Anti-Americanism in Ireland -- could it affect US investment here?

{continuing what I started here.}

Two quotes from Stanage's article are a good place to start this one.

Bill Flynn, chairman of Mutual Of America:

"The attitudes in Ireland [towards America] are really changing the whole situation," he said. "There are conversations going on in any number of corporate boardrooms in America at the moment, where they are threatening to pull out of Ireland.

"Someone who I know personally is advising everyone to get out of Ireland because of all this, and he would previously have been very supportive."

Prominent Irish businessman in New York:

"Business people are there to make money," he said. "If I was a shareholder in a company that moved in or out of a country for political reasons, and endangered profits in the process, I'd have serious questions.

"In one way, Bertie [Ahern]'s almost sycophantic attitude to Bush is unnecessary - it's not going to affect business decisions one way or another."

Of course, the prominent Irish businessman is right that "business people are there to make money", but he's also missing part of the picture.

A lot of business is like personal relationships. Where a company locates overseas should be a decision based on perfect information as to which location will be the most profitable.

Well, the problem here is the "perfect information" because that just doesn't exist. A man should marry the woman who's going to make him happiest, but unless he accurately takes into account all the factors that will determine his happiness in the years to come and then reviews all potential brides for their suitability he's acting on imperfect knowledge.

The same goes for any corporate board or top level management. They cannot have perfect information and, therefore, they are susceptible to other influences such as suggestions from people they trust. This is where many people in Ireland fail to appreciate the extent to which Irish-American dominance at the top of corporate America helped tilt the balance in Ireland's favor for many investment decisions.

These people, like Bill Flynn, were genuine advocates for Ireland's cause. Flynn was the friend who arranged the blind date with a woman he thinks you'll like. If these people are alienated, it will have an impact on Ireland's ability to attract US investment. How great an impact is the question.