A Hard Sell
As promised the Clinton Global Initiative turned out to be a hard sell of the benefits of Northern Ireland as a place to do business. The First and Deputy First spent a lot of time telling their audience how much cheaoer office space was in Belfast than either Dublin or London. To be inclusive Peter Robinson added that you could get even more of a discount in Londonderry, to which Martin McGuinness responded that it cost even less again in Derry.
Both men seem impressed by the new US envoy Declan Kelly, who pulled together their appearance within a matter of days. There is talk of him getting US business figures to meet on a monthly basis to review their commitments to economic progress in Northern Ireland, and a possible investment announcement within the next fortnight.
Mr Kelly, according to Shaun Woodward, could sell ice to eskimos. But some of his rhetoric (NI "an economic miracle") might go down better with an American audience than back at home, given our local debates about budgetary black holes.
Martin McGuinness reckons the financial aspects of devolving justice could be resolved in time for next week's meeting with Gordon Brown in Brighton. But it appears the negotiations have been complicated by many of the projected sums changing half way through, with the agencies involved revising their own estimates of likely costs.
Should Peter Robinson's talk of driving forward and selling the the transfer of justice powers be seen as the harbinger of a move in the near future? Or is he shifting the blame to the British government if they don't come up with the cash?
I see has noted the $20,000 subscription required to be part of Bill Clinton's CGI. I don't know whether Gerry Adams and other such politicians pay this or get it gratis. What I did find from this my first CGI meeting was that though some of the staff were helpful there were an enormous number of jobsworths about, who insisted on shepherding us hacks everywhere lest we importune a VIP with an unwanted question. It wasn't very egalitarian for such a right-on institution. So I didn't get to ask Martin Scorcese whether he wants to film in the Belfast painthall (Martin McGuinness said he had noted how big the facility is).
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