[duggan]

Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Europe 30 years ago. Explicit government policy encouraging foreign investment has made it one of the wealthiest.

I don't think Ireland needs to apologise for this; it's a small island nation that choked under colonialism for centuries. When people from former empires, with huge populations and access to continent-spanning infrastructure complain that Ireland is "taking advantage" of them, it strikes me as sour grapes at best.

[xamolxix]

> When people from former empires

What about when people who were under the boot of empires (which is a substantial part of the people of the EU) complain about it?

> it strikes me as sour grapes at best

It's a legit complaint. No one can change the behaviors of previous generations but they can attempt chaining the behavior of current ones.

[duggan]

To be clear, I'm not talking about how it sucked for the Irish a hundred years ago. I'm talking about the country's latent economic disadvantage from being historically impoverished.

If you're in a former empire, you can take advantage of the infrastructure and wealth built by that empire today. You get the roads, rail, architecture, city planning, industry. It hardly seems mentioning but most other countries also have significant natural resources or agricultural output with Europe-wide protected status for various industries and products.

You are also capable of driving, getting a train, or bus to any other European country. You have infrastructure built to handle millions upon millions of people.

Probably better weather too.

Look, I'm not saying Ireland is some sort of woebegone backwater but you have to understand it is a small country with limited natural resources that's more awkward to travel to than its neighbours. It has to do what it can to compete.

[xamolxix]

Sure, I'm just saying the countries from the former soviet block and possibly others weren't in the empire business.