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Apple Scraps $1 Billion Irish Data Center Over Planning Delays (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the in-the-meanwhile dept.

Apple ditched plans to build an 850 million euro ($1 billion) data center in Ireland because of delays in the approval process that have stalled the project for more than three years, the iPhone maker said on Thursday. From a report: Apple announced plans in February 2015 to build the facility in the rural western town of Athenry to take advantage of green energy sources nearby, but a series of planning appeals, chiefly from two individuals, delayed its approval. Ireland's High Court ruled in October that the data center could proceed, dismissing the appellants who then took their case to the country's Supreme Court.

9 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. I can't even imagine... by froggyjojodaddy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... this happening in the US. I don't know the specifics of the story but I'm sure those 2 individuals would have been steam rolled by now

    1. Re:I can't even imagine... by cayenne8 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Yeah, I feel sorry for that small, rural town, missing out on about $1B for their economy, just because of two assholes.

      I'm guessing they won't be welcome in any pubs there for a long time to come.....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:I can't even imagine... by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Maybe in America where every last little scrap of money is everything this would be a huge lesson But I imagine that a small Irish town would rather NOT have those scraps of money (most of which will go to the architects and building contractors) and preserve their way of life. Unlike in the US, not every town is thrilled at the idea of becoming a strip mall for tech workers to get their ramen and dry cleaning and who bring the self-centered, clueless phone gazing monoculture culture of elitism and snobbery with them So yes, I think Apple got the hint that this community and the PEOPLE in it had serious reservations and some even colder feet, though they were tempted by the prospects, I think both parties are much better off with this deal being called off

    3. Re:I can't even imagine... by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think both parties are much better off with this deal being called off

      Elitism in a nutshell. You think you know something you know nothing about, and are all the more happy to tell people your view of the world is correct, without any indication you are right. I mean, you could be right, or you could let those involved decide for themselves.

      This case was an abuse of the legals system, where two people (elistists like yourself) insist they know better than everyone else. Tyranny by any other name.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    4. Re: I can't even imagine... by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Believe it or not, individuals are allowed to challenge things in court. I know, hard to believe that is still allowed. It really should be banned and only the State and Corporations should have the power to decide what is best.

    5. Re:I can't even imagine... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      By "abuse" you mean "exercising their legal rights as designed", yeah?

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:I can't even imagine... by omnichad · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My guess is that the "green" energy is legitimizing their old tax shelter.

    7. Re:I can't even imagine... by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, I feel sorry for that small, rural town, missing out on about $1B for their economy, just because of two assholes.

      Large companies don't build in small towns (especially in Ireland, of all places) to provide anything of substance to the local population. They do it because they can bribe a couple councilmen for zero tax burdens and in Ireland especially they do it because they already have deals to avoid most US and EU taxes. Of that $1b in costs the town might see a few thousand dollars, trickled down from their mayor and councilmen.

    8. Re: I can't even imagine... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wow. Just wow.

      Many medical breakthroughs were made with socialized medicine and government research. NASA gets it's funds from the government, so it too is a socialized organization. They've come up with tech like heat resistant materials used in manufacturing and everyday life.

      No, people that can make a decent living off things that are passionate about what they do is what makes things. Are some of these people making it big because of capitalism? Sure, but it's not the only way.

      How many people have had their great ideas crushed and bought up by megacorps because they didn't want people's dependencies (i.e. profit margin) going away? Take a look a US Medicine now: how many real cures have come out of them, or is it "oh, you have to take this pill for the rest of your life"?