Today Michal Dell of Dell computers decided to end Irish production of its computers at its Limerick plant and export 1900 jobs to Poland where he can employ a workforce at a fraction of the price. This is just one example of the kind of thing happening all over the world in the current economic climate but it has its roots in a clever little concept dreamed up many years ago... globalisation.
Some time back a few people got together and decided that pesky cross-border restrictions and first world pay practices were choking the potential of the free market and so a plan was drawn up (and endorsed by the IMF) whereby countries seeking financial assistance had to fully embrace this new economic vision. For years 'the free world' has been reminded ad nauseam by the US of the evils of communism... or anything remotely resembling communism e.g. minimum wage laws or unions... and to be fair the EU has not needed its arm twisted in embracing many of the philosophies of this new world vision. Many people even sat back happily and rejoiced as foreign companies came in and brought short term wealth at the expense of any significant degree of control over one's own economic affairs.
Sadly now the economic shit has hit the fan and Western countries' economies are now sliding down the shitter faster than Usain Bolt doing the 100 metres and where once the last resort was to migrate and follow the work now one has to move to the second or third world and work for a pittance.
NOTE: At the risk of sounding like a communist I must point out that I believe in balance in an economic system, by that I mean I oppose all-out control of a market as much as I oppose all-out economic freedom with no checks and balances. Competition is an important factor that drives innovation and can not be ruled out of any effective, organic economic system but what we here in the West have done by embracing and pushing the globalistaion concept is we have lined the pockets of the elite few at the top while selling out our industries, resources and working class to the developing world (who themselves are being exploited when viewed in comparison to the amount of profit being taken by the elite few here in the West).
Some time back a few people got together and decided that pesky cross-border restrictions and first world pay practices were choking the potential of the free market and so a plan was drawn up (and endorsed by the IMF) whereby countries seeking financial assistance had to fully embrace this new economic vision. For years 'the free world' has been reminded ad nauseam by the US of the evils of communism... or anything remotely resembling communism e.g. minimum wage laws or unions... and to be fair the EU has not needed its arm twisted in embracing many of the philosophies of this new world vision. Many people even sat back happily and rejoiced as foreign companies came in and brought short term wealth at the expense of any significant degree of control over one's own economic affairs.
Sadly now the economic shit has hit the fan and Western countries' economies are now sliding down the shitter faster than Usain Bolt doing the 100 metres and where once the last resort was to migrate and follow the work now one has to move to the second or third world and work for a pittance.
NOTE: At the risk of sounding like a communist I must point out that I believe in balance in an economic system, by that I mean I oppose all-out control of a market as much as I oppose all-out economic freedom with no checks and balances. Competition is an important factor that drives innovation and can not be ruled out of any effective, organic economic system but what we here in the West have done by embracing and pushing the globalistaion concept is we have lined the pockets of the elite few at the top while selling out our industries, resources and working class to the developing world (who themselves are being exploited when viewed in comparison to the amount of profit being taken by the elite few here in the West).
Last edited by Braddock (2009-01-08 05:21:23)
