Death of EU advocate a chance to revisit his vision

Otto von Habsburg died the other day at the age of 98. Otto was the son of Karl I, the last emperor of the now defunct empire of Austria-Hungary.

Otto was more than just another exiled European king, however. He was a hero for peace in Europe - shaking off his family's legacy, standing up to the Nazis and communists and promoting a unified Europe that would never revisit the tragedies that extreme nationalism had unleashed on Europe.

Otto grew up in exile, father-less, being prepared for a life he would never lead. By the time he came of age the misdeeds of his family's empire were fading as to nothing compared with what was then underway in Nazi Germany. Otto argued and pleaded with the Austrian authorities to be allowed to return to lead Austria away from Nazism, to prevent the Anschluss (annexation) with Germany. He was denied and Austria vanished from the map.

After spending most of the war in America, Otto returned to Europe to advocate for a European confederacy. The USSR's 'Iron Curtain' stymied him. He had to be content with a working to unify western Europe, all the while remaining a steadfast supporter of freedom for eastern Europe. He became a writer and then a politician and was eventually elected to the European Parliament.

Otto believed passionately in a unified Europe, as this long article from 1962 on French President Charles de Gaulle makes clear. Otto captures the hopes of a generation of Europeans weary of and wary of war:

Early in September Germany received the head of the French State. Literally hundreds of thousands of young men and women thronged the streets to acclaim the man who for them was France. It was a deep and spontaneous enthusiasm such as is rarely seen.

The older among us could not avoid looking back over the road we have traveled. We had known the Rhine as a chasm separating two deadly enemies. We had seen German troops crushing France, and then the vengeance of the victors ... In the streets of Munich and Stuttgart, on the wharves of Hamburg, Europe has suddenly become alive.

I'm not convinced that a single political entity stretching from the Atlantic to the borders of Russia is necessary to guarantee peace and prosperity in Europe, but Otto believed it was. He was driven by a desire to avoid the calamities that befell Europe in his lifetime.

Otto's experience and vision are relevant in today's Europe because the unified Europe he wanted seems to be falling apart as the financial crisis plays out along nationalist lines. The Greeks, the Portuguese, the Irish and others point the finger at the Germans, French and others and they, in turn, point the finger back at those nations they see as profligate and untrustworthy.

Otto's vision is not being undone by rising nationalism so much as by the failure of those European leaders who opted for back-room deals and veiled threats rather than inclusion, transparency and democracy as they built today's European Union. They didn't build a real "union," one where one region's problems are everyone's.

A prosperous, peaceful Europe requires the type of union where the various nations' people feel as one, where the problems for one nation or region are the problems for the whole union. That Europe is far away today. We're drifting away from Otto's overarching vision.

Ireland and global warming – electric cars, but colder winters

In April 2010 the Irish government announced a whole series of measures that would ensure that battery‑powered electric cars gained a significant share of the car market here. Like Dylan at Newport, Ireland is going electric.

The government's plan includes significant investment including: tax breaks to cut the price of electric cars, charge points provided by the government-owned Electricity Supply Board {photo} and other incentives to encourage the purchase and use of electric cars rather than the gasoline/diesel models we're all used to now. The goal was that 2,000 electric cars would be on the road by the end of 2011 and 230,000 by 2020.

I've indicated before that I'm not totally averse to the idea of a battery-powered car, especially as a second car, but I'd forgotten all about the government's plans for electric cars until last week. I had just parked my car in Dublin Airport's new parking garage when I noticed that the three spaces next to mine were reserved for electric cars, that in fact such cars' batteries could be charged there.

The very next day I saw my first new-generation electric car, a Toyota Leaf. It was in front of me as we headed down the highway. And, although I haven't noticed them yet, the ESB has installed charge points all over Dublin. That's probably my fault because I haven't been looking, from what I hear they look like parking meters and would be easy to overlook.

Charge points around the capital city, dedicated spaces in a public parking garage and electric cars on the road, the government's plans are probably progressing just fine, right?

Maybe, but Dublin Airport and ESB 100% government-owned. They'll do as their owner instructs. The one car I saw still had dealer license plates. I haven't seen one for which a buyer has shelled out $43,000 (after tax breaks) or so.

Will the government's targets be met?

I don't know, but ESB's web site says the plan now is only for 1,500 charge points nationwide by the end of 2011. I'd love to know how the sales of electric cars are going and how many people have had charge points installed at their homes.

More important than the targets, however, is whether this is money wisely spent?

All of the incentives and investment from the government are for one reason: to combat global warming. Maybe the earth is warming up and maybe it's not, but last winter Ireland experienced its coldest winter in 40 years and the long range forecast is that the coming winters will be even colder. Our climate seems to be changing for the colder.

All of which begs the question: is all this taxpayer-funded investment in electric cars the best use of funds if our winters are getting colder? Using the same funds to properly insulate our homes and offices seems more sensible.

In fact, it's possible that the money spent in getting electric cars on the road will seem like a a colossal waste of money if we still don't have the necessary equipment to keep the roads clear when it snows. The fact that a few happy electric car owners can charge their cars for free at Dublin Airport will seem like a sick joke if the airport shut for days on end again due to the lack of proper snow-moving equipment.

Even our European overlords, who are heavily promoting the 'green agenda', will be none too happy if our national coffers suffer another let down due to the fall-off in productivity caused by a few inches of snow. It could be a chorus of boos for the government just as it was for Dylan at Newport all those years ago.

{Photo thanks to ESB.ie}

4th of July in Ireland - a chance to flag up sales

It's the 4th of July and you'd almost think it's a holiday here in Ireland, what with all the mentions of it I've seen. Dublin Airport is decorated in Stars & Stripes, local pubs are offering America-themed entertainments and specials, the local supermarket is using Old Glory to encourage shoppers to buy donuts and other "American" food and the hardware store is selling stars & stripes paper plates and napkins to go along with your Independence Day barbecue (which they're selling too).

These sorts of sales and events have been going on for years, but it feels like it's everywhere this year. Some people might say it's thanks to President Obama's visit in May and how he's made American 'cool' again (or whatever), but I'm skeptical of that explanation.

I think it's more likely that with the recession still biting deep, retailers are just trying any angle they can think of to entice shoppers to part with their money. Thanks to the prevalence of American popular culture the 4th of July is fairly well known as an American holiday, even if what exactly it's all about is lost on many people. It's a case that 4th of July equals America which equals a chance to sell stuff using American flag decorations.

There are no references to Jefferson or Philadelphia or the Liberty Bell or anything to do with what Independence Day means to Americans. It's all about an opportunity to sell things, which doesn't bother me in the least.

America has always been keen on commerce. I seriously doubt John Hancock or Ben Franklin would have any problem with Irish businesses trying to turn a buck piggy‑backing onto our big day. Besides, haven't American businesses been using St. Patrick's Day as a sales opportunity for generations? Turnabout is fair play, as the saying goes, and it won't surprise me in the least if I see someone selling "Kiss Me I'm American" buttons this time next year.

Of course the 4th of July is not actually a holiday here. Most Americans who wanted to observe the holiday did so yesterday. The American Ambassador, however, celebrates today.

Appropriately Ambassador Dan Rooney hosts the grandest 4th of July celebration at his residence {photo} in the Phoenix Park. The Ambassador has invited thousands of people to take part in sports, including football (American style), and American treats. It helps to have 1,750 acres of park land as your back yard. My own gathering will be significantly smaller.

Have a happy 4th.

After day of stress, Nokia adds the distress

"Do you have your phone? Do you have your money? Do you have your passport?" My nervous and sad wife peppered our daughter with questions too rapidly to allow an audible response, but our 16-year-old was nodding the whole time. She was ready, but scared too. She had her money in her pockets her passport and boarding pass in one hand and her brand new Nokia phone in the other.

It was 5:45 in the morning and she was heading to Germany for a three week German immersion program, one that will allow her to practice her German as well as getting a taste of Germany and its culture in 2011. My wife and I were both excited for her, but also tense at the prospects of her traveling without us, with people we didn't really know, to stay with a family we had never met.

It was very stressful for both of us as parents and for our daughter.

We anticipated the stress and for that reason we wanted her to have a new phone so that we could be sure she could contact us if she had any need to. Nokia is a trusted name in cell phones. We have had many in our house since I bought my first one in the mid 90s. We never had any serious issues with them - until yesterday.

Just as the stress and tension of the day were easing away - she'd arrived safely; she was getting to know and like her German host family - she called home from the family's phone in floods of tears: the new cell phone was broken.

And it was too. She was typing out a text to her mother when it switched itself off and she couldn't get it back on. Panic, upset, fear, a sudden realization as to how far away she was combined with her exhaustion - she had to get up at 3:45 - meant she had gone from stressed to distressed. My wife was distressed too - her 'baby' was crying and far away.

I was on the train home when my phone rang. My distressed wife relayed to me how upset our daughter was. Fortunately, being conservative and cautious has its pluses. "Yes the broken new phone is a real annoyance, but she has the old one too." I had insisted that my daughter take a back-up phone, a 7-year-old brick that has twice been called out of retirement - a totally reliable Nokia.

When she had the old phone out and working all was fine again. She was at ease and I was too. As for my wife, well, I don't think she'll be at ease until she has her baby back again.

Only in Ireland - wet Dublin's water shortage

If you're not in Ireland you may not be aware of the fact that we're having a drought here. If you are in Ireland you are absolutely, 100% certain we are NOT having a drought. Yet, despite what now seems like weeks of daily, heavy rain showers, we have water shortages.

There are times when Irish people use the expression "only in Ireland" when it's definitely not "only in Ireland." News about corruption in politics? "Only in Ireland" you'll generally hear, but that's certainly not true. All democracies experience corruption and Ireland is actually ranked better than most.

However, the other day I was watching the news headlines with a friend when the newscaster mentioned our water shortage and my friend looked at me and said, "Only in Ireland would you have water shortages in such weather." I couldn't disagree.

It was raining at the time and, in fact, I couldn't recall the last time we had had two straight days without rain. Yet I also couldn't argue with the evidence just presented on the television of a reservoir that was far from full.

The report was thanks to Dublin City Council's warning asking people to conserve water. They asked us not to water our lawns. Well, no argument from me because ... God's got that one covered!

I really don't understand how we could possibly have a water shortage. I know we had a (relatively) dry spring, but come on. It has hardly been Phoenix here.

According to the official records, Dublin had only about 60% of the normal amount of rainfall during the spring. But let's face it, 60% of Dublin's normal rainfall is still a lot of rain. There are many cities on Earth that would love to get 60% of Dublin's normal rainfall.

This is one of those examples where you can see how the Celtic Tiger years were truly wasted. The city of Dublin grew rapidly during the time, but the water infrastructure wasn't improved or expanded as the city grew.

Nearly a quarter of all the water pipes in Dublin are 75 years old or more. They leak. A lot. That's one source of our shortage.

On top of that we need new reservoirs. The city grew, but the supply of water didn't. We're near the point where demand equals supply. There are plans to draw water from the Shannon, among others, but nothing is definite yet.

The only definite is that the government wants to meter and charge for water. I can see their point, but imagine how much easier it would have been if they government had actually tackled this when the coffers were overflowing rather than just jacking up public sector pay? Now every household is going to be expected to pay for water, which has been free up to now, just when many households are drowning in debt.

That's how we find ourselves this June in a Dublin soaking in rainwater, its citizens being asked to conserve because the reservoirs are short of supply. Only in Ireland.

{Photo – Vartry Reservoir from Water Supply Project - Dublin Region.}

High-mindedness, principles are nothing for this Met fan

As I was listening to last night's Met game, as the Mets self-destructed to blow one they should have won, I realized how unwilling I was to blame the main culprit (in my mind) - Francisco "Frankie" Rodriguez (a.k.a K-Rod). Three months ago K-Rod would not have gotten such a pass from me.

At the beginning of the season I didn't want K-Rod {photo} on the team. I was done with him and I wanted the Mets to off-load him at almost any price. In fact, I was done with him last August.

On August 11 of last year Rodriguez was arrested after assaulting his girlfriend's father in the family room at Citi Field after another bad loss for the Mets. The assault reportedly took place in front of some of Rodriguez's teammates' family members, including many children.

For the rest of the 2010 season and over the winter every time I thought of K-Rod I thought about how much I didn't want such a dirt-bag on the Mets. How could I root for that guy?

That was then. This is now.

Other than a blemish during the first week of the season, when I was still annoyed that this 'loser' was on the Mets, K-Rod has been perfect. Until last night. Last night he entered the game with the Mets ahead 8-6, but he yielded a 2-run-homer that tied the game for the Braves in the 9th inning.

An inning later and the Mets had completed the Braves' job for them when the Mets' pitcher balked home the winning run. A strange baseball play to end a strange game, one the Mets really should have won.

Yet, after a disastrous start to the season, surprising their fans as much as anyone, the Mets have actually played pretty good baseball since May 1.

One big reason the Mets have been playing well is K-Rod. He's been fantastic and for me that seems to have overridden all those noble ideas about what type of character I want on the Mets. I have had no trouble rooting for K-Rod.

Last year is soooo last year. Even yesterday seems last year; all that matters is tonight, tomorrow, the next day, the rest of the season. Go K-Rod and 'Let's Go Mets.'

{Picture thanks to NJ.com}

North Wicklow's own Hotel California?

Now that the days of squeezing pennies out of the peasants has passed the descendants of the local landed gentry have to find new ways to pay for the upkeep on their large homes and estates. Killruddery House in North Wicklow is no exception.

There are concerts there during the summer, movie and television programs are filmed there (Angela's Ashes, The Tudors, Camelot are three you might know) and there is a regular stream of events for which the general public can pay into the estate. All very praise-worthy, much better than their plan to sell off more of the land for housing development.

All of which brings me to their new sign.

The other day after my trip away I was driving by Killruddery when I saw that they had a new sign outside the main gate. The sign is an attractive invitation to the passing public to drop in.

You can (pay to) visit the house, (pay to) visit the beautiful gardens, (pay to) walk the hills that make up much of the estate or (pay to) enjoy one of their many special events. The sign is a lure.

Nice sign, I thought, but then I saw what was written on it. Immediately I said to myself, "Sometimes phrasing and grammar matter."

Right there on their nice new sign beneath the name Killruddery was their new slogan: "A Place To Escape." Uggh.

Of course I knew what they meant, but my reaction was to laugh at them. "Sounds like Colditz or Alcatraz or, better yet, Hotel California."

You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!

I'm know that's NOT the image Killruddery's owners have in mind. In fact, I'd be surprised if they weren't happy at the end of each day when the last of the riffraff leaves their grounds.

That's not what their sign says, however. According to the sign getting away from the place is the real joy. Time for Killruddery sign 2.0.

Guinness should not cost more in Dublin than New York

Two weeks ago, after taking a big sip from his pint of Guinness President Obama declared that we were "keeping all the best stuff here." It was a point on which everyone apparently agreed.

Imagine how much more interesting Obama's visit would have been if he had done a double-take on being told what his pint cost. I don't know what they charge in Ollie Hayes's pub in Moneygall, but probably around €4 ($5.75) a pint. The last pint I had in Dublin I paid €4.35 ($6.25) for it.

Last week I found myself in a bar on Broadway in the Bronx with a few friends. I ordered three pints and did a quick calculation in my head. I figured the pints would be around $8 each and had $25 in my hand.

I couldn't believe it when the bartender asked for $12. I actually said, "No, I'm paying for all three." She confirmed that $12 was the right price, that the pints were $4 each (€2.80).

It was a Happy Hour special, she explained, the regular price for a pint of Guinness is $5. That's not quite €3.50. I doubt you can find a pint of Guinness for €3.50 anywhere in Ireland.

How can this be? I've often acknowledged that the taste of Guinness is better here, suggesting that it doesn't travel well. No matter how it's traveling it cannot be traveling more cheaply to the Bronx than it is to Dublin's pubs.

Every week or so there are articles in the newspapers about how the pubs are struggling to make ends meet. There are all sorts of reasons pubs are having trouble surviving, but I doubt an excessive profit margin is one of the problems. I doubt they're taking a significantly bigger share on a pint than are their Bronx counter-parts.

That leaves only the taxes. The tax on a pint of Guinness must be far greater here than it is in New York. I suppose it's not entirely a bad thing - there are definitely too many people here who drink too much.

However the government promotes the pub as an essential aspect of our tourism offering. If the pub was not so important we would not have seen President Obama having a pint in one.

So if the government wants pubs to - at a minimum - be profitable concerns, to be open for tourists who have heard about the good times a pub can provide, surely they should do what they can to ensure that the price of a pint of Guinness is not higher in Dublin than it is 3,000 miles from here.

The price of a pint of Guinness is an easy to compare cost. Every tourist who pays more for one here than he does in New York or Boston or Chicago (maybe even at the President's local) will be struck by a simple thought: "Ireland is expensive." That's counter-productive.

There may be ten reasons why Guinness tastes better in Ireland than elsewhere, but the price sure ain't one of them. We have to fix that so that tourists can enjoy the excellent taste without the bitter aftertaste of knowing they overpaid for that pint.

Titanic tourism - opportunity for Belfast, all of Ireland

One hundred years ago today the Titanic eased down the slipway and into the River Lagan in Belfast. For the most of the past 99 years Belfast has ignored or at least played down the Titanic connection thanks to the sense of shame that attached to the ship's sinking.

That is all changing today.

Today Belfast is grasping its Titanic legacy with both hands. The Titanic has morphed from a tragedy into a romantic tragedy over the decades, mostly thanks to Hollywood. That process started long ago, but it's only recently that Belfast has joined in. As the great-grandson of one of Belfast's Titanic workers explained to the Irish Times, the Titanic was "a taboo topic. There was almost a sense of shame that she had been built here."

Even five years ago, when I first went to see the Harland & Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built, you couldn't actually see much. You weren't allowed to walk yourself around and there were no regular tours. I joined a tour run by enthusiasts who were keen to promote the Titanic ties, but their tour demonstrated clearly that these people were in the minority.

All you could see was ruin: rusted iron gates, garbage dumped all around, shattered glass and broken pavements and the main building, where the plans were drawn was just a big, mostly vacant, lifeless shell. I remember thinking "this is what Belfast thinks of the Titanic."

Just a few years later and all of that is changed. Local museums are devoting exhibition space to the Titanic's artifacts. There are regular, various Titanic Tours and the city sponsors an annual Titanic Festival. Soon the center-piece of Belfast's bid to be the Titanic city - the Titanic Building {photo below} - will offer a great new Titanic-themed visitor experience.

There is competition too. Southampton in England would also like to be the Titanic city. The ship was built in Belfast, but most of the ship's crew lived in Southampton. No city lost more citizens in the disaster. Even Cobh has traditionally made more of its Titanic link than has Belfast. Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call before, the place where Fr. Brown left Titanic after taking his famous set of pictures of the liner.

When you add in all the Irish passengers, the tragic story of Addergoole, Co. Mayo the overall Irish connection to the Titanic is very strong.

Although the Titanic story remains a sad one, all those who survived the sinking and probably all those who lost a loved one are now dead. It's become the distant past.

The ship itself has become a cultural icon and it is that aspect of the Titanic that Belfast is belatedly recognizing has a value in terms of tourist revenues. The real history of why the Titanic sank or the shipyard's unpleasant past hardly matter today when tourism development will help all of Belfast, indeed all of Ireland when the full Irish story is told.

Hero-worshiping Obama is not the answer to Ireland's problems

It seems everyone in Ireland is feeling great about themselves after the visit of President Obama yesterday. It was the ultimate feel‑good day, with the most powerful man on Earth and "coolest President ever" shaking hands, kissing babies and schmoozing with the Irish people for a few hours.

The President delivered a speech in front of tens of thousands at College Green in Dublin, a beautiful, mostly sun-drenched setting that looked spectacular yesterday. The speech itself, however, was pure cotton candy: tastes good, but when you try to swallow it there's nothing there. If you read it, rather than listen to it, you'll see what I mean.

Yesterday I said it would be "mostly feel-good platitudes and little else." Platitudes may be not quite right, but feel-good Irish-America boilerplate surely is. Yet, that hasn't stopped people describing the speech as "inspiring" and "electrifying."

If people were inspired that's great, but it was a transitory moment. The Obama-high will quickly pass. He won't be back until after he's out of office. He will be very little help to the people of Ireland, who are in the middle of the worst crisis since the early 1920s. He is, after all, the President of the United States. It's not his job to help Ireland.

Yet all over America - and in Canada and Australia and elsewhere - there are people who have a deep affection for Ireland, who can and will help Ireland. People of talent and experience. Creative, clear-thinking people who do actually understand Ireland, have ideas that could help the country and should be taken seriously when they say they want to help.

A week ago one of those people, former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery offered a critical analysis of where Ireland is now and where we are heading. He also offered three concrete suggestions as to what we should do next.

McEnery's plan is to utilize the diaspora, don't "lose them in a jumble of compliments and forums." McEnery says we should put a successful Irish-American, like Intel's retired CEO Craig Barrett, in charge of Ireland's development agency. It's a fantastic idea.

The doors that are already opened to someone of Barrett's stature, the knowledge and experience he would bring to the table and the common language Barrett shares with the heads of those businesses we need to target for investment would be massive advantages for Ireland as it competes with other EU nations for American and other inward investment.

McEnery {photo} has other ideas on a global Irish entrepreneurs support system and a role for committed, successful Irish-Americans (and others) in the Irish legislature - a revised version of the current Seanad (Senate), the weaker upper house of the Irish parliament.

McEnery's call to action deserves attention, but I fear it has fallen on deaf ears. Such proposals are a challenge to those currently in positions of power here. They also represent a gamble for all, a leap of faith in those children and grandchildren whose stories were cheered yesterday.

The Obama visit was a fleeting moment. It's over and the problems here remain. McEnery is talking about something long-lasting, with the potential to generate work and wealth, to lift the Irish people, possibly save them the fate of another lost generation and to begin to build the broader, non-geographical linked-up Facebook Irish nation that will benefit those "away" and "at home."

Yesterday was a dream day in the middle of a long nightmare. Now as the dream fades the nightmare looms again. It's time to wake up, get to work and grab the helping hand being offered. It's long past time Ireland brought the diaspora on board to help steer the ship. Things could hardly be worse, but the talents and goodwill of the diaspora can lead to our best days.

{Photos from Google images and ITLG.org}