These questions were discussed by the Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall, Wolfgang Hägele, vice- president of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as well as Hugo Hamilton, a German-Irish writer from Dublin, on July 28th, 2011, in the rooms of the German Council on Foreign Relations. The series of events is called “Ambassdor’s Matinee” and is a cooperation with Inforadio Berlin-Brandenburg which takes place every second month.
In the years of the booming economy, several mistakes have been made, said Ambassador Mulhall. The Irish banks had invested too much money in the real estate sector. Every Irishman wanted to have his own house and property and did not think much about the necessary financial means. Thus, a huge bubble has emerged. Now, it is important to recapitalize the household and to restore the banking sector. The new Irish government which is in power since February has understood this. According to Mulhall, the government is capable of pushing reforms through because it disposes of a stable two-third majority in the parliament. Moreover, the Irishmen are enthusiastic about Europe. “Strikes and demonstrations like in Greece will certainly not take place here.”
“During the boost, we were dreamers wanting to escape the poverty of the past,” said the writer Hugo Hamiton. “We believed that we could become as rich as the Americans.” At the same time, the catholic church has lost its influence due to the cases of sexual abuse. Thus, the Irish people had replaced catholicism by capitalism. It would have been better for Ireland to take Germany as a model instead of the US, added Hamilton. However, due to the crisis, the Irish people have grown up and have started to bethink of traditional values such as friendship and family.
Despite the current crisis, Wolfgang Hägele from the German-Irish Chamber of Commerce sees a “light at the end of the tunnel.” During the past 30 years, Ireland has developed many strengths such as an expoert-oriented economy, well-trained staff and competitive companies. In 2010, exports have raised of 8 percent, and in the first quarter of 2011, the economy has grown of 1,3 percent. “The country has been weakened, but the structure is still there, and this is a base we can build on.”
Since January 2007, Inforadio Berlin-Brandenburg has recorded the radio broadcast “Weltsichten. Inforadio ganz international – Die Botschaftermatinee”. Every second month, talkmaster Sabine Porn welcomes a German-speaking ambassador and two other guests and talks about the country as well as its people, politics, culture and history. Further information: www.inforadio.de