Paddy's Day Junkets

battries not included

Just wondering how many of our hard working politicians are gone overseas for St. Patrick's Day at taxpayers expense?

Of course if deals can be done to bring business to Ireland that would be okay, but more often than not it's just a piss up! :mad::mad:

The Waltzing Consumer

battries not included wrote: »

Just wondering how many of our hard working politicians are gone overseas for St. Patrick's Day at taxpayers expense?

Of course if deals can be done to bring business to Ireland that would be okay, but more often than not it's just a piss up! :mad::mad:

Every year, I say this same thread appears.

I think it has been well established how successful this day can be for our country in attracting direct foreign investment. With exports booming to record levels, tourism numbers up and multinationals continuing to invest in Ireland, the idea to curb Paddy's day junkets is plain silly from every angle and there is no evidence whatsoever that it is not 100% positive for Ireland.

So OP, please tell me your brilliant alternative to this day and suggest another idea that would have even 10% of the value this day has. Every country would kill for their own Paddy's day.

liammur

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Every year, I say this same thread appears.

I think it has been well established how successful this day can be for our country in attracting direct foreign investment. With exports booming to record levels, tourism numbers up and multinationals continuing to invest in Ireland, the idea to curb Paddy's day junkets is plain silly from every angle and there is no evidence whatsoever that it is not 100% positive for Ireland.

So OP, please tell me your brilliant alternative to this day and suggest another idea that would have even 10% of the value this day has. Every country would kill for their own Paddy's day.

I agreee, people are so angry now, that anything the government does is deemed wrong. What was wrong was the excessive bills the last crowd ran up, staying in 5*, €2K taxi bill from the airport to the hotel etc

aphex™

I hate those people who moan about Paddy's Day every year using threads on boards with sensationalist titles.

Do you essentially want to stop people promoting Paddy's Day abroad each year?

Do you even realize how lucky we are to have that sort of event worldwide to promote the island?

bleg

I used to be as outraged as the OP. I think now I have a bit more cop on and, working in an industry where image is key, understand the power that successful trade missions such as this can do. We regularly bring clients to conferences in the US and Europe and some people might call them junkets but they're hard fecking work. You have to be on your game for every waking minute, conscious of saying the right thing every time you interact. The private sector engages in these so called "junkets" the whole time and I don't see a problem with our politicians emulating this by bringing the focus on Ireland in other countries.

battries not included

My point is not promoting paddy's day, it is the waste of taxpayers money by those who get nice holiday and free everything without making connections and getting contracts signed in order to bring valued business to Ireland, I think we have a great marketing tool that a lot of countries would love to have, just how many politicians (and their wives/partners) who accompany them actually have our country interest in their hearts.

bleg

How do you know they're not making connections. When we get back from conferences it's not until a couple of months down the line that you start to reap the rewards.

liammur

battries not included wrote: »

My point is not promoting paddy's day, it is the waste of taxpayers money by those who get nice holiday and free everything without making connections and getting contracts signed in order to bring valued business to Ireland, I think we have a great marketing tool that a lot of countries would love to have, just how many politicians (and their wives/partners) who accompany them actually have our country interest in their hearts.

What you say is true up to a point, but this isn't the Fás type junkets, some good does come from them. If there are no exorbitant charges, then there should be few complaints.

battries not included

bleg wrote: »

How do you know they're not making connections. When we get back from conferences it's not until a couple of months down the line that you start to reap the rewards.

Kildare, Wicklow, Cork City, Carlow, Clare, Wexford, Roscommon, Leitrim, Meath and West Meath county council are also getting in on this St. Paddy's day junket....with NY being top of their hit list.


Let's all move down there as there soon will be The Great Return on Investment bonanza in the form of thousands of jobs and millions of tourists. Can't wait!

mikemac1

Are ratepayers paying for the councillors husbands and wives to go too?

I don't know the answer, I suspect they are

If a councillor wants to bring friends and family that should be out of their own pocket

battries not included

Let's hope we don't get a return to this :mad:

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/hard-to-justify-st-paddys-junkets-2106238.html

southsiderosie

MOD NOTE:

If this thread is just going to be a series of angry one-liners, frowny faces, and links with no context, then I am afraid that it will not be long for this world.

Wider Road

I am at home waiting for the Matthew Macklin fight coming from the Madison Square Garden.
I'm sure I've seen at least 6 times South Tipperary Chairman Ml Fitzgerald in a very prominent ringside seat. Ml is a FG councillor who made headlines a few years ago when he said that it was ok to drive after a few pints. He's wearing his chain. I wonder when he got back into FG.
He's a nice chap but what is the benefit to the economy of having him ringside with a chain around his neck.
Jesus, it looks the spit of him.

nuac

I agree fully with the Waltzing Cnsumer.
No other country gets the same exposure as the Irish on St Patricks Day- There are now SPD celebrations in hundreds of centres all around the world.

We are a small country, about 1% of the EU. We depend heavily on foreign trade, inward investment, and tourism,

We should be represented everywhere SPD is celebrated. Gotta make and develope the contacts for the good of the country.

Other countries would love to have this entré all around the world. England has tried to establish St George's Day in the same way, but without much success so far.

So we should send out our representatives, and cease the nitpicking

bleg

nuac wrote: »

Other countries would love to have this entré all around the world. England has tried to establish St George's Day in the same way, but without much success so far.

It's because they're not as much craic!:pac::pac::pac:

syklops

I was going to start a new thread but its basically the same story,

This article angered me so much when I read it. Having not read it for a while I see this passes as journalism in the Herald

By Niall O'Connor

Saturday March 17 2012

ENDA Kenny is set to take tomorrow off as a 'private day' in New York, the Herald can reveal.

The Taoiseach and his wife Fionnuala have scheduled some downtime during their St Patrick's Day trip to America.

Mr Kenny has a series of meetings in Chicago, New York, Indiana and Washington -- but not tomorrow.

The five-day jaunt culminates in the White House where the Irish delegation will be hosted by Barack Obama.

But before that he will take time to enjoy the sights of New York with his wife.

Delivering the annual St Patrick's Day address on the Government's glossy new website last night, Mr Kenny said he'll be taking a very clear message with him on the trip.

"We should never lose sight of the fact that despite these difficult economic times, that we have a unique heritage, a culture and a history to be really proud of," he said.

"It means a lot to a great many people across the globe to call them Irish.

"The Government will be very busy selling the message that our country is open for business, that Ireland has many qualities that can attract new business and new jobs to our shores."

Meanwhile, speaking during his St Patrick's Day trip to Paris, Michael Noonan buoyantly predicted that our economy is poised to "take off like a rocket" if global conditions ripen.

The Finance Minister has claimed that the past three and a half years of austerity have made Ireland stronger and more competitive.

And he confidently reaffirmed the Government's aim that the country can make its much-needed return to the bond markets in 2013.

Mr Noonan was speaking in Paris, where he rang the bell to mark the opening of European stock markets.

Before I go off on one, can I simply point out that its a Sunday. He flew into the US, a six hour flight, and worked all Saturday on different things and took Sunday to prepare for a meeting with the Whitehouse. That kind of sniping from the Herald I find distasteful. No wonder they have difficulty giving the paper away.

southsiderosie

syklops wrote: »

I was going to start a new thread but its basically the same story,

This article angered me so much when I read it. Having not read it for a while I see this passes as journalism in the Herald

Before I go off on one, can I simply point out that its a Sunday. He flew into the US, a six hour flight, and worked all Saturday on different things and took Sunday to prepare for a meeting with the Whitehouse. That kind of sniping from the Herald I find distasteful. No wonder they have difficulty giving the paper away.

I don't see what you are angry about? The paper mentioned that he was taking a private day on one day of a five-day trip.

Am I missing something?

nuac

If the Herald headlined the fact that EK took a day of it is ridiculous journalism

syklops

southsiderosie wrote: »

I don't see what you are angry about? The paper mentioned that he was taking a private day on one day of a five-day trip.

Am I missing something?

It was a Sunday.

Do we expect him to work 24 hours a day seven days a week??

If the Herald headlined the fact that EK took a day of it is ridiculous journalism

This was in fact, the headline.

southsiderosie

syklops wrote: »

It was a Sunday.

Do we expect him to work 24 hours a day seven days a week??

No which is why I don't understand why you are so upset about the article. I read it as a statement of fact. Most world leaders take a personal day during foreign trips abroad, especially if they are traveling with family. Your post reads like a pre-emptive response to a backlash that I neither see nor would think was justifiable.

syklops

southsiderosie wrote: »

No which is why I don't understand why you are so upset about the article. I read it as a statement of fact. Most world leaders take a personal day during foreign trips abroad, especially if they are traveling with family. Your post reads like a pre-emptive response to a backlash that I neither see nor would think was justifiable.

Maybe its just my mood then(critical meeting later). I have an app on my phone which gathers items of news, mostly headlines from a selection of newspapers and websites. This item was the headline on the herald site.

The headline was "Enda gives himself day off to see sights ahead of White House visit".

If it is a statement of fact, it is still lazy journalism, and hardly even fact. It was a Sunday, so unless he is required to work 7 days a week it was not a "day off".

Sorry if I took more from it then was required.

the groutch

what I would be questioning is why in the current techology era, the particular ministers can't be just as productive in attracting foreign investment when there here in Ireland?

syklops

the groutch wrote: »

what I would be questioning is why in the current techology era, the particular ministers can't be just as productive in attracting foreign investment when there here in Ireland?

Because technology has not caught up with personal interaction yet. I work with IRC, email, voip, and video conferencing everyday, and despite being jet lagged and tired(and sometimes hungover), I still get more work done in 5 days in the US than two weeks here because you can communicate personally way more information, so much more efficiently. Also, from a diplomatic point of view, you don't want to accidentally convey the wrong impression via video link because of a half second blip.

I work for a hi-tech company, and the number of times the phrase "can you hear us now?" is used in meetings is positively shocking.

Fitzerb

We really need to get a bit of cop on here. If we think of Ireland as a brand and compare to how our brand is sold on its National day versus the National Day of other Countries then I would reckon we get more media coverage and more people involvement that any other Country in the World get . in simple terms consider how Ireland celebrates the 4th of July to how the USA celebrates St Patrick's day.
It is an amazing brand and no matter who is in Government we should maximise the brand coverage on the 17th of March with Ministers going abroad to sell the name.