Donald Trump professes to love Ireland. Although in that mercurial way of his, he’s also capable of declaring a loathing for it.
The country is the location for one of his golf resorts, at Doonbeg in County Clare. He bought the links and neighbouring five-star hotel for €15 million ($15.7 million) in 2014. The then Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, was one of those on the red carpet to greet him.
But as is Mr Trump’s wont, he was later dismissive, saying at a campaign rally that he bought the complex during an economic downturn in Ireland, that he didn’t care about it any more and that it was "small potatoes".
The fact that it coincided with an application for a protective sea wall to guard the property against "global warming and its effects" (this, despite Mr Trump denying the existence of climate change) hitting planning buffers may have had something to do with it. That, plus Doonbeg, despite possessing a spectacular setting and luxury facilities, is struggling. It has racked up losses and seen the workforce cut from 230 to 112.
All this matters, because with Mr Trump, personal niggles can influence his thinking on bigger, more important issues. In Ireland’s case, the nation belongs to the EU and he wants to slap tariffs on imports from the bloc, plus, more specifically, the president-elect wants to draw US multinationals back from there. They went to Ireland attracted by its relaxed tax laws, the "Double Irish", that saw many of America’s corporate finest set up shop there.
They were able to use "base erosion and profit shifting", or Beps as it’s known, to avoid tax on their non-US profits. Technically, Beps was the largest tax avoidance tool in history, enabling them to shield $100 billion in annual profits from the US authorities. The Double Irish route was closed at the behest of the European Commission in 2014 but replaced by other devices, known as the "Single Malt" and Capital Allowances for Intangible Assets, or CAIA.
Mr Trump is all too aware of this, and how US companies helped to fuel the booming "Celtic Tiger" economy and regards it as a badge of honour to bring Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Facebook, Pfizer – the list goes on – home. The benefits they brought to Ireland were huge.
In 2018, 25 of Ireland’s 50 largest companies were US-controlled. They account for 60 per cent of Irish business taxes and employ 25 per cent of the entire local labour force. One estimate, from the American-Ireland Chamber of Commerce, puts the value of US investment in Ireland at almost €350 billion, more than Ireland’s GDP.
Not for nothing has Ireland been described as a US corporate tax haven and the biggest protector of non-US profits from the normally fierce "worldwide" US tax system. Mr Trump knows this. Add in Doonbeg and his failure to get what he wants and Ireland rankles.
His nomination for commerce secretary, the Wall Street investor Howard Lutnick, knows it too. He’s described it as ‘nonsense that Ireland of all places runs a trade surplus at our expense’.
That surplus has reached a record €35 billion, with Irish exports to the US up by 8 per cent in the first eight months of 2024, boosted by pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Goods exported to the US totalled €45.5 billion between January and August, according to the Irish government’s Central Statistics Office, compared with imports of €11 billion for the same period.
Faced with those figures and Mr Trump on the warpath, Irish politicians know it as well. Not surprisingly, they’re fearful.
So, with a general election due on Friday, the current Taoiseach and likely winner, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, is setting aside “significant funds” in preparation for the effect of a Trump presidency. How much, exactly, is not clear, but “if three US companies left Ireland it could cost us €10 billion [£8.5 billion] in corporation tax", Mr Harris said this week, while canvassing in Dublin.
“I’m not pre-empting it; I’m not saying that’s going to happen, I’m not predicting it, but that is the level of risk that our economy is exposed to,” he said.
Mr Harris said he had no reason to believe that Trump was not “serious about pursuing the policies that he has campaigned on”, among them repatriating jobs and profits that he believes should be home-grown.
A recent front page Wall Street Journal article has fuelled Dublin’s anxiety. “The US tax system blows a windfall into Ireland” detailed how Ireland had built not one but two sovereign wealth funds on the back of US cash, including a €14 billion payment from Apple after a European court of justice ruling. Mr Harris insisted that Ireland would be prepared and would cope just as it did with “Brexit, Covid [and the] cost of living crisis”.
Just how so remains to be seen. If Mr Trump and Mr Lutnick are true to their word, the fallout could be savage. That, however, is also an "if". Previous form with Mr Trump, when he was in the White House the first time, suggests he uses such threats as a negotiating tactic. That certainly could be so where the EU is concerned – even he cannot dismiss the fact that international markets and supply lines are closely bound together. American companies, many of whom export to the EU or rely on components from Europe, would not relish being on the receiving end of retaliation from Brussels.
Where Ireland’s role in enabling US tax avoidance applies, however, it does not have the same, individual muscle. It’s hard, too, for the US company beneficiaries to claim mitigation – their pleas could fall on deaf ears. In the end it may come down to good will, that the damage to Ireland will be so considerable as to be impractical. Some sort of compromise may be reached.
Whatever happens, though, the authorities may live to rue the day they did not give permission for that sea wall.
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
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If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
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Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
