Rory Gallagher Rockpalast 1976 Too Much Alcohol

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Ireland Boycotts Harvey Norman

All Aussie Business Retailing Icon and potential saviour of the Australian economy should probably stick to retailing and leave out the history lessons, especially in Ireland. In a recent business presentation he said:

..but Ireland. Phew, just imagine you opened in Ireland; you'd want to go and cut your throat. The potato famine, someone said, the return of the potato famine in Ireland.

Way to go Gerry. Seems to me that Irish pig farmers have a better case to be unhappy with the the wholesale culling of dioxin contaminated pigs just before Christmas. Thousands have been made immediately unemployed after an animal food manufacturing plant used contaminated oil in the food production process.

Oh and by the way, talking of handouts (to deadbeats?) according to Gerry, make sure you don't give to charity during the generous season.

Asked in a new book about the role he and Harvey Norman play in the community, Mr Harvey said giving money to people who "are not putting anything back into the community" is like "helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason".

No doubt Harvey Norman will be hoping that a bunch of Australian no hopers will be dashing into his stores with their freshly minted money from the Rudd Governments stimulus handout.

Now that we have finished with that, make sure you go out and buy a plasma TV at Harvey Norman with your Government stimulus handout, eh Gerry?

What a nice man.

Stopping Plastic Shopping Bags - Money Talks

This seems like a sensible plan to dramatically reduce plastic bag use.

In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.

Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable — on a par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after one’s dog.

I have always felt that gentle persuasion is not enough to get people to stop using plastic grocery bags. I am the worst offender. We have plenty recyclable bags and I even have them in the car, but I am lazy. Retailers here make it easy in the sense that they are readily available when you check out, but you have to pay, a powerful disincentive. Punishing lazy behaviour with a charge for plastic bags would change behaviour very quickly here. When the South Australian Government introduced incentives to stop using them, the most successful were the retailers who charged for plastic bags. They probably cut their use by a similar amount to that of Ireland.

Thanks The New York Times

Irish Eyes are Smiling

Paul Kelly presents an interesting piece on the strength of the Irish economy. Well researched and informative, with parallels and things to learn for Australians.

This comes during a week where Australian politicians argue over the productivity of the Australian economy. Australia has a strong economy, but I can't help but feel that they could loosen things up a little to stimulate other forms of wealth. Currently the economy is dominated by many old world companies, Bank One, Bank Two and Bank 3, Supermarket One and Two, Agricultural Co One, Agricultural Co Two, Resourceco One, Resourceco Two.....

Australia has parallels with Ireland with a former dependence on commodity exports and the export of skilled labor. What is being done to make Australia attractive for the many skilled people who have gone abroad to work, many for every. What will underpin the economy in ten and twenty years when the resources boom is gone and the population is seriously ageing? Will Australia have made the investments required to transform the economy for a productive future?

I used to go to Ireland until the 1980s. The country Paul describes is very different from the one I remember. I can remember talking to many well educated young people, who had taken advantage of free education to earn multiple degrees and who were forced to travel abroad to get a job in their field. The option to stay at home is at least there now.

Too bad the weather is crap and they have a second rate cricket team. Australia has them beat in those areas.

Irelands Eyes are Smiling

I was in the office this Sunday morning at 7am, St Patricks Day (in most of the world) and the Genie came out of the Lamp. After cruelly being denied the Six Nations Championship, by some lame Ecossais defending, it was just desserts. I watched some of the tortuous late overs on the internet and hoped for the upset.

The Captain scoring a six to win the game was fantastic.

This is a Pakistani reaction and here is an Irish one. Somewhat different, but interesting.

Got to love the underdog. So much for all those snooty pants who did not like the inclusion of the minnows. As a minnow follower I say Go Minnows!