Schrödinger Northern Ireland gets off lightly from Trumps tariffs…

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Our position in the UK and the EU is proving beneficial today as President Trump releases details of his tariff plans. Asia, which makes most of the world’s crap consumer goods, gets hit hardest.

Ireland as part of the EU was hit with a 20% on its goods. In 2024, almost a third of Ireland’s total exports were to the US – worth £61bn.

The UK did better with a 10% tariff, and as we are part of the UK, we get the 10% rate.

Many companies in Ireland have operations in both North and South. Does this mean they can direct their products via their Northern Ireland operations and save themselves 10%?

I am in favour of reunification, but my pragmatic side sees the benefits of being part of the UK.

I shall lay my cards on the table and say I am in favour of getting rid of Stormont and implementing joint rule. I share B&G’s scepticism from yesterday. I am so done with Stormont. Democracy has failed us; it is time to embrace the technocracy. Appoint chief executives to run Health and other services. Embrace being part of the UK and Ireland/EU for the pragmatic benefits.

Also, I have a pretty big hippy streak in me, and the excesses of consumerism disgust me. The US is 4% of the world’s population but consumes anywhere from 20% to 30% of many key global resources and consumer activity. If everyone lived like the average American, we’d need about 5 Earths to sustain it. If these tariffs make US consumers buy less crap, then it’s a good thing in my book. Can I interest you in a bit of degrowth?

This morning David McWilliams’s podcast has a good overview of the tariffs:

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