Answers needed- Web Summit accusations

THE accusations levelled against Government by Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave are so serious that they cannot go unanswered.

Mr Cosgrave accused the Government of telling “lies” and that the summit was being used as a “useful and practical distraction” by Government to distract attention from the real issues at hand. Mr Cosgrave has established a successful business and had a well-publicised spat with Government, local and national, about efforts made, or not made, to facilitate his groundbreaking conference. He has an agenda, including moving his project to Lisbon next year.

The sad reality is, though, that there is a plausible ring of at least possibility about the charges he makes about official Ireland, and though his criticism is focussed on individuals, it might be best if we considered how flexible we are when we are asked to support risk takers, innovators and those with ideas that are not yet fully formed but ring of potential and optimism. All correspondence on this issue should be published because, as we heard in an earlier context, this is too good a crisis to waste.