Ivan Yates

We have huge fiscal surpluses.

But that's from the decisions taken in the 90s and the noughties and the decisions taken between 2012 and 2016.

And I see ferocious trouble ahead for Ireland.

But on the flip side, we are considered at the moment successful.

We absolutely have been world leaders in finding the sweet spot of American investment in the EMEA countries.

But those decisions were taken when we were in government.

We did the 12.5% corporation tax, the IDA, but even...

take the latest evolution of that, which is AI, right?

There's 15 billion going to be spent in two years in Europe on AI.

And very little of it's going to spend now because we decided it's not enough electricity, right?

Not enough electricity simply because we're not given the planet permission for pylons.

In 2014, Airgrid wrote a report to say by 2025, we would have north-south interconnector, grid-west, grid-link going into cork.

Not one meter of it's been built simply because of objectors.

And I could go the same to wind farms and so on, all good renewable stuff and all this kind of thing.

So like the Galway bypass 24 years later is not built.

So that is actually the complete cowardice of politicians who can't go to someone sitting in front of a bulldozer and say, get out of the f***.

That's as simple as that.

Whereas Spain, they can do that.

And you know what?

We are going to, because we have lost all that leadership, we are drifting down.