Ireland can afford higher public pay because it’s public services are much smaller, and do less, and have a different funding mix. For example their primary healthcare system isn’t free at point of use, and private healthcare does more, for more people. Ireland also has also chosen not to spend on a military and has a world class special forces and snipers, but has no way at all of defending its own airspace and a paltry defence of their territorial waters, relying instead on the largesse and self-interest of Britain. In this way, they spend on people rather than capex.
The net subsidy level that the UK invests in NI (much of it in capex) is far in excess of what Ireland could afford. For context, the entire island of Ireland would be outnumbered 3:1 by Greater London, so it’s a very limited taxpayer base, increasingly dependent on foreign investment that may not be forthcoming under Trump.
Ireland can afford higher public pay because it’s public services are much smaller, and do less, and have a different funding mix. For example their primary healthcare system isn’t free at point of use, and private healthcare does more, for more people. Ireland also has also chosen not to spend on a military and has a world class special forces and snipers, but has no way at all of defending its own airspace and a paltry defence of their territorial waters, relying instead on the largesse and self-interest of Britain. In this way, they spend on people rather than capex.
The net subsidy level that the UK invests in NI (much of it in capex) is far in excess of what Ireland could afford. For context, the entire island of Ireland would be outnumbered 3:1 by Greater London, so it’s a very limited taxpayer base, increasingly dependent on foreign investment that may not be forthcoming under Trump.