In their address to the IIEA, John FitzGerald and Edgar Morgenroth present their recent IIEA publication on the Northern Ireland subvention, which considers what the financial costs for the government in Ireland would be of Irish unification, using data from 2019. They discuss the findings from their paper, including that covering the Northern Ireland deficit would cost around 5% of Irish national income, and raising Northern Ireland’s public service pay rate and welfare rates to levels south of the border would cost another 5% of national income. According to FitzGerald and Morgenroth, if Northern Ireland were to immediately address the cause of its very low productivity, especially the inadequacies of its educational system, when such action matured in 25 or 30 years, this could substantially reduce the cost of unification. A quicker productivity win would also be available if Northern Ireland could persuade the large number of emigrants who are university graduates living in England to return.

About the Speakers:

John FitzGerald is Co-Chair of the Institute of International and European Affairs Economists Group, a member of the UK Group, and an Honorary Fellow, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin. He is also a Research Affiliate at the Economic and Social Research Institute, and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.  He was a member of the Central Bank of Ireland Commission from 2010 to 2020 and he was Chairman of the Irish government’s Climate Change Advisory Council until January 2021.

Dr Edgar Morgenroth is a member of the Institute of International and European Affairs Economists Group and UK Group, and a full Professor of Economics at DCU Business School, Dublin City University. He has held positions at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Keele University, and the Strategic Investment Board of Northern Ireland (SIB). He is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association, having served as its vice chairman and treasurer.

Northern Ireland Subvention: Possible Unification Effects

Ireland finally beat New Zealand in 2016.
With brilliant commentary from New Zealand TV and previous heartbreak from RTE Radio one and idiotic predictions from Second Captains.

Music: 
Wisdom from Brian Jonestown Massacre https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/tepid-peppermint-wonderland/id1056856909

And Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/if-you-wait-deluxe-version/id675018027

"Drops it off to Henshaw!" - Ireland Beat The All-Blacks

Tackling climate change is one of the main challenges of the 21st century. Last November the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that we have just 12 years left for effective action to be taken against rising temperatures.

Over the past decade the European Union has led action for climate targets among Member States. In 2015, under the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the EU committed to reducing emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

While some EU member states have made significant progress in meeting their targets, others including Ireland, are lagging behind in meeting these commitments. Meeting these targets will require ambitious action by Member States to reduce emissions in key economic sectors. The agricultural sector is one of Ireland’s most important industries, yet it accounts for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single largest contributor to Ireland’s total emissions. There is an urgent need to reconcile the need for urgent climate action and the need to protect the agricultural sector’s competitiveness and the livelihoods that depend on it.

Political leaders and policymakers have to find solutions to this challenge now. This is not a challenge faced by Ireland alone. Across Europe, policymakers and politicians are looking for solutions. In France, the Yellow Vest protests were initially sparked by increased carbon taxes. Clearly, a considered but effective approach to climate action is required to ensure a just transition and minimal economic and social disruption.

This event is part of the IIEA’s Future of the EU27 Project, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Event Chair: Niall Delaney, Presenter, Ocean FM
Audience Q&A Begins at: 36:36

Speakers:

· Marian Harkin, outgoing MEP for the Midlands/North West Constituency;

· Martin Kenny TD, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food & the Marine;

· Thomas Cooney, Chairman of the IFA National Environment Committee

· Dr Pippa Hackett, Green Party Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Heritage & Animal Welfare.

Climate Change and the Future of Agriculture: A Debate on the Future of Europe

Sharing Ideas Shaping Policy. The Institute of International and European Affairs is an independent policy research think-tank based in Dublin.

Northern Ireland Subvention: Possible Unification Effects

IIEA

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