Some musings on recent events
Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, said his budget was designed to ‘help the little people’. ‘Little people’ is an interesting choice of words, it suggests an aristocratic mindset of rulers and the ruled.
Lenihan said he wanted to protect the vulnerable. So, why did he attack the elderly, cut school class sizes, abolish the Combat Poverty Agency and slash the budget of the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission?
Lenihan had no problem helping out the ‘big people’. He gave about €1.5 billion to Fianna Fail’s property developer friends and pledged €485 billion (that we don’t have) to bail out the banks.
When Mary Harney was asked about imposing a 1% levy on the lower paid she said:
“We’re saying somebody on €10,000, yes a small salary, will pay €100 a year – we’re all in this together.
“The levy is on gross income and I do not think it’s unreasonable that somebody that earns €100 would pay one euro out of that towards the difficult challenges this country faces. I think we’re all being asked to make a sacrifice.”
This woman, who is paid (but doesn’t earn) about half a million per annum, has absolutely no idea what it’s like to survive on a poverty wage of €10,000.
Somebody mentioned during the week that politicians are paid ‘walk around’ money of €12,500 per year. Apparently, this is used to buy drink, raffle tickets and whatever else they like – to buy votes.
Of course, there’s nothing to stop politicians from keeping the money for themselves – there are no spot checks on the honesty of those who rule us.
Nice to hear though, that Harney, in her uniquely condescending way, is confident that the ‘vast majority’ of over 70s are honest and will hand back their medical cards if they’re earning above the rate.
But she did let slip in an interview that the HSE would be carrying out spot checks – just in case. The Mail on Sunday reported recently that the HSE was determined to severely punish any elderly citizen who tried to cheat the State by imposing heavy fines and, if necessary, jail.
Ah yes, the HSE. An organisation set up by Harney and now completely out of control. A bureaucratic monster responsible for immense suffering; that regularly puts the lives of citizens in danger in order to cover up gross incompetence. Can we be confident that this monster will hunt down and punish every elderly citizen that tries to cheat the State – Yes, we can.
It’s amazing to see how quickly the Greens’ have become totally assimilated into the Fianna Fail world of double speak and hypocrisy.
The sat at the Cabinet table and said nothing, they gave Lenihan a standing ovation when he delivered his ‘little people’ budget, they ran for cover when the wave of anger began to build and finally, when they realised which way the wind was blowing, they tried to return to principles and honesty. How pathetic is that?
Where are all those journalists and commentators who bowed down before the Great Cowen? This man, they said, was the Second Coming, Bertie, apparently was the first.
Cowen, they said, was a man of immense intelligence, a man not to be trifled with, a man who gave and demanded total loyalty, a man who modeled himself on Lemass; a man of action who was going to lead his country to the Promised Land.
Now we know that he’s just an ordinary backwoodsman Fianna Fail bluffer who, when the going got tough, legged it off to China to hide from the wrath of pensioners.
Feck, Joe Behan ???? Completely threw me, still haven’t got my head around the fact that a Fianna Fail TD could resign on principle and for the good of the country – Don’t think I ever will.
Final thought:
All this local excitement has distracted us from the global financial crisis, the full affects of which have yet to hit. Most other countries have recapitalised their banks, we haven’t because we don’t have the money. When the banks come calling we’ll be depending on the likes of Lenihan and Cowen to look after our interests.
We’re in a moment just like that before a Tsunami strikes. The sea is sucked out a great distance from the shore and people, in their ignorance and excitement, rush out to stare at beached fish flapping about. There’s absolutely no realisation of what’s just beyond the horizon.
Speaking as someone who left Ireland over twenty years ago and also as someone who has had a (probably unhealthy) fascination with politics for over thirty years I can honestly say that I am absolutely gobsmacked with the blatant and crass bias of the recent budget. The letter by Justine McCarthy (on this blog) succinctly encapsulates my views and thoughts on what the politicians of the corrupt state of Ireland set out to do with their manifestly pro crony piece of shite.
I spent yesterday in Ireland and listened to person after person express their outrage at what biffo and his bunch of dimwit corrupt arseholes were attempting to do to the elderly, the disabled, the young, the taxpayer, well everybody except those who got the country in the mess it’s in in fact.
I was extremely proud of the many articulate elderly people who phoned in to the various radio programmes to vent their spleen. There is no doubt that the actions of the pensioners and the Students etc got the attention of the corrupt cabal (AKA biffo & co) I sincerely hope (probably forlornly) that this will be a turning point for the electorate of Ireland and that they will see the cabal for what it is, a gravy train for those who are in power and those put them there and keep them there.
Peader
“little people”?
This leprechaun has had it with Fianna Failure!
“We’re in a moment just like that before a Tsunami strikes. The sea is sucked out a great distance from the shore and people, in their ignorance and excitement, rush out to stare at beached fish flapping about. There’s absolutely no realisation of what’s just beyond the horizon”.
It is important to repeat this again! I think, we still don’t realise it even now! And the IMF are already here!!