John Bruton sounded just like a current minister promoting his government when he flew the green flag in Newfoundland 10 days ago. He has obviously fallen for the place. It was his fourth visit and he enthused at length to the Canada Conference on the many similarities between the most eastern island of Canada and the most western island of Europe.
The FG leader listed the success factors in Ireland's recent history that could be followed there - good-quality education with a single, uniform, competitive exam; political consensus on a low (12.5 per cent) rate of corporation tax; a wise industrial strategy, which put effort into new expanding sectors like electronics and was not burdened by commitments to old industries; a youthful population willing to travel abroad to work but ready to return for opportunities at home; a recent economic history comparatively devoid of class warfare between employers and employees and of the culture of "entitlements" from the state, both of which characterise countries that industrialised earlier than us; the fact that we speak English; access through free trade at to a large market and an effective competition policy, which prevents the Government subsidising loss-making industry even if State-owned. The Government would have been proud of him. What chance the commissionership!