have attempted a kludge approach myself. Come on VISA and MasterCard, get on board to end the tyranny of plastic cards.

• Cyber-criminals. Please, people, lock up your data! At least encrypt peoples' login/password or other vital data, so when the inevitable Chinese or Russian hacker snatches your data, they can't run up credit card bills.

Finally, in concluding the tradition, I'll end with a happy thought, instead of a b*tch. I enjoy working in the tech field -- I get to meet lots of people, I feel like I'm frequently solving problems and making some small part of peoples' lives easier, and I get to tackle unusual problems. As much the above complaints might nag me, I am thankful to be in this field, making good use of my talents.

Why bankruptcy is key to entrepreneurship

In the states, business incorporations are down, but the fact is, new businesses are started every year, no matter what the economy. One reason is that there is a culture of failure, and redemption, in the U.S. When small business fails, the owner may file bankruptcy. Many states offer exemptions for small business assets so they can continue to operate during and after personal bankruptcy.

In Ireland, unlike in many western countries, bankruptcy is not an option -- only 29 people were declared bankrupt in 2010 and 17 in 2009. It takes 12 years to be discharged from bankruptcy in Ireland compared to just one year in the UK.

Successive Irish governments have been advised to reform Ireland’s punitive bankruptcy laws, which business leaders say inhibit the development of an entrepreneurial culture. The EU-IMF has made reform of the bankruptcy and personal debt regime a condition of its €85bn bail-out and set a deadline of next March to draw up new legislation.

Matthew Elderfield, Ireland’s financial regulator, recently warned that too short a discharge period for people with mortgage debt could damage the banks, which have been recapitalized with €63bn in taxpayers’ money. “Any approach to restructuring needs to take account of the risk that it creates incentives for borrowers to cease meeting their obligations,” he said.

Funny how everyone is worried about the banks losing out -- when it is the underlying assets that are troubled. In the case of Ireland, those assets are made up of property securing the notes. Why not let people fail, let the banks take a hit, and wipe the slate clean? Starting over is the best way to jump-start the economy, on both side of the Atlantic.

Germany needs the euro, UK doesn't

It should have been obvious when the UK went its own way with the (non)adoption of the euro more than 12 years ago. Germany (and to some extent, France) wants to off-set inflationary pressures in its export-heavy, manufacturing-based economy -- largest in Europe and probably 4th largest world-wide.

David Cameron made an easy move declining to accept the larger European pact on granting the European Central Bank more control. What is interesting to me is the gradual move towards a model similar to the US model. Rhetoric from the recent meeting indicates many value an independent central bank; clearly the influence of Germany belays this. I am unclear how the EU will ensure the independence of the ECB when the Germans continue to obsess over austerity controls Europe-wide.

Unfortunately, this leaves Ireland to be buffeted by the gale-force winds of monetary policy managed elsewhere. Is this really a bad thing? If you view Ireland as a sovereign state within the EU maybe not. The greater size/influence of the EU, as projected through the ECB, will only come when the ECB is accepted by all members as governing monetary policy -- the way US states eventually gave in to a central banking model. When the Bank of the US folded, it was because too many foreign interests controlled the flow of money. The central bank model championed in the US early assisted in evolving America's economy into a more unified one.

Come home to Ireland, build success globally

With Google, Amazon's cloud infrastructure, Microsoft and others basing Euro operations in Ireland, I feel validated that the Emerald Isle is the best launch point for western hemisphere tech businesses. Of course, it helps that the Internet's Atlantic crossing runs right through Dublin's back garden. An aggressive corporate tax rate, derided by anti-business types, obviously strongly influences companies' decision to locate where Guinness comes from. But the highly educated, motivated youth help -- it's the workforce [read, download], at the end of the day, that makes a business successful.

Check the WSJ's article on the Irish coming home to build business...