[Fsfe-ie] Charlie McCreevy

[Teresa Hackett [default]]

One of the lowest rates of corporation tax in Europe (and a great source of
annoyance to Germany and France) has apparantly been one of the drivers for
the economic upturn.
I haven't been back in Ireland long enough to know a lot about McCreevy, but
the reports over the last few days have described him as "unorthodox",
"maverick", "having a personality" and willing to go against the tide if he
is committed to something. This could work in our favour. And he is
apparantly respected in Europe because of his policies.
As a former finance minister, I guess that he would need to be convinced of
the economic arguments against software patents.  So if we got some good
people to speak to him, in Brussels or in Kildare, maybe he could be
persuaded and he might not feel obliged to stick to the original Council
decision, especially if the Netherlands, who now hold the Presidency, have
also changed their minds.

He was also described on RTE as being of the "cute hoor" branch of Irish
politics-I confess I'm not sure exactly what this means ;-)

Teresa


Hmmmm, I don't really know much about the reasons for the recent
apparent economic upswing in Ireland, however I get the impression that
some attribute it to a slavish capitulation to the interests of large
US-based tech companies.

If that theory is accurate, and McCreevy was a part of it, then it
suggests that he may not be too receptive to our arguments.

This is no reason not to try though, he would need to be something
special to be worse than Bolkestein :-)

Ian.

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