Edo suggested in a thread that people needed to do a brutal SWOT exercise to explore Ireland's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunties and Threats.

This thread is to look at the biggest threats we face.

Quote :

The whole country needs to undertake a brutally honest S.W.O.T. analysis asap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis

Strengths thread
https://machinenation.forumakers.com/economy-business-and-finance-f8/s-ireland-s-biggest-strengths-swot-at-edo-s-suggestion-t1795.htm
Weaknesses thread
https://machinenation.forumakers.com/economy-business-and-finance-f8/w-biggest-weaknesses-in-ireland-swot-at-edo-s-suggestion-t1796.htm
Opportunities thread -
https://machinenation.forumakers.com/economy-business-and-finance-f8/o-ireland-s-biggest-opportunities-2008-2020-swot-edo-s-suggestion-t1153.htm
Threats thread
https://machinenation.forumakers.com/economy-business-and-finance-f8/t-biggest-threats-to-ireland-2008-2020-part-of-swot-at-edo-s-suggestion-t1794.htm

Well if we define our goals in improving prosperity, freedom and equality.
To start

Strengths:
-English Language
-EU membership
-some democracy (referendum)

Weaknesses:
-Island status - extra costs
-High Costs for business(labour costs)
-National policy in hands of sectional interest groups


Opportunities:
-THe single market
-Agri-business
-Applied science

Threats:
-Eastern europe becoming more attractive at stealing inward investment
-becomming a corporate state.
-EU (were it to become hostile or a centralised superstate)

Eastern Europe becoming an increasingly attractive prospect, and the rise of extremism (racism, nationalism, Euroskepticism etc)

Threats
Debt
World economic crisis
overdependence on UK market
Broadband deficiencies
Drink and drugs
Our political class
Fuel and food import dependency - grid not ready for renewables
climate change
Possible new diseases-infections

cactus flower wrote:

Threats
Debt
World economic crisis
overdependence on UK market
Broadband deficiencies
Drink and drugs
Our political class
Fuel and food import dependency - grid not ready for renewables
climate change
Possible new diseases-infections

Debt
The impotence of our political structures
Endemic Corruption
Educational deficits
Failure to develop domestic industry

and the biggie

A total inability to enforce the rule of law.

Slim Buddha wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Threats
Debt
World economic crisis
overdependence on UK market
Broadband deficiencies
Drink and drugs
Our political class
Fuel and food import dependency - grid not ready for renewables
climate change
Possible new diseases-infections

Debt
The impotence of our political structures
Endemic Corruption
Educational deficits
Failure to develop domestic industry

and the biggie

A total inability to enforce the rule of law.

As Machiavelli will say, when a republican system no longer is capable of governing itself, it inevitably falls into the hands of other interests.

Its true that I often go on and on about redically changing Ireland's constitution etc, but despite certain misgivings I think that we could do quite well if we only applied the rules that we already have - do the small things well. Of course I inevitably wonder if the system is not really optimally designed for doing just that.

Fianna Fail

who'd have thought they'd live up to their name.

zakalwe wrote:

Fianna Fail

who'd have thought they'd live up to their name.

Bang on - it may seem trite but Fianna Fail are the most virulent threat to any and all chance of intelligence or fairness being applied to our current problems. They just don't, and won't get it. Too stupid and self-nterested for that.

bump

Aragon wrote:

zakalwe wrote:

Fianna Fail

who'd have thought they'd live up to their name.

Bang on - it may seem trite

Bang on again.

tonys wrote:

Aragon wrote:

zakalwe wrote:

Fianna Fail

who'd have thought they'd live up to their name.

Bang on - it may seem trite

Bang on again.

was that meant in irony or have you, indeed seen the light/had a pauline conversion?

if the latter, then welcome to the fold, brother!

zakalwe wrote:

tonys wrote:

Aragon wrote:

zakalwe wrote:

Fianna Fail

who'd have thought they'd live up to their name.

Bang on - it may seem trite

Bang on again.

was that meant in irony or have you, indeed seen the light/had a pauline conversion?

if the latter, then welcome to the fold, brother!

Nothing ironic about it, lets call a spade a spade here, when something's trite, lets say so.

I think threats goes with weakness, my list of which I posted here.

I've no doubt that our political class and our media contributes much to the character we have, which influences our decisions and what we do, which impacts on what we have and how we spend it and how we live and how we want to live and what we want to do which impacts and influences decisions we might want to make. And so on inside the big tissue of natural and contrived machinations, causes and effects intended or unintended that hop off each other in the glob we call our Society and Economy.

Many on this thread believe our biggest threat is from within ourselves or is here already in FF. I've little quibble with that but I'm not sure I believe another set of parties in power would be some answer or worthy alternative; the system we have isn't working optimally and it's time to look at fixing it or fixing it up so it works better. All systems are getting redesigned but our political machinery is collapsing in fat and rust. A threat would be not to see that it needs an overhaul among other things our low self-esteem and arrogance and complacency might contribute to.

Structurally we'd be up a creek if there was climate change, perhaps. I don't believe it but I'm not unhappy with the idea of preparing for it just in case.

Energy supply is probably our biggest threat as we are very low on a self-sufficiency index if there was one. We could do worse than to promote research into algae oil production or give grants for it as well as giving low interest loans or grants for energy conservation in homes and businesses. Information feedback would be nice to have so we could trainspot some progress in it.

I wonder is there a potential threat to our food supply and food supply in general through GM foods and other biological enemies ? (on the flip side, us being an island is a strenght, kinda) The pigs thing was a lesson recently and perhaps that's more machinery that could be more localised and self-sufficient. Perhaps cheap goods coming in here would be a threat which would have us resorting to cheap, unregulated, sub-standard, low-quality goods which impact on the chain yet again.

I'd agree with the general train of this thread that we could be our own worst enemy. Our land is blessed with all sorts of riches but unfortunately we wouldn't know how to use it if a Famine came up and bit us on the arse again.