Ireland gambles on China's big tech billions

Neutrality allows Ireland to hedge its political stance. But not taking a position on things like invasions, etc., is morally bankrupt.<p>Ireland benefits greatly from a strong Europe, which exists due to military aid from the US and some European states to Ukraine. War is coming in Asia and we will see how this goes.

Reaction: Is ignorance of history a requirement to hold political office in Ireland? &#x27;Cause last I heard, Ireland&#x27;s experience with richer &#x2F; larger &#x2F; more powerful &#x2F; more developed nations taking root in Irish soil was rather grim.<p>EDIT: I wasn&#x27;t just thinking of China. As the article notes:<p>&gt; Ireland’s budget watchdog, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said last year that just three foreign companies contributed around a third of Ireland’s corporate tax revenue from 2017 to 2021. Company filings showed Apple, Google and Microsoft paid the most taxes in 2021.<p>&gt; The Central Bank is also warning of the country’s over-dependence on income tax revenue from a small number of the world’s richest countries.<p>...which leaves Ireland hostage to a tiny number of foreign corporations, that obviously don&#x27;t give a crap about the country. And to the foreign tax laws which - <i>for now</i> - allow trillion-dollar corporations to launder their profits through tax-haven Ireland.

&quot;Europe, the U.S. and so-called &quot;like-minded&quot; partners have grown distrustful, too, as they&#x27;re faced with economic coercion from Beijing, Chinese espionage, cyberthreats and disinformation operations.&quot;<p>omg the &quot;West&quot; gets competition.<p>&quot;hold the thieve!&quot;<p>Media is all it needs ...