[rsynnott]

To be clear, thus far that cost is _before anything is built_ (except for one station box which will not now be used because it's in the wrong place for the current design). It does look like it will finally go ahead now, but it had been a long, long road to get there.

[yawboakye]

i’ve observed with trepidation how terribly ireland has been run in the last 5 years or so. that’s when i’ve been on the ground. with that experience it’s easy to understand why the country is the way it is and will remain so for the foreseeable future. in private conversations, i’ve lamented with rigorous arguments based on both the history of the island, their hatred for the english, the number one priority of their struggle for independence (ie for the expulsion of the english and not a maturity into statehood), etc.

ireland, like all independent african states, doesn’t know what statehood is, its people (aka elite) not practiced in statecraft. but its the configuration of the world that they also get a god-given right to atrociously run and mismanage some god-given resources. it’s a terrible thing to experience from within. a nightmare!

[yawboakye]

cont: compare the speeches and comments of other leaders at the just ended wef summit to the comments of the irish prime minister at the same summit. it’s as if ireland is insulated from the threats facing europe. we’re not, but that’s how oblivious and non-chalant our first citizen is. it’s heartbreaking to watch.