Good point.

Good ideas are something the political classes are devoid of in this country.

They should visit Syria and Afganistan as well!?

Joe Costello is going to South Africa ..for what???He’s minister for Trade and Development and he goes there!!?? Why not China, Brazil, India,Silicon Valley?? Michael Ring is essentially going to watch a rugby match in Rome…for what? Alan Shatter is just going on a glorified trip home to the motherland Israel??? …the country is broke and evidently broken….absolute joke!!Can we not invite people here for Paddys Weekend or are they too embaressed!!!???

Kenny gets to go the White House. There’s not many national leaders that get that audience every year. I think that trumps Silicon Valley.

Fair enough Brian- by all means the Taoiseach of the day should go to the White House, I’m absolutely agreed on that point.

But there are another 17 ministers who could have gone to Silicon Valley yet none are. 7 of the worlds top 10 internet companies have operations in Ireland and they are all headquartered in Silicon Valley yet the Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton is going to Germany. I don’t see Audi, Mercedes or BMW setting up operations in Ireland but I do see lots of Silicon Valley companies already here so that is where our Minister of Jobs should be- not in a country to whom we owe billions and who have little or no multi-nationals on the ground here and never will.

As someone else mentioned Brazil is another option that has been overlooked, Russia the same. Both of them are emerging economies so they should be on the list if jobs really is the name of the game here. But the cynic in me says it isn’t- if it was why are we sending a minister to Pittsburgh and not to California, which is the worlds 7th largest economy.

Derek, there’s absolutely nothing remarkable about it at all. The same crooks traveled last year on the same pretext of a “Trade Mission”. What trade did they generate in the last 12 months? Unemployment has increased – emigration has increased, so where is the Trade?

It might have been better if Ho Chi Gilmore went to China, at least he’d feel more at home with his communist friends having invited the President elect here last year. Speaking of which, what Trade did we get out of that visit. If you or anyone believes that this is a Trade Mission – then keep an eye out for the Easter Bunny and send your letter to Santa. This mission is nothing more than a €3.6 million boozing session – at OUR expense!

I agree. What I’d suggest that the politicians do then is supply notes to the media of the activities they undertook during the mission. At least that would put it all out there got people to judge them with informed information

Largely agree with this Chris as long as the costs are kept sensible. Fianna Fail ministers spent money like drunks whilst on these trips over the years.

Enda is going to L.A to see either Universal Studios or Disney so I hear

We could send Ming and Wallace to San Fran to smoke doobies, on condition they don’t come back of course.

@ Paul…if we did that they mightn’t want to come back …and they may be right!

Exactly Chris. Well said.

Very good but I think we should send them to ballymun. I’m sure they could find a dealer there, maybe a barbers and hopefully they might get the lard knocked outta them!

It makes perfect sense – squander €3.6 million which we haven’t got, for a glorified boozing session on the pretext of a “Trade Mission” and then leave the Minister for Agriculture at home, especially when Agriculture is our biggest export industry – surely he could sell Bullshit abroad. We’re supposed to be a High-tec country, the Silicone Valley of Europe, and not one of them is going to San Francisco ……. and they expect us to believe this is a “Trade Mission”!!? Is it any wonder why we’re in the mess we’re in with idiots like these.

Because they won’t come. They’ll each attend a dinner or meet and greet with about 500 well paying high powered execs. Between 18 ministers that’s 9000 potential investors. 9000 high power execs won’t have time to come to Ireland.

There’s some analogy I could use about Mohammad and mountains but I’ll save that one.
It’s a no brainer if you ask me.

15 years and you still can’t get over it?

Well, they are an embarrassment generally but it’s a bit worse when they’re going out there and doing it on the world stage. I can understand them going to the US and Australia St patricks day is quite a thing there, but trips to India, China and Saudi Arabia leave me a bit bewildered. I’d never thought of those places having a particularly Irish heritage to celebrate. Somehow I can’t imagine the Dubai Paddy’s day parade! Or are there specific trade events they are going to and not a 5 day all expenses paid trip for a haf hour meet and greet with some civil servant out there. Sounds like a few more ministers getting jumping on the “Paddy’s day” bandwaggon and getting their holidays paid for by the taxpayer while the rest of us will be sitting at home in the snow and drizzle worrying about where we’re going to get the money to pay the property tax!

Didn’t think Hogan and Varadkar would be allowed to go anywhere. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t had their passports confiscated. I mean that pair are seriously dangerous. Who knows what untold irreparable damage they might do!

Name him!!! or her!!!

Colm you’re right; those places may not have many people of Irish descent but what they do have is lots and lots of rich people.

Paddy’s Day is a superb opportunity to promote Ireland as a great tourist destination. Come one, come all, we;re open for business :)

Convincing rich people to pay high prices is not the way to recovery. Convincing everyone else that we will not rip them off is what will bring in jobs – and that is a harder sell due to local issues, not something that can be achieved in a hotel in Dubai.

I didn’t suggest asking rich Saudis or Chinese to pay high prices, but given the distance and cultural differences between our countries, tourists from those lands are more likely to be people of means.

planning a coup are we?

now that would be a sight :)) Ireland pretty much keeps it’s cool until st patricks weekend, 5 years into this whole mess that has managed to escape most of those who created it in the first place and bang, we get them when they least expect it!!

I do not see any of these as junkets!! Have you ever had to travel extensively for work Michael?? If you did you would know its a pain and not a pleasure..

Agree with you there Donal. After the first business trip, the novelty soon wears off. Work trips are just that, hard work, longer hours than normal work hours. No matter how nice the hotel you stay in, nothing beats being home.

If i travel on behalf of the compnay i work for , the company pay for it! Why on earth would it be differnt for a TD??

These Ministers should be feeling guilty as they leave behind all the young people in these foreign lands, as they head for the comfort of their families, whilst leaving these young people to flounder abroad.

Good logical comment Valerie.

There’s no place for logical answers on The Journal… Away with you, you logical person!

St. Paddy’s Day !! for the love of god it’s not St. Patty’s Day!!!

@ Ian, I know it Paddys day. In California they call it St Pattys day. Boy, you need to watch your stress levels.

Well, there should be at least protests there when they’re going and when they get back. They’ll be looking for photo op’s on both occasion. We should all give them one, just not the one they want!

Martin, it’s a buisness trip that will more than pay for iteslf, these trip are proven to brign money into the country.

Who do you think is payign for it, you obviosuly don’t understand how business works…

You are Martin, same as every other taxpayer in this country.

The Chinese have a load of money in case you haven’t been paying attention the last few years. Also, there’s a real push in Irish universities to grow research links in China, especially because Chinese students here pay pretty hefty non-EU tuition fees. See the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland for example. So it makes perfect sense to send the Minister for Education to China.

Meeting Quinn would put off any potential students !

In your opinion you should add Michael!!

chinas money is about as secure as the whole financial system!!

Ho Chi Quinn in China :-)

As a person who travels a lot with work , I can speak with autority that its no fun, its no holiday and I can assure you that the people in question would certainly prefer to spend the time with their families as i would…

It is being spent wisely promoting Ireland. There shouldn’t be a minister left in the country

It’s no fun for you and I, but I somehow doubt that they will be either travelling on their own and will be “networking” in a top of the range restaurant or pub.

*Facepalm*

Can we have sanctions put against Kevin’s future comments ?

Ireland has a population of 4.5M we have to get out there. we are very privaliged that our national holiday gets so much recognition, other countries would pay billions to get the global coverage adn access we get on the 17th of March.

look at all the famous landscapes that are getting lit up in green. Name another national holiday of a country that has 4.5M people that gets such treatment.

Seilicon Valley gets visited failt often and theres ana enterprise Ireland office out there, this is more about access to the world leaders and the Dispora who have plenty of money to invest in to Ireland.

@ Brian Magee

We “have to get out there”???

I hate to be the one to break this to you Brian – but vast, unheard of, ludicrous numbers of our citizens have had to EMIGRATE to find work and build a decent life for themselves. All because of the incompetence and selfishness of our government.

The Irish People and the Irish Nation IS “out there”. And they do a far far better job of representing this nations business interests than those we have in elected positions.

Ireland’s reputation internationally is based on its PEOPLE, mostly its emigrant population. It has little or nothing to do with its travelling politicians. If you asked an American what they thought of Brian Cowan for example likely the only image they could conjure of him (if any) is his picture on the Late Show….

Well said, Stephen.

Where is Lucinda Cretin in all this? Travelling to Malta to discuss its anti-abortion laws?

Just about as narrow a view as is possible to have… Al S….