It is rare, in Ireland at least, for particular corporations to take an independent public stand on political issues.

However the computer micro-processor manufacturing giant, Intel, is doing just that, launching a campaign to urge people to support the Lisbon Treaty. So is this the future? Will Denis O’Brien be urging us to vote Green? Will Michael O’Leary be explaining why Ryanair supports Jackie Healy-Rae?
Not so, according to Intel’s general manager in Ireland, Jim O’Hara. This campaign is about the importance of Europe to Ireland’s economic future.
“It became very clear to me from the last Lisbon vote that the voice of the business community in Ireland didn’t get through,” he explains. “That concerned me. I asked people if they’d heard the business perspective on this last time, and they said ‘no’. When I asked them why that was, they said that either business doesn’t care or they’re ambivalent. Asked if they’d welcome the business community speaking out on this, the answer was ‘absolutely, yes’.
“So I felt it was important for this second referendum that we said what we have to say from a purely business perspective. So I went to Paul Otellini, Intel’s CEO, and he agreed that we should take this public stance.”
He is dismissive of the notion that corporations might in future campaign on behalf of political parties. “This is a business issue and a business message, and concerns nothing else but business,” he says.
One thing is for certain: Intel really are big business here. The company is Ireland’s largest industrial employer, with almost 5,000 people on the payroll. They have invested $7 billion in Ireland over the past 20 years. O’Hara doesn’t know what the attitude of Intel employees in general is to the treaty nor does he intend to find out. “I’ve advised them of what we’re doing and why,” he explains, “but I have no intention of canvassing our employees.”
Is there a possibility that some Intel customers might object to the company getting involved politically? “That’s possible,” he agrees. “But every decision you make has consequences. All I can do is explain our rationale and hope that this is seen as a genuine effort to get pieces of information out. Everyone can make their own judgment on that.”
And what about those who have suggested that the primary driving force behind the company’s eagerness to get a Yes vote is that it suits Intel? O’Hara is admirably frank.
“Well, it does suit Intel in Ireland,” he says. “But it also suits the business community in Ireland. That’s the whole point we’re making. Being centre-stage and connected to Europe has been very good for this country. It’s been good for business and for multi-nationals in this country. Multi-nationals have created 300,000 jobs in Ireland, so it’s reasonable that we should have a voice on what we believe is good for the future.”
In a press statement O’Hara has said that Ireland remaining a player at the heart of Europe is a matter of corporate social responsibility. He points out that Intel has already spoken out about issues such as the environment, education, research and development, and innovation – so the Lisbon campaign isn’t happening in a vacuum.
“I do think it is our social responsibility to speak out on an important business issue,” he asserts. “It would be disingenuous of us to have strong views and not to say them.”
O’Hara is also concerned about the level of misinformation circulating around the Lisbon vote.
“There are posters saying that if you vote ‘yes’ you’ll end up with a €1.84 minimum wage,” he says. “That is totally misleading. The facts are that just before we joined the EU our wages were 60% of the EU average. Today they’re 138%. Decisions regarding minimum wages are totally at the discretion of the Irish government. The EU has no mandate and no competence in this regard. So the assertion on these posters is incorrect and designed with a particular motive in mind.”
He also stresses that one of the key reasons that multi-nationals invest in Ireland is that we are part of Europe, and that this is central to the current debate.
“Europe presents a world of opportunities, especially for younger people coming through the system. For example, we’re involved with the FB7 framework programme that the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has initiated. It’s a €50 billion investment in R&D over the next five years or so. I believe that Ireland can play a significant role in participating in that funding – and we can have lots of young people in Ireland engaging with those kind of European programmes.”
The bottom line, he feels, is that the benefits of being full participants in the European project far outweigh any concerns.
“It’s amazing how we underestimate some of the natural advantages we have,” he adds. “We’re great negotiators, great partners, great relationship builders and we’re trusted. We can absolutely punch above out weight in Europe, but the signals we’re presenting to the world (if we vote ‘no’) suggest that we really don’t want to play.
“So from a purely business perspective and that of economic prosperity, it’s totally self-evident that our future is as a part of Europe. That’s why we’re campaigning for a Yes vote.”