[Source: DeDanaan] quoted: The End of the Rainbow By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Published: June 29, 2005 New York Times Dublin Here’s something you probably didn’t know: Ireland…

“Make high school and college education free”

Funny, b/c this is precisely *the France and Germany model* of education, not that of the US! Higher education is virtually free in Continental Europe, whereas in the US we charge very high fees for public as well as private universities. Maybe Ireland is following “Old Europe” more than you care to admit??!!!

“Speak English”

Truly one of Friedman’s all-time most clueless comments, even for him. They speak English over there in Iraq, Zimbabwe and Pakistan, yet this obviously hasn’t turned these countries into titans of commerce, has it? (Or bastions of political freedom, either.) On the other side, over in Japan, China, South Korea and Costa Rica they speak– whoa– Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Spanish, yet somehow those countries have become remarkably successful. Economic success has absolutely nothing to do with what language you speak– it’s a result of *what you do* in the language that your people speak.

“and build a consensus around the whole package with labor and management”

Yes, and Ireland has particularly strong labor unions, much like Continental Europe and unlike the USA.

Friedman’s obsessed with Iraq and sticking it to Old Europe. He still has this neocon fever fantasy about turning Iraq into an unbridled version of a multinationalist corporate honcho’s playground– even if hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have to die to allow for it. He makes me sick– I’ve begun to use his columns in the Times as a doormat when walking in from muddy ground.

FWIW, I’m no fan of Friedman, but I did enjoy the bit of good news about Ireland.