Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[Hardy]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out. to

Way ahead of you guys in the advanced South.  We have harnessed the power of the biggest river in the island and it is driving a massive 85MW turbine!

It's great carbon neutral energy at that massive level.  (Compared to paltry 915MW that Moneypoint produces down river). Now some critics point out that it dries up the fishing in around Limerick but sur' their loss is someone elses gain.  There's also a bit of flooding up river but again that most them backward crowd in Connaught...not a bit of harm to them.

So yes, if put a few hundred hydro stations on Ulsters rivers you will get thousands of Megawatts.  Note though it will have a massive impact on the fishing and tourism in the likes of Fermanagh.  (Then again Fermanagh consists of lakes and Protestants so Shinners may not be too bothered).  Also be prepared for the flooding upstream from the needed dams.  (Again maybe it could be arranged to divert to Protestant areas).....

They do you a disservice on this site, your hydro-electric scheme could be the blow for Irish freedom that 30 years of war never achieved.

Tiocfaidh ár thuile!

/Jim.

[lawnseed]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out.

Well actually, I'd appreciate if you would.

There was enough power in the water to run individual mills, not to provide electricity to the country. And the 12,000 people were employed in industries that are no longer economically viable (no doubt due to the Brits).

The hydropower required to provide substantial levels of electricity is on a different scale altogether. In Canada, it's provided by dams, flooding cast areas of land (no doubt we'd have your SF reps opposing that on behalf of the locals). The idea that we can provide cheaper electricity by harnessing the River Bann... well it all sounds a bit gerrynomics to me.

you will realise that tea picking in India is becoming no longer economically viable because Indian ladies no longer 'have time' to do it and it is now considered beneath them besides why bother when you can work in call centres and go to McDonald's..
if you bother to look you'll see that infact ulster was plastered in watered driven industry, that same infrastructure could be made hydro electric providing thousands of kilowatts of carbon neutral sustainable energy. but this is only an example of what we CAN do to help reduce our energy bills and provide employment and attract industry to our island. but feel free to make other suggestions..

your point about me blaming the Brits..? its true ship building, the flax industry etc may have died out on their own but nothing was out in their place

as regards nimbyism there would be people who would object to a goldmine near them. but if its harmful to the balance of nature and enough people in a particular area object then dig somewhere else

Do you just write the first thing comes into your head?! Assam etc wouldn't be coming down with call centres as most people would be living in the sticks.

Anyway powering a millstone or a linen mill with the aid of a waterwheel is a long way from the power needs of a modern society. Pie in the sky.

yeah powering a millstone.. try 1000s of millstones.. try bessbrook try darkley try gilford try sion mills try milford try castlewellan and on and on and on your talking megawatts produced by private individuals injecting cash into the economy the infrastructure is already there, negating the necessity for prolonged run-ins with mr attwood but dont let that side track the real issue  which is that apart from food production this island is devoid of any real indigenious export industry. puting other peoples stuff in boxes that say made in ireland isnt an industry .

again i dont read one idea from any of you 'smart people'  come on wheres are your brilliant schemes? lets have one idea that provides employment and puts the money into the ordinary guys hands.
oh i know lets build a road or a famine wall.. 
half the population are civil servants the other half either work in shops or sit around in their pjs all day so right now we need work productive work sustainable work. we dont have billions to invest so it has to be low budget so lets hear it..
btw doing the euromillions and praying isnt an industry either

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

[lawnseed]

come on maguire.. wheres your plan? hardy? ranch? its not that easy putting people to work when you dont have billions to spend is it? history shows that industrial economies boom during a war.. yep that would solve the unemployment and quickly.. 

[Applesisapples]

Christ MGHU is getting as tedious as Evil Genius in his anti northern nationalist rants. Mind you he is being helped somewhat by the head in the sand dismissive attitudes of some shinners on here. This Island is in a post conflict post Celtic Tiger era. some realism needs to be shown by SF. We can't afford to keep spending money in either jurisdiction we don't have. When the CT was roaring in fairness to the FF government they spent a lot of it wisely and on much needed infra structure. Like most of the world we where caught by the balls when the property balloon burst. There is very good reasons why property went sky high in Ireland, alot of it was fueled by greed and cheap money and a lot fueled by a change in circumstances brought about by the end of conflict and the growth of normality.
SF need to realise that the old rhetoric will only allow them to tread water for so long, they are getting votes at the moment by default because the SDLP in the north is a basket case and the Government in the South is unpopular. Hard decisions need to be made and fair play to Kenny (I can't stand him by the way) he took them and he delivered on the bailout conditions. SF in the executive like the DUP don't want to make unpopular cuts. But there is a day of reckoning coming because slowly the English are waking up to the fact that they can't invest in their country because of subvention paid to the North. That is going to be reduced. There are sound political and economic arguments as to why a UI would benefit both parts of our country, SF are incapable it seems of making them. British policies on Europe are detrimental to the agri food sector on this Island for example...many Unionist Farmers would understand that...if the argument was made in the right way. turning up at Easter Parades mimicing the Loyal Orders marching behind pathetic flute bands does not enhance the unity agenda, neitherdoes Gerry's tweets about honouring the Republican Dead. SF need to get some real policies together that will reduce dependance in the North on the public sector by getting behind growth policies for the private sector. Joining NIPSA on the picket lines doesn't advance private sector investment rather it shows a party of protest devoid of ideas. And to be clear the Southern Economy's growth forcasts are ahead of the UK...3% I read as opposed to flatline, and they are still attracting inward investment, the austerity in the South is mainly as a result of the banking collapse so any baiting of our Southern brothers about their economy is mis placed. DUP and SF both need to man up and take responsibility for real economics and stop hiding behind the UK Finance charade that is Stormont. SF won't go in to government in the South either as to do so would expose their lack of coherent policies. No doubt I will be pilloried here by the Shinners on the board...but you want my vote you have to address my concerns not dismiss them!

[Maguire01]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out.

Well actually, I'd appreciate if you would.

There was enough power in the water to run individual mills, not to provide electricity to the country. And the 12,000 people were employed in industries that are no longer economically viable (no doubt due to the Brits).

The hydropower required to provide substantial levels of electricity is on a different scale altogether. In Canada, it's provided by dams, flooding cast areas of land (no doubt we'd have your SF reps opposing that on behalf of the locals). The idea that we can provide cheaper electricity by harnessing the River Bann... well it all sounds a bit gerrynomics to me.

you will realise that tea picking in India is becoming no longer economically viable because Indian ladies no longer 'have time' to do it and it is now considered beneath them besides why bother when you can work in call centres and go to McDonald's..
if you bother to look you'll see that infact ulster was plastered in watered driven industry, that same infrastructure could be made hydro electric providing thousands of kilowatts of carbon neutral sustainable energy. but this is only an example of what we CAN do to help reduce our energy bills and provide employment and attract industry to our island. but feel free to make other suggestions..

your point about me blaming the Brits..? its true ship building, the flax industry etc may have died out on their own but nothing was out in their place

as regards nimbyism there would be people who would object to a goldmine near them. but if its harmful to the balance of nature and enough people in a particular area object then dig somewhere else

Do you just write the first thing comes into your head?! Assam etc wouldn't be coming down with call centres as most people would be living in the sticks.

Anyway powering a millstone or a linen mill with the aid of a waterwheel is a long way from the power needs of a modern society. Pie in the sky.

yeah powering a millstone.. try 1000s of millstones.. try bessbrook try darkley try gilford try sion mills try milford try castlewellan and on and on and on your talking megawatts produced by private individuals injecting cash into the economy the infrastructure is already there, negating the necessity for prolonged run-ins with mr attwood but dont let that side track the real issue  which is that apart from food production this island is devoid of any real indigenious export industry. puting other peoples stuff in boxes that say made in ireland isnt an industry .

again i dont read one idea from any of you 'smart people'  come on wheres are your brilliant schemes? lets have one idea that provides employment and puts the money into the ordinary guys hands.
oh i know lets build a road or a famine wall.. 
half the population are civil servants the other half either work in shops or sit around in their pjs all day so right now we need work productive work sustainable work. we dont have billions to invest so it has to be low budget so lets hear it..
btw doing the euromillions and praying isnt an industry either

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

You're really missing the point. Each mill generated enough power for its own production. And those industries didn't manage to survive. The average river won't provide hydroelectric power to provide electricity to the wider public or businesses.

And what infrastructure is already there that won't require planning?

As for your statistics, that half the population are civil servants - it's actually 27.7%, so just over a quarter. And the unemployment rate is around 8.5%, with only around 9% of the population working in retail. You've clearly got a great grasp on the economy.

[Maguire01]

come on maguire.. wheres your plan? hardy? ranch? its not that easy putting people to work when you dont have billions to spend is it? history shows that industrial economies boom during a war.. yep that would solve the unemployment and quickly.. 

I don't claim to have the answers. Im not a politician. I could dream up ridiculous ideas, far removed from reality, but who's that going to benefit?

[lawnseed]

Christ MGHU is getting as tedious as Evil Genius in his anti northern nationalist rants. Mind you he is being helped somewhat by the head in the sand dismissive attitudes of some shinners on here. This Island is in a post conflict post Celtic Tiger era. some realism needs to be shown by SF. We can't afford to keep spending money in either jurisdiction we don't have. When the CT was roaring in fairness to the FF government they spent a lot of it wisely and on much needed infra structure. Like most of the world we where caught by the balls when the property balloon burst. There is very good reasons why property went sky high in Ireland, alot of it was fueled by greed and cheap money and a lot fueled by a change in circumstances brought about by the end of conflict and the growth of normality.
SF need to realise that the old rhetoric will only allow them to tread water for so long, they are getting votes at the moment by default because the SDLP in the north is a basket case and the Government in the South is unpopular. Hard decisions need to be made and fair play to Kenny (I can't stand him by the way) he took them and he delivered on the bailout conditions. SF in the executive like the DUP don't want to make unpopular cuts. But there is a day of reckoning coming because slowly the English are waking up to the fact that they can't invest in their country because of subvention paid to the North. That is going to be reduced. There are sound political and economic arguments as to why a UI would benefit both parts of our country, SF are incapable it seems of making them. British policies on Europe are detrimental to the agri food sector on this Island for example...many Unionist Farmers would understand that...if the argument was made in the right way. turning up at Easter Parades mimicking the Loyal Orders marching behind pathetic flute bands does not enhance the unity agenda, neitherdoes Gerry's tweets about honouring the Republican Dead. SF need to get some real policies together that will reduce dependence in the North on the public sector by getting behind growth policies for the private sector. Joining NIPSA on the picket lines doesn't advance private sector investment rather it shows a party of protest devoid of ideas. And to be clear the Southern Economy's growth forcasts are ahead of the UK...3% I read as opposed to flatline, and they are still attracting inward investment, the austerity in the South is mainly as a result of the banking collapse so any baiting of our Southern brothers about their economy is mis placed. DUP and SF both need to man up and take responsibility for real economics and stop hiding behind the UK Finance charade that is Stormont. SF won't go in to government in the South either as to do so would expose their lack of coherent policies. No doubt I will be pilloried here by the Shinners on the board...but you want my vote you have to address my concerns not dismiss them!

as a dad trying to help my kids decide what path to follow in the future i certainly share your concerns regarding the prospects of this island. mrs lawnseed burst into tears when our eldest (9) was asked recently what did he want to do when he grew up and he replied "go to Australia"
i want to make it clear that i'm not baiting our southern brothers my disdain/disappointment comes from the lack of leadership and the continued support for the lack of leadership and the apparent willingness to bend over on every occasion without so much as a whimper. this country has been screwed to the wall and the guys responsible are lording it up writing their memoirs on huge salaries and pensions and their mates who helped them are waltzing back into power and as you say nobody seems to care..  maybe the kids are right get to fuk out of it

[Tony Baloney]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out.

Well actually, I'd appreciate if you would.

There was enough power in the water to run individual mills, not to provide electricity to the country. And the 12,000 people were employed in industries that are no longer economically viable (no doubt due to the Brits).

The hydropower required to provide substantial levels of electricity is on a different scale altogether. In Canada, it's provided by dams, flooding cast areas of land (no doubt we'd have your SF reps opposing that on behalf of the locals). The idea that we can provide cheaper electricity by harnessing the River Bann... well it all sounds a bit gerrynomics to me.

you will realise that tea picking in India is becoming no longer economically viable because Indian ladies no longer 'have time' to do it and it is now considered beneath them besides why bother when you can work in call centres and go to McDonald's..
if you bother to look you'll see that infact ulster was plastered in watered driven industry, that same infrastructure could be made hydro electric providing thousands of kilowatts of carbon neutral sustainable energy. but this is only an example of what we CAN do to help reduce our energy bills and provide employment and attract industry to our island. but feel free to make other suggestions..

your point about me blaming the Brits..? its true ship building, the flax industry etc may have died out on their own but nothing was out in their place

as regards nimbyism there would be people who would object to a goldmine near them. but if its harmful to the balance of nature and enough people in a particular area object then dig somewhere else

Do you just write the first thing comes into your head?! Assam etc wouldn't be coming down with call centres as most people would be living in the sticks.

Anyway powering a millstone or a linen mill with the aid of a waterwheel is a long way from the power needs of a modern society. Pie in the sky.

yeah powering a millstone.. try 1000s of millstones.. try bessbrook try darkley try gilford try sion mills try milford try castlewellan and on and on and on your talking megawatts produced by private individuals injecting cash into the economy the infrastructure is already there, negating the necessity for prolonged run-ins with mr attwood but dont let that side track the real issue  which is that apart from food production this island is devoid of any real indigenious export industry. puting other peoples stuff in boxes that say made in ireland isnt an industry .

again i dont read one idea from any of you 'smart people'  come on wheres are your brilliant schemes? lets have one idea that provides employment and puts the money into the ordinary guys hands.
oh i know lets build a road or a famine wall.. 
half the population are civil servants the other half either work in shops or sit around in their pjs all day so right now we need work productive work sustainable work. we dont have billions to invest so it has to be low budget so lets hear it..
btw doing the euromillions and praying isnt an industry either

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

You're really missing the point. Each mill generated enough power for its own production. And those industries didn't manage to survive. The average river won't provide hydroelectric power to provide electricity to the wider public or businesses.

And what infrastructure is already there that won't require planning?

As for your statistics, that half the population are civil servants - it's actually 27.7%, so just over a quarter. And the unemployment rate is around 8.5%, with only around 9% of the population working in retail. You've clearly got a great grasp on the economy.

Saved me the bother.

[lawnseed]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out.

Well actually, I'd appreciate if you would.

There was enough power in the water to run individual mills, not to provide electricity to the country. And the 12,000 people were employed in industries that are no longer economically viable (no doubt due to the Brits).

The hydropower required to provide substantial levels of electricity is on a different scale altogether. In Canada, it's provided by dams, flooding cast areas of land (no doubt we'd have your SF reps opposing that on behalf of the locals). The idea that we can provide cheaper electricity by harnessing the River Bann... well it all sounds a bit gerrynomics to me.

you will realise that tea picking in India is becoming no longer economically viable because Indian ladies no longer 'have time' to do it and it is now considered beneath them besides why bother when you can work in call centres and go to McDonald's..
if you bother to look you'll see that infact ulster was plastered in watered driven industry, that same infrastructure could be made hydro electric providing thousands of kilowatts of carbon neutral sustainable energy. but this is only an example of what we CAN do to help reduce our energy bills and provide employment and attract industry to our island. but feel free to make other suggestions..

your point about me blaming the Brits..? its true ship building, the flax industry etc may have died out on their own but nothing was out in their place

as regards nimbyism there would be people who would object to a goldmine near them. but if its harmful to the balance of nature and enough people in a particular area object then dig somewhere else

Do you just write the first thing comes into your head?! Assam etc wouldn't be coming down with call centres as most people would be living in the sticks.

Anyway powering a millstone or a linen mill with the aid of a waterwheel is a long way from the power needs of a modern society. Pie in the sky.

yeah powering a millstone.. try 1000s of millstones.. try bessbrook try darkley try gilford try sion mills try milford try castlewellan and on and on and on your talking megawatts produced by private individuals injecting cash into the economy the infrastructure is already there, negating the necessity for prolonged run-ins with mr attwood but dont let that side track the real issue  which is that apart from food production this island is devoid of any real indigenious export industry. puting other peoples stuff in boxes that say made in ireland isnt an industry .

again i dont read one idea from any of you 'smart people'  come on wheres are your brilliant schemes? lets have one idea that provides employment and puts the money into the ordinary guys hands.
oh i know lets build a road or a famine wall.. 
half the population are civil servants the other half either work in shops or sit around in their pjs all day so right now we need work productive work sustainable work. we dont have billions to invest so it has to be low budget so lets hear it..
btw doing the euromillions and praying isnt an industry either

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

You're really missing the point. Each mill generated enough power for its own production. And those industries didn't manage to survive. The average river won't provide hydroelectric power to provide electricity to the wider public or businesses.

And what infrastructure is already there that won't require planning?

As for your statistics, that half the population are civil servants - it's actually 27.7%, so just over a quarter. And the unemployment rate is around 8.5%, with only around 9% of the population working in retail. You've clearly got a great grasp on the economy.

you forgot the guys on the sick.. and those in the black economy.. i was talking about the working population ie those making themselves available for work. and the nordie stats dont take into account the thousands who have left the country for work and are no longer on the system. i think if you add those figures together you'll get roughly half involved in non productive/service industry you cant put a civil servants work in a container and ship it can you?

as regards the hydro power you'll find there are some very good examples of this type of mill conversion in britain while it doesnt solve the problem it is part of the solution providing employment. even if it only covered the workers wages at least they are in gainful employment with all the knock on advantages.

i dont think you should rubbish anyone elses ideas unless you have better one yourself and as yet i dont hear any affordable ready to go ideas.

i'm not a politician either and i'm truely worried that we dont have a future to look forward to and that i'm going to be a skype dad so you should understand that right now i'm a little intolerant toward "leaders" feathering their own nest or gawking into the past

[lawnseed]

do you know that over 12000 people were employed in hydro powered mills on the bann river alone. that energy is still flowing except now we ignore it. infact given the higher rainfall.. well you don't need me to spell it out.

Well actually, I'd appreciate if you would.

There was enough power in the water to run individual mills, not to provide electricity to the country. And the 12,000 people were employed in industries that are no longer economically viable (no doubt due to the Brits).

The hydropower required to provide substantial levels of electricity is on a different scale altogether. In Canada, it's provided by dams, flooding cast areas of land (no doubt we'd have your SF reps opposing that on behalf of the locals). The idea that we can provide cheaper electricity by harnessing the River Bann... well it all sounds a bit gerrynomics to me.

you will realise that tea picking in India is becoming no longer economically viable because Indian ladies no longer 'have time' to do it and it is now considered beneath them besides why bother when you can work in call centres and go to McDonald's..
if you bother to look you'll see that infact ulster was plastered in watered driven industry, that same infrastructure could be made hydro electric providing thousands of kilowatts of carbon neutral sustainable energy. but this is only an example of what we CAN do to help reduce our energy bills and provide employment and attract industry to our island. but feel free to make other suggestions..

your point about me blaming the Brits..? its true ship building, the flax industry etc may have died out on their own but nothing was out in their place

as regards nimbyism there would be people who would object to a goldmine near them. but if its harmful to the balance of nature and enough people in a particular area object then dig somewhere else

Do you just write the first thing comes into your head?! Assam etc wouldn't be coming down with call centres as most people would be living in the sticks.

Anyway powering a millstone or a linen mill with the aid of a waterwheel is a long way from the power needs of a modern society. Pie in the sky.

yeah powering a millstone.. try 1000s of millstones.. try bessbrook try darkley try gilford try sion mills try milford try castlewellan and on and on and on your talking megawatts produced by private individuals injecting cash into the economy the infrastructure is already there, negating the necessity for prolonged run-ins with mr attwood but dont let that side track the real issue  which is that apart from food production this island is devoid of any real indigenious export industry. puting other peoples stuff in boxes that say made in ireland isnt an industry .

again i dont read one idea from any of you 'smart people'  come on wheres are your brilliant schemes? lets have one idea that provides employment and puts the money into the ordinary guys hands.
oh i know lets build a road or a famine wall.. 
half the population are civil servants the other half either work in shops or sit around in their pjs all day so right now we need work productive work sustainable work. we dont have billions to invest so it has to be low budget so lets hear it..
btw doing the euromillions and praying isnt an industry either

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

You're really missing the point. Each mill generated enough power for its own production. And those industries didn't manage to survive. The average river won't provide hydroelectric power to provide electricity to the wider public or businesses.

And what infrastructure is already there that won't require planning?

As for your statistics, that half the population are civil servants - it's actually 27.7%, so just over a quarter. And the unemployment rate is around 8.5%, with only around 9% of the population working in retail. You've clearly got a great grasp on the economy.

Saved me the bother.

so thats your idea

[lawnseed]

heres one.. the governments of this island could charter flights from wealthier countries to ireland and give the tickets to tourists for free. the return filght not to be before 7 days. instant cash injection

also check out derwent hydro..  yes we can

[Jim_Murphy_74]

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

I'll ignore the sensitivity chip and give a genuine answer:

On this island Software Development continues to grow.  A few point on this:

1) The great drive East has slowed.  Outsourcing is not what it used to be.
2) The Republic lost out a lot when everyone gave up on education to get into property/building etc..We would have further growth if we could provide the people.
3) The famous corporate tax rate is a red herring, multi-nationals pay less in other countries
4) Data centres are cheapest to run in a temperate climate (although we get more extremes lately)
5) The industry trend is much more towards large centres.  Land a few and generate their own mini-economy: services, catering, houses etc..

If Northern Ireland had a government sufficiently driven on getting this kind of investment (instead of scoring points off each other) they could:

1) Promote maths/science etc in schools
2) Promote science graduate courses (even link them into industry as a direct feed)
3) Go after the multi-nationals.  In such a small population a few wins would go a long way
4) Provide suitably service sites for data centres/cloud computing etc..

The key though is speed in the short-term.  The Republic is leaking jobs due to lack of staff (despite our unemployment rate!)

Other smaller schemes around tourism etc.. are always important.  Unfortunately due to likes of flag protests etc. . Northern Ireland still has a poor name as a destination.  It's small beans but it adds up.

For the record: It is difficult to put faith in any scheme that is dependent on harvesting natural resources (even hydro) from an area the size of the six counties.

/Jim.

[AZOffaly]

On a separate topic, I heard the Sinn Fein candidate in the Meath East by election there on Newstalk this morning. Very disappointing I thought. The new Sinn Fein candidates tend to be articulate and very sure of their ground. He was very stuttery I felt, and he had Pat Rabbitte by the 'nads if he wanted to go after him properly.

[Tony Baloney]

heres one.. the governments of this island could charter flights from wealthier countries to ireland and give the tickets to tourists for free. the return filght not to be before 7 days. instant cash injection

also check out derwent hydro..  yes we can

Without checking out Derwent Hydro I know Derbyshire and the Peak District fairly well having spent 6 weeks in the area as a student. There are significant rivers and reservoirs in the area so not sure if there is any comparison to the Bann. If you google the respective flows and heads on the Derwent and Bann and come back with the figures then we'll talk. The Peak District has a lot peaks.

However, it is good to see you modifying your position from using the Bann to power the entire country to powering individual businesses. On this I won't disagree with you - if the supply was sufficient to generate power on a localised basis then it would do no harm to avail of it and even better if it generated employment.

[lawnseed]

come on 30years blah blah jim murphy lets have your idea.. the security industry really helped republicans didnt it

I'll ignore the sensitivity chip and give a genuine answer:

On this island Software Development continues to grow.  A few point on this:

1) The great drive East has slowed.  Outsourcing is not what it used to be.
2) The Republic lost out a lot when everyone gave up on education to get into property/building etc..We would have further growth if we could provide the people.
3) The famous corporate tax rate is a red herring, multi-nationals pay less in other countries
4) Data centres are cheapest to run in a temperate climate (although we get more extremes lately)
5) The industry trend is much more towards large centres.  Land a few and generate their own mini-economy: services, catering, houses etc..

If Northern Ireland had a government sufficiently driven on getting this kind of investment (instead of scoring points off each other) they could:

1) Promote maths/science etc in schools
2) Promote science graduate courses (even link them into industry as a direct feed)
3) Go after the multi-nationals.  In such a small population a few wins would go a long way
4) Provide suitably service sites for data centres/cloud computing etc..

The key though is speed in the short-term.  The Republic is leaking jobs due to lack of staff (despite our unemployment rate!)

Other smaller schemes around tourism etc.. are always important.  Unfortunately due to likes of flag protests etc. . Northern Ireland still has a poor name as a destination.  It's small beans but it adds up.

For the record: It is difficult to put faith in any scheme that is dependent on harvesting natural resources (even hydro) from an area the size of the six counties.

/Jim.

your right jim. you should give the chips a miss.
not alot of actual jobs in your idea more a sort of aspiration.. service industry.. stuff.. maybe in 20 years. sitting gawking into a computer doesnt really put many containers on the boat. as for getting into the building industy most of the overpriced houses south of the border will fall before they are paid for because they are of poor quality.

picture you sitting there with 50000 to invest in a business idea where you will get a wage before you starve. not you as a student thinking of a job in 10years time.. the folk who need the work are the ones buying oil in drums and wearing coats watching telly.. get the picture?