EU tax plan ‘is a bigger threat to Ireland than Brexit’

Yes, in short term it hurts Ireland because you need to change your parasitic model of the economy,

This is actually already changing, just very slowly and gradually. Ireland's indigenous export sector is doing well, and we have one of the highest rates of start-ups in Europe. This was partially spurred by Eastern European immigrants coming here and starting businesses.

Overall, while Britain spent the last decade on dodgy stunts with corpo taxes, money laundering, and sterling depreciations; Ireland put a lot of "honest work" into its economy and political system.

Ireland tends to be under the most pressure from other countries, so it makes the most effort to avoid being a tax haven and is a world leader in stopping various tricks [yes].

Yeah, I would act differently because my thought horizon is longer than few months.

That is slowly changing.

But you're correct - Irish people have very short horizons. It's a substantial problem because it results in crappy outcomes in the long run. We're in the same league as Arab countries in that regard because Ireland consisted historically of tribes raiding each other, semi-nomads, guerrillas and so on.

I have translated an article about this once, when you read it come back and then we can talk:

By engaging in gangsterism themselves, the Czechs and Austrians have left themselves open to being raped by people who are better at being gangsters, such as Irish people. Now Prague and Vienna are complicit, so they can't be too aggressive or Dublin will expose them and hurt their relations with their neighbours. Especially given how transparent Ireland's system is, and it is becoming more honest with time, even as Czechia goes in the opposite direction.

Irish people are smart enough to scrupulously abide by laws and customs in places like Kosovo or Chechnya - because the best way to protect yourself from being vicitimised by criminals and bandits is to not be one yourself.

/r/europe Thread Parent Link - irishtimes.com