Flawed analysis of our economic miracle

YOUR columnist Noel Whelan (Irish Examiner, July 7) is right to point out that Ireland has been singled out for praise by Tom Friedman, one of the world’s most famous neo-liberal advocates.

He is also right to point out many of the elements that have underpinned our success in recent years, but his deeply flawed analysis is selective at best.

Ireland succeeded using free capital from Europe to subsidise infrastructural programmes while leveraging fiscal reform to poach jobs from other parts of Europe and then subsequently creating new opportunities here as the '90s progressed.