Politics
John Walsh: How Ireland thrived and Britain stumbled under EU membership
Ireland’s economic success is often attributed to the corporate tax rate, but membership of the EU single market has been just as important a factor
Fifty years ago, on January 1, Ireland formally became a member of the European Economic Community (EEC). Even though the country was a failed state, at least in economic terms, it had been accepted into the club of rich, industrialised European countries on the coattails of Britain’s accession.
Back then, Britain was still a superpower whereas Ireland, whose GDP was 60 per cent of the European average, was the “poorest of the rich”. Fifty years ...
