Haha Intel CEO gets Enterprise Ireland Job after injecting 300K for yes campaign!

Toiletroll

Smells disgusting, doesnt it?

Vote for cronyism, corrupt politicians and backhanders.

Jim O'Hara of Intel who was prominent in funding a €300k Yes campaign was appointed by the Tanaiste to the board of Enterprise Ireland during the week.
[Sunday Times]

Yes to Lisbon - Yes to jobs for the boys not the people!

meglome

Toiletroll wrote: »

Smells disgusting, doesnt it?

Vote for cronyism, corrupt politicians and backhanders.

Jim O'Hara of Intel who was prominent in funding a €300k Yes campaign was appointed by the Tanaiste to the board of Enterprise Ireland during the week.
[Sunday Times]

Yes to Lisbon - Yes to jobs for the boys not the people!

So you wouldn't want one of the top business leaders (and largest employers) in Ireland on the board of Enterprise Ireland?

Toiletroll

O'Hara wont be sitting on this Board with the interests of Irish Workers in mind.

He will be there No 1 to represent his Company and after that the Capitalist System in general.

Please forgive me if I'm less than excited at his elevation to this role.

The fact of the matter is that irrespective of your belief in Jim O'Hara's appointment as being a sound choice his involvement in the Lisbon campaign leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many who see this as yet more cynical FF cronysm/payback for sevices rendered.

P. Breathnach

I doubt if somebody in a highly-paid and high-status position such as Jim O'Hara occupies has much to gain personally or professionally from an appointment to the board of a body such as Enterprise Ireland. Neither can I see any particular advantage for his employer.

We should consider the possibility that it is public service of the best type.

dvpower

Toiletroll wrote: »

O'Hara wont be sitting on this Board with the interests of Irish Workers in mind.

Maybe he will have the interests of the 4500 workers that Intel employ in Ireland in mind.

Toiletroll

I hope so...

ghost_ie

The posters did say "Vote Yes for Jobs" - most people thought that meant jobs for ordinary people though, not jobs for high-profile people who gave support, both financial and verbal, to the Yes side

P. Breathnach

ghost_ie wrote: »

The posters did say "Vote Yes for Jobs" - most people thought that meant jobs for ordinary people though, not jobs for high-profile people who gave support, both financial and verbal, to the Yes side

That's mean-spirited carping. Jim O'Hara has a job which, I am sure, gives him enough interesting work to do, and enough money so that he doesn't have to cast about for a nixer to cover the cost of the Christmas pressies for the family.

Would you prefer that the place was filled by the champion of the "ordinary people", Joe Higgins, MEP? Or by Patricia McKenna who, so far as I know, does not have a job at the moment? Or by Sean FitzPatrick, who probably has some time on his hands? Or by Gerry, who lives down the road from me and hasn't had paid employment in years because no employer would risk taking him on?

View

The goal of Enterprise Ireland is to encourage inward investment into Ireland. Doing creates JOBS for people and typically generates fair amounts of tax revenue for the state over the medium to long term. Lots of that tax revenue - either corporate taxes or employment taxes (from those workers) - funds really boring stuff like health, education and social welfare. Not that that is important, of course, to the average No campaigner.

After all, who would the average visiting industrialist find more convincing about the merits of investing in Ireland? The CEO of Intel Ireland who can explain how well Intel have gotten on in Ireland, or, some body from the People before Profit alliance who'll tell them all about the evils of capitalism?

passive

Yeah, Srsly, wtf!!!! I think Joe Higgens should have gotten the job instead...

Martin 2

I think Jim O'Hara is a very good choice for this position irrespective of his stance on Lisbon. He has over 30 years experience in the multinational sector and as the general manager of the leading foreign multinational manufacturer in the country has overseen considerable growth in Intel Ireland and has succeeded in diversifing Intel's activities here in that they now have an R&D centre in Shannon in Co. Clare.
He has been involved enterprise and technology promotion in Ireland for many years through his membership of third level education bodies such as CRANN and IRCSET and business organisations, see link. He has also been a speaker at EI and SFI events.

oscarBravo

Martin 2 wrote: »

I think Jim O'Hara is a very good choice for this position irrespective of his stance on Lisbon. He has over 30 years experience in the multinational sector and as the general manager of the leading foreign multinational manufacturer in the country has overseen considerable growth in Intel Ireland and has succeeded in diversifing Intel's activities here in that they now have an R&D centre in Shannon in Co. Clare.
He has been involved enterprise and technology promotion in Ireland for many years through his membership of third level education bodies such as CRANN and IRCSET and business organisations, see link. He has also been a speaker at EI and SFI events.

Dude, what's with all the facts? This is a mean-spirited carping thread.

Nody

oscarBravo wrote: »

Dude, what's with all the facts? This is a mean-spirited carping thread.

I agree, board.ie should add a new rule saying logic or facts are not allowed because they destroy any good debate!

force eleven

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Thats the way its always worked in our sycophantic system.

Shouldn't be a surprise really.

oscarBravo

force eleven wrote: »

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

There's an implication in there that Jim O'Hara is under-qualified for the position. Is that what you're saying?

O'Morris

Martin 2 wrote: »

I think Jim O'Hara is a very good choice for this position irrespective of his stance on Lisbon. He has over 30 years experience in the multinational sector and as the general manager of the leading foreign multinational manufacturer in the country has overseen considerable growth in Intel Ireland and has succeeded in diversifing Intel's activities here in that they now have an R&D centre in Shannon in Co. Clare.
He has been involved enterprise and technology promotion in Ireland for many years through his membership of third level education bodies such as CRANN and IRCSET and business organisations, see link. He has also been a speaker at EI and SFI events.

It begs the question of why it took so long for him to be appointed. If Jim O'Hara is such a good choice for Enterprise Ireland why wasn't he appointed sooner? Why was he only appointed to the position just a few weeks after he had donated hundreds of thousands to the referendum campaign in support of a treaty that the government were desperate to see ratified?

oscarBravo

O'Morris wrote: »

It begs the question of why it took so long for him to be appointed.

How long should it have taken?

the_syco

Toiletroll wrote: »

He will be there No 1 to represent his Company and after that the Capitalist System in general.

Ehhhhhhhhhhh... what do you think Enterprise Irelandis? It's about business. Business is capitalism.

Would you prefer someone who is the head of a large union to be in charge, or maybe someone who has no experience at all? Your gripe makes no sense.

Martin 2

O'Morris wrote: »

It begs the question of why it took so long for him to be appointed. If Jim O'Hara is such a good choice for Enterprise Ireland why wasn't he appointed sooner? Why was he only appointed to the position just a few weeks after he had donated hundreds of thousands to the referendum campaign in support of a treaty that the government were desperate to see ratified?

It seems that the timing was due to a vacancy having arisen, see link

O’Hara was appointed to the board of the organisation, whose goal is to identify and increase Irish export markets, by Mary Coughlan, the enterprise minister, last month. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment says the appointment is not related to the company’s champion-ing of a Yes vote in the Lisbon referendum.
“The timing is down to a vacancy having arisen. We are delighted to have someone of his calibre on the board,” a department spokesperson said. “It is a real coup. He is in charge of a hugely successful foreign direct investment (FDI) company in Ireland.”

Had he been uninvolved in Lisbon and available for the position then EI would be just as pleased to have him.

the_syco

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6869614.ece

He said yesterday that it was unfortunate that a member of an American multinational had been appointed to Enterprise Ireland “as the country is already over-reliant on those type of companies for jobs ”.

Christ on a stick. You'd think he wants "those type of companies" to leave. F**king idiot.

mickoneill30

the_syco wrote: »

Christ on a stick. You'd think he wants "those type of companies" to leave. F**king idiot.

+1. Who would most people prefer in the Enterprise Ireland job? Socialist member or somebody who can successfully run a a division of a gigantic company.

I don't really see how it's a reward for him. Head of Intel Ireland is a bit more impressive than member of the Board of EI. I'd say he's bringing more to the table than he's getting from it.