Forming the next Irish Government - policies and personalities

What would these hypothetical bad optics be exactly? In relation to your hypothetical response to a hypothetical action.

So on the one hand no amount of shamrocks moves the Business needle to a bowl of shamrocks undermining hypothetical tarrif retaliations between two trading blocks?

You need to pick a lane I'm afraid. You're swerving all over the place.

And if no tarrifs get announced between now and paddy's day then we're OK in Francies book to go over with our shamrocks?

Here you are claiming the shamrocks are pointless a meaningless gesture that makes no odds to US corporations in Ireland.

But here you are insinuating the same gesture would be undermining the EUs hypothetical response to hypothetical sanctions imposed by the US?

Which is it? Meaningless gesture or diplomatic power house?

As I say, it contributes in a small way to american corporate investment in Ireland.

Some high up guy in an American corporate could be making the decision whether to locate in Ireland or in the Netherlands for example. The bowl of shamrocks would be a small consideration but it might tip the scales enough and shouldn't be completely disregarded out of hand

Multi million dollar investment comes down to a bowl of shamrock? Not buying that one Red TBH.
If a corporate boss is looking closely, and you can be sure they do, they'd be influenced by Harris calling Trump a 'ghoul' etc. and the two faced opinions of the government here.
They really don't care about that and are motivated by their ability to profit. They'll stand beside Trump until such time as it begins to affect the bottom line, same as they will do here. No amount of bowls of shamrock kept Dell here, did it?

Some of the stuff being posted is delirious nonsense. Trump won't be ostracised by the EU, delusional stuff.

First, the shamrock doesn't work for Ireland, then it makes a difference to EU sanctions!

No rational thinking at all, just looking for a way to be against whatever MM does, while covering for if MLMD does the usual first-class plane trip to look for money off American business.

If you are stupid enough to think that going to America to get American business to bring jobs to Ireland is demeaning, you must think that bowing and scraping at a fund-raising dinner in New York to fattened capitalists for money for your political party is disgusting.

The thing is that politics matter. One of the key issues that American MNCs point to about Ireland is the stable political system. Unfortunately, now we have that idiot in the park making anti-American statements, while the foghorns on the opposition bench in the Dail follow suit. That activity will have a negative effect on FDI.

Unfortunately, I believe that there are some on here and in Sinn Fein who don't care. They would be delighted with American MNCs pulling out. They could blame FF and FG and ride to power. They don't mind impoverishing a country to gain power. After all, that is what they spent 20 years doing in the North.

It means that not all are consumed by a sense of outrage about it. Probably a lot less than would be worried about anything affecting their jobs and the economy of the country here in honesty. I listen to radio a good bit in the car when I'm moving around, different local stations depending on where I am. Every year, war or no war there's some several mouthpieces on complaining about the US trip. The cost, the waste of taxpayers money, the party's for the boys, the list goes on and on. But it's an essential part of the cosying up and keeping relations as good as possible.

Do you believe declining an invite would be anything more than virtue signalling?

Accepting it when a President has embarked on something deplorable/probably illegal is hypocrisy of the highest order and would allow him to claim a virtue/validation. Other countries will be seeking ways and actioning ways not to validate it. Why should we be any different?

So you think Trump/US will be snubbed from international forums by UN/EU etc, if whatever hypothetical deplorable/illegal actions take place?

If you don't care and your attitude is, 'fck (insert whoever here)' then you rule yourself out of any intelligent debate on that matter. That goes for a fella faced with damage to his house and the fella with house intact.
You can care about multiple things BTW, your own standing and the standing of others.

But you want Ireland to snub him?

So we're back to equating Trumps America to Putins Russia.

You don't expect the largest blocks/organisations with the most influence/power to snub him but you expect little old Ireland to snub him.

It's not making any sense.

I Never said that at all, I related a story. But your posts are one minded, you can't debate with a preacher.

Anyone in a democratic discussion that says don't speak is no good to any side. I dislike the Israeli state as its set up. I dislike Gaza as its set up too. But the fact that anyone thinks that a big irish snub of America will make the slightest difference and any irish person would preach for it, as I said earlier, isn't in touch with the situation in ireland on the ground. The high horsed, always disgusted rhetoric is alive and well anyway. That much has been shown here.

I asked if you believed the action you want Ireland to take would be anything more than virtue signalling.

I'm still waiting for answer to that question.