I-MAG STS Corporation
The population of Ireland is more than 4.6 million and there are likely 3.5
million citizens eligible to vote. Mary McAleese was first elected President in
1997 and was appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified
for the 2004 presidential ballot. We are unclear when the next Irish
Presidential election is expected. Ireland has a bicameral legislature. The
Senate or Seanad Eireann has 60 seats: 49 members are elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels; 11 are
nominated by the prime minister. Senators serve five years and the last
election was July 2007. We have not discovered what the schedule for the
Senatorial election is. Currently, the Senators by party are Fianna Fail 28, Fine
Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1,
independents 7. The Parliament or Dail Eireann has 166 seats. In the February
2011 elections the long-dominant Fianna Fail Party did poorly: Fine Gael 76,
Labor Party 37, Fianna Fail 20, Sinn Fein 14, United Left Alliance 5, New
Vision 1, independents 13. By a cosmic accident, the Irish flag is similar to the
flag of Cote d'Ivoire: the latter is shorter and has the colors reversed (orange
on the hoist side). In our megamodels the countries have similar situations
and solutions - Ireland is alleged to have an external debt of 2.253 TRILLION
dollars, with reserves of gold and foreign currencies of only 2 BILLION. But
there is good news: about 70 Billion in imports versus 116 Billion in exports.
But Ireland consumed nearly 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, nearly allof
which is imported. Ireland also imports over 180,000 barrels of oil per day -
90% of which is consumed in Ireland. The government is looking at less than
70 Billion in revenues versus nearly double that in expenses. Coupled with
nearly 14% unemployment and close to 6% poverty we would certainly
advocate a domestic industry producing and installing solar panels everywhere
as well as growing bio-fuel crops. As we say in statistics, the Emerald Isle does
not have many degrees of freedom.