You cannot really rely on Ireland’s GDP per capita numbers, particularly in the context of the taxation/growth discussion versus other EU and similar comparators. While Ireland’s economic growth over the past 3 decades has been impressive, a lot of the GDP growth has been a function of a favourable legal and taxation structure (some of which has now disappeared - google ‘Double Irish’) that led to a lot of economic activity being domiciled in Ireland.
As a simple example, a company I am involved in has had somewhere around £120M of business run through Ireland since 2016, during which time we have had two part-time directors and rented an office-share in Dublin. We have paid taxes on that, but not a particularly large amount due to expenses offshore against that income. From the Irish treasury point of view, still a great deal - we show up twice a year to shuffle and sign papers, spend money in Dublin, and issue a tax payment. But the gross amount is very misleading in a GDP per capita calculation.
Of course, something similar happens to a lesser degree with the City.
Wouldn’t trust this guy as far as I could throw him. Is he potentially trying to turn himself into a moderate within the party in expectation of a leadership run after Truss loses the next election?
I don’t think so, he has never really shown any intent of leading the party as far as I can recall. Presumably when Truss loses, much of Baker’s likely support will disappear too?