Should they be jetting off?

caseyann

Not sure if anyone has this up yet.
Cabinet to jet off on Paddy's Day travels.

NEWLY appointed ministers will only have days to pack their bags for the annual St Patrick's Day exodus.

The first job of the new Cabinet will be to decide how many ministers travel the world, where they go and at what expense to the taxpayer.



Personally i think no,and if the rest of Ireland have to suffer the cuts they should to.And if they have to go they can fly economy and sleep in a budget hotel and eat budget dinners.Why they need airs and graces about them or luxury they are public employees!
I can not wait to see what they swing out for their holidays.:rolleyes:
Between that and 8 million they so easily allow to flitter away on Elizabeth visit,then more on Obama visit.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/cabinet-to-jet-off-on-paddys-day-travels-2569828.html

Lapin

But these foreign trips bring in untold billions of €£$ in outside investment. :rolleyes:

caseyann

Lapin wrote: »

But these foreign trips bring in untold billions of €£$ in outside investment. :rolleyes:

I know lol the best reason to go for them and spend the money they get in these investments before they even get it

dermo88

There are more than enough of us abroad willing to liaise voluntarily and speak on Irelands behalf instead of politicians. Why not tap that expertise instead, and use it. Its a win win situation. Those abroad want the country to recover so they can return. The State saves money on junkets.

Now why did'nt they do that before?

Gonzales

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caseyann

dermo88 wrote: »

There are more than enough of us abroad willing to liaise voluntarily and speak on Irelands behalf instead of politicians. Why not tap that expertise instead, and use it. Its a win win situation. Those abroad want the country to recover so they can return. The State saves money on junkets.

Now why did'nt they do that before?

I agree with you.
Its utter rubbish and excuses to get a holiday and live it up.
We have ambassadors living in them countries,are they not capable or intelligent enough to act on behalf of the country?

hedzog

Lapin wrote: »

But these foreign trips bring in untold billions of €£$ in outside investment. :rolleyes:

speaking of billions who are we sending to visit the IMF for paddys day

bamboozle

its very important we have competent politicians representing this state around the world & to show Ireland INC is open for business. What is not important is that policians wives, partners, parents etc accompany them on these trips or that they fly business class or in govt jets or hire limmos to meet them at airports when they arrive & be at their disposal for the duration of their visit.

The Waltzing Consumer

caseyann wrote: »

Not sure if anyone has this up yet.
Cabinet to jet off on Paddy's Day travels.

NEWLY appointed ministers will only have days to pack their bags for the annual St Patrick's Day exodus.

The first job of the new Cabinet will be to decide how many ministers travel the world, where they go and at what expense to the taxpayer.



Personally i think no,and if the rest of Ireland have to suffer the cuts they should to.And if they have to go they can fly economy and sleep in a budget hotel and eat budget dinners.Why they need airs and graces about them or luxury they are public employees!
I can not wait to see what they swing out for their holidays.:rolleyes:
Between that and 8 million they so easily allow to flitter away on Elizabeth visit,then more on Obama visit.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/cabinet-to-jet-off-on-paddys-day-travels-2569828.html

:rolleyes: These official visits bring a huge amount of investment and opportunity to meet with people who can actually create employment. Of all the things FF did and got criticised for, this is not one I agree with. There is far more benefits then costs to these trips. Sounds like bitter sour grapes from you. I am sure you did not mind when Gerry Adams and members of SF flew to the USA on trade missions etc.

Typical :rolleyes:

Greaney

Shouldn't the world leaders all be jetting 'in' to see us??? It always suprises me there aren't more black tie event's on Paddies day. There used to be the famous black tie Cheilí in the Mansion house years ago.

Why isn't there a big shin dig in Arus an Úachcaráin??

mickdw

Kenny should go to whitehouse but the others will surely stay at home I hope.

Einhard

Any other country in the world would kill for the opportunity that paddy's Day presents to Ireland. We have a population less than Birmingham, and yet every day, without fail, the doors of power and commerce across the globe are opened to our representatives purely on the basis of nationality. The leaders of Brazil and Norway may get private time with the American president every few years- we get it every single year without fail. And it's not just our political representatives- generally, these delegations are accomponied by trade missions. The opportunities to sell Ireland, and network with powerful political and economic figures is invaluable. To argue against it, is like arguing against Failte Ireland spending money on advertising in the US. We'd save a few million directly by cancelling these trips; we'd lose hundreds of millions more in lost opportunities.

caseyann, SF in the North appreciate these opportunities. They too engage in what you might derisively call "junkets". Much as I dislike SF, at least they know the value of a good opportunity.

Einhard

dermo88 wrote: »

There are more than enough of us abroad willing to liaise voluntarily and speak on Irelands behalf instead of politicians. Why not tap that expertise instead, and use it. Its a win win situation. Those abroad want the country to recover so they can return. The State saves money on junkets.

Now why did'nt they do that before?

Yeah, my brother is in America at the moment. Give me the number to the White House and I'll have him pop into Obama for a chat. Maybe you have a cousin in Washington who can speak for Ireland to the American Chamber of Commerce? No? Maybe not then...

Riskymove

caseyann wrote: »

I agree with you.
Its utter rubbish and excuses to get a holiday and live it up.
We have ambassadors living in them countries,are they not capable or intelligent enough to act on behalf of the country?

you'd be surprised

I have a relation who worked for a multinational USA firm who have offices here

it was really a major thing to have a Minister (a) attending Paddys day in US and (b) participating in a trade mission with them and others to India.

what seems trite to us really can end up with benefits for employment here

average_runner

It is very important these people fly out and promote our country for investment.

Alot of multi nationals come to Ireland because of this.

People that complain will be the first to say there is no jobs!


You cant win here!

Fitzerb

dermo88 wrote: »

There are more than enough of us abroad willing to liaise voluntarily and speak on Irelands behalf instead of politicians. Why not tap that expertise instead, and use it. Its a win win situation. Those abroad want the country to recover so they can return. The State saves money on junkets.

Now why did'nt they do that before?

And how would the Government know who was repersenting to the President of the USA.

dermo88

And how would the Government know who was repersenting to the President of the USA.

Never heard of "repersenting". Is that a negotiation tool for the IMF? Or do you mean "representing"

Could you please clarify.

the_syco

dermo88 wrote: »

Never heard of "repersenting". Is that a negotiation tool for the IMF? Or do you mean "representing"

Bloody spelling Nazi.

=-=

I wonder will Ming goto Amsterdam?

BrianD

There should not be a Minister left in the country on Paddy's day.

Few nations have their national day celebrated worldwide and none the size of our own country.

This is a PR opportunity to promote Ireland that no other nation can match. Every country with an Irish Embassy should be hosting an official reception with a minister present if possible.

Think of it this way - despite the fact that the nation is banjaxed people worldwide will be celebrating all things Irish on the 17th. Rivers turn green etc.

The Brits, Germans and French have their ministers out year round but none of these countries have an event like Paddy's day. Yet, our ministers are afraid to step out in case some paper exposes the fact that they had a packet crisps from a mini-bar from a hotel.

There should be only one minister left in the country on the 17th to answer the phone. The rest should be out there selling the country, flying the flag and helping us get jobs back home.

Essexboy

Einhard wrote: »

Any other country in the world would kill for the opportunity that paddy's Day presents to Ireland. We have a population less than Birmingham, and yet every day, without fail, the doors of power and commerce across the globe are opened to our representatives purely on the basis of nationality. The leaders of Brazil and Norway may get private time with the American president every few years- we get it every single year without fail. And it's not just our political representatives- generally, these delegations are accomponied by trade missions. The opportunities to sell Ireland, and network with powerful political and economic figures is invaluable. To argue against it, is like arguing against Failte Ireland spending money on advertising in the US. We'd save a few million directly by cancelling these trips; we'd lose hundreds of millions more in lost opportunities.

caseyann, SF in the North appreciate these opportunities. They too engage in what you might derisively call "junkets". Much as I dislike SF, at least they know the value of a good opportunity.

The usual hyperbole! there is no evidence that these junkets have any concrete results. At least you have not bought into the links with the diaspora garbage.

SF's eforts are focussed and targeted, not comparable to politicians freeloading in Vietnam.

Overheal

The Taisoeach has a guaranteed annual audience with the President of the United States dating as far back as I remember. No other country or foreign delegate that I can think of has the same priviledge. Those are the kind of tight relations Ireland should be hoping to maintain: Ireland and the Irish people are not isolationists. And there are really few countries and nationalities out there that dislike the Irish. You might want to keep it that way.

LeixlipRed

Frances Fitzgerald, Minister of Children going to Australia. To bring them all back?

heyjude

I think a few ministers should go, but things got badly out of hand in recent years with ministers going to places that have few if any multi national companies and no trade links with us.

I see no reason for junior ministers to have to travel to the far side of the world for St Patricks Day, they have little power or prestige and are unlikely to result in any tangible benefits to the country, apart from being a lovely little junket for the minister concerned.

Also if these trips are intended as business trips, then the travelling entourage should reflect this, with no need for wives, partners or party advisers to accompany them.

average_runner wrote: »

It is very important these people fly out and promote our country for investment.

Alot of multi nationals come to Ireland because of this.

This idea that lots of multinationals come here due to ministerial visits on St Patricks Day is put out every year, but has there been any detailed unbiased research to show whether this is actually true. Or is it just the case of people suggesting that a minister(junior or senior) must have a positive impact.

Look at where the ministers visited last year and see if you can correlate their visit to subsequent MNC arrivals in Ireland

Lets close all our embassies world wide.
Did you know we have ambassadors and staff in south africa and australia and america...
Bring them all home.
We have the phone.
Let people ring Dublin if they want us...


/end sarcasm

Donnaghm

Good move sending Varadker, a half Indian/half Irish man, to India as India still only represents about 1 percent of our exports. We should also send Shatter, the only Jew in the Dail, to Israel.

heyjude

BrianD wrote: »

There should be only one minister left in the country on the 17th to answer the phone. The rest should be out there selling the country, flying the flag and helping us get jobs back home.

Among the destinations deemed worthy of a St Patricks' Day visit last year were Vietnam, Lesotho and the United Arab Emirates.

How many jobs do you think we can expect from visiting these places ? I think we need fewer trips or given the general agreement that we need to get better value for money from the state, we should be far more careful when choosing where ministers are sent. We need to cut down on the courtesy visits and charity trips and become more hard nosed in visiting destinations where there are real trade opportunities for Irish companies or multi national companies that we can attract.

We also need to attempt some type of independent audit/review a year or two later, to see which trips actually paid off with additional investment/trade and which trips had no tangible impact. The time when we could afford to throw money at every seemingly good idea, project or foreign trip is gone, we need to see what works and support it, while cutting out spending that doesn't bring results. If the purpose of these St Patricks Day trips is to promote trade and investment, then lets see how successful they are and act accordingly.

Einhard

Essexboy wrote: »

The usual hyperbole! there is no evidence that these junkets have any concrete results. At least you have not bought into the links with the diaspora garbage.

SF's eforts are focussed and targeted, not comparable to politicians freeloading in Vietnam.

So when SF do it, it's focused and targeted, and presumably done to good effect, yet when other parties engage in such trips, they're junkets, and dervive no benefit whatsoever? More cant from SF supporters I see. The hypocrisy is really reaching nauseating levels.

@ heyjude, not all of the visits are made exclusively with a view to trade and commerce. AFAK, Ireland Aid is a significant player in Lesotho, and perhaps it was in that context that the trip was made. Also, it would be wrong to draw conclusions on a sphere of activity based on the workings of a FF administration. It's pretty sickening how they've managed to tar all politics, and public administration, with the same brush.

amacachi

heyjude wrote: »

Among the destinations deemed worthy of a St Patricks' Day visit last year were Vietnam, Lesotho and the United Arab Emirates.

How many jobs do you think we can expect from visiting these places ?

I'll be perfectly honest, I don't know. However Vietnam looks to be emerging nicely, Lesotho has an AIDS crisis and we export quite a lot of pharmaceuticals and the UAE are expanding all over the place.

Firefox11

I think it's more important than ever for all of them to go abroad for St Patrick's day to promote the country. Get some much needed jobs and investment into the country.

Riskymove

Donnaghm wrote: »

We should also send Shatter, the only Jew in the Dail, to Israel.

I think sending him to New York and Florida would be far more beneficial;)

jmayo

dermo88 wrote: »

There are more than enough of us abroad willing to liaise voluntarily and speak on Irelands behalf instead of politicians. Why not tap that expertise instead, and use it. Its a win win situation. Those abroad want the country to recover so they can return. The State saves money on junkets.

Now why did'nt they do that before?

Yeah I suppose you know someone in the US that can get an invite to the Whitehouse to actaully sit and talk to the President and then get to spend time with the movers and shakers on Capital Hill at the St Patricks day ball ? :rolleyes:

LeixlipRed wrote: »

Frances Fitzgerald, Minister of Children going to Australia. To bring them all back?

Not sure why they are sending her anywhere ?

Donnaghm wrote: »

Good move sending Varadker, a half Indian/half Irish man, to India as India still only represents about 1 percent of our exports. We should also send Shatter, the only Jew in the Dail, to Israel.

Clever thinking.
Have we nay one Chinese.
And no we can't ask mehole martin to go, even if he reckons he can speak Chinese (Standard Chinese, Cantonese, pidgeon English). :rolleyes:

Riskymove wrote: »

I think sending him to New York and Florida would be far more beneficial;)

Don't discount Israel.
They have large technology sector weith specialities like mobile blocking technology, etc and don't forget an Irish company provided a lot of cement for their wall. :rolleyes:

BrianD

Essexboy wrote: »

The usual hyperbole! there is no evidence that these junkets have any concrete results. At least you have not bought into the links with the diaspora garbage.

Nonsense. This is how it happens. This is how inward investment is brought into the country. This is how networking takes place. This is how nations do business - except no notion has an almost guaranteed appointment in every nation worldwide on March 17th.

SF's eforts are focussed and targeted, not comparable to politicians freeloading in Vietnam.

Is this the same SF party that ran in the elections? The guys who haven't a single practical policy between them? Focused and targetted ... you're not talking about Sinn Fein.

Ironic, given that SF well know the power of getting out to the likes of the States and doing the rounds.

And as for the cost of these ministers travelling away? Sweet FA in the grand scheme of things.

bette

average_runner wrote: »

It is very important these people fly out and promote our country for investment.

Alot of multi nationals come to Ireland because of this.

People that complain will be the first to say there is no jobs!


You cant win here!

Does the Indian cabinet jet off on world jollies on Patricks Day?

Donnaghm

bette wrote: »

Does the Indian cabinet jet off on world jollies on Patricks Day?

What has India got to do with St. Patrick's day? The Indian Cabinet have no purpose travelling on that particular day. St. Patrick's day is a world celebrated Irish themed Day, it's a terrific opportunity to showcase the good things about this country and is unparalleled in any other country in the world. It would be INSANE not to make the most of this.

This argument is a bit like someone arguing about whether or not to advertise or whether or not to put a sign outside a b&b or whether or not to fix a small hole in your roof rather than just putting a bucket under it.

It's a ridiculous crib.
These aren't co councillor junkets like the op may be implying,they are important shop window trade missions making use of goodwill towards our country on it's national day.
Sometimes they get trade , sometimes they don't.The presence is important.
Sinn Féin usually represent NI at them.

BrianD

bette wrote: »

Does the Indian cabinet jet off on world jollies on Patricks Day?

No, with the second largest population in the world just about every country that trades is sending delegations to get business and trade with India. If an Irish business delegation goes in they have to have a high ranking government member on board.

Welcome to the real world.