Was Sean Sherlock in Ferris Bueller’s day off?

No, Groundhog Day, I think….

God – we have just elected a new and improved FF. FF Nua. They’re now spinning harder than FF ever did. Pathetic

You’re right without a doubt. Just look at the facts presented here: 2 months convincing EI you have a viable idea, 6 months on a course, and €15k to implement it? Seriously. Do they honestly expect this crappy effort to generate a sustainable company. Just give the money to people who know what they are doing so they can expand. No one in an Institute of Technology knows how to run a business anyhow, otherwise they would be doing so.

Agree about the IT point for some people, but just look at the dragons den and u will see that while people may have a good idea for a company they can also have absolutely no business skills. This will def help them

15 grand would go a long way in starting a business for me though, definitely can’t be overlooked! 15 grand?? Its unreal!? Don’t care if I have to spend 2 months convincing them of it, I’m fact it’s probably a good thing!! We don’t want the scheme to be abused

The feasibility grant from EI was 15,000 back in 2001. I secured one then for a crappy idea that never got off the ground.

I started my own business with a 5K over draft in 2003. That focuses the mind. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

I was grateful for a Skillnets feasibility grant in 2005. That paid my mortgage for a few months when I was going through a self inflicted rough patch.

These grants are dolled out by a nanny state by a wet nurse minister. It’s more about the Government needing to look like they’re doing something.

Far better off if they just reduced the rates for the 100,000 of existing businesses that are struggling to survive than trying to grab headlines with this non sense. Governments have NEVER created jobs.

Indeed Paul. You have hit the nail on the head. This is just window makeover. The fundamental problem is that the incentives are off beam in the country. The professional fees that can be earned in law and accounting, and the high salaries and pensions that attach to the upper levels of the public service, including all the third level institutions which will be paradoxically providing entrepreneur training, completely run against business set up. Until these incentives are diminished, the country will continue to languish and be almost totally dependent on FDI.

Totally agree Adam.

When EI launched their International Selling programme – who did they award the contract to – DIT

When FAS launched the domestic version of this programme (Saleswise) – who did they award the contract to? – DIT

Well said Brian – this is just more of this nanny state incompetent nonsense.

They should privatize every state jobs agency and give them a start up grant and let them go. Let’s see then how much they bloody know about running a business. They wouldn’t last a month

Well said Louise!

It was interesting to see Sean Quinn on 6 i’clock news in High COurt today looking so positive and transparent. I have studied body language as part of my qualifiaction and Mr Quinn had all the appearance of a man who was confident, open and honest and ready to tell the truth about what happened in Anglo at appropriate time. No doubt Anglo fat cats will have run for cover with your money and mine by that time.

Did he gamble? Did anyone make him gamble? Who’s money did he gamble? How much would I make if he won the gamble? Who’s footing the bill for his loss?

bILLY GOAT MUFF, clearly you are not following the details of the court cases or you would know that Anglo was managing the Quinn account and were shovelling money at Quinn for the illegal purpose of propping up the share price of the bank.

Once again, the taxpayers would not have been out one cent and that included ICF levy if Sean QUinn had been allowed follow the business plan that would have guaranteed this and retained all the jobs. You will have a very different opinion when the Anglo spin is blown into smithereens in the big case. Roll on justice and truth,

Hahahahahahahaha, you are just trolling now. Good 1

It would be except that these course don’t build skills. They may impart some useful knowledge. But here’s the reason why they are just a waste of money.

If you have determination, drive and ambition, you will always find a way to get your business off the ground and you will be a stronger person for it.

If you don’t, no amount of spoon feeding will help you succeed.

If the government just strong armed the PS into awarding more government contracts to Irish companies and more specifically SME’s, the SME community would be thriving. Just look at who keeps getting legal, accounting and IT contracts – always the big 4/5.

Its good and great to have ambition – but you need assistance around how to start, tax and accounting and all that “interesting” stuff (for me ;-) ) – I would personally die for courses like that as the drive, ambition, skills, ideas are there but none around the dry stuff as we say and that might stop a few people then to go ahead. And for example here in our local skillnet/partnership we have great great people and I attended a few workshops and they are great…..so just to motivate people to do their own i think its great!

Absolutely agree Paul. There is a culture in Ireland that mistrusts Irish companies, often thinking others countries can do better than us. This is also evident from reading comments on here

Fancy a game of golf Sean?

If Sean Quinn spent a bit more on PR he may not be in the position he is in as far as how the public perceive him.

Anglo did bring this country to it’s knees by giving money they didn’t have to people who can’t pay it back. Quinn is one of these. He gambled Anglos money on Anglo and lost. It’s now the taxpayers money we should take what we can. He made his own bed so stop posting on every article that he is a victim. He’s not the messiah he’s a very naughty boy.

Sean Quinn was a gambler, and lost.

One of the greediest entrepreneurs that should read.

@ Peter, And what exactly do you believe being an Entrepreneur is about, but making money…….

Im off to work now, but before I go, can I ask you one question. Why do you think Sean Quinn submitted a proposal which offered all his companies to the State until all monies were repaid if he wanted to rip pff the taxpayer.
The facts are that he did not want the taxpayer to be burdened by one cent and he had a business plan what was approved by Deutsche to make sure that this would happen.

Now ask yourself, Have Anglo’s actions been in the best interest of the taxpayers and if so how much have they recouped and how much have they paid themselves and their fat cat colleagues? Wake up, Sean QUinn is not the enemy, Anglo is and people like you are making it so easy for them to rob us hook, line and sinker.

What is the insurance levy except a burden on the Irish people?

Sean Quinn made his money from cement. Sean Quinn was the richest man in Ireland and CRH was/is the biggest Irish company all from making a simple powder. Both Sean Quinn and CRH have operated a price fixing and market sharing cartel in the cement industry to the detriment of Irish taxpayers and consumers. Think about all the money spent on over priced cement and concrete during the Celtic tiger. Both Sean Quinn and CRH have stolen directly from each Irish person and this cartel is still in operation today but yet the Government refuse to do anything about it because of vested interests. Richard Bruton, former employee and current shareholder in CRH!

ISBA.
You now own Quinn Cement so what are you doing about it ? Anglo now owns Quinn Cement, Anglo is owned by the taxpayer. So you are a shareholder in Quinn Cement just as much as Bruton is a shareholder of CRH.
By the way provide your source for such an outrageous allegation, or is your source anonomous like your name.

@Brian, why ask me that ? I want to make money but that does not make me greedy nor does it make me an entrepreneur. Quinn was the richest man in Ireland yet he did not understand

ISBA stands for Irish Small Business Alliance. We are actively promoting Competition Law and its enforcement especially in the cement and concrete industry. Unfortunately the Government refuses to listen as all roads lead back to Richard Bruton. He is the relevant Minister. All opposition parties are fully behind us.

As for our outrageous accusation. All you have to do us look at Richard Bruton’s CV and you see he worked as an economist at Irish Cement Limited (100% subsidiary of CRH) and then look at the official Dail registrar of interests and you will find that Richard Bruton is a shareholder in CRH.

We are campaigning on this issue a lot but we need the public’s help to get this information out there. The public need to regulate the regulators.

Follow ISBA on Twitter!

ISBA, I Assume you are Padraic Burke. Again what proof of this cartel have you ? Simple question that you appear to be avoiding.

Firstly Louise, the ISBA is not one person. It is an alliance of companies and people concerned about anti-competitive practices occurring throughout Ireland.

As for evidence, there has been a significant decrease in demand since the onslaught of the financial crisis and the ensuing housing market collapse. Yet, the price of cement increased by 8% in 2009 and continues to increase. Independent concrete producers have received successive price increase letters over the last few years. It is simple economics, if demand decreases while supply remains the same then prices must decrease except when there is a a cartel maintaining an artificial price equilibrium.

Further evidence is given by the price of concrete especially in the Dublin market. Prices in the Dublin market are below average variable cost (AVC). CRH is applying a margin squeeze to independent concrete producers by over charging for cement while selling concrete below cost. The aim of this strategy is to evict the independent competition from the market and then the cartel will have the ability to unilaterally raise the price of both cement and concrete to the detriment of consumers and taxpayers.

We have a number of academic papers on the subject proving this is happening right now but as noted in the comment above Richard Bruton does not want to investigate the industry because he has a conflict of interest.

Hopefully this will appease your skeptism. This anti-competitive conduct is costing the Irish economy dearly and it’s happening in many other sectors aswell. Unfortunetely the Government is not serious about enforcing competition.

Increased competition = decreased costs = more jobs. It’s that simple!

Dear Pauric,
I assume you have no evidence or CRH would be up on criminal charges.
From you logic I guess you are saying that bread, butter, milk producers are all in cartels to maintain prices, along with brewerys and countless other industries.
Finally if raw materials prices remain the same then the price of cement would remain the same.
And less demand= increased prices as otherwise the manufacturers would go bust equalling loss of jobs.