Ireland in the new world

6 months ago you would have gotten pretty decent odds on a UK departure from the EU or Donald Trump winning the White House - if you put an accumulator on that - well done - could you spare me a few quid?

Back home in Ireland much of the political talk surrounding the UK referendum result centres on how we can get the best deal to enable us to maintain the over-reliant trading relation the country has had with the UK for centuries. This is a lazy approach, easily sold to the public; human nature resists change, however change is a constant in our lives. The wheel was once revolutionary, the combustion engine, the microchip, fast food.

It is a source of much frustration to look at a man who's been a politician for 41 years and achieved so little, look into an empty box in the hope that Santa Claus is going to put a few goodies in it so that we can continue our cosy, lazy trading status quo.

The box is empty Enda; however if you would dare to have a bit of vision, come out of the fog; there is a market of 400 million people with no trade barriers, who won't have trade barriers any time soon, and more further afield who are struggling to manage demand for nutrition among their exploding populations.

The economic constructs of the 1970s are no longer valid - the world is now the marketplace; and as well as that meaning we can sell to anywhere; it means buyers can go anywhere too. With Brother Trump in the White House changing his tune like a candle flickering in the wind, we can offer stability of supply to trading partners, wherever they may be.

Competition is fierce; ask any business where complaining about the competition while going backwards got them; they're more than likely not a business any more - it's compete or give up - and giving up is not an option.

In the modern world, we must strive to survive, we must adapt to grow and we must forget what we knew to be true in the past.

EU Democracy and the UK Departure.

Let me start by saying how deeply saddened I am for those whose futures have been plunged into uncertainty by the outcome of last Thursday's referendum in Britain and Northern Ireland. Though London, Scotland and Northern Ireland did not vote to leave, only Scotland has any chance of having its people's will observed.

I don't really care about the domestic promises and threats that were made, but just want to point out that the threats are playing out before us now and the promises have disappeared like a pint into Nigel Farage's gob.

Let's debunk the myths of the anti-democratic EU

The Commission President is Unelected - FALSE

European Commission President Juncker's mandate is as valid as any leader elected by a parliament, as he not only has to be proposed by a majority of member states (26-2), but also ratified in the EP where 751 MEPs are elected directly by the citizens or crown subjects of member states (422-250)

A cursory search will give these records totally debunking this unelected bureaucrats shit that has been peddled and swallowed hook line and sinker.

No Taoiseach in the history of Ireland has been chosen by the people, the Dáil has sole competence in this area.

We Have No Say - FALSE

Every 5 years the electorate of each member state elects the 751 seat parliament, some on a full national vote (like the Irish President) and others by constituency. The UK elected 73 Members of the European Parliament from 12 constituencies ranging from 3 seats to 10 based on population (i.e  proportional democracy)

Much like in any member state - you would be right, the electorate has no say between elections, this is why things like protests and £12bn raids on social welfare occur.

Irish Government's Ignored the Will of the People By Making Them Vote Twice - FALSE

Irish government's did exactly the opposite - analysed the results - removed the 75% of reasons peddled in the campaign that had nothing to do with text on the ballot paper, and negotiated amendments to the treaties before putting amended treaties to the electorate for approval. Ireland has never voted twice on the exact same treaty text. Any claim to the contrary is a lie, an out and out lie.

I'm sure more questions will be raised in the course of the coming weeks, but what makes me even more sad than the loss of opportunity for those who have been plunged into uncertainty, is that last Thursday, lies prevailed and the truth lost.

There's a lot to be said for benevolent dictatorships!