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
I am starting to think that this is actually not an outreach to unionists but an attempt to keep the united Ireland agenda on the boiler. Since we now have peace and equality, the last remaining motivation for a united Ireland is economics. While this will never motivate the prods, it must be aimed at the between 20% and 50% of Catholics who are not interested in a United Ireland. The worst thing for the UI agenda is prosperity in Northern Ireland, which we clearly have. Prosperous people are not interested in risking it, so the list is an attempt to persuade Catholics that the grass is greener on the other side and not to lose the faith.
Trouble is that it is so riddled with errors that it defeats itself: For example, the IDA created 12,623 jobs in 2005 and the 2006 report is not available on their website.
Posted by on May 16, 2007 @ 03:06 PM“The republic has created more jobs than NI, what a shocker !! theres me thinking that because we are only a third of the size of the ROI we should be able to create the same amount of jobs !”
Does anyone in here understand any Maths?
Posted by on May 16, 2007 @ 03:28 PMThe answer is simple. Those that want to live in an irish republic, can hop over the border and do so. There will NEVER be a united ireland, and as IRA/SF child killers have now unconditionally surrendered the whole issue of a ui should be laid to rest. It will not happen.
The next thing to do, having got the unconditional surrender of IRA/SF, is to weed those who support child killers and their apologists out of our country and our local government. They have no place at the table with British citizens. They are scum and Ulster should be wiped clean of their ilk.
I notice that not one single person has answered my previous comments, so I will ask them again:if Ba Ba Bertie has stated that he will NOT go into government with IRA/SF, why should the people of Ulster have them forced into government on us?
If IRA/SF are now totally commited to “dmocracy” then why have they not let the location of the disapeared bodies be known? Why if they are now in favour of the nationalist orientated PSNI, will they not give information to the PSNI on the Omagh Bomb, which they have never denied having? If IRA/SF is agaist criminality why is Martin “Deputy Dag” McGuiness’s brother-in-law being held on remand on suspision of murder?
Don’t tell me that wee Marty does not have knowledge of what happened to the two people who were abducted from the ocupied 26 counties known as the republic of ireland and murdered in an IRA/SF stronghold in Londonderry. He, as former IRA/SF commander of Londonderry would have all the information that the PSNI would need to bring those two people’s killers to justice. So why has he not done so?
I will also repeat the TRUTH :“Better to die on your feet than live on your knees in an Irish Republic. We will never forsake the blue skies of Ulster for the grey mist of an Irish Republic”Quis Separabit
Posted by on May 16, 2007 @ 04:41 PMTBL,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz in an ideal society mate unfortunatley in life we all have to get on with each other. You haven’t answered my question of why you thought the 1998 agreement was a better one??negotiated by true loyalists??
Posted by on May 16, 2007 @ 04:46 PMTBL - not to mention your continued confusion on the blue skies in Ulster issue.
Although on the other hand you do have a point, Malin Head is in Ulster - you know that part in the misty republic and all that.Posted by on May 16, 2007 @ 05:47 PM
