The chief executive of the country’s largest lobby and business group has called out Ireland’s “hypocrisy” when it comes to its values, adding that the resources it benefits from constitute a “new form of colonisation.”
CEO of Ibec Danny McCoy was speaking at the Irish Hotel Federation’s (IHF) annual conference in Killarney when he told attendees that Irish goodwill was “very low” on the global level.
“A lot of the positions we have taken reflecting our values are not backed up by our interests,” Mr McCoy said in a panel discussion with the IHF chief executive. “We profess a lot of things, but we are not actually putting money behind it.”
Citing the Exchequer’s windfall corporate tax receipts, Mr McCoy said: “The resources we are benefiting from is a new form of colonisation.”
“All colonisations are the taking of tangible assets from other jurisdictions. We are benefiting from intangible assets, not from our jurisdiction. We talk about the Apple windfall, and yet, when migration rises, we want to move Nigerians back out of Ireland when they’re in tented communities by the canal.
“Nigeria bought way more Apple products and created more profits, but then we [Ireland] runs in to take the tip and go on to profess our values.”
The Ibec chief executive went on to criticise what he called “Ireland’s hypocrisy” regarding its security and defence, adding that that hypocrisy was “known and felt by others.”
Speaking on Ireland’s upcoming European Council presidency, which will begin in July and last until the end of 2026, Mr McCoy added: “The notion that we will run a good presidency and then get a pat on the back is not going to happen.
“Ireland is now being excluded from a lot of places because people are fed up with our hypocrisy.”
