While the developed countries are still suffering from recession, several so-called developing countries are rapidly recovering and leading the world out of the current doldrums. Official tourist figures show that the number of tourists visiting Ireland from these countries (i.e. the Rest of the World) rose by 8% in 2009, the one bright note in a thoroughly depressing report on our current tourist situation. Nevertheless, the percentage and ratio of tourists coming from the Rest of the World pale into insignificance when compared with our immediate European neighbors. Our proposal aims to attract these nouveau rich travelers to Ireland, especially those from the BRIC countries, with some innovative marketing and an online campaign while also putting into action a community based plan which would make Ireland a more attractive destination for new visitors. The time has never been better to reinvent our image, to reevaluate what made our country attractive in the past, while bringing s More...

Smile Cards are an innovative proposal that seek to transform the Irish economy. For our launch we will pump prime retail spending, injecting €212.5 million into the retail sector. We will fundraise \ donate a minimum of € 8.5 million to schools nationwide as an example of how this process can be used to transform the Irish economy. The example of our launch is scaleable and repeatable. The possibilities are endless. Smile Cards has a layered \ phased approach where different aspects of the economy can be isolated, targeted and primed. Any chosen area will expand leading to increased employment in that sector. Smile Cards provides a source of funding for projects that is self sustaining and is outside of the current credit structure. This means that communities can implement projects without waiting for “credit to start flowing again”. Smile Cards provides funding without creating debt. Smile Cards bypasses current institutions and red tape empowering the people to take More...

Businesses are starved of working credit and start-up capital. That is not a new problem. It is part of the bust cycles in economies when currency is in short supply. It has been dramatically solved before. Unemployment is high and a scourge of our communities. It is time we did something about it and helped to rescue the situation ourselves. And with many other benefits. I suggest we need to make far more use of cooperatives, especially financial ones. Worldwide, Credit Unions and Cooperative Banks help 200 million members. Most of us are members. Cooperatives supply one-fifth of our exports and there are many others. Yet we can do more. Worldwide there are 800 million members and the top 300 cooperatives have a turnover of €8,000 billion. Makes you think. I suggest roles for Complementary Community Currencies and financial cooperatives.

Our future is in our own hands. The focus and purpose of my proposal is for Ireland to become the world Leader in fostering Entrepreneurship in thought, word & action by 2020. As part of this vision we have the opportunity to unite our people – family, friends, students, graduates, unemployed, active pensioners, public sector and private sector to focus our collective energy on putting money back in our pockets. This plan is about building a compelling future for young and old, for creating economic renewal and taking control back. The wealth of Ireland, and indeed the wealth of every country rests on the shoulders of entrepreneurial activity. This plan is about people from all walks of life coming together to find ways to put more money back in their pockets – What would a modest extra 5,000 Euro per year do for you in 2010 and every year going forward? My plan is about creating this opportunity for all who are willing to step up and be true Entrepreneurial Heroes of our n More...

Our future is in our own hands. The focus and purpose of my proposal is for Ireland to become the world Leader in fostering Entrepreneurship in thought, word & action by 2020. As part of this vision we have the opportunity to unite our people – family, friends, students, graduates, unemployed, active pensioners, public sector and private sector to focus our collective energy on putting money back in our pockets. This plan is about building a compelling future for young and old, for creating economic renewal and taking control back. The wealth of Ireland, and indeed the wealth of every country rests on the shoulders of entrepreneurial activity. This plan is about people from all walks of life coming together to find ways to put more money back in their pockets – What would a modest extra 5,000 Euro per year do for you in 2010 and every year going forward? My plan is about creating this opportunity for all who are willing to step up and be true Entrepreneurial Heroes of our n More...

This proposal is for the creation of regional energy development teams who work with local communities, business and farmers to organise and develop their potential to generate and supply their own energy using locally available bio-energy and micro power generation.

I propose a Quality Mark which will be attached to Irish goods and services. Making Ireland synonymous with, organic, low carbon, renewable resources, corporate responsibility, a duty of care to the environment, consideration for local communities and economies and ethical work practices.

Five years ago a new website was initiated which enabled people to share videos online. It started with an 18 second clip of an elephant at San Diego Zoo. Five years, millions of videos and billions of hits later, YouTube is a thriving business and a cultural and financial phenomenon. What I am proposing has the potential to be the next Google, YouTube or Yahoo. What I propose is a website that will make available to visitors to any City, Town, Village or community, information in a standardized format, linked from a neatly designed page, on what a person should know to get the best out of a visit or investment in that community. Hey ! you say , that information is already available with some searching on the internet. But if you could go to a site which you know gave you the Local Knowledge in a clear standard format every time for every place you want to visit or do business wouldn’t you use it and reuse it ?

The despondency of Ireland’s towns and villages illustrates the significant social and economic fall out from Ireland’s period of boom and bust. Scarred by private and commercial premises that range from boarded up to falling down, our towns and villages and therefore the people that live in them, have been forgotten by property developers and investors who no longer have the money or inclination i.e. guarantee of financial gain to complete projects. As a result visitor numbers have dropped dramatically, businesses have closed down and unemployment has gone up. Already suffering the effects of the “broken window” syndrome* our discarded rural and coastal communities need attention and support to ensure their long term sustainable development. To quote Jung, “Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens” – these communities can survive and grow if given the opportunity and support to get back to basics and develop from the inside out. By drawing on local resources � More...

Community Hydro - connecting community, the environment and the economy in a mutually reinforcing sustainable cycle. 1.Generating revenue, employment, social cohesion and strengthening Ireland's communities 2.Empowering communities taking charge, taking action and begin to address the challenges we face as communities and as a country. 3.Providing increased renewable energies opportunities, reduced carbon consumption and additional renewable energy research and development opportunities Historically the power of rivers and streams was the engine of the economy, powering water wheels and mills for agriculture, wheat grinding and running machinery. Today these same rivers and streams that lie untapped can once again become that engine, driving Ireland to create sustainable employment, reinforce community structures, meet its renewable energy targets, reduce dependence on imported fuels and generate carbon credits.