The Irish Independent's View: More delays mean more uncertainty as world awaits Donald Trump's tariffs
Another indicator of the man's volatility is that he has shortened the more recent 24-hour news cycle to what often amounts to a quarter of that timeframe.
The man's unpredictability is such that what he says at breakfast time may well be completely undone by the end of the day. Tomorrow is yet another 'T-Day', when the three-month suspension, introduced back in April, of threatened hefty trade tariffs on imports potentially kicks in again.
News from EU-US trade talks aimed at staving off this calamity has at best been mixed. EU lead negotiator, trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, a longtime friend of Ireland through Brexit, returned to Brussels at the weekend from talks which were at best described as 'productive', and some kind of contacts continued over the weekend.
Ireland risks becoming the meat in the EU-US sandwich
Ireland, a 50-year-plus EU member but with very big and close commercial links to the US, has always been at risk of becoming the meat in the EU-US sandwich.
The EU's strategy in dealing with 'The Donald' has not always been entirely convincing, as some governments want the big stick deployed, while others – including Ireland – want a more considered approach, with countermeasures identified but held in reserve.
It is widely appreciated, but not much use at this point, that Mr Trump's idea of so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' will not actually work. These tariffs will not close the US current account deficit; they will not revive US manufacturing; and they won't replace revenue from Mr Trump's quixotic federal income tax cuts.
The EU's focus this week must be about limiting trade dislocation globally and managing the internal politics of responding to Mr Trump's aggression. This is easier said than done, as Mr Trump's tactics are extremely random. He clearly enjoys creating uncertainty and making himself the centre of attention.
But we may be looking at more delays, which also means more uncertainty. Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, has been saying for more than a week now that Labour Day, on September 1, is a more likely target date than tomorrow.
Trade talks take vast amounts of time, skill and patience. Any concession offered must have a reciprocal response. The EU's trade negotiating teams have a depth of skill and experience, as they showed through Brexit when the UK side was left standing at the start gate. Their US counterparts do not lack for experience and skill either. But the real bugbear now is that any mitigating measures keeping many of us back from economic calamity still have to get past Mr Trump.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
14 minutes ago
- The Journal
Minister says Irish jobs will be lost to AI but she can't say how many (yet)
IRISH JOBS WILL be lost as a result of artificial intelligence (AI), Ireland's first ever minister for AI has said. Niamh Smyth, a junior minister at the Department of Enterprise, said it would be foolish not to admit that jobs will be displaced. However, she added that, in her opinion, Ireland cannot afford not to 'embrace AI'. The government is currently establishing a regulator to enforce the EU's new AI rules rules , while also trying to ensure Irish businesses reap the technology's benefits, and public services use it to become more efficient. Smyth said the government will also establish an 'AI Observatory' which will provide data on where jobs will be lost, how many are at risk, and how this can be mitigated. The minister was grilled on the extent to which the government will regulate companies' use of AI at the new Oireachtas committee on AI this morning. Sinéad Gibney of the Social Democrats said she was concerned that the government did not seem to be striking the right balance between supporting business to embrace AI and addressing the risks the technology poses, including job losses, greenhouse gas emissions and misinformation. Outlining her priorities to the committee, Smyth had said she particularly wanted to drive AI adoption and AI literacy among small and medium businesses. Advertisement Smyth's department is establishing a new independent AI office to provide legal guidance to businesses on how to comply with the EU's AI Act , with Smyth telling the committee this would provide much-needed certainty to businesses, and would be well-resourced when it's up and running in just over a year's time. Gibney noted that the government's own AI strategy, updated last October, states that the EU AI Act will place 'few, or no, obligations on most businesses who use AI'. She said the minister's own stated commitments were overwhelmingly focused on supporting businesses, rather than on managing the risks. Smyth said the EU Act took a 'risk-based approach' to protecting citizens. She said it was too early to say whether any domestic legislation to regulate the use of AI would be introduced. Meta AI Paul Murphy of People Before Profit questioned Smyth on recent reporting by The Journal on the conditions faced by content moderators training Meta AI at Covalen, an Irish outsourcing firm. Workers were asked to think like paedophiles and to spend entire work days creating suicide and self-harm related 'prompts' to regulate the responses given by Meta's AI products. Smyth said she was not familiar with the article but said the EU AI Act is intended to protect citizens, taking a 'risk-based approach'. 'The example you're giving there is a very cruel way of using workers, and it certainly wouldn't be acceptable here in Ireland,' Smyth said. Related Reads EU parliament approves 'historic' and wide-ranging new rules on AI 'This is happening in Ireland,' Murphy said. 'It's an Irish firm, Covalen, outsourced from Meta.' 'I'll have to come back to you on it,' Smyth responded. 'That is certainly not acceptable in terms of that treatment of workers.' Data centres Murphy also raised concerns that the minister's opening statement to the committee made no mention of the climate impact of AI, given its requirement for energy-hungry data centres. Smyth said she hoped Ireland could both embrace AI in an ethical way and meet its climate targets. She said that 'the energy question…has to be answered by the energy department'. 'There is no getting away from the fact that [data centre development] has put Ireland front and centre in being attractive to a lot of the companies who have come here,' Smyth said. Smyth said that, given her own background in the arts, as a graduate of the National College of Art and Design, her biggest concern about AI was its potential impact on the creative industries. 'We don't want their work stolen, used or scraped. We have a balancing act to achieve here that we do allow the right environment and ecosystem for the development of innovation and ensuring that we protect our citizens and the creative industries alongside that,' she said. She indicated Ireland's EU presidency next year provides an opportunity to showcase Ireland as a technology leader by hosting an AI summit or conference similar to an event hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
18 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Amazon Prime Day set to lift US online sales to $23.8 billion
Online spending is expected to surge to $23.8 billion across US retailers during a 96-hour Amazon Prime Day event this week, according to an Adobe Analytics forecast, as shoppers seek strong discounts on back-to-school gear ranging from apparel to electronics. Sales from July 8 to 11 are projected to rise 28.4% compared with the same time last year, the report said. Retailers recorded online sales worth $14.2 billion during the two-day Amazon shopping event last July. "This is equivalent to two Black Fridays," Adobe noted, adding that budget-conscious consumers are adjusting their shopping habits by using generative AI to find deals and get an early start on back-to-school purchases. Global trade uncertainties, fuelled by President Trump's unpredictable rollout of tariffs, have unsettled consumer confidence and put businesses on edge. E-commerce giant has extended its sales window to 96 hours, up from 48, as competitors such as Walmart and Target launch their own promotions. Shoppers are expected to take advantage of steep discounts to "trade up" to higher-ticket items such as electronics, sporting goods, and appliances, while opting for more affordable alternatives in categories like home and garden or groceries. Clothing is forecast to see the deepest discounts at 24%, up from 20% last year, while discounts on electronics are expected to dip slightly to 22%, according to Adobe Analytics. Sales of backpacks, lunchboxes, and college essentials - including headphones and computers -are also expected to increase. The data firm expects Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) usage to increase slightly during the Prime Day event, accounting for 8% of overall online spending compared to last year's 7.6% share. Adobe's forecast is based on an analysis of 1 trillion visits to US retail ecommerce sites, covering 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
ICC issues arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders over persecution of women
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for persecuting women and girls. Judges said there were "reasonable grounds" to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. "While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the ICC said in a statement. The Taliban had "severely deprived" girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said. "In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender." The court said the alleged crimes had been committed between 15 August, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and continued until at least 20 January 2025. The ICC, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants - with mixed results. In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. Ongoing persecution After sweeping back to power in August 2021, the Taliban authorities pledged a softer rule than their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. However, they quickly imposed restrictions on women and girls, which the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid". Edicts in line with their interpretation of Islamic law handed down by Mr Akhundzada, who rules by decree from the movement's birthplace in southern Kandahar, have squeezed women and girls from public life. The Taliban government barred girls from secondary school and women from university in the first 18 months after they ousted the US-backed government. The move made Afghanistan the only country in the world to impose such bans. Authorities imposed restrictions on women working for non-governmental groups and other employment, with thousands of women losing government jobs - or being paid to stay home. Beauty salons have been closed and women blocked from visiting public parks, gyms and baths as well as travelling long distances without a male chaperone. A "vice and virtue" law announced last summer ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be "concealed" outside the home. When requesting the arrest warrants in January, chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQ community, were facing "an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban". "Our action signals that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable," he added. Mr Khan warned at the time he would soon be seeking additional warrants for other Taliban officials.
