Just a colection of thoughts.
NAMA, Youth Unemployment, Public Sector jobs and pay, Taxation, the Peace Dividend, Foreign Investment are all big issues (Stephen Kingon).
Only the Ulster Bank will benefit from money from Bank of England to ease lending.The other local clearing banks wont. (Stephen Kingon).
Despite recent problems, the Norn Iron Housing Executive is a vital asset. (Paul McFlynn).
Youth Unemployment costs Norn Iron £300 million a year.(Paul McFlynn).
Low Skills Drive Low Wages. (Paul McFlynn).
Talking about full employment is worthless without having training structures in place. Having the training structures in place is worthless without having relevant jobs. (Paul McFlynn).
The Norn Iron Government is by far the biggest procurer of goods and services. But local business cant always benefit because contracts are too big. They need re-packaged. (Paul McFlynn).
Norn Irons economy might well be adversely affected by the result of any referendum on Europe. (Paul McFlynn)
The SDLP is the most pro-European of the local parties and should use that fact next year (John O’Farrell ICTU)
Governments North and South have different attitides to Europe (John Bradley)
Economic Researchers dont understand regionalism and are not encouraged to look at Norn Iron (John Bradley)
The Norn Iron Civil Service is too conservative (John Bradley)
Scotland and Wales are more dynamic. They are not supplicants (John Bradley)
The Norn Iron Development Agency are awful people to deal with (John Bradley)
I am the only person from Norn Iron in a management position in European Commission (Ronnie Hall)
SDLP is most pro European Party (Ronnie Hall)
We do not market ourselves well (Wesley Aston)
There are only 1,600 active exporters in Norn Iron (Ann McGregor)
In five years the Titanic Centre will be the biggest tourist attraction in Ireland (David Gavaghan)
We should have self confidence based on Humility (David Gavaghan)
Centre Left Politics is outdated (David Gavaghan)
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
Are any of these speakers even nationalists?
With the possible exception of John Bradley and Paul McFlynn, none gave that impression.
In fairness it was about Economics and quite a lot of the talk was about co-ordinating the island economy. In my book that is Nationalism even though the speakers probably would not see it that way.
They are not “political” and its own way I find that very disturbing.
They have no philosophy only cold hard money.
And Id emphasise that David Gavaghan a Dubliner ….a couple of people thought he was interesting in a motivational sense but politically he came across as an unreconstructed Thatcherite.
Was there a feeling of gloom about the prospects for recovery south of the border – or were they optimistic? I see the south is in recession again.
I think I recall one person saying that there was a determination to get out of the mess and they would.
On the other hand in a conversation over a cup of tea, another persson (a very nice guy) seemed very pessimistic especially about Housing.