When the media showed up in the RDS I did not hesitate to tell them in my role as Marine Federation Chairman that the marine sector could develop jobs. I called it a 'potential gold mine'. A wise man I know has since written to me saying that a more appropriate phrase would have been: 'shows job potential'. It's not nearly as catchy but I have to agree with him.
More specifically we need now to go a stage further with our language and argument. In fact we could do well to copy some of Barack Obama's language. He would have said the marine sector "could develop the sort of jobs that cannot be shipped abroad".
It strikes me that the marine sector could make sound bytes for exploring a set of marine projects by saying:
- think of the Dell Plant in Limerick, the cost to the exchequer of each of those 1000 or so jobs and the ease with which they upped and away.
- For a similar investment we could probably could have developed 1000 jobs that would stick to Ireland like limpets because this is where their natural advantage would exist.
- These employers would be in Activity Tourism and niche Manufacturing and
Services but not in old style hunter/gatherer lifestyles i.e. inshore or sea fishing.
- Some of the projects would bring balanced regional development to the Atlantic coast.
- As a working "for instance" in Crosshaven in 1974 a sail making firm was established. It's still there and it is a thriving small Irish business that designs and exports sails all over the world.
To borrow more words from Mr. Obama: Can we do it? Yes we can.
- think of the Dell Plant in Limerick, the cost to the exchequer of each of those 1000 or so jobs and the ease with which they upped and away.
- For a similar investment we could probably could have developed 1000 jobs that would stick to Ireland like limpets because this is where their natural advantage would exist.
- These employers would be in Activity Tourism and niche Manufacturing and
Services but not in old style hunter/gatherer lifestyles i.e. inshore or sea fishing.
- Some of the projects would bring balanced regional development to the Atlantic coast.
- As a working "for instance" in Crosshaven in 1974 a sail making firm was established. It's still there and it is a thriving small Irish business that designs and exports sails all over the world.
To borrow more words from Mr. Obama: Can we do it? Yes we can.
