O'Driscoll warns against 'smart' focus - Irish Times article

kevteljeur · 10-09-2010 09:10AM #1

An interesting article in the Irish Times today:

O'Driscoll warns against 'smart' focus

DURING “THE mirage of the Celtic Tiger”, Ireland made the mistake of abandoning hands-on engineering and manufacturing for financial engineering and a focus on promoting mostly “smart economy” jobs, Glen Dimplex chief executive Seán O’Driscoll said yesterday.

Personally, I've always thought that the whole notion of "The solution to our problem is that we're clever, so what we'll do is be cleverer than everyone else, and sell the surplus of cleverness around the world for a vast profit! Yay! (cue opening of champagne and streamers)" was a red-herring of the same scale as repeatedly telling us that the banking crisis is safely contained. It's akin to telling us that we really do have a money tap, we just have to figure out how to open it the right way.

It's nice to see it articulated so bluntly. But does anyone think that he's wrong? Does anyone have a coherent and clear defence of the smart economy concept, versus Ireland as a manufacturing base?

I'm half-temped to ask if anyone thinks that anyone in Government will pay attention to these remarks by industry leaders, but I suspect we have an answer to that already...

k

RichardAnd · 10-09-2010 10:31AM

He is right. The smart economy is a buzz word and I think most people know that in their heart of hearts. Besides, if we did gear our whole economy towards science and computing and had another boom, it would just be another bubble.

liammur · 10-09-2010 10:33AM

kevteljeur wrote: »

An interesting article in the Irish Times today:

O'Driscoll warns against 'smart' focus

Personally, I've always thought that the whole notion of "The solution to our problem is that we're clever, so what we'll do is be cleverer than everyone else, and sell the surplus of cleverness around the world for a vast profit! Yay! (cue opening of champagne and streamers)" was a red-herring of the same scale as repeatedly telling us that the banking crisis is safely contained. It's akin to telling us that we really do have a money tap, we just have to figure out how to open it the right way.

It's nice to see it articulated so bluntly. But does anyone think that he's wrong? Does anyone have a coherent and clear defence of the smart economy concept, versus Ireland as a manufacturing base?

I'm half-temped to ask if anyone thinks that anyone in Government will pay attention to these remarks by industry leaders, but I suspect we have an answer to that already...

k

I would agree with him. We're not a smart nation. We are good at complaining, ' crap teachers' & bluffing bertie ahern 'the boom times will get boomier' etc.
The likes of biffo are only fit for shovelling muck around the pig yard.
Keep it simple should be the key here.

Cool Mo D · 10-09-2010 10:40AM

The important point isn't that the 'smart' economy is nonsense, or green technology is the future or whatever.

What is important, is that there is zero chance of predicting the future correctly - we don't know what will the next big thing. So, instead of government sending money chasing after smart, or green, or traditional industries, it should just create an environment where any type of business can just get on with it with minimal trouble, without playing favourites for any type of industry.

Maybe smart industry will be the way of the future. Maybe it won't. The Government should stop trying to predict the future of business in Ireland, because it clearly can't and let businesses make their own decisions.

Poly · 10-09-2010 11:22AM

You can't have a smart economy with dumb politicians

MrDarcy · 10-09-2010 01:47PM

Well it's grand to say we are smart but starting up a business takes courage, conviction and self belief, which is in very short supply in this country. Then if you can get past that, you're in a country of begrudgers are wreckers who will talk to down at every opportunity.

R P McMurphy · 10-09-2010 01:54PM

He played his part in teh mess the economy is currently in (under his previous guise in AIB). What is it with those associated with the banking industry that think they are entitled to tell us where we are doing things wrong. Seanie was fond of saying where public expenditure should be directed. Saying that I agree with his sentiment here

hobochris · 10-09-2010 01:56PM

We do have a smart economy, in the sense that we are well regarded in the IT:software sector, not the best but near the top.

It is no coincidence that people who work in software in this country haven't had nearly as hard a blow from this recession as people in other area's, Anyone who has lost a job that I know has found another within 3 months.

But at the same time, as has been said before we can't all be computer programmers as is evident by the high intake and low output rates of comp sci course at third level. So it probably would be wise not to put all of our egg's in one basket.

Tora Bora · 10-09-2010 02:10PM

hobochris wrote: »

We do have a smart economy, in the sense that we are well regarded in the IT:software sector, not the best but near the top.

It is no coincidence that people who work in software in this country haven't had nearly as hard a blow from this recession as people in other area's, Anyone who has lost a job that I know has found another within 3 months.

But at the same time, as has been said before we can't all be computer programmers as is evident by the high intake and low output rates of comp sci course at third level. So it probably would be wise not to put all of our egg's in one basket.

The whole term Smart Economy, completely drives me nuts, in that the SMART terminology is rseerved for IT, Engineering, etc!!

You need to be equally SMART, in all other diciplines and walks of life to be sucessfull.
Examples. Look at the range of knowledge and cop on, tenacity, and smartness required to be a good dairy, tillage or beef farmer. To suceed here, you have to be a cross between agronomist, accountant, vet, mechanic, builder, book keeper and have the stamina and balls to work 7 days a week. The so called smart economy diciples would look down their noses at this sector.

Look at what is required in terms of teh range of skills required by small building contractors. There is a lot of nous required today to get a modern building properly built and functioning.

IT .......... smart my arse............. no smarter than a good farmer, butcher, baker, candle stick maker..these guys given a proper business environment will contribute as much if not more to Ireland Inc, as any grad designing Pokemon :eek:

Welease · 10-09-2010 02:27PM

Tora Bora wrote: »

The whole term Smart Economy, completely drives me nuts, in that the SMART terminology is rseerved for IT, Engineering, etc!!

You need to be equally SMART, in all other diciplines and walks of life to be sucessfull.
Examples. Look at the range of knowledge and cop on, tenacity, and smartness required to be a good dairy, tillage or beef farmer. To suceed here, you have to be a cross between agronomist, accountant, vet, mechanic, builder, book keeper and have the stamina and balls to work 7 days a week. The so called smart economy diciples would look down their noses at this sector.

Look at what is required in terms of teh range of skills required by small building contractors. There is a lot of nous required today to get a modern building properly built and functioning.

IT .......... smart my arse............. no smarter than a good farmer, butcher, baker, candle stick maker..these guys given a proper business environment will contribute as much if not more to Ireland Inc, as any grad designing Pokemon :eek:

"Smart" economies are not a measurement of the intelligence of the workforce.

thirtythirty · 10-09-2010 02:39PM

Tora Bora wrote: »

The whole term Smart Economy, completely drives me nuts, in that the SMART terminology is rseerved for IT, Engineering, etc!!

You need to be equally SMART, in all other diciplines and walks of life to be sucessfull.
Examples. Look at the range of knowledge and cop on, tenacity, and smartness required to be a good dairy, tillage or beef farmer. To suceed here, you have to be a cross between agronomist, accountant, vet, mechanic, builder, book keeper and have the stamina and balls to work 7 days a week. The so called smart economy diciples would look down their noses at this sector.

Not at all. I think you're looking at what the "SMART" label refers to a bit much. It's not as if it's simply stating IT grads are smart, and farmers are not. Nobody but a fool would look at some of the agri operations and associated supply infrastuctures and chains and not call those people smart!

Smart, in my view, is the collective term that is being used to address a number of like industries - Managed IT services, Biosciences, Advanced materials engineering, etc etc. The word smart is pervasive within those industries from smart decision engines in the web and system, to smart grids in energy, and for instance, smart cells in stem cell research.

So when politicians talk about the pushing the smart economy, they mean churning out grads into these sectors, as this is where A) some seriously big money is, and

where Ireland due to varying circumstances is quite well positioned to leverage.

Growth and innovation in those sectors is potentially limitless, while farming etc can only be leveraged to a certain point due to supply constraints, market dynamics, environmental dependance etc. Spurring economic growth from those industries you've listed is infinitely more difficult than the current Smart Economy push, and any economic growth then gained from it can then be disseminated throughout Ireland's other industries.

And just to back up the fact about how much respect the agri-industries etc in Ireland have, public and political opinion is almost at the point whereby confidence in the people within them is so high, that the industries can look after themselves. When was the last time you heard the papers or radio discussing whether Ireland should focus on growing X, or exporting Y? Clearly no lack of smarts in those industries.

murphaph · 10-09-2010 07:52PM

Poly wrote: »

You can't have a smart economy with dumb politicians

And and even dumber electorate which returns the dumb politicos election after election. The Irish are NOT smart. That much is clear from the people we elect to govern us. Many of our gombeen politicians would be looked upon like members of the Monster Raving Looney Party if they stood for Westminster. Yet we elect them, time and time again. So, before we become a smart ecoinomy, we need to become smart.

dunsandin · 10-09-2010 11:58PM

Yeah, but his brother is a savage rugby player, so I'm going for whatever he says. Seems to be the modern way. And "ecoinomy" is a great freudian slip.

maninasia · 11-09-2010 05:54AM

Tora Bora wrote: »

The whole term Smart Economy, completely drives me nuts, in that the SMART terminology is rseerved for IT, Engineering, etc!!

You need to be equally SMART, in all other diciplines and walks of life to be sucessfull.
Examples. Look at the range of knowledge and cop on, tenacity, and smartness required to be a good dairy, tillage or beef farmer. To suceed here, you have to be a cross between agronomist, accountant, vet, mechanic, builder, book keeper and have the stamina and balls to work 7 days a week. The so called smart economy diciples would look down their noses at this sector.

Look at what is required in terms of teh range of skills required by small building contractors. There is a lot of nous required today to get a modern building properly built and functioning.

IT .......... smart my arse............. no smarter than a good farmer, butcher, baker, candle stick maker..these guys given a proper business environment will contribute as much if not more to Ireland Inc, as any grad designing Pokemon :eek:

Smart Economy in Ireland seems to forget about the hands-on component and also the entrepeneurial and hard working component that is needed to make a success of any good or service, about the sales channels needed to get it to market etc. It's not 'create it and they will come', rather a successful business need to constantly refine itself and often takes many wrong turns on the way. You also need the market feedback to tell you what is actually needed!

It seems the public sector mandarins who dreamed up this scheme don't really understand that and why would they, they don't have real world experience of running companies in the private sector.

femur61 · 11-09-2010 05:59AM

Poly wrote: »

You can't have a smart economy with dumb politicians

that personally i think is so true. We have "cute hoor" mentality which we as a nation admire in people. E.g Willie O'Dea on LLS last night had a glint in his eye which he'll use to get re-elected just like Bev Flynn and all the other disgraced politicians.

O'Driscoll warns against 'smart' focus - Irish Times article

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