We live in a redistributive kleptocracy that has institutionalised Robin Hood

[Captain Sensible]

indeed , im apologetic 100%

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbBdWNqxkR0"]YouTube- The Smiths - Cemetry Gates[/ame]

[Captain Sensible]

I would imagine your going to be blitzed in the morning with red dots, you might want to delete a few comments (in all forums), and get over it!

indeed....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-64FTeOZvk"]YouTube- Stephen Malkmus - "Gardenia"[/ame]

[atlantic]

Now now Cael,I know loads of people that were never left land but now own and bought a good few acres .

Pure bollix, a chara. You are landless mostly because your father didnt leave you land. Most landowners in Ireland are lazy bástards who just inherited land.

[greengoose2]

You'd end up with possibly, maybe competent government in Dublin. The rest of the country would turn into Jackie-Healy-Rae land.

Not so. The cantons compete with one another. Zug gives very interesting tax breaks for businesses. Appenzell seem to be the hub for the car hire industyy. Zuerich is the bakers canton, Geneva is actually La Républic et Canton de Geneve! Vaud and Valais look after our wine, Friburg does some fine cheese, cats get eaten in Ticino and Berne is where it all gets rattled into shape.

One of the great things in Switzerland is their solidarity. They know that they depend on others as otherds depend on them so that works. The army is pretty well equipped and recent reforms mean that the young people are not indisposed to service as seemed to be the case in former times. There is a service civil which is an option. It's simply a service without guns similar to the civil defence.

The referenda is another area of interest. Polling officers do not get paid. They get called up similar to jury duty here. The polling stations are quickly assembled and even have curtains, just think, the privacy. Electioneering is confined to special boards and conforms to strict criteria. There is no advantage in having Bertie type "war chests".

One could go on and on but "if you want to know me come and live with me!" I accept the opinion anyone who has lived abroad but those who prattle on about their pride on being Irish and things are just as bad elsewhere do not cut it with me.

[Pauli]

Not so. The cantons compete with one another. Zug gives very interesting tax breaks for businesses. Appenzell seem to be the hub for the car hire industyy. Zuerich is the bakers canton, Geneva is actually La Républic et Canton de Geneve! Vaud and Valais look after our wine, Friburg does some fine cheese, cats get eaten in Ticino and Berne is where it all gets rattled into shape.

One of the great things in Switzerland is their solidarity. They know that they depend on others as otherds depend on them so that works. The army is pretty well equipped and recent reforms mean that the young people are not indisposed to service as seemed to be the case in former times. There is a service civil which is an option. It's simply a service without guns similar to the civil defence.

The referenda is another area of interest. Polling officers do not get paid. They get called up similar to jury duty here. The polling stations are quickly assembled and even have curtains, just think, the privacy. Electioneering is confined to special boards and conforms to strict criteria. There is no advantage in having Bertie type "war chests".

One could go on and on but "if you want to know me come and live with me!" I accept the opinion anyone who has lived abroad but those who prattle on about their pride on being Irish and things are just as bad elsewhere do not cut it with me.

As you say, there is a lot to say on the subject. One thing needs to be said, Switzerland does not totally rely on FDI for its economic prosperity. While it has certain characteristics which makes it naturally attractive for FDI, domestic industry is of critical importance. Hence Basel is a world leader in the pharmaceutical industry with Novartis, Syngenta and Hoffmann la Roche. The world's biggest food company, Nestlè, is Swiss and one of the world's biggest engineering concerns, ABB, is also Swiss.

We had a fantastic opportunity to build up our own domestic industry from 1997 to 2007. A catastrophic failure of policy, a lamentable visionlessness in our political leaders and a fatal addiction to the quick fix led us into believing that the cutting of ribbons was an enterprise policy in itself. It wasn't. It was and remains one of the worst failures of this dire government.

[greengoose2]

As you say, there is a lot to say on the subject. One thing needs to be said, Switzerland does not totally rely on FDI for its economic prosperity. While it has certain characteristics which makes it naturally attractive for FDI, domestic industry is of critical importance. Hence Basel is a world leader in the pharmaceutical industry with Novartis, Syngenta and Hoffmann la Roche. The world's biggest food company, Nestlè, is Swiss and one of the world's biggest engineering concerns, ABB, is also Swiss.

We had a fantastic opportunity to build up our own domestic industry from 1997 to 2007. A catastrophic failure of policy, a lamentable visionlessness in our political leaders and a fatal addiction to the quick fix led us into believing that the cutting of ribbons was an enterprise policy in itself. It wasn't. It was and remains one of the worst failures of this dire government.

Put that way you have me wondering why I came back here! Nestlé started off in Vevey, VD and have a fabulous food museum. Well worth a little train trip if you haven't been there yet!

As for our "home grown" industry - we import potatoes...

And you omitted Swatch from your list! Anyone can make watches but only the Swiss can make Swatch. It's the concept...

I remember when Blocher got on to the Conseil Federal. He scrapped half of his staff and told the remainder that he wanted solutions not problems on his desk on Monday morning. No feeble excuses there.

[Pauli]

Put that way you have me wondering why I came back here! Nestlé started off in Vevey, VD and have a fabulous food museum. Well worth a little train trip if you haven't been there yet!

As for our "home grown" industry - we import potatoes...

And you omitted Swatch from your list! Anyone can make watches but only the Swiss can make Swatch. It's the concept...

I remember when Blocher got on to the Conseil Federal. He scrapped half of his staff and told the remainder that he wanted solutions not problems on his desk on Monday morning. No feeble excuses there.

Mea culpa on Nicolas Hayek. He has done a hell of a job with Swatch and challenged the Swiss watch industry to up its game. I deliberately left out the banks because they tend to distort this sort of debate but through 2 companies in Geneva, the Swiss have 35% of the world's food flavouring industry.

While Blocher is not my type of politician, I respect his approach when in office to dealing with problems. He comes from an industrial background so can bring practical experience to the table. Contrast that the Ministers for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since 1997. Mary Harney (never worked and went from college straight into the Seanad) Michael Martin (schoolteacher) and Mary Coughlan (allegedly worked f a couple of months as a social worker before going into full time politics). So the most important government department responsible for industrial and enterprise policy has been headed up by a schoolteacher and two women with no work experience worth talking about.

It says everything.