Thank you for your reply.....
Its nice to know that at least on the Saudis we agree!
<<The massive influx of American corporate $$$ followed the implementation of investment-friendly taxes and government systems in Ireland, the sort of right-wing policies you hate, Michael.>>
Why do you think that this would be a financial policy that I would hate?!? What the IDA (Industrial Development Authority) did in the late 80s, early 90s was fiscal magic. The greatest single fiscal policy in the history of the nation. This is exactly what I was referring to in my previous post by stating no British involvement in the Republic's affairs. This type of move is impossible for the Palestinians by virtue of Israeli control.
Where you are wrong in your assumption Nadine is that because I express views that are to the left when it comes to social and foreign policy issues I am very much in agreement with a lot of the conservative financial policy. You don't have to adopt the whole mindset of one side of the political spectrum.....you can be a "hybrid" in a certain sense. You've got to remember Nadine I actually grew up in Ireland and was one of the last wave of Irish immigrants here in '88. I am very well aware of what happened to create the so called "Celtic Tiger".
<<If you handed Hamas ten billion dollars in cash tomorrow, you wouldn't kick start their economy. You would just vastly improve their stock of armaments>>
The same thing was said of the IRA 20 years ago.....hope springs eternal. The Palestinians need a seperate autonomous state that should be the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capitol. Gaza should also be part of it. They need to accept the existense of the state of Israel. Your view that the Palestinians are a violent, terrorism loving people reminds me of the views expressed by the British in the 70s about the Irish.
<<When you add up what the Pals get from the UN, from the NGOs, from Europe, from the US, from Israel (who even though they have held up tax payments, still provides Gaza and the WB with water and electricty), and let's not even discuss what they get from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Iran, the Pals are the highest per-capita consumers of foreign aid on the planet. It just goes for subsistence, patronage, propaganada, arms and jihad. Economic development is not in the budget.>>
I would like to see the proof of this please. If you can prove it I will accept your view....if you can't then all I can do is accept this as a wild subjective rant.
BTW, my brother befriended a Palestinian fellow student while at Oxford and went and stayed with his family in Gaza for a week in the early 90's. His account of the conditions that they live in was an eye opener. What reminded me of this was your comment of electricity and water. For his week there he said they had on average about an hour a day of both.....supply of these basics is completely at the whim of the Israelis.
What do you see as the solution Nadine??
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