The sun is out, the Leaving Cert is upon us, the place is coming down with scary looking politicians leering out from lamp posts, begging to be loved — so it must be early June.
Apart from the above, early June is bang in the middle of the wedding season and recession or no recession, weddings in Ireland, like baptisms and communions, are special occasions. Even when we are staring bankruptcy in the face, this is one thing we don’t scrimp on.
Over the weekend I saw four weddings parties in full regalia, no expense spared. One of the weddings that passed me by was a new type, and after a little digging around, it seems that there is a new highly sophisticated and recession-proof wedding out there. It is the eco wedding. It is a special wedding for these sensitive souls who want to go one better than their mates but don’t want to be seen to do this by means of flashing the cash alone.
We all know that weddings are about social competition. I have been told of mothers, not only brides, turning into living monsters, ageing years in the run-up to the big day as the intensity of the occasion gets to them. But the madness never stops. And there are new and discerning ways of defining yourself and your wedding.
The latest one — the eco wedding — is wonderful because it combines a one-world concern with the rainforest as well as one worried eye on the practicalities of the downturn.
In these straitened times, many have decided that it is all rather vulgar and tacky to be going over the top with personalised match boxes, a hired Riverdance rip-off troupe and a magician to entertain the guests. That’s all so 2007.
The way to avoid this is to offer your ceremony up to a higher God. The eco wedding is the pinnacle of taste and political ‘right-on-ness’ and like all things environmental, it will set you back a huge whack. But the expenses is justified not because ‘you are worth it’ but because ‘it’ is worth it. The ‘it’ being the type of person you want to be as symbolised by your big day out.
‘Fair Trade Fiona’ wants everyone to know where she stands on logging in Honduras, and the best way to scream this from the rooftops is by setting out her stall at her wedding. All the invitations are made from recycled paper, as are all the place names. Her flowers are in season and obviously she will use only potted plants for decorations — plants which she planted with her own hands.
The dress was crucial. Her dress would be ‘upcycled’, not recycled. Deep down, Fair Trade Fiona knew that the dress would trump all competition. She got it made from organic cotton that is woven to look like lace. Upcycling, the holy of holies for the concerned shopper, means that the designers take material from second-hand clothes — silk and cashmere from dresses and jumpers — and they make them into wedding dresses. Deborah Lindquist is Fiona’s favourite designer. Even Fiona thought it was a bit pricey, as the ‘donation’ as it’s called — nothing as vulgar as price could be mentioned — starts at about €2,000. But an upcycled dress was worthy. She knew it and so would her guests.
Needless to say, her wedding cake will only use Fair Trade ingredients and is made by the organic baker in Portobello. She spent weeks checking that the hotel would only source food locally and an exacting ‘food mile’ inspection was carried out on a rainy Saturday in March to make sure the carbon footprint of dinner came in way under the Green Party’s advised limit.
But it’s not only the ingredients that must not be shipped in from all over the place, she had to find a venue which was closest to the guests so that they didn’t have to travel unnecessarily far, again for environmental reasons. This involved a ruler and a calculator — things she hadn’t used since she sat her maths paper in the Leaving Cert. At one stage she nearly gave up, but Fair Trade Fiona was not a quitter. This would be a sanctimonious occasion, where her guests, mainly unemployed architects, would marvel at her commitment to the bigger things in life, the world, the ozone layer and of course the Indians in Amazon. Guests were encouraged to pool transport to the venue, walking or cycling is possible, the latter getting most points in the internal scoreboard that was constantly ticking away in the unadorned head of Fair Trade Fiona.
Her wedding list was a social minefield. One false move and the whole thing could be brought crashing down. She really wanted a BT shopping list of top-of-the-range things for the new eco village they had moved into, but she couldn’t reveal this inner conflict when everything on the outside was zen and virtuous. So she chose donations to a ‘wonderful charity’ which specialises in literacy courses for the descendants of Mayans in Guatemala.
Luckily for her, the rock didn’t pose too much of a dilemma because certified ethical diamonds are available. The Dublin jewellers Appleby are supporting the Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership (SLIP), an assistance programme run by Irish Aid in the country in which many of the world’s diamonds are mined. So Fiona could even get a rock that had a story.
The honeymoon was local of course. She had booked a tepee — one ‘crafted’ by the same people who made the tent in which Kate Moss sleeps at Glastonbury — in the Burren. Going local with no running water was the pinnacle of commitment to her lifestyle manifesto which would be effortlessly on display on the big day. Let’s hope the weather stays fine for her. Yes we may be in a recession but some things are going to take some time to change, no matter who wins the elections.
The big day out will be the last thing to get the chop as the credit crunch tightens.
James Howard Kunstler warned that America, especially suburban America would cry out for a leader who would sustain their illusions, who would tell them that life could continue as mormal. And it would be possible to tell, because the promises would be to everyone and they would be outlandish. This would be a leader who would suceed because he would promise a continuation of ‘something for nothing’.
Well, I reckon we have come that far in Ireland. Ahern was that leader. And there was a vacuum since he left. Cowen does not promise something for nothing. No, Cowen promises pain. And the Irish people, as Krugman has told us, are going to have to accept the pain.
And then we have Gilmore. Gilmore is going as far as to tell the Irish people that it is perfectly normal to want something for nothing. That everybody who votes for him deserves to have jam on both sides. That this is an entitlement. Gilmore is the replacement of Ahern, not Cowen. Gilmore promises are return to the totally unsustainable and the nonsensical, exactly when FF are drifting away from it in baby steps. The media is full of commentators who bowing in reverence to Gilmore and his leuitenants. We are being led like lemmings, just like we were led into the boom. Dissent is not to be tolerated…
The consequences will not be good. We will be promised a Swedish model of society, and end up becomming like Wales.
Deco, again I agree; but, did you see the “Rebuilding Ireland” post I left for you on P1? FG does have a policy, to be fair to them; LAB doesn’t really – Gilmore just criticises everything the others do.
tim – One George Lee trumps all of the current gov.
check this link out – this is this the global scam irish banks sold their childrens soul for
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13863
wills, yep! I love this bit:
“The Wall Street public relations throng boasted that securitization “democratized” credit because more people could borrow at better rates since funding came from investors rather than banks. But it was all a hoax. The real objective was to turbo-charge profits by skimming hefty salaries and bonuses on the front end, before people found out they’d been hosed.”
Examples here: Seanie Fitz, Goggin, Fingers, ….. the list goes on…..
Wills, I’ve decided I’m not going to navigate to any links from this site. As we all know “the meeja’ is a scam anyway. I’m going to trust you guys to filter the truth succinctly. I think this blog has engendered that level of trust by now. Next step is we have to form our own organisation/party. In this day and age it doesn’t matter if we are flung in the four far corners of the world. Who’s in? I’ve had enough of mere debate.
wills, I am glad George is elected; I just wish that he was elected into government, instead of opposition. Because of that choice, we have to wait for his true input.
Question: why can Alan Ahearne not do for us what George Lee says he wants to do?
Yet, GL will join the opposition benches next week and Alan has been advising govt for months now.
tim – maybe AA lacks the courage of his own convictions. Noticed to – day also GL is a happy family man and this is crucial for cemented moral blood.
Further to link check this out,. fleshes out further the hoax collapse,,
http://falkenblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/gary-gorton-explains-crisis.html
wills, thanks for links. I do not doubt GL’s convictions or morality, though I agree with you on family support. I doubt his understanding of how politics in this country works. My problem with what he has done is that he has joined the minority opposition and cannot be expected to effect any greater change than any one of the existing opposition TDs, unless he can somehow convince some TDs on the govt side of the house to switch allegiance in a Dail vote.
We need George Lee’s economic acumen NOW; not in 6 – 18 months time.
He can do nothing unless and until FG manage to get into power. They have not won a general election since (when?) 1993 or something.
at the falkenblog link posted is the precise scientific explanation as to what sequence of events actually triggered the global ‘credit crunch’.
tim – judging by results to – day FF are the minority party! That aside, GL carries a moral authority with him like no other and presently this is worth it’s wait in gold. His electoral victory is loaded with symbol power. All GL has to do now is speak truth to power and sit back and watch it’s crumbling effect.
this link is gorton’s paper. He posit’s the credit crunch is in fact a banking panic.!
http://www.frbatlanta.org/news/CONFEREN/09fmc/gorton.pdf
wills, not in the Dail! Where it counts. Under pressure, yes; but that’s it.
Problem: FG has little experience running the country.
I landed here from the USA in 1976 and landed into a third-world-country. Many people are offended by that assertion, but there it is.
It was mostly ff and Dev’s fault, because that was the party of power for most of the century.
We have improved alot since then, mostly due to EU money and lack of Dev’s protectionism.
Wherto now? I do not know, but I doubt FG’s ability (albeit boosted by Georhe Lee’s inclusion) to lead us anywhere.
I am still convinced that trying to improve FF from within is the right option.
Wills: Thanks for the link to Gorton’s excellent paper. I don’t suppose either Tim or you have had time to read it through, but it provides a basis for understanding some of the events in Ireland that have led to this mess. For example this description of Repo explains Seanie Fitz’s overnight loans. It could thus be interpreted as standard operating procedure.
It takes a while to get the hang of it all but Gorton provides a solid understanding of where we are at now in the global banking system. This is surely preferable to shrill repetition of your favourite Ponzi epithet?
Wills I read your link. We have regulation in Ireland. But it was compromised. The D4 banking establishment and the networks in professional establishment just never bothered to implement it.
Tim.
If you had an intelligent anti-BertieBoom frontbencher-Senior-economist on the two largest parties in the Dail, then we would have a really serious argument concerning economics in the Dail.
And Ireland would benefit greatly from this. As things stand Alan Ahearne (who warned about boom-bust) is a senior adviser to the government. Now, Alan Ahearne is a very intelligent economist. So this in itself is beneficial.
I thought you were optimistic Deco? On the one hand you say the people will wake up and make positive change a reality, on the other hand we are going to end up like Wales? Which is it? Wills is equally optimistic and pessimistic in rotation. Of course no one can predict the future and we have got to be pragmatic in every instant, but a continuous running commentary without direct participation, or more preferably intervention, is vicarious in the extreme. Please clarify.
Adam – There are gounds for optimism. In Dublin Central the Drumcondra machine tried to get another Ahern elected – and instead received a complete humiliation. The people ignored the party machines and voted for an Independent committed to the people, not the party hierarchy.
George Lee in Dublin South is a vote of confidence in a man who knows economics and who tells it as it is. We had this before – he was called Ray MacSharry.
The by-elections offers us ground for optimism. In both cases the electorate made a very sophisticated decision based on ability. This is an acheivement considering all the media machinations over the previous weeks, and the PR spin from party head offices. In both cases humble candidates who did not make outlandish promises, but who instead wanted a higher level of competence from the state suceeded.
There are also grounds for pessimism. But the other story of the election was the increase of Gilmore. Gilmore is a focus of protest, and the desire for stagnation. Ireland is in a serious crises. And the Irish people are in a state of psychological shock over the end of the boom, and the coming of hard times. But Gilmore gives us acting, pretence, soundbites and empty promises. Gilmore is behaving like a new Ahern. We need reform of the institutional framework of the state – Gilmore promises no reform, just loads of ideology and more borrowing (and eventually more taxes also). That is why I state that the promise of Gilmore is the promise of becomming the new Wales. The state has become unwieldy, inefficient, incapable, and directionless under Ahern. Essentially the Dail is no longer in control of the state. Cowen has asked Bord Snip to analyze the situation. There will be rationalizations. Some state bodies are completely useless, and behave like a law unto themselves. This represents waste. However in the face of this the participants in such institutions as the Library Council of Ireland and the various quangos connected with third level education are looking for a protector. In the Gilmore ecnomic worldview this for of institutional doublejobbing is a Keynesian stimulus package. Gilmore will not rationalize or consolidate anything. Gilmore is very much in favour of Europe, but like the rest of the ILP top brass he fails to understand the Euro currency regime.
In any case for reform there will be losers, in order to get a higher level of performance for the common good. But Gilmore is exploiting the situation, by positioning himself so as to sign up every vested interest that does not want to see reform. In fact even worse than that Gilmore promises to nationalize Eircom, the banks, and the rest of Aer Lingus. These are private commercial enterprises. They should be allowed to fail. The market exists and incumbents will step into the breach. A real vote getter those proposals because it means that the PAYE taxpayer will be subsidizing unwieldy companies. The problem is that the competitive sector is already
Thus we see the ingredients coming together. A combination of flawed policies, a carefully crafted hard sell, tons of empathy, great acting, sensationalism, a network of opportunists on the ground, support from the comfortable classes, a series of unworkable promises, soundbites, daft wannabe ministers, subtle endorsement by the news media within RTE, a prominent newspaper giving it’s blatant support (this time the Irish Times) and close relationships with their trade union cronies. And beneath it all an undercurrent of opportunism.
This is what I see. And it seems very familiar. It all sounds like Ahern ten years ago. Except it is Gilmore now. The only thing missing is the tent in Ballybrit. Different sponsors. The most critical part of all of this is the fact that RTE are running out of money and either have to cutback their expensese, or get a license fee. Guess which option Gilmore chooses. This is Gilmore’s trump card. He can effectively bribe RTE as it is within his ideological framework, and is not bribery as such.
With George Lee no longer in RTE Gilmore has in effect got rid of his only possible opponent in RTE, to his urge to subsidize and take over everything. A sympathetic coverage of his party then follows. And it is in evidence these day. RTE’s Ciaran Mullooly could not get over himself yesterday, calling an ILP candidate by their first name, and using the term ‘good news’ to describe ILP gains on two seperate occasions. Gains by other elements were not described as good news by Mullooly. A hint of Pravda to the whole thing.
Gilmore will lead us into becomming another Wales. And he has the media behind him. We should be alert to this, and we should ensure that others are alert to this.
Ok thanks Deco. I’m going to keep an eye on this Gilmore character then. If he’s another Ahern then he should certainly be marginalised. Good luck to G. Lee, I hope he can maintain the positive momentum. I don’t care which party he is in for now.
Adam – I think it comes down to this. When we elect people, we must be like Recruitment experts trying to fill a position. There is a competence deficiency in our political system. And the people must act in such a way as to increase the competence in the Dail.
I expect George Lee to raise the competence level in Irish politics. We now have two trained economists in the Dail. That is not much, but it is a start. It has not happened in a long time in the Dail ! We need less teachers, less publicans, less student politicians who only know how to rabble-rouse, and less solicitors who know not enough about the law.
What passes for debate on economic issues in the Dail has become a joke. George Lee will change that, I hope. George Lee will ask really tough questions of Lenihan, Coughlan, Cullen, Dempsey, etc…And this is to be welcomed.
The best thing that could happen now would be for Cowen to clean out the front bench and replace the tired useless Ministers. That would force the others to raise their competence level again. There will be no general election. The wagons have been circled. And that is the way it will stay for the next twelve months. The danger is that we will stay at the current level of competence and that there will be no dynamics to push up a level or two.
adamabyss – as wallace say’s to the troops in ‘braveheart’ . “hoooooooooold” “hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooold” “hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooold”,..
a change is a coming, but, it’s grass roots up, the rot is crumbling and a peeling and the holding forth against the rot and counter pointing it’s failures will work it’s effect.
Politics by it’s nature is transformational and organic.
Keep it up, getting to the facts and the truth and peeling the onion.
Ok wills, hooooooolding for now. But getting restless, chomping at the bit somewhat…
Tim – trying to improve FF from within is a noble aspiration and possible.
‘FG has little experience running the country’, this could apply to any political party out of office anywhere on the globe.
Experience of running the country only comes with doing it.
Anyhow’s, anyone worth their salt at this stage would find it hard at least not to do any worse than the present incumbents! Greens included.
wills, agreed on most.
Except: “this could apply to any political party out of office anywhere on the globe.”
How many countries have had the stability of the same party in government for 70 odd of the last 90 years, around “the globe”?
Stability is very important.
Tim: representative democracy in it’s essence is what it is irrespective of experience. The ‘ol tick on the paper is in the end the real politic of it and what the voter decides on the day is all that counts. Alot of voters vote on the basis of the warmness of a handshake, not just in Ireland. Plus, for me i have not seen leadership at work backed up by the experience on which you speak on. 10 years of crony politics which in the final sum game destroyed our community and FF were at the helm and steered Ireland into the rocks. Who in their right mind would put these people back in. To vote FF back in, no matter what affiliations, is to deny what they have played a part in.
GL for taoiseach…………. !!
There is only one way to understand politics in this country Tim and that is to get in amongst it and get your hands dirty. If you think that GL should sit back until he is ‘ready’ then you are mistaken. New faces have to radically change the tired and wicked old system. Its time to discard the box never mind think outside it. Applying my new method, that is, only listening to opinion on this site and not anywhere else, I wish GL all the best and am optimistic as to what he can do, even though I don’t know him from Adam – pardon the pun.
We know the nature of the beast intimately by now Wills. Time to do something about it…
Or else just grin and bear it.
Mystic Balls – I can perceive in the room the shock results of the elections not that it was not expected rather that the new change is Now upon us and we must adapt to move on .There is also that eerie feeling too of being indecisive in the room and seeking a balance because of this new great change cracked wide open by the moon pull peaking as I write .
Some time back I mentioned the persona of George Lee and his ability to make it a great success.For the first time we have an elected real straight talking ‘doer’.He speaks with real authority and with ooodles of logic and details and convincingly knowledgeable about the real economic problems as we know it to be.GL is a real Prince among the faithful and will always command respect no matter what party ticket he holds.For the first time we have HOPE in a similar parlance as OBAMA has been a pillar of strength . We now as electorate and concerned voice should be seen to follow the philosophy and beliefs of GL and build on that no matter what colour soap box he stands on.FG will now change too that some of us had hoped would be FF .Make no mistake GL will lead not FG rather a NEW FG .
It will be easier for you to understand his future moves if you imagine we have the guise of Tony Blair with his quality of purpose and statemanship.I can promise you like Blair GL will not blink and like Blair GL will be a great Leader and that he will see rise all up around you.
Learn to sit back and experience a new beginning in Irish Politics as GL leads us on the path of recovery and with a leadership we have been all waiting for in a long time.The colours of the waters of Politics will change forever not in the way your minds had previously been pre-programmed to expect it, rather like the red hot glows of the Volcanic Lava burning everything that should be distroyed in its path to bring us on a New Path of Recovery.
Enjoy and be merry .
I have a few questions. I will be as brief as possible.
1. What is the ultimate goal/aim (mission statement fulfillment – in odious contemporary PC speak) of law enforcement – police, detectives, customs, civil defence etc.?
2. What is the object of the medical profession in all it’s branches?
3. What are accountants responsible for and striving to achieve?
4. What is the point of having lawyers?
5. Why do engineers exist?
6. What use are teachers?
7. Why do we need politicians?
8. What do farmers add to our world.
9. What do bankers and economists and financiers facilitate for society?
10. Why do we need any form of military organization, e.g. army, navy, air force etc.?
11. What is religion for? Why do a lot of people need priests, rabbis, shamans etc.?
12. What is the purpose of any other profession omitted above?
Most important question: what use are scientists?
I will reveal the answers to all this after I get your honest feedback.
Please make an effort.
And I do have the answers – rest assured.
Adam Byrne.
Adam: There is one answer for all of them:
Their training and expertise allows their customers to have confidence in their product.
adam – perhaps it’s all means available to diffuse creative energies from day to day, to facilitate the universal challenge all are beset with which, the modifying of one’s ego and id. Tough tough challenge.
I guess the point you´re driving at Adam is a teleological one. What is civilization itself for and where are we going as a species. Am I right?
The teleological answer is 2001: a space odyssey ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
adamabyss, perhaps all of these things combined constitute the veneer of civilisation for human beings to order our society and delude ourselves that we are something greater than sophisticated mammals.
We all must rise above our id instincts and passions, it’s the test of the gods over us mortals. Keep at it tim….!!!
ST says that Biffo is the fourth highest paid politician in the world:
http://timesbusiness.typepad.com/money_weblog/2009/04/the-10-highest-paid-politicians-in-the-world.html
Ireland of course is not even in the G20.
Malcolm, If we examine the salaries per head of population, Cowen is the second highes paid:
Singapore – 4.5m 0.5488/capita
Hong Kong – 7m 0.0737/capita
United States – 304m 0.0013/capita
Ireland – 4.2m 0.0811/capita
France – 61.5m 0.0051/capita
Germany – 82.4m 0.0036/capita
UK – 61m 0.0045/capita
Canada – 33.2m 0.0074/capita
Japan – 127.3m 0.0019/capita
Australia – 21m 0.0109/capita
I know that there may be cost of living factors that would, no doubt, temper the extremities here, but it looks like Singapore is a public service ripe to be exploited……… I’m off!
How long will MicroSoft or Intel stay in Ireland if we get this sort of government ? We need to be careful that we do not jump out of the frying pan into the fire…
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/grand-design-lies-behind-connollys-appointment-1764687.html
This is excellent analytical investigative journalism.
I can see an alignment of loosely aligned interests based on ideological nonsense turning us from a NAMA republic into a Banana Republic. At the centre of this is the former Democratic Left party controlling the ILP, with the rest of the ILP to one side, and SF to the other side. It will be endorsed by SIPTU and ICTU money. And money from traditional corporate ILP backers in the ISEQ. It will be a promise of the more palatable Social Democracy, but will be full of elements embedded in Marxist preponderance. They want to nationalize the banks, Eircom, Aer Lingus, and who knows what else. Even the local corner shop might need to put out of business.
And it will get votes from HICOs, Yummy-Mummies, Fair Trade Fionas. All in the name of “change”. There will be no reform, only a takeover of the failed institutional framework of the state, and it’s submission to ideological control.
If you think that FF can tell lies, then you ain’t seen nothing yet. If you think the PDs can make policy decisions based on blind ideological stupidity, then again Isay, you ain’t see nothing else. This Marxist alignment will lead us into the abyss, and will turn us into a bankrupt, broken and twisted state. Marxism is a lazy ideology based of flawed simplifications and fantasy solutions. The intellectual basis of Marxism is bankrupt.
Several councils will become controlled by this alignment before the state is taken over. The results will be a complete disaster. And this is where we are headed.
As Garrett Fitzgerald has stated last week, the need to competence in the moderate centre of the Irish political landscape is now evident more than ever.
I am just wondering will any of the prominent underperforming FF ministers get the sack ? Has it dawned on BIFFO, that they are his biggest problem ? That their reaction to the problem faced by the country is the real problem !!!
Time to replace Cullen, Hanafin, the Lenihans, etc….
excellent piece on FF’s role in the POnzi racket destroying Ireland.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/gene-kerrigan/saving-economy-while-people-go-down-1764799.html
even peter sutherland is scratching his head at the scope of FF’s ineptitude …………..
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/sutherland-urges-cuts–in-public-spending-1764684.html
wills, the incongruity of the central message from both Kerrigan and Sutherland is mind-blowing to me!
I have been watching these two for years: Kerrigan adamantly defending public services and the poor/weak in Ireland; and Sutherland attacking public services and the poor/week, while promoting the rich.
It drives me nuts! I agree with Kerrigan, but the government never listens to him; I disagree strongly with Sutherland and the government nearly always listens to him!
“Profits-up-wages-down; rich people are good, poor people are bad; private business and banks are good, the “productive sector”; public servants are bad, “unproductive sector” and “parasites”"!!!!!!!!!!!
Yet, 28 spires high at a million per foot goes to the banks and the rich people, while a 7 foot packie Bonner sum is withheld from 12 year old girls.
I am so sick of it! Aaaaaaaarrrrgghh!
Sorry, folks………. Who are the “parasites”, again?
Oh, yeah……….
Tim,
Sutherland is doing you a favour. Follow his advice, and in five years time, your paycheck might still arrive in the post.
Ignore it and our kids will be working in the future, to pay the salaries of today.
Paddy.
Hello Ireland . I am a bank . Can I have 4 billion please ? Thanks , Later I will need 3 billion , so it would be best to have it ready . Again thanks . Now I have all these bad debts that I would like to sell you . Wow that discount really hurt the liquidity . That will be 5 billion . Thanks . Emm , where do you get all this money from Mr Lenihan ? Don’t bother answering as I have just discovered more bad debts do you have 2 billion ? Thanks .
How many banks does Ireland need ? It seems that we have no money . Yet we have not cut public spending . Why ? If we have no money where are we getting all this money for bank bailouts ? Why are all the top bankers walking away with big payouts and pensions ? Why are we rewarding failure ? What does Mary Coughlan do ?
The tab will be passed on to the future in perpetuity through bond issuance swaps.!
expat, we have cut public spending: 1200 teachers gone, 1000 nurses gone, 700 gardai, gone; hospital wrds/beds gone, HPV vaccine for 12 yr old girls gone, free books scheme for poor kids gone, Library grants gone, special needs assistants for kids with disabilities gone, curricular grants for secondary school TYP and LCA gone; medical cards for over 70s gone; child benefit reduced, jobseekers allowance reduced; public transport bus routes gone, a few hundred bus drivers gone; a few hundred cleaners of public areas/parks/beaches gone; mental health workers gone…….
I’m sure that I have missed many more cuts here, expat, but believe me when I say that public spending has been cut in most of the vulnerable areas; and we have been promised that there are more cuts to come; there will be more “sharing of the pain”. Just look at the list to see who is sharing it!
Tim – we cut public spending. But we always see it happening in the wrong area.
The quangos need to go first. The politicians need to take a collective pay cut. The lot of them – including the hypocrites on all political parties. It needs to start at the top.
Deco, yes; that was partly my point.
I would go further, though, and take the lion’s share from the really wealthy. The politicians et al are really only minnows.
We should not have cut what we cut. They should be the last things cut.
Tim – As is in UK, the ruling parties now in steep decline need a good ‘ol rest from power and to step aside and give someone else a go.
Simple, really..!
And the transformers can get too work reinvigorating in and away from the spotlight,.
how does that sound tim,?
wills, sounds good in theory, but in practical terms, the current opposition/alternative parties’ policies frighten the living daylights out of me – as I think they would any ordinary working person in the country.
Unless George Lee can be as effective as he hopes; then, maybe…….
You read the existing FG policy document yesterday and saw Deco’s post on their 2007 manifesto; what do you think?
They scare me more than the current FF parliamentary party does.
Tim, Joe Behan and John McGuinness will have a lot of influence within FF now. Basically, they have won the argument within FF. They can more effectively agitate for replacement of Coughlan, Martin Cullen, etc…
Cowen promised reform in the FF Ard-Fheis – the groundswell in FF needs to agitate for Cowen’s promise of reform of the institutions of the state. Basically either Cowen reform’s the institutions of the state or he will never get a chance. It is now up to Cowen – he needs to do something big, thorough, honest and of great use to the Irish people to be more than the leader that led FF into the wilderness. Maybe the thought of that might get him to do the job that he is supposed to be doing ???
Deco, there is a good opportunity now at grass roots level to push with Joe and John: the few who persisted with blind faith in HQ and the Parliamentary party realised their betrayal at the count centers all over the country. I was in two of them and heard many words whispered about “stabbed in the back”, “betrayal”, “fools”, “never again”, etc. ……….
Either the grass roots will now ride the groundswell to bring national change or there may be total abandonment of the party by these members. That will take one of two forms. A switch of allegiance to another party (unlikely, given the nature of the beast) or a new sort of Post-FF party. No; fixing what is wrong is easier.
Tim – it should also be said loud and clear.
FF gave the electorate the best two candidates that were on the ballot paper, in the Dublin constituency. The alternatives were not great. In fact Mitchel and De Rossa are both useless. They collect party votes but they really do nothing of any use. And like everyone else here, I detest McDonald.
Eithne Byrne is unlikely to be the Lord Mayor of Dublin for a long time, despite the fact that she actually makes an intelligent case to encourage investment and jobs into Dublin. I have listened to Eithne Byrne and she talks more sense than most of the government ministers. She knows far more about industry, jobs and investment that Coughlan. I think that if Eithne Byrne was in Dell HQ instead of Coughlan and Groucho Marx, then Dell might not have left, and FF would not be facing their current wipeout in Limerick. In any case in Limerick FF has suffered as a result of the failure of Coughlan and O’Dea. And in Waterford FF has suffered as a result of the failure of Coughlan and Cullen, and the Green party’s ideolgical attachment to having the most expensive electricity prices in Europe.
Likewise Eoin Ryan will be at loose ends within FF if, as looks likely he will not get to be MEP. He might even be a focus for a lot of people who are disaffected with the FF front bench.
The entire ANIB saga and Lenihan’s handling of it will also be under scrutiny.
Tim – there are competent people in FF. It is just that a collection of eijets who got on well with Ahern hold the key ministries. A back-shuffle, with Cowen sending Cullen, O’Dea and friends to oblivion is the first step for FF. Both of them have seen their voting bases disintegrate. The Industrial collapse in their respective cities has basically reduced them to has beens.
Deco, I don’t disagree with you here, but I would insist that the first to go from the front bench would be the two who are only there by dint of being drinking-buddies of the boss, not by aptitude (as they have proven, to our detriment).
Why should Cowen himself survive? He seems like a useless imcompetent to me. Isn’t there someone better to head their party and the country? Kick him out with the rest of the front bench.
adamabyss, while in power, An Taoiseach is the only one who can kick anyone out. No-one can kick him out unless he resigns, calls a general election, or loses a Dail vote, toppling the govt.
Yes, I’m aware of that Tim. I was speaking metaphorically. What I mean is some of the more competent members of the party or government should campaign to get rid of him by any means necessary, whether overt, covert or under-handed, for the greater good of the country. He’s obviously a useless plank.
adamabyss, the game’s afoot.
wills – do you think any of the secretive organisations have anything to do with bank cover ups and would fitzy be a member?
John ALLEN – the ‘secret organisations’ i presume you refer to bilderberger, tri lateral, chatham house, skull n cross bones etc,.
I think it’s simpler than all of that neo conspiracy stuff proliferating across the net.
A classic case of ‘old school boy’s network and tie’ gone beserk’ with power and tech gadgets and a bit of instinctual conflict thrown in for good measure.
Science of networks is a good study of it, (see link).
It’s like the movie the ‘Goonies’ (80′s movie).
Bunch of young fellas in grown up bodies moving and shaking in old cliques and networks from their day’s of yore in college, or family tie – in’s and they all know the codes and secret language and work it to the hilt.
A Dynastic right of ownership over all and the earths resources.
These people really believe it’s all theirs by birth right and all for the taking and if you can it mean’s it’s fate and destiny too.
http://www.andreas.com/faq-barabasi.html
I own a business and I have always made money . Running a country is like running a business . You have to take in more money than spend . Thats the bottom line . Ireland is a small country , It should be easier to run than say the UK with a navy and army running around the Middle East to fund .
Anybody can run a business that is swimming in a sea of credit . When I open a business I want to own the buiding I am in . I buy one machine that I also want to own and I will pay it off as soon as I can . I am old school and I don’t like debt . I am in business with my older Brother who really detests credit . Anyway I run that machine 24 / 7 and when it is overflowing I buy another one and so on . When I am really busy and making lots of money I see it as a bonus which could end tomorrow .I keep a close eye on the bread and butter clients . These are the ones that pays the bills and will keep me going through a downturn . There will always be a downturns . 7 years good , 7 years bad .
Although I hate to see people losing their jobs but I kind of like recessions . It drives all the credit addicted businesses to the wall . And I can pick up their clients giving me more bread and butter . Business is tough as nobody is spending but really it is good for me . I have low costs and little credit the other guy is full of credit and because there is so much credit there is a lot of competion and it drives the price down which is like a permanent recession . When I went into business a machine for my industry cost 3 million brand new . I had to source a second hand one , taking a chance on its condition . These days the same type of machine costs about 5 million new . Last year I could get one from the maker on a buy now pay later and so could anybody else .
It must be really hard being a bank these days . We give them a hard time for their easy lending and are giving them a hard time for not lending . I can get credit because I am asset rich the other guy can’t because he has no idea about running a business . He is shocked by a recession ???? I like that we now have to go cap in hand in your finset suit to the bank manager as it keeps Mr easy credit from running a business and driving Mr hard working business man out of business .
Having said all that I think I will open a bank in Ireland . No matter how badly you do or how much you run the business into the ground along comes the government with billions . They don’t even check the books you just write your cheque . How easy is that ?
wills – da vinci code and it’s networks could be close to the nuts of it ??
John ALLEN, the Vatican Bank is reputed to be the wealthiest in the world; Archbishop Paul Marcincus sees to that. Surely, he would not have, as David Yallop claimed, been dipping his hand into the cookie-jar a bit too much and caused a problem that spread out across the globe?
John ALLEN – i see society like a school,. and the yahoo’s in the school the bigger students are doing all the bullying, and the bullies are in competition and they’re fagging the lower downs and robbing lunch money and threatening everyone to shut mouth and so on, dennis the menace stuff….!!!!!!!!
Deco – you means more M&M’s – micra & micro dialogue
Yeah. Basically an intelligent discourse. Because we have all sorts of cadres, particularly on the left, trying to play opportunist on the crisis.
The objective of democracy is to produce representative inteligent government and rule. We must preserve that in the face of a corporate and an activist left who are both vying for control of authority for their own ends.
And the way to deal with this, is through intellient analysis and discussion.
absolutely deco – and if you apply this equation now to the present gov it equals failure and i think presently as in UK these Gov need to be elected out now.
Yeah – now comes the time to agitate Cowen for the type of reform that this country needs badly. Basically either Cowen reforms the institutions of the state and brings them into the Information Age, or else FF are history and it will be attached to his name. That should push him into it :)))
Astro Art in D Dail –
We now have a new paridigm that makes things very interesting as follows:
Kenny – is a Gemini so is Lenehan
these two are a match for each other and neither has a business qualification
Lee – is a Taurus ( Earth Sign ) and…Cowen is …an Earth Sign too ( capricorn )
Lee’s sign is a Bull and we know what a bull can do .
John ALLEN, but capricorns tend to be given to erratic mood swings and depression as well as being control-freaks, so they can be very dangerous and difficult to overthrow. Not your average, rational, predictable individual, our capricorn.
Then again, overthrowing may be the only solution…….
Lee is a catalyst for change, always arrives in time to precipitate change. Labour and FF are finished and they ought to do their duty and call elections.
Tim – in this political context and objectively speaking I would believe that a taurean ( Bull -LEE ) is a better bet than a capricorn ( Cowen ) .So my bets are on Lee taking the Dail leadership in good time .
John ALLEN, much will have to change within FG too, before that will serve us….. unless, of course, GL can be as effective as he hopes! (I seem to be repeating that alot, but I fear his naivte of parliamentary politics may surprise, shock and stifle him).
Listening to radio all week end and t.v and newspaper and family and friends it’s so clear, people are decided, the gov is held in contempt for bailing out the banks with their taxes. It’s that simple. FF are doomed. These elections are merely the tip of the iceberg of discontent. FF bailing out the banks has decimated their own grass roots support. My pop’s hard core FF’r and he is hoping mad with FF which i thought was next to impossible.
wills, that is how the change from within will come about: most grass roots members now finally feel like your “pop”, as I have felt and agitated for years. Now’s our chance to push. But it will not work till after October; building up til then.
yep.! that ‘s another way of looking at it too.
wills…astrology is a shadow fact.
Tim – I understand your concern.What I can tell you is that he would be the last person to give up and he never would have taken on his position unless he believed he would win .He is an ‘Au Natural’.
John ALLEN, I hope you are right. The FG Parliamentary party is rotten too. Kenny has been in the Dail longer than anyone else (nearly 33 years now, I think!) and what has he done? What has he achieved in 32 full years? Brian Hayes is just a rude mud-slinger; The ever-so-intelligent Richard Bruton wanted more tax breaks for developers and less stamp duty and higher spending (I am convinced that he had no reason for demanding these other than to criticise the govt at the time; I do not believe that he was demanding these in any thinking or planned/intelligent way – just more sniping).
All the parties have to change the way they treat the people; they are treating us with disdain. I heard Gilmore today railing against the govt for “ignoring the will of the people” – this, from a man who ignores the will of the people as expressed in the Lisbon referendum! More tossing with a two-headed-coin there, Eamonn! You cannot have it both ways. Kenny the same. If the three parties are so different and at loggerheads with oneanother, why do they ALL agree to scorn the will of the people on Lisbon? Hmmmmmmmm?
And Sutherland today, in wills’ link to the indo: it is essential that Ireland should lead to move Lisbon into position in Europe…..
…… eh, sorry there, Peter…….. isn’t that only because Ireland has the only 1% of Europe’s population that is ALLOWED to vote to put it in place? Didn’t about 50 million French and Dutch people say “No” to that too?
Their “will-of-the-people” was ignored too, wasn’t it?
What does Peter stand to gain from Lisbon? Articles 113-118 provide for the privatisation of everything in sight and his position in BP and Goldman Sachs means he is well poised to profit from the privatisation of any and all public services across the EU.
Can a man with this much of a vested interest be relied upon to advise what is best for all the people in our country?
tim – FG isn’t proven to be rotten just yet,. haven’t had the chance too just yet..!! Put GL in charge and a standard of protocol of office will set a standard of practice.
wills, look out! John Bruton’s pay-off in the car park in 1995 and Garett’s AIB mortgage write-off in 1982…….
neighbour of the General around that time……. all crooks together; Lowry – Dunne – O’Brien – Burke axis……….
These guys pretend to be opponents for the cameras, but they are all friends and wait and see how GL reacts to finding the FG, FF, LAB, GP and SF boyos all livin’ it up together in the Dail Bar!
tim – this is the past you refer back too, my focus is on the now and potential future and GL offers a future different, and ought to be given the opportunity now to show his mettle, now that it’s most needed ‘cos of the mess made by amongst others the party in power to – day which happens to be FF.,
Tim, The big difference between FF and FG is that the former does favours for its supporters and the latter doesn’t. FF has been in power for far too long and its continuous practice of cronyism has corrupted the basic fabric of our country and anyone with two brain cells knows that this leads only to decline. The years of developer/banker cronyism has possibly put us back by twenty years relative to where we could be in twenty years time – in other words we’re now having run in order to stand still. The problem with FG is the exact opposite – they take what could be described as a protestant ethical stand – favours are few if any.
I know this because I come from a political family where a member of my immediate family and a cousin were councillors – they support opposite sides, although are both descended from a leader in the 1798 rebellion. So I have some knowledge about the goings on in both parties and to be perfectly honest I think that both should be scrapped and a new centre party formed – Let’s face it, Cowen is rubbish, he’s the old nasty divisive type that can’t hide his distain for the opposition and they hate him equally in return. In the main, I think that FG are a forthright party and better for the long term, but, as I said earlier, both should be scrapped.
Tim – GL is a turning point, a break from the past of the old mudslinging brokerage politics and gombeeism and a new politics of honor and integrity radiating from GL, a lighthouse of common sense and good conscience.
Tim – it’s looking like this from my p o v, FF are on the precipice. THe banking bailouts is a monumental error of judgement. They over anticipated how far people would go in following amorality. If FF insiders do not immediately push for a removal of cabinet the longer it’s left the harder it will be to win back confidence in them as a party to be trusted down the line. Im looking at FF and what is very clear is, just as it is in UK and Labour, i see denial denial denial and more denial and denial and no sense of how far adrift the party is from the people. And for example looking at Brown in UK now every day brings more damage, he opens his mouth on something as simple as texting today and its more people squirming in their seats and more people deciding quietly in their minds ‘fu2k this for a game of soldiers anything is better than this madness’ and it’s exactly the same phenomena with FF. Strange it’s happening at same time in both isles.!!
John ALLEN , this is moon wobble terriority..!!!!!
Tim – we agreed before in room that reforn from within a strong party was a better judgement than forming a new party.I believe FF has lost that opportunity and that like Tony Blair making a New Labour in the past in UK , George Lee will make a New FG that will deliver for us what we all need.
Wills – tonight is a full moon – there is no wobble this month .I will tell you when that happens next so stay tuned.
I have been a fan of David McWilliams’ commentary for a long time but this is a very disappointing article. I studied economics for four years and I continue to be intrigued by the subject today; however I regularly come across the persistent inability of economists to recognise any externalities from the transactions that take place everyday in the world’s economies. It is true that many people took out burdensome loans to finance their homes and there will be much hardship over the next few years while the current financial crisis corrects itself. But I imagine in five to six years time this will all be forgotten about.
What economists fail to see is that we have taken out an even bigger loan on the one home that we all share, the planet Earth. We are in the midst of two crises, one economic, and one environmental. Not long from now the debt that we have taken out on our planet will be called upon and there will be very little that we can do.
It is shameful for people with the influence of David McWilliams to ridicule the actions of those, like Fairtrade Fiona, who truly recognise the total cost of the interactions and transactions that we as people are party to everyday. It is only through the actions of people like Fiona that our environmental crisis can be averted. But I am afraid that until we start putting prices on the priceless economists will fail to see what Fiona sees. It is time for a carbon tax.