Borderless thoughts on Politics, Public Affairs, the media and anything else that matters from Conall McDevitt, SDLP MLA for South Belfast
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  • Boost for corporation tax campaign and a nuclear free Ireland

    Posted on February 4th, 2008 Conall McDevitt 1 comment

    The campaign for a lower rate of corporation tax for Northern Ireland has received a big boost  today with news that the cast majority of tax advisers in Northern Ireland believe it is the most important thing the British Government can do to improve the local economy.

    The ICAI is hosting an important meeting of those who have led the campaign on Friday in Belfast. I suspect the calls will strengthen and the campaign will gather even more momentum after this gathering. Word has it the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster has decided to hold an evidence session on the issue which will put it right back on the parliamentary agenda. 

    Margaret Ritchie made a little history today becoming to my knowledge the first northern minister ever to issues a joint ‘political’ press releasewith a southern one. Her partner in politics is John Gormley the republic’s environment minister. Those thinking this is the first sign of a new SDLP – FF axis should note that Mr Gormley is in fact a Green Party Minister. Nuclear power could not be more provocative or emotive topic as O’Conall Street predicted last month. It’s a red line issue on the island and the two ministers will receive widespread support for their stance. For this of your with a deeper interest there is a report on the Green Party website on why nuclear makes no sense which you might find interesting.

    Congratulations go to the Antrim hurlers for stealing the Walsh Cup of a gale and Offally.

    Business, Current Affairs, Environment, Public Affairs, Public Relations, Science, The Media
     

    One response to “Boost for corporation tax campaign and a nuclear free Ireland”

    1. West Belfast comrade February 4th, 2008 at 13:33

      Still don’t get the idea behined the cut in corporation tax. Of course the corporate sector are in favour, but what is the evidence that it will do any long term good for the economy of a Northern Ireland anchored in the UK?

      It seems unlikely to me that many investors would pick NI (outside the euro) than the republic or NI (across the water) instead of Britain purely on the grounds that they’d pay less tax on their profits: they have to make the profits first.

      One thing that a cut in corporation tax would do, though, is lead to a slash in the public subvention to NI’s economy. All the liberal warbling about how the economy is too dependent on public sector jobs needs to be set against the prospect of those jobs disappearing.

      What’s more. Let’s speak out for a different sort of Ireland anyway: not one where the interests of business are stuck on an altar and the rest of the people are branded “begrudgers” or “dinosaurs” for saying we want a different sort of society – one more in the European mainstream.

      The gombeens of FF and their pals in the construction industry have done very well out of the boom. But the Irish state is still the last place in Western Europe where ordinary people have no rights to comprehensive health care. That fact alone ought to give people on the progressive left pause for thought of advocating more of the same for the North.

      Yours for the workers and small holders republic :)

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