We declare our resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation
Posted on June 29, 2009, by Conor O'Neill, under Business, Commentary, Ireland.
I woke up this morning to read about Brian Cowen’s “Innovation” Taskforce and have spent since then utterly enraged.
In a time of crisis when men/women of vision and ability need to quickly agree a strategy and execute it with confidence, Brian Cowen assembles 28 people (plus the heads of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, the Higher Education Authority and representatives from the departments of Education and Science, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and Finance).
Yes my jaw hit the floor too.
A 40+ person talk-shop and travel expenses generator. That’s what Cowen and Coughlan think this country needs?
Because it’s worked so well in the past? Does the word agile mean anything to these people?
40+ people and two of them are women?
What century is this?
When Sean Lemass and T.K. Whitaker dragged this country kicking and screaming out of a hellhole from 1959 onwards, did they spend months (or years) prattling on with anyone who had on opinion?
I actually have a pain in my stomach with anger over this. These are our leaders? I’m not talking about C&C, I mean the committee. Did anyone who was asked say “NO, get a clue”? Did anyone who was asked question the utter stupidity of assembling this joke? Did anyone who was asked, reply “ENOUGH TALKING”.
Is there any senior person in the Irish Civil Service or Quango-sector who is tearing their hair out this morning and screaming in frustration too?
Yes? Then maybe it’s time for an alternative.
We need (possibly anonymously):
- 1 Senior Civil Servant, non-EI
- 1 Senior Civil Servant, EI
- 1 head of an FDI company with a large Irish operation in non-manufacture
- 1 head of a globally successful indigenous company
- 1 head of a startup
- 1 politician with a business or financial background
2 months. 3 max.
Outcome – a disruptive plan to rebuild the Irish economy and the business environment in a sustainable way around the idea of Constructive Capitalism. And a marketing plan to go with it. If our leaders won’t lead then it’s time to subvert from the bottom-up.
This type of thinking:
Umair Haque @ Daytona Sessions vol. 2 – Constructive Capitalism from Daytona Sessions on Vimeo.
and this:
Anyone? Anyone?
conor AT loudervoice DOT com
5 Replies to "We declare our resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation"
Conor O'Neill on June 29, 2009
Chris hasn’t a hope in the face of a room full of bureaucrats and benchwarmers. I’m just shocked he was suckered into taking part in this farrago.
James Corbett on July 2, 2009
I have to admit I was a bit hazy on my Lemass / Whitacker history until I watched the documentary on RTE Tuesday night. Wow! Why can’t we have politicians like that anymore? “Lemass was a man of action, not a consensus politician”. The irony of Mr. Consensus himself – Bertie Ahern – singing his praises was head shakingly sad.
Conor O'Neill on July 3, 2009
The other interesting thing about Lemass was that I think he was viewed as an old 1916 dinosaur, probably brought in as a safe pair of hands until the next generation were ready. Instead he shocked everyone.
I wonder has anyone ever done a comparison between him and Pope John XXIII? Older men who decided to change everything in the late 1950s and early 60s.
I’ll take a politician who tries and fails over a bunch of paralysed operatives any day.
Bernie Goldbach on July 20, 2009
So now that the #itaskforce boat is pushed out to sea, are we tweeting and hashing our ideas to be cut and pasted by the expert working group?
Paraic Hegarty on June 29, 2009
I’m sure most people with any knowledge of startups and innovation will agree with you. It does seem to be more of the same old thinking and I’m really concerned at the level of public sector and FDI representation outweighing that of the very indigenous industry it’s supposed to be promoting.
Our universities are poor at commercialisation and don’t have the answers. Our public servants aren’t meeting the existing needs of indigenous industry, let alone being capable of designing a better way. Representatives of FDI companies will steer things in a direction that suits their agenda.
I have nothing but respect for Chris Horn (a former lecturer of mine) but doubt that this group will achieve anything of value.
I AM THE GREAT OZ! BEHOLD MY MIGHTY TASKFORCE! PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE RECESSION BEHIND THE CURTAIN!