Sir, - For the first 40 years of its existence, independent Ireland devoted itself to the protection and development of indigenous industries. The net result was endemic poverty and the large-scale export of its people. Over the past 20 years Ireland has focused on attracting multinationals, and as a result now has a standard of living on a par with anywhere in Europe.
The only country that still takes self-reliance seriously is North Korea. Multinationals will set up and shut down operations for a variety of reasons. We need to get used to it and accept that the jobs these companies create aren't for life. Gateway is a case in point.
The correct response is to structure future incentives in such a way that companies have a powerful incentive to shut down their other overseas operations first, and to make sure that Ireland has a diverse "portfolio" of foreign companies and isn't too dependent on any one sector. - Yours, etc.,
David Rolfe, Walnut Creek, California, USA.