Cowen rejects comparisons between Ireland and Iceland

[NewsBot]

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has rejected as inaccurate comparisons between Ireland and Iceland made in a speech by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Davos yesterday.

More from The Irish Times.

[BoyInTheHood]

Biffo should have issued a hard a firm rebuttal. If you let yourself be thrown around, by someone of that authority, the negative signal sent out to the world will eventually get you dead and burried!

[adamirer]

Barroso said: (title is very misleading)
"It is interesting to compare Ireland with Iceland," Mr Barroso told delegates. "They are two relatively small economies but the difference was – among others – that Ireland was a member of the euro area (and) so a country in a respected currency.

So he wasnt suggesting ireland was a basket case. Taken out of context.

[He3]

So is Cowen wrong to describe this as a case of someone 'bad mouthing' us? Is he being unfair to Barroso, or is Barroso being unfair to Ireland?

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has rejected as inaccurate comparisons between Ireland and Iceland made in a speech by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Davos yesterday.

Mr Cowen said last night: “Those comparisons are not accurate. Ireland has seen 12,13 excellent years, one better than the next.”

“We have seen a very sharp financial crisis that has attacked globally – there is nowhere to hide for any country."

Mr Cowen said he would not accept “bad mouthing of Ireland” and was in Davos to “fight for every job we can and continue to put our best foot forward”.

[Outlander]

Barroso said: (title is very misleading)
"It is interesting to compare Ireland with Iceland," Mr Barroso told delegates. "They are two relatively small economies but the difference was – among others – that Ireland was a member of the euro area (and) so a country in a respected currency.

So he wasnt suggesting ireland was a basket case. Taken out of context.

Does sound like the Taoiseach has shot us in the foot by (apparently) missquoting Barroso.

Normally people hear what they want to hear - looks like Brian is so addled that he's hearing what he doesn't want to hear.

[John_C]

According to what I remember of Leaving Cert. English, Mr Barosso contrasted Ireland and Iceland.

[ibis]

According to what I remember of Leaving Cert. English, Mr Barosso contrasted Ireland and Iceland.

So in fact "Cowen rejects contrasts between Ireland and Iceland" would be more accurate. Interesting.

[odie1kanobe]

Biffo should have biffed him.

Would Barroso accept contrasting Portugal with Iraq as both had dictators ?

[John_C]

So in fact "Cowen rejects contrasts between Ireland and Iceland" would be more accurate. Interesting.

My interpretation is that Cowen and Barosso both see the same contrast between Ireland and Iceland but got there wires crossed along the way, possibly as a result of a mischievous question from a journalist.

[slx]

That's a non-story and it's damaging to the economy. Biffo seems to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease and a complete lack of diplomacy and media savvy, as is regularly seen when he explodes in a very unparliamentary way during Dail debates. There's a lot of sense in ignoring stories like that and allowing them to bury themselves.

What Barroso said was very accurate. As a small economy outside the Eurozone we would have been toast. Iceland might well have survived within the EU and Eurozone because it would have had more support, it also would have been less likely to have developed such an insane banking model as there would have been cohesion funding, access to a wider market etc which might have created some ability for it to have a more realistic economy.

Effectively, Iceland did what lots of small countries do, play with international finances. The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Monaco, Litchenstein, Switzerland etc have all thrived on this kind of wheeler-dealing tax haven behaviour not playing by the same rules as everyone else.

Ireland wasn't behaving like that, we did what the UK, Spain and the USA did i.e. went insane on relativley cheap credit and lashed it into idiotic property speculation. I mean, just watch British TV of the era - Kirsty Allsop and Relocation, Relocation, Relocation... and various other get rich quick by doing up a crappy house in a crappy area and selling it at an enormous price schemes. Irish and US TV were full of the same stuff!

We went slightly mental!