It’s not often that I’d call an article in the Irish Times “interesting” (more often “prudish”, “tame” or “scared”) but here’s one now. Some guy who seems to be American, “Steve Coronella”, has written an article called “What if Ireland really was the 51st state?“, and reveals that if it was in the United States, “Ireland would be located more comfortably in the conservative midwestern heartland, and might even spill over a bit into the Bible Belt.”
Why so?
1. “In Ireland, 99 per cent of primary schools remain under the management (or patronage, if you prefer) of either the Roman Catholic or Protestant churches… the administration of almost all primary schools here rests in the hands of a self-selecting few.”
2. “Abortion and same-sex marriage are not legal.”
3. “When it comes to problem-solving, the Civil Service can see no difference between a struggling rural township in Co Donegal and a distressed innercity neighbourhood in Cork or Dublin. There is no room – on a practical or imaginative level – for addressing the unique needs of each community. And with very little of their own revenue to work with, county councils are just as constrained. This is a feature of Irish life that many US citizens – used to electing local city councils and school committees with their own budgets – would find problematic.”
4. Ireland has a “12 per cent corporation tax that even the most ardent US capitalist would regard with disbelief (before deciding to set up shop here). I believe McCain has promised that, if elected, he’ll lower corporation tax in the US to just over 30 per cent.”
So, Sarah Palin for Taoiseach?
Read the full article at irishtimes.com.
