The State of our Local Economy

Willie Drennan 

Someone needs to write a book about the approach of our governments to the local and global economy. Well someone probably is writing that book as I write this rants, but until it’s out there and a best seller nothing is going to change very quickly. The most likely outcome of the G8  Summit in Fermanagh is that our wealthiest  nations will continue their policies of expanding the wealth and control of global chieftains at the expense of investment in , and promotion of local independent, but inter-dependent, sustainable enterprise. 

Our government at Stormont will follow the paths of their government partners in London and   Dublin to ensure that those who play along will be rewarded. Their policies will continue to stifle  small private sector incentives. Here is one tiny example. Unlike the large conglomerates who own   the other newspapers in Northern Ireland, with the support of government, The Ulster Folk are discouraged. The Ulster Scots Agency dishes out its Ulster Scots paper ‘free’ of charge while  other public purse funded outfits, such as the Belfast Welcome Centre don’t want to sell our paper.  This is a small, but excellent example of  government approach to the local economy.