Ireland's Moral Cost Accounting Problem

The EU Commission is investigating Ireland as a transshipment hub for components used in Russian weapons systems striking Ukrainian civilians. The Taoiseach's response? Argue that stopping the trade would cost Irish jobs. This episode examines a pattern across three cases—dual-use exports, a basketball boycott, and a football match relocation—where Ireland holds moral positions but balks at the price tag. We contrast this with how Slovenia and Malta handle similar dilemmas, and introduce the concept of "moral cost accounting" to understand when states actually pay for their principles versus when they treat morality as free.