Untimate outsourcing

[CookieMonster]

While not up there with drinking or watching TV, one of the fvourite past times of the nation's people is decrying how useless, overpaid and inefficient our civil service is.

While I don't think this is the case in every department, the Revenue for instance are really on the ball - though I am biased.

However, one thing problems with the Irish style of criticism is the lack of an alterative.

So here is mine, untimate outsourcing.

I've lost people already, "outsourcing is bad" they'll say It's bad enough trying to get tech support for my laptop from a call to India, never mind my social welfare or tax!" they will lament, "You're a madman, cookie" is an all to common phrase.
In the private sector outsourcing costs us our jobs and lowers standards just so that firm X can cut costs. So what's good about that for us?

First issue is globalisation, it's not been around for that long, but since it's arrived we've made some astonishing changes to the theworld works. And it's a trend, not a fad. And it's made BPO both possible and more and more attractive to private firms. Be it onshore, nearshore or offshore it makes little difference where the person at the end of the phone or at the other side of an email is.

But, unfortunately for us the flow is in the wrong direction. In the US about 300,000 white collar jobs have been outsourced to other countries. By 2015 that figure is estimated to be ten times that. And as the economies of India and China grow so does their generated revenue, their middle classes swell and wages rise and that will go into educating the children. Cost might then rise, but they have one massive advantage over smaller nation in Europe and even the US; their massive populations. For example, the demographic of male smokers in China is equal to the entire population of the US.

So with the awakening of the sleeping dragon, the room for growth and the opportunities afforded to them it's looking bad for us. Sure it will cut costs to consumers here, but what use are cheap goods and services when you've no job and no money to buy them with?

Secondly, there is no question that some countries do things better.
If you've ever had an experience with German trains you'll know what I mean. A train journey in Germany makes a train journey in Ireland or the UK seem like something from the 50s. In fact, many on the trains Irish Rail use on the Dublin-Galway route ARE from the 50s.

The French don't half know how to run a Hôtel-Dieu. And the WHO agree. We can't

And there are many private firms who can carry out the needs of the nation a lot better than anybody else could, owing simply to it being their area of core competency.

And it's already happening. Go have a look at who looks after the defense and customs of Liechtenstein. The Swiss.

If you post a letter and it never arrives, who do you complain to? Nobody? A taxi driver? Somebody from accounts? Mates in the pub? Probably all of them, but never to An Post I'll bet?
What if you Fedex something to a customer and it doesn't arrive, who is the first person you call?
You pay for both services, so why the difference when things go wrong?

Now there are problems with this, of course, and they range from security issues (that said, the Gurkhas have been serving flawlessly with the British army since the early nineteenth century), Cultural issues (Tokyo is just weird) and National concerns (though I'd can't see the Swiss allowing Tony claim social welfare payments and work full time too) and they need to be considered too.

So what departments do you think are suitable for outsourcing and to what nation or organisation would you outsource them?
Or what abilities and still do we have that we would offer to other nations?

(jokes about the Lisbon Treaty/EU and outsourcing government need not apply)

[Defeated Romanticist]

I am proudly going to do something that shall make what you are suggesting that little bit less impossible as we speak.


But right now it is impossible. Quare impossible.

[Squire Allworthy]

So what departments do you think are suitable for outsourcing and to what nation or organisation would you outsource them?

Out source as many as possible to NI Certainly health and Roads. The more the better, then much of the civil service will have a financial interest in a united Ireland whenever a referendum comes. Use our financial muscle for political purpose.

[Akrasia]

Irish public services might be inefficient, outsourcing them would be ludicrous. At least the money that is over spent stays in the irish economy and has a multiplier effect. If we sent all our taxes abroad it would lead to an economic depression so bad that we wouldn't be able to afford any public services to outsource.

[Akrasia]

in other words, Cookie monster, as usual, is completely wrong

[Defeated Romanticist]

Irish public services might be inefficient, outsourcing them would be ludicrous. At least the money that is over spent stays in the irish economy and has a multiplier effect. If we sent all our taxes abroad it would lead to an economic depression so bad that we wouldn't be able to afford any public services to outsource.

Cookie's hypothesis might have a few holes but it is not without merit. As usual however, you miss the point of economic freedom. Out-sourcing of the kind Cookiemonster is suggesting could only take place between free trading countries. So yes while some Irish instruments of government would be outsourced to other countries, other countries would outsource to us.

As for your claims toward the multiplier effect, I'd look up log-rolling in a decent economics almanac if I were you.

[CookieMonster]

in other words, Cookie monster, as usual, is completely wrong

Care to qualify that with some fact or would you rather continue making unfounded cheap shots?

[CookieMonster]

I am proudly going to do something that shall make what you are suggesting that little bit less impossible as we speak.

I pray thee, what would that be?

[Defeated Romanticist]

I am proudly going to do something that shall make what you are suggesting that little bit less impossible as we speak.

I pray thee, what would that be?

All good things come to those who wait

[JCSkinner]

Okay, Cookie. I'll bite. Tell me why shouldn't we outsource our head of state to the British monarch by rejoining the commonwealth, thereby saving ourselves the cost of the unelected president McAleese?