Dear Editor,
We are blaming the wrong people for this financial mess Ireland is in! It is the National and International Financial gangsters who have caused this crisis. Our politicians are the scapegoats. These are the people we recently elected from our communities to represent us. We all enjoyed the benefits of the Celtic Tiger. Many are delighted with the fantastic road network developed, the generous social welfare we receive, and the general improvement in the standard of living, cars, foreign holidays etc. The crazy international financial pyramid scheme, moving large amounts of non-existent money around is coming to an end. The bubble is likely to burst.
Ireland is a wonderful nation, with a wonderful workforce, and a very solid education system. The frontline teams in our hospitals, factories and farms are second to none.
Did we ask our public representatives to slow the tiger, reduce the availability of credit, so that we could not buy better houses, cars, and other luxuries? Some commentators did try to warn people that it could not continue, but were silenced.
We are entering a new age. The transition will be difficult, and will last for some years. There will be hunger, riots, enormous change.
It is coinciding with the reduction in the supply of cheap oil, that ‘black stuff’ that was around for 100 years. A whole new plan, new vision is now needed, as we develop new ways of growing food and producing energy. Ireland must now concentrate on National Food and Energy Security.
Here in West Cork we probably have approximately 6 days food supply, other than milk, meat, and fish. So Nationally we probably have about 4 days food reserves. And we have about a few weeks fuel supply, other than some scarce gas reserves. In round terms we import about €5 billion of food and €10 billion of energy annually. The latter is over 90% of what we consume. This is not sustainable. When these imports get scarcer and more expensive Ireland will be in a very vulnerable position. Or, we could prepare in order to avoid this eventuality!
Ireland can produce all of the energy and food it needs (see The BioPower Report, library section www.localcampus.com ), and we can import some exotic food. We now need to go ‘bald-headed’ towards developing renewable energy infrastructure and sustainable food production. However we must learn from past over-engineered mistakes, and be clever about driving these industries forward.
Major Governmental changes are now necessary to make real change happen. Retraining will be necessary, as micro-generation of energy will be more important that macro-generation. We need to get away from the perceived need for massive infrastructure for energy and water conveyance. Long delays to grid connection and planning permission must be sorted, while still giving people adequate time to have their say. We need to toughen up to the EU somewhat, and become decision makers, not decision takers. We need to be able to act and react fast and efficiently within National Government, Civil Service, and Local Government.
Ireland must now prepare for a sudden absence of international finance, be that induced or imposed. If any country in the world can become virtually self-sufficient in energy and food Ireland can. We have all the elements needed to make this happen. Let’s take away any obstacles. More than 80,000 jobs can be created in the renewable energy industry alone, and tens of thousands of jobs will be created developing our food production industry. This can be done, it must be done!
Blaming our politicians is blaming ourselves. Let’s now change, work together, develop sensible sustainable secure industries. Let’s stop trusting the International financial gamblers, and let’s stop bailing them out. Let’s feed our children, not theirs!
Yours sincerely,
Walter Ryan-Purcell,
Goleen,
