Open Skys....Blah! WE WANT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

I recently asked Barry Jackson of Continental Airlines how much Airport Departure Tax we are all paying for a seat when flying in his excellent back cabin to Newark.

I was staggered to hear the rates....Barry please let us all know the details. Also Barry, how does this compare with your what colleague Yvonne Muldoon's customers are facing out of Dublin.

The ADT was supposed to be a 'Green Tax' to be deployed in environmental initiatives. I'd like to hear from HMRC just what the tax is being used for.

Meanwhile, it would appear that the outward looking businesses of Northern Ireland are being penalised or forced to drive to Dublin.

I for one know just how important the direct route to USA from Belfast is and I'm prepared to pay a small premium to support the service. But these are tough times and sometimes it is too much to swallow.

Also, I've been calling for a common approach by the US Immigration Service to the island of Ireland - let's have clearance on this side of the Atlantic in Belfast as we enjoy out of Dublin and Shannon.

This fantastic and (I believe) unique service speeds up entry to USA on the other side of the pond and facilitates the business passenger making important connections to smaller cities. This is good for the US too and should be supported by the SME community in middle America.

Views please...

Conservatives & Unionists - going forward into new politics

I will be honest, had there been an agreed Unionist Candidate for South Belfast I might have allowed my name to go forward.

Then, in a heart searching moment, I recognised just how wrong that would have been [on so many levels!].

I attended the UUP Conference on Saturday and was struck not by peacocks strutting (as some have put it), but by the encouraging number of new people, younger people, men and women, from a variety of faith, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds and significantly from the business community.

The Conservative & Unionist voice will appeal, more and more, to many in South Belfast and East Belfast and right across the province. People are tired of the hatred, of the narrowness of perspective, of the default position to attack others with venom. I thought one contributor on Jim Fitzpatrick's Politics Show on Sunday might actually burst, live on TV!

In coalition we must focus on what we agree on, we must remember how far we have travelled and we must redouble our efforts to reach accommodation and understanding on the things that hold us back.

Don't get me wrong, not least in the ever increasing Conservative & Unionist family, we have a long way to travel before we are confident, outward looking and attractive enough to the political class (as opposed to their electorate) to move or merge.

One portion of Sir Reg Empey's Leader's Conference Speech struck me on Saturday; it was his reference to the United States of America and Gerry Adam's overt campaign to encourage Irish America to push for Irish Unity.

Without thinking of myself more highly than I ought, I am somewhat qualified to speak on Irish America, perhaps more than most in the Conservative & Unionist fold. I was the first Ulsterman appointed to the board of the Ireland-US Council since it was established out of the meeting of President JFK and Taoiseach Sean Lamass in 1963. Working with colleagues from Ireland and the US, I influenced the constitution of that group to be changed, by taking them back to a speech by Kennedy referring to an 'island of opportunity'. Together we redefined the constitutional references to 'Ireland' to mean the 'island of Ireland'.

I am also a Founder Trustee of The Presidents' Club which draws its Patrons and Trustees from across the island and the United States. In that and other capacities I have engaged, socialised and spoken at groups as diverse as Presbyterian gatherings in Virginia to the AOH Manhattan Branch. I have shown the confident face of Conservative Unionism, I have spoken proudly of my heritage and I have demonstrated we are reasonable and normal!

I accept Gerry Adam's campaign of espousing Irish Unity might threaten some folks. I suggest it ought not to threaten a more confident unionist family and it be countered, not with hostility, but by confidently, professionally and carefully educating and presenting the alternative view, a more unifying way, that appeals to the hearts and minds of the majority.

We have had tremendous discussions recently about the Diaspora. As the conversation continues people are becoming clear just how numerous, dispersed and well placed the Diaspora is. The other thing that is now accepted is that it has 40 shades of green and at least as many of orange! I would encourage all to read Senator Jim Webb's book Born Fighting - how the Scots-Irish shaped America and to delve into his Political Action Group of same name.

These are exciting days and we have tremendous and plentiful opportunities ahead. Let's confidently embrace the future, with our Diapsora and see how it can be harnessed to underpin the economy and to enrich culture. We have just had a good example with the visit of the Irish Technology Leadership Group from Silicon Valley to Belfast. It was my pleasure and privilege, building on friendships and relationships, to bring the ITLG to Titanic Quarter in the East and to An Culturlann and the Gaeltacht Quarter in the West of my beautiful Belfast.

Meantime I hope Conservatives & Unionists continue to provide leadership and engage wholeheartedly on the important issues of the day Education, Economy, Health and a Shared & Better Future.

Joining The Dots - Engaging the Diaspora

On Wednesday 21st October 2009, while helping to host the Irish Technology Group's 'Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland - Belfast 09', the Presidents' Club held a session entitled Joining the Dots.

Our idea, somewhat like the massively resourced Farmleigh Global Irish Forum, was to consult with people from and connected to the Northern Ireland and wider Irish Diaspora. (Note: I understand the Farmleigh event was organised by the Office of the Taoiseach/DFA and I think included [perhaps appropriately] a couple of Northern Ireland based people.)

In Belfast at The Presidents' Club we set out to consider:-

A. Just what is 'The Diaspora' and how do we engage more effectively with it?

B. Creating a 'Terms of Engagement', a set of courtesy protocols that should be observed by all the players on the pitch (too simplistic to say Public & Private sectors) who are seeking to attract FDI and do more and better business.

Our modest gathering was opened by Sir Reg Empey MLA, Minister for Employment & Learning and was attended by representatives of:-

• US State Department / US Consulate
• Belfast City Council
• Ireland- US Council
• Boston Irish Business Association
• ITLG
• Belfast Harbour Commissioners
• Titanic Quarter
• Shannon Development
• Atlantic Way
• Invest NI
• IDA
• Enterprise Ireland
• InterTradeIreland
• Newry & Mourne
• Crossmaglen & South Armagh
• Dundalk Chamber
• Tangible Ireland
• West Belfast & Greater Shankill Enterprise Council
• Washington Ireland Program
• DFP
• DEL
• Hibernia International/Project Kelvin
• and a host of significant small business and larger corporations

The session was moderated by Economist and Belfast Telegraph Journalist John Simpson. We were a little constrained by the fact that we had so much experience in the room that we needed to capture and we had to finish in time for the ITLG Gala lunch at City Hall.

That said, this was clearly the start of a conversation and we hope people will now contribute to the discussion. Six themes came to the fore that require action and further consideration:-

1] Engaging the Diaspora - getting our COLLECTIVE heads around the strength and depth of the Northern Ireland/Irish Diaspora and working out how to appropriately engage.

2] Terms of Engagement - we remain committed to drafting a series of courtesy protocols for how the Public and Private sector should cooperate and support one another in the field.

3] Trading Places - a new Trade Initiative - to support and resource our SME sector to do more and better business on new frontiers. We had interesting examples of expansive and ambitious small businesses from Belfast's Shankill Road.

4] Kicking Off Kelvin - an inclusive initiative to ensure we maximise Project Kelvin and its potential. Always considered the 51st State, we are now physically attached by Hibernia's fibre optic connection.

5] Ambassadors' Master Class - learn from the best and most successful Northern Irish and Irish businesses (large & small) who have cracked it in USA and elsewhere. Just what are the do's and don'ts?

6] Top Tool Box - release the talent by encouraging our fantastic technologists to produce a suite of tools to aid conversation, communication, engagement and collaboration. Not just a web site, or Twitter, or Facebook, or LinkedIn, Ning...maybe a White Label solution....who knows? Let's ask our tech gurus who do know!!

A number of practical initiatives are already underway and The Presidents' Club seeks to support and encourage this activity.

Feedback and thoughts please. ALL constructive contributions valued.

Is Public Investment Shoring Up NI Economy?

A very interesting piece in Belfast Telegraph about the insulating effect of Public Investment in Infrastructure. This is something that our MLAs (particularly DUP ones) keep profligating.

The reality is that very few companies in the NI Construction Sector get a sniff of this work which is hoovered up by specialist large contracting firms. Don't get me wrong, the investment is both welcome and necessary and the firms in question are professional, innovative, efficient, indeed world-class.

BUT, this does little for the myriad of bricklayers, plasterers, electricians and joiners in need of a work.

We need to seriously examine policy and PRACTICE in other areas of Government such as planning and procurement and urgently stimulate activity in things such as social & affordable housing provision.

Maze Centre of Engineering Excellence

Perhaps too much ink has been deployed on the subject of the Maze (Long Kesh) and the wider Stadium debate.  I immediately declare my involvement with Ulster Rugby, where I sat on the now defunct Stadium Committee prior to the advancing of the impressive new Stand at Ravenhill. 

I coined the phrase ‘Belfast, once a city of 2 halves, is now a city of 7 quarters’.  It is entirely compatible with this philosophy, which celebrates a proud city of diversity and activity, that I now call for appropriate financial support to be allocated to Casement Park, Ravenhill, Windsor Park and Danny Blanchflower Park.

We could and should passionately promote great and welcoming sporting events in these communities, just as we should promote Titanic Quarter on the East Bank, Cathedral Quarter in the city centre and the Gaeltacht Quarter in the West (as well as the other 4 – Linen, Library, Queen’s & Market Quarters).

That said, I turn to what to do with the Maze with its strategic location (adjacency to Belfast-Dublin rail link and M1/A1), accessibility (from throughout the island and importantly from the island’s Ports and Airports) and plentiful acreage and relative remoteness from housing (and that’s not a contradiction from my point on accessibility)?

In this Twitter era, the key might come our renowned world-class ability at Tweaking rather that Twittering. Our rich sporting heritage in motorsport is directly linked to our engineering DNA. It is well known that amateur and semi-professional Northern Ireland 2 and 4 wheel competitors and teams can extract more performance from an engine or chassis, much to the frustration and admiration of many a well funded Works team. 

• There have been almost as many column inches devoted to the need for a state-of-the-art motor-racing track in Ireland as there have been to the aforementioned stadium debate.
  
• Northern Ireland once hosted the Ards TT (and later the Dundrod TT) which was one of the Grand Prix events, before modern F1-style Grand Prix existed, along with the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and the Sicilian Targa Florio. 
  
• The Circuit of Ireland was the longest tarmac rally in the world. We have more World Rally Cars (WRC) per capita in Ireland than anywhere else in the world.
  
• I helped to stage and promote the WRC Rally Ireland at Stormont and across the border from Enniskillen to Sligo, which generated a €42M positive economic impact to the island.
  
• We have created many more 2 and 4 wheel stars per capita than most countries. Two of our number, John Watson and Eddie Irvine, have come within a hairs breadth of clinching the F1 drivers title.
  
• I remember with pride and personal sadness the world-beating Dunlop Brothers – Joey as a childhood hero and Robert a great friend.
  
• Some favoured the Dromara Destroyers, others the Armoy Armada. Either way their success stemmed from their ability with the spanner nearly as much as their guile around the circuit. Remember the great Ray McCullough, one of the ‘Destroyers’ came from the Mechanical Engineering Department of Queen’s University, where they honed his hybrid Yamaha engine.
  
• Today the NW200 is acclaimed as one of the finest road-racing, indeed motor-racing, festivals in the world rivaling the Isle of Man TT, the British Grand Prix or even Daytona.
  
• The Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod has hosted the climax to the Formula 1 World Motorbike series (won by Joey Dunlop), a precursor to the World Superbike Series.   
  
• Recently the A1GP world title was clinched by Team Ireland owned by our own Mark Gallagher and driven by Portadown’s Adam Carroll.
  

All this recalled, perhaps we should back our ability as world-class Tweakers with visionary initiatives that will yield economic pay-back, as well as training and jobs.

Let’s develop the Maze Centre of Engineering Excellence focused around a racing track (and test-track facility) that the island of Ireland can be proud of. We can encourage a cluster of motor-racing, engineering and associated technologies to co-locate.

Look at Silverstone, which has developed in to a vital resource in the world of automotive engineering and technology.

Look at the thousands of people already employed in this sector locally. Why not have our Universities and FE Colleges locate a shared facility at the Maze Centre of Engineering Excellence.

I am not saying this is the whole solution to finding a way out of the Maze, but it would be a good start.

 

 

 

 

  

The Open back to Royal Portrush

I recently had the privilege of welcoming the Claret Jug into South Ayrshire in preparation for the Open Championship. 

In the run up to what was one of the greatest Opens in years, local star Darren Clarke was widely quoted by the Belfast Telegraph, BBC and world media saying that The Open should return to Royal Portrush.

The Open has only once been held outside Great Britain when the famous north coast links hosted the Championship in 1951 when Max Faulkner triumphed with a total of 285.

Portrush was christened Royal Portrush Golf Club in 1895 when HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was Patron. 

History (and definitely politics which should be firmly left) aside the Co. Antrim links would make a fabulous re-addition to the Open roster. In more recent years it has hosted The British Seniors Open from 1995 to 1999 and again in 2004. 

I was disappointed when I heard the wonderful Peter Allis and our own Maureen Madill chatting on-air during the Beeb's coverage of last week's event. Maureen made what I think was an ill-informed point that we have insufficient hotel beds. That is simply not true. I am a Director of a Brunston Castle Golf Club only 5 miles from Turnberry in South Ayrshire and I well know that there are more hotel beds within a 40 minute drive-time of Portrush than there are around Turnberry.

Furthermore, whilst the A77 (from Glasgow to Stranraer) has been greatly improved, it was unfair to say the north coast is worse off for connecting infrastructure. 

I accept we could do with more quality beds in Portrush and its immediate surrounds and that the road connections could be further improved, however we can easily address these issues. 

I would encourage the appropriate Ministers (and it should be a joint effort) and the Assembly to Direct the Planning Service and other agencies to do whatever it takes. Similarly if Road improvements are required to speed golfers, TV, spectators and the like from Belfast/Ballymena then tell Roads Service to make it happen!

I challenge DETI, DOE, DRD and others to do whatever it takes. The positive economic impact and legacy will far outweigh any public subvention required. 

The World Rally Championship, which I helped to stage and promote at Stormont in 2007, brought a €42M positive economic impact to the cross border region from Enniskillen to Sligo. Indeed the spend was in fact spread much further afield (people will find and drive to hotels!).  

Furthermore, with the Public Accounts Committee having had its say, let's not drown in NI Events Company history or previous attempts. 

I am starting a Campaign on this and will be looking for support from across the island and USA. Meantime I intend to call my good friend Howard Hastings the energetic new Chairman of the NITB to establish what is the current thinking. 

If there are hurdles in the way lets knock the down. Our talented crop of Rory McIlroy, Portrush duo Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, two time champion Padraig Harrington and many talented youngsters deserve a shot at an Open Championship on Ulster soil. 

A Sense of Urgency - BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund

The following discussion paper was written by a Dublin based member of The Presidents' Club and has been presented to senior Government Officials and Elected Representatives in the Republic of Ireland. 

A Sense of Urgency - BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund

TÚS MAITH, leath na h-oibre

Crisis: A Sense of Urgency

As we head into the traditional holiday period many tend to think that all important activities and decisions need to be left until Autumn 2009.  If you are in Government, government employment or semi-state employment you can put your flak jacket on, keep you head down and hang in there, and maybe even go on holidays. It’s different here in the Private Sector.  

Last Tuesday I met a senior public official at a workshop who told me the country was now broke; I explained that he was right but that there is a major difference now between the Public and Private Sectors. The Public Sector can borrow and is being paid; but, in the Private Sector, we are broke, cannot borrow and are not being paid. We are ACTUALLY broke while the Public Sector is VIRTUALLY broke.

I’m personally broke and am once again faced with the simple choice which I faced in the early eighties: Stand up and Fight or Cut and Run. I do not want to Cut and Run as my children are being educated here and they need stability and a real future in their own country. The Recession hit me hard in May 2008 and has not eased since in spite of Trojan efforts in domestic and international markets.

I believe our Government is handling the current crisis incorrectly as it has placed too much emphasis on the financial crisis rather than our human potential. This is fundamentally at variance with the founding principles of Fianna Fail, one of which is:

To make the resources and wealth of Ireland subservient to the needs and welfare of all the people of Ireland.

I cannot wait for the Autumn; I believe most people in business cannot wait until the Autumn to see significant action. We cannot wait for Fianna Fail to try to use a success in Lisbon II to rebuild their reputation with the electorate to safeguard their own future. We need ACTION today so that we can get through our current paralysis and go on to deliver genuine long-term economic progress for all our people.

We have the human resources, but they are currently under-capitalised and under-valued. These urgently need to be invested/deployed in new initiatives and projects. We need to put the emphasis on our human and intellectual capital ahead of our financial capital. We talk of a knowledge economy and yet only revere financial wealth. We do not fund intellectual endeavour, research, business and entrepreneurship to the same order of magnitude that we fund the banks and property market. A series of token gestures for enterprise wrapped up in red tape are still being discussed and designed. When it comes to enterprise we talk in millions BUT when we talk of banks and property we talk in billions.

I suggest we act now with urgency and reduce our investment of €4,000,000,000 to Anglo Irish Bank to €3,000,000,000 and release in the coming days ONE BILLION EUROS for enterprise and entrepreneurial endeavours.

Solution: BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund

The biggest challenge has been what to do and where to focus, thus I suggest a simple process as follows:

1. Brian Cowen rings Michael Somers of NTMA and says transfer ONE BILLION EUROS to a special Enterprise Account immediatelty.
2. An open competition where every resident in Ireland and every Irish citizen overseas can propose a job creation idea, enterprise or innovative idea and submit it by the 1^st of August 2009.  On completing a simple 2-page Project Outline Form each applicant, up to a maximum of 10,000 applicants, will instantly receive €1000 which can be spent in any manner by the recipient on his/her project as long as it is spent in the Irish Economy.
3. These 10,000 ideas and initiatives will be culled, analysed and supported to identify urgently the best measures that can be taken to get the economy moving. Over the next 24 months we can rapidly invest €1,000,000,000 in the best ideas of the Irish people. See Table Below.

The injection of the funds straight into the economy and bypassing the banks will kick-start economic recovery, generate momentum and hope and have a huge positive multiplier effect. The engagement of the people in tackling our own problems will get us past fear, fatalism and despondency.  The new enterprises will be a vital part of the economic bedrock of the new Irish economy.  These multiple benefits represent a far better return on investment than merely leaving our money languishing with the failed Anglo Irish Bank.

Control of this BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund should be administered by a representative group active in social and commercial enterprise. Direct feedback from the Public could be used to select the best of ideas.  No party political influence should be tolerated.

With the BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund we will kick start our economy before the end of summer.

BILLION EURO Enterprise Fund
STAGE	No. of Initiatives	Funding in €	Total Funding in €	Timeframe in weeks
Process Management	1	10,000,000	10,000,000	104
Concepts	10,000	1,000	10,000,000	4
Captured Concepts	5,000	5,000	25,000,000	2
Validated Concepts	2,500	10,000	25,000,000	4
Feasibility Studies	1,500	50,000	75,000,000	4
Pilot Schemes	750	100,000	75,000,000	8
Scale Ups	250	250,000	62,500,000	12
Commercially Viable	125	1,000,000	125,000,000	26
Expansion Equity	60	10,000,000	600,000,000	26
TOTAL:			€1 Billion+

What to do

If you think this idea has merit please use your favourite Blog, website or social networking site, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Text, eMail or Snail Mail, Telephone or coffee house, Newspaper or Radio Station to build momentum and let Brian Cowen know that we cannot wait until the Autumn. We must act quickly and decisively.

 

Come the day and come the hour,

Come the power and the glory

We have come to answer our Country’s Call

From the four proud Provinces of Ireland.

If not now then when, if not us, then who?

Once more with integrity – Is feidir linn!

Raymond Sexton

Tangible Ireland

(contact details provided and available to genuinely interested parties)