BARACK Obama’s re-election as President of the United States has been observed with considerable interest in Ireland.

 

The Democratic Party incumbent had just shy of a 2% winning margin over his Republican Party opponent, Mitt Romney, in the popular vote but under the Electoral College system, he skated home by 303 to 206, with the outcome of Florida, with 29 votes on offer, still to be declared (at the time of going to press).

It’s not quite akin to “keeping an eye on the Tsar of Russia” like the famous The Skibbereen Eagle headline but in today’s global village, international politics and business connections do count a great deal.

Any US President that includes Ireland on his itinerary of State visits, no matter how short, is giving a clear signal that he values the links between the countries.

Aside from a good political relationship between the US and Ireland, due to many aspects of a shared history, both countries support each other through trade and employment. In fact, the US is Ireland’s leading trading partner destination, accounting for 17% of this country’s exports.

The American Chamber of Commerce notes that three out of every four foreign direct investment (FDI) projects into Ireland in 2011 originated from the US, which equates to 74% of the country’s total in that year. Of the €700 million investments in R&D projects in Ireland in the same year, over €500m originated from US firms.

Shannon Free Zone, the University of Limerick and other projects in the Mid-West have enjoyed the benefits of such investment initiatives.

American Chamber of Commerce figures also show that last year, US firms exported in excess of €100 billion in products and services from Ireland.

It’s not one-way traffic, however. Irish companies directly employ an estimated 120,000 people in almost 230 companies at over 2,600 locations right across the US. The cumulative stock of Irish FDI in the US stood at $30.6bn in 2010.

Timely opportunities lie ahead for Ireland to build on existing economic links. On January 1, Ireland will undertake the six-month Presidency of the European Council for the seventh time and this coincides with the 40th anniversary of the country joining the EU. In this capacity, Ireland will host formal engagements with the US and can, no doubt, set up bilateral meetings to discuss common interests.

In advance of this, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who along with her husband former President Bill Clinton, has shown considerable interest in Irish affairs, both North and South, will be visiting Dublin next month. She will be the most high profile of over 50 foreign ministers from states who are members of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) attending a two-day meeting at Dublin Castle.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore, who is the chairman-in-office of the OSCE, will host the summit, which will be the biggest ever gathering of foreign ministers in Ireland.

This will be a gilt-edged opportunity to not only discuss Ireland and US links at various levels but also to put out soundings about the possibility of another visit by President Obama. Politics aside, the visit in itself would deliver a huge economic boost to the tourism sector.

Voting for the children

SATURDAY’S Children’s Referendum poses a great dilemma for the Irish electorate.
Vote yes for the removal of an existing article in the Constitution to be replaced by a new one or vote no and the status quo remains in respect of children’s rights.

With huge political weight behind the yes campaign, anything other than a ringing endorsement of the proposed amendment would be a shock but, as we have seen in past referenda and more recently in the presidential election, nothing can be taken for granted.

Despite the complexities of the wording of both the existing Article 42.5 and the proposed amendment (Article 42A), which would replace it if passed, the yes and no camps are agreed on one thing and that’s children, as vulnerable members of society, must be afforded the strongest possible protection under our Constitution. They also agree that for the vast majority of children growing up in a loving and caring environment, there will never be a need to seek the shelter of either the existing article or any amendment.

The Referendum Commission’s independent guide explains, “If adopted, the proposed Article 42A.1 will introduce an explicit statement in the Constitution recognising and affirming that children have natural and impresciptible rights and stating that, the State has an obligation to ensure, as far as practicable, that those rights are protected and vindicated.”

The commission’s guides further states, “At present, the Constitution does not contain an explicit guarantee by the State to protect and vindicate the rights of all children in these terms. However, the existing Article 42.5 does refer to the natural and impresciptible rights of the child as a matter to which the State shall have due regard when trying to supply the place of parents who fail in their duty towards their children.”

There are a number of parts to the proposed article and this has given rise to debate on the meaning of single words or interpretation of particular phrases.

To this end, Clare Citizen’s Information, together with Clare Labour Party and FLAC are holding a public information Session on this Thursday night in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis at 8pm. Yes and no speakers will be present to help enlighten people who have serious concerns and views on the topic.

It might sound like a cliché but our children are our future and if anything, the referendum has reinforced this point. It is incumbent on all of us to take this opportunity to speak through the ballot box. No matter if yes or no is carried, this will show that we do indeed cherish our children.