Monday, May 14, 2007
Sinn Fein’s stock arguments for engaging Unionists?
Calton Radio has some interesting material, which they claim originates with the Sinn Fein Unionist outreach department. It’s an interesting (and characteristically robust) espousal of the case for re-unification. Some the figures are fascinating, though it’s not clear how the party’s own strangely protean economic policy itself addresses the statement that “we are spending 20% more than we create”. Look out for “the islands” too: an apparently freshly minted ‘unionist friendly’ term that appears to have just come into use since the deal was declared live.
Confirmation: Its a Basket Case - the 6 Counties Economy
1. 26 Counties – the IDA created 100 thousand jobs last year 2006. In the 6C - Only 95 thousand jobs created in the 10 year period called the Golden Years – never created more than that over a ten year period
2. In the 6C - 100 companies employ 26 thousand people - compared to 1000 companies employing 130 thousand people in the 26C
3. R&D investment – lowest in the 6C compared to England, Scotland, Wales or 26C
4. 6C as the lowest number of women entering business
5. Manufacturing business – decimated;
6. 9% of those employed are in defence and those jobs are under threat
7. The 6C economy is primarily service sector dominated – low wage, part time work.
8. Gross Disposal Income – GDI - second lowest across the Islands at 14%
9. Very low skilled levels in the 6C - 28% of population have no qualifications;
10. The result is that you have sectors that do not produce wealth – the economy is therefore a basket case - coupled with 30 years of infrastructure neglect.
11. Barnett formula – the allocation of money we get from the BG - is designed to bring 6C, Scotland and Wales together to level of per capital as in England – which is much lower.
12. Pump priming the economy – we are spending 20% more than we create.
13. North has the worst motor ways in Europe – lacks 4th in the worst world league tables.
14. Economic inactivity – the percentage of those at working age who are economically in-active - 28% not working or looking for work.
15. 11% of those at working age are on incapacity benefit
16. Net result of all of that is the depression – we need 140 thousand new jobs just to stand still.
17. No way forward for the North on its own – Even British Minister Hain says it’s unsustainable.
Mick Fealty @ 09:10 PM
If other parties don’t have a playbook, then they are well behind the game; fairly standard in America from what I gather. One of the first thing sales people are taught is that you must have an answer to objections, anyway.
Is there anything terribly shocking in there, really? Most of that sort of stuff crops up here.
“
Other information is in the possession of Calton Media. However, it seems that Sinn Fein/IRA are still determined to bully and browbeat the PUL community into submission, this time however with words instead of bombs.Although we do recognize that if the so called Unionist Engagement Department decides to use bombs instead of words that the right person is running it. “
Good God, you’d almost think they’d prefer bombs.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 09:36 PMI’m admittedly an outsider, but the reaction from “Calton Media” seems almost comically overblown. “Twisted propoganda”? Good lord, it’s a bunch of fairly dry economic data. It may or may not be true, or have the implications that SF says it does, but Carlton Media is acting like it’s Mein Kampf.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 09:50 PMcalton are not confident of a good rebuttal, so are being defensive; its to be expected.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:01 PMDespite being a nationalist. I’m not convinced that the figures mentioned above, whether they’re true or not, automatically necessitate reunification. It is of course the best long-term solution in my view. However, I doubt that a significant number of unionists will change their opinions in relation to the constitutional position of NI any time soon. As such, due to the fact that SF are now in ‘government’, they have a responsibility to find other solutions to the problems. Solutions that can be implemented now!
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:18 PMAnd the ball is where exactly Parci?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:30 PMmichael,
I’ve no doubt there’s a die-hard few that would rather be poor ... but proud to be British ... than wealthy and Irish.Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:33 PMthe ball is my response to:
However, it seems that Sinn Fein/IRA are still determined to bully and browbeat the PUL community into submission, this time however with words instead of bombs.
that’s defensive language, and not playing the ball but the man !Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:35 PMSo the previous Assembly was collapsed over dubious allegations of spying but Slugger will print supposedly internal SF documents, I have no idea if they are or not, from an ultra-loyalist source without comment just days into the new administration.
No surprise there then.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:38 PMThat [abusive language removed - moderator] they think they could ever lecture the NI business community on the state of the economy here.
They will be treated with contempt by all but the most gullible.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:43 PMMaybe I didn’t make that clear enough. Either it’s not true or Unionism is engaged in intelligence gathering at Stormont.
Which is it?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:44 PMDon’t hold back JEB will ya; not as if those MBWTB got elected and entered gov’t, or anyfing loike dat is it, dont you don’t you know, fer fucks sake.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:49 PMJEB
“That those murdering, bombing, wrecking,thieving bastards think they could ever lecture the NI business community on the state of the economy here.”Touched a raw nerve there me thinks! Great.
The NI business community? You mean civil service employees? Or farmers surviving on subsidies? Or property speculators (i.e. state employees who own multiple houses)? Thats about it really.
Twas the Ra wot done it, I hear you cry.
Anyway, all of the points in the article seem close enough to reality. What’s the problem here. Are we not allowed to point out the merits of a UI?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:54 PMSupersoupy
that’s beyong the scope of sluggers surely, but worth asking I suppose. SF website is all about the election in ROI, so I can’t find anything pertaining.Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 10:54 PMAll this and the real scandal goes unnoticed. If what some papers and web sites are saying is true a senior medical person here has been reported to the police for Child Destruction (illegal abortion). When has this ever happened here before? What have the politicians to say about this? Could the silence be because of the Guidelines being “rustled in” by the Department of Health to allow abortion while we are all looking the other way?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:05 PMI don’t believe government employment stats except perhaps for their own payroll. I’ve never worked for a firm that took national statistics returns remotely seriously. PAYE distribution might be a more useful number.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:09 PM“North has the worst motor ways in Europe – lacks 4th in the worst world league tables.”
What are we using as the basis for comparison? If it’s length of time to travel a given distance NI beats plenty of regions I can think of. Any highways engineers out there?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:12 PMparc,
If any Republican leaning website published claimed internal Unionist documents there would be a crisis.
Unionism claims to be engaged in spying and it isn’t questioned.
I question it. It’s a lie or Unionism has been operating a spying and dirty tricks operation in the first week of the Assembly.
Liars or spies?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:13 PMeoden, the way to handle that story is to email Mick, trolling it into a thread like this actually demeans the point, sorta rude really !
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:13 PMsuper
3rd option .. leaked.. left on a coffee table.
actually are you really that worried?
“Unionists discover Republicans have well thought out, advanced plans for UI”
shocker! ( NOT) ;)Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:18 PMSuperSoupy,
It’s a link to what looks like (but, of course, may not be) inside information. What else should be done? Italicise the they claim? Surely you are over reacting?
Jeff Jarvis in today’s Guardian suggests one important way blogging is changing the way the media can actually works:
“...consider the idea that a story never ends and never begins. When a reporter has an idea for a story that should be reported, the discussion can begin online: what do we know, what do we want to know, what and whom do we ask? Then, as interviews and reporting get under way, in public, the public can add its knowledge and questions.”
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:21 PMIf the above mentioned document is true then I will go to bed sure that Republicanism is defeated. They lost the demograhic ‘war’ and they lost the terrorist war. Their attempts now rest on these economics.
Firstly the ‘facts’ and statistics are pretty specious - moreover those who crow about the Republic’s recent success should read an article in today’s Irish times by the former chief economist to the Republic’s Central Bank. He says recession is fast approaching. This is not something I want but I think informed judgement of the Republic’s Celtic Tiger can only be made once all the european money has stopped and the new economy has weathered a recession.
Secondly - and it is not a subject I am about to get into but the Union is not purely about economics - no more than the desire for a Irish nation was ever lead by moneyPosted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:27 PMForgot to say that I think that the North’s economy will undoubtedly improve in my opinion - becuase its biggest obstacle - its war torn politcally unstable image - will fade now that Gerry, Matin and Martina have been defeated.
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:32 PMModerator
“[abusive language removed - moderator]”
What the late 20th Century Republican movement were not engaged in Bombing, thieving, murdering and wrecking as part of its strategy to destroy the NI economy ?
If SF want to “reach out” to unionism they need to think of a better plan than to start giving it statistical lectures on the state of the economy when it spent 30 years tearing it to pieces.
Surely my comments were fair comment under this thread ?
Is it just people who do not know their father who I have offended ?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:32 PMI did spot the “islands” reference; but if the synopsis was written by calton we can’t take it as being gospel that the language was used in the original, if indeed there is one.
If it is by SF then its quite a cool, unionist-friendly term.Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:35 PMOther information is in the possession of Calton Media. However, it seems that Sinn Fein/IRA are still determined to bully and browbeat the PUL community into submission,
These people are ridiculous. People want to produce leaflets containing their opinion and distribute them. What’s the problem ?
Posted by on May 14, 2007 @ 11:43 PM
