On the other hand, while Enda’s bluffing is lost on Ireland, it seems to have done the trick abroad, where people actually take that Mayo footballer seriously!

Fine Gael will be weak defending Ireland’s position.

Status quo stabilisation, sweatshop ‘competitiveness’ uber alles, continued growth for the financial elites and their mouthpiece flunkies delivering the liturgical litanies of banality from their banquet halls.

And such statements as this to be designated hatespeech and legislated for.

just two words would do it for me Ian.

Got it wrong AGAIN Enda… Those 3 words are :
I’m alright Jack ;)

Kenny can brainwash his voters into signing away more sovereignty to incompetent Eurocrats. The same bunch who voted yes to the fiscal treaty in May. As a consequence, we now have to find €5 billion in extra taxes.

No. Did you honestly think someone was going to give us a load of free money, solve our intrinsically rotten economy and set up a few dozen factories because we voted for Lisbon?

That by no effort whatsoever, save ticking a box, we could solve all our economic problems? Really? Did people believe that?

Personally I think someone put an extra zero on an order with the printers on one Referendum and that’s why we keep seeing the same slogan over and over and over again.

Unfortunately they did, as they believed their elected representatives.

The direction of bailing out countries like ourselves? Terrible Joe, absolutely terrible stuff altogether. Sure who needs their money anyway…..

That’s right David, they give us money to pay back their bad banks debts?!?! Funny how it works eh

David,

Ireland didn’t have a fiscal problem until it bailed out its banks – the country was sacrificed to save private investors. The present Fine Gael government will give €30 billion to Anglo Irish Bank.

David has been told this over and over and over as if the debt was one the Irish people created.
It was created by his masters and them only, they went from bicycles to helicopters in less than 5 years, rode the country and when the shyte hit the fan and at the stroke if a pen those masters made that debt yours and mine.
FG youth like David are tunnel visioned, there are always the few who never see the picture and he is undoubtedly one of them…..

Well said

Regonald, if we didn’t have a problem then why have we had to borrow 19bn to date to pay the day to day bills?

You are too immersed in your own partisan rhetoric to see Ireland has a wealth inequality problem. The top 10% are not paying their fair share of taxes which are at a 25 yr low.

Another reason we need to borrow so much to keep the country running..
We have a public service where the hardest workers (the frontline staff) get paid modestly, while there’s too many unnecessary layers of management and pencil pushers who get paid exorbitantly. The CPA protects all the suits, and screws the members of the public service who actually matter and are NEEDED.
Considering there’s so many of these levels of management you would have thought that someone, somewhere could have thought to try and coordinate public services / departments / etc.. Even to coordinate the CWOs with the DSP? Make hospitals able to communicate more effectively in order to deliver best care.. It’s hardly rocket science..

If any of those ineffective layers of management were to be removed and some intelligent processes put in place we could cut down a massive chunk of that bill.
After that we need to start on getting people back to work – for that, people need money in their pockets – something neither FF nor FG seem to be able to comprehend.. As long as people are fearful about being able to pay their bills they aren’t going to spend locally – they’ll go for cheap (Lidl / Aldi / Tesco anyone?) and that’s not helping our economy.. Local businesses go to the wall, more people end up on the dole.. Again, it’s hardly rocket science now is it?

Well said

Spot on Kenneth….. This is not the “Eirope” I signed up to either……

I agree Kenneth Sheehy, except on a few small points

‘….the men needed to do such things are long since dead….’

WE are the men AND WOMEN who need to bring about change now .

I also don’t agree that, ‘ all viable avenues of peaceful resistance ‘ are gone. I have been reading about the land league in Co Mayo, and the workers who refused to work for Captain Boycott. Their actions were peaceful and reverberated in London and to the US, which at the time was a huge achievement.

Anything is possible .

Happy New Year

Hi Joan,
It was a veiled reference to the men of 1916, whose reluctance to waiver has resonated deep in our national psyche. They were courageous and mobilised in a way, which we are unable, and unwilling, to imitate. I believe we SHOULD be the people to resist, Joan, but our society has been pitted against each other and lacks the cohesive characteristic omnipresent in the Land campaign and in the Fenians. I hope we can get it together though, Joan. As someone who believes strongly in our need to rise up and be heard, I hope people mobilise and peacefully resist! It’s just looking bleakly unlikely

And Happy New Year to you too! :)

When all else fails to organise the people..circumstances will.

Boycott is the way. We must feed those working for an inclusive sustainable holistic society; and isolate the parasitic exclusive elites.
So far they have done it to us.
But it must happen globally. Cogadh fada.

Martin
Does that mean you are in disagreement with the Taoiseach in terms of what he said today. Could you expound ( see dictionary ) a little further on your general political views and how would you behave in the unlikely event your were Taoiseach.
Apart from all that Martin I found your contribution to be lucid and well thought out. There I was talking to somebody just as your Posting popped up and a thought ………riveting!

The real puppet masters don’t have a flag, they are the ones who own Wall Street, ‘The City’ in London and the rest. They don’t advertise their power with a flag, each of their companies has a brand to give the illusion it’s separate but the ownership and power are concentrated. Germany is not running the show for the benefit of its own people or economy, it’s a puppet in the same play, they just have a bigger part.

Spot on Paul, to think that one family dynasty have made interest on pretty much every fiat currency that has ever been printed in the western world and have used this to buy up all the land, corporations,resources and so forth over the last couple hundred years shows us what we are dealing with.

How exactly does this one family own all the land and the corporations in the world? Do tell factually please.

@Conor – Have you heard of the Rothschild Family? Google it, put on the kettle and have a good read. All factual. You’ll be surprised.
They are also our senior bond holders aswell as the guys who we paid 10 million to look into how sound the banks were before Lenihan decided to bail them out. Their representitives are the ones that met on that fateful night when the bank bailout was agreed and the ‘no meeting minutes-gate’ came from.

And the award for populist soundbite goes to.. Tony Skillington. Congratulations, Tony.

*rapturous applause, orgasmic earth-splitting roars of acclamation, the rolling thunder of stomping feet and clapping hands*

Yes their chateau Lafite is to die. You do realise that the owners of the funds and bonds in the world aren’t some elitist dynasty, they’re all of us, they’re our pension funds and insurance companies. Conspiracy theories are a way of blaming life’s failures on anyone but yourself!

Conor
Sometimes it’s not even worth trying. You have to remember that one particular grouping park out on this sit and they don’t want to hear anything but their own bilious emissions while they project deceit and untruths and nastiness about others.
Oh and by the way they think they have the necessary integrity to Govern us……..hehehehehehe.

Yes Tony. It was Enda Kenny who surrendered our independence. Nothing whatsoever to do with Fianna Fáil or Brian Cowen. Enda just came in and made a mess of it all. Everything was going fine until Fine Gael and Labour assumed the reigns. Oh wait….

Michael J

You chastise others for derogatory statements regarding politicians but you obviously feel this principle doesn’t apply to you. An attitude similarly shared by many of our politicians. Tell me, do you get paid per word? Do you get a bonus for added smugness? Do you sleep well at night? Does the money keep your conscience clear?

Hya Mark
I sleep the sleep of the just. I would love to be paid for my righteousness. Any ideas as to where I could get such an employment contract?

Mark
If you read my postings you will notice I chastise those who post dishonestly or who scurrilously libel our democratically elected representatives and those with the tongues of the gutter.

The Irish Times have an article today: “Whisper it, but Fine Gael is the new Fianna Fáil”:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/1229/1224328252310.html

@Mark- In my lifetime the primary difference between FG and FF were primarily perspectives on the North and the corruption that was endemic in FF. Policy wise, they’re both centrist in a centrist country. An FG Government was never going to adopt radically differently policies- they couldn’t; especially considering the unprecedented limits on domestic economic decision making inherited from the last catastrophic Government. Anyone who expected dramatic change in basic direction was delusional.

I’m accutely aware of the bastids that sold out this country. Equally I remember the lies Kenny & Co spun to get their snouts in the trough…whatever your political persuation, FG have allowed Europe and Germany to walk all over this country as if we didn’t exist. But of course to the blind faithful, Kenny is the white knight…not!

@Tony- he’s neither a white knight, nor a miracle worker. The mess they inherited will last a generation. I’d really love to know what leverage Ireland have to dictate anything to the Troika. We’re broke and they’re bailing us out. It’s inherently a place of weakness. The only metric that matters is whether at the end of their term in 2016 FG and Labour leave the country in better shape than they found it. So far, it looks like they will.

Vincent, accepted…but the fact is that they were elected on foot of promises they made counter to what you say. Regardless of their doctrine, they could represent us instead of EU dictates. We need some balls in Govt and they simply don’t have any. At some stage they have to say ‘this is not good enough’ and opt out or at least play the hand well and get the best deal for us instead of just kow-towing to the German master. Tough and radical decisions need to be made. They won’t make them. So they’re the wrong representatives for our country.

Vincent, we’re only broke because we bailed them out. It has become apparent that Trichet forced our hand in the bailout and promises subsequent to that have been reneged on. Remember, this is not our debt! It really isn’t! We need to play the hand that was dealt to us as best we can. The current Govt are doing an atrocious job of this.

Not true. You chastise those who don’t toe the party line. And you do so in a patronising and superior tone which is redolent of that of our ministers. All of which leads me to believe that you’re one of their paid lackeys. For shame.

Vincent Dolan – Typical “blame Cowen”.

Don’t forget “labours way ” or “not a red cent” or “taxing a persons home is imoral” to name but a few.

Mike
Show me a Labour or Fine Gael Manifesto where “not another cent” is published .
This will be difficult for you because it has never been published even though these documents are available publicly.
Interesting to see if you use it again.

**** TROLL ALERT*****

Here u go
http://youtu.be/5LTCT7QIeP8

Mr Park1
Dear Mr Park1
Apologies for being so formal but we have not been introduced as we are unlikely to share the same social, educational or business fora. Thank you for attempting to answer the difficult question put to Mr Clinton and his eloquent response as you understand doesn’t quite make the grade. However my dear chap , neither does yours.
The Fine Gael Manifesto was published before the last General Election and at no place in that document which is available on the web does the expression ” not another cent ” make it’s way into same. You see these were the personal views of Mr Leo Veradkar in a television interview and subsequently observed by Fine Gael and confirmed by Leo himself.
You might see a similarity old chap if I were to state that Sinn Fein was opposed to legislating for abortion under the terms of the A, B and C cases on the basis of an RTE interview with one of their TD’s recently. But we both know it would be dishonest of me to make such a claim. May I go further and state quite unequivocally that to suggest Sinn Fein is against abortion would be totally incorrect. I think you would agree with me!
So let’s stop this nonsense Mr Croke Park 1.

Yet again the Troll known as michael j collins likes to get his/her long winded tripe in.
He/her/whatever has to hide behind a false identity .

Dear Mr Clinton
Facts Mr Clinton and your inability to deal with them is becoming an issue. Even worse than this is the unfounded claims you use when same is exposed as untrue. Would you like to have another crack at my question Mr Clinton before you retire fro the evening.

Why on earth would I lower myself as to engage with a troll that hides behind a false identity…
Go away and stalk someone else there’s a good chap/lady.

So MJC, if what enda says is not in his party’s manifesto, it should not be taken seriously, it should be treated with skepticism, it could even be lies oh wait …

Ian
Hello! I have only just returned to this thread and I find your somewhat imperialistic challenge about Mr Kenny. If you had been paying attention you would know that the comment about another red cent was made by Mr Varadkar.
Now that your up to speed could you indicate what specifically is it that you want?

Leo the so called sports and tourism minister stated not another red cent. video of FG press conference about the banks and the bailout on YouTube to check it out.

http://youtu.be/5LTCT7QIeP8

Mr MacThomais
I think you will find that he is not the so called but rather the actual Minister.

Seriously collins,is your life that sad and your devotion to the shower of liars you spend your waking hours brown nosing that bad that you go trolling the journal and God only knows what other sites !!!!.
You must have been awarded troll of the year or else kenny must have given you an extra star in your copybook.

But mr kenny as leader of that party, stood over mr varadkers statement of not another cent, if he felt it was wrong why did he not get the minister to retract his statement, you ask what do I want I think what what most people want is transparency, truth and accountability from our elected representatives,
And when they make a mess of things have the decency to admit it, but then that’s not how things work In the corridors of power is it !!!

YEY …and its costing us 60 million.
Arent we soo clever!!

Take it down ;)

We are ‘harassed’ at Dublin airport by Gardai in an effort to prevent Ireland becoming even more of a chocolate box of illegals trying to breach our borders.

Be thankful, the integrity of our country, culture and nationalism is one of the last unique identifiers we have left

Noel
Is there something about you that you excluding. For example why would the Gardai have problems with you at Irish airports unless……….

well said rita.i agree.

Check Enda’s crevices.

sounds like a 5 point plan oops that was soo last years lies… it now a 6 point plan for 2013

Different flag, different type of moan.

They are not occupied, as the majority of the people in that jurisdiction want to remain part of the UK. Unfortunately a portion of the population of Northern Ireland continue to refuse to accept the legitimacy of the state’s existence. Whether it should have been allowed be established is a moot point, as almost nobody alive today was alive when either state on this island came into being. Wanting to unify the island under one government is a legitimate aspiration. Refusing to respect the majority of the people in Northern Ireland’s antipathy to that proposal is not legitimate. It is undemocratic and refuses to acknowledge reality. So climb out of your historic bunker and join the 21st century.

Ireland is united under eu, and is not independent in financial or political and legal terms.when an IRa murder squad was killed in gibraltar even the IRa acknowledged the superiority of eu court.

As are simple whining comments such as yours, get over it or don’t read the comments.

People are entitled to express their opinions. If the majority are expressing anti eu sentiments then isn’t that the reflection of the people. Is it a case that if the comments were pro Europe they wouldn’t be boring? Bit of bias perhaps in that.

yea terrible boring mark
with levels of emigration not seen since the famine and the disparity of wealth never greater
all these anti government rants are just so trite

@Frank- now don’t be ending 2012 with exaggeration, Frank. Emigration was worse in the 80′s. In fact everything was worse in the 80′s. that would be the 1980’s I’m talking about- not the 1880’s.

ah Vincent great to have you back and i mean that sincerely

i would love to be exaggerating this time but im not, check this out:
Irish Central (8th May, 2012) reports that there are more Irish people leaving the country now than at any time since the Famine.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics office show that more than 3,000 Irish people are leaving the country each month, the highest number since the Famine.

Happy New Year by the way

@Frank- Happy New Year to you, Sir. Your figures don’t take the underlying increase in population into account, though.

Vincent the figures are bad no matter what way you dress them up.
Things are bleak and unless fine gael/labour have a complete change of heart they will get worse.
enda said and it seems such a long time ago now that you cannot tax your way out of recession and he was correct. the banks have told him they have the bad debt provision in place for mortgage default and they are lying through their teeth and i fear we will need a second bailout.

@Frank- house prices are beginning to rebound, we have some employment and economic growth, there’s a Bank deal on the way, our borrowing rates are down, Irish people had the confidence to start spending again this Christmas and we’ll be sending the Troika on their way on schedule. This is what I’m choosing to focus on this New Years Eve.

I just hope your right Vincent,
enjoy your new years eve

Or: What a shambles if we end up needing another bail out smack bang in the middle of it..

Oooh, like that interim budget most commentators here said the government would have to bring in…oh wait…

More future fortune telling there oreily. Lets just wait and see if we actually exit the ‘programme’ at the end of the ‘presidency’ less of the future talk please, I’d expected more from an ‘intellect’ like you!

Ryan, as I recall you were one of those saying there would be an interim budget by the end of summer. You must be so dissapointed things didn’t get as bad as you hoped, especially seen as you’re and avid MSF supporter…

The polls have started to turn against Fine Gael. So what you are seeing O’Reilly is just the tip of the iceberg (and believe me it is only beginning).

Are they now telling the Irish people “we are Euish”?

I’m actually humming the tune of ‘Ode to Joy’.
Everyone should get into the spirit of it all.

Makes me sick!

Why? Are you not proud to be a European?

I know I should be proud but can’t muster any enthusiasm whatsoever. Maybe something will happen over the next 6 months that will give us back the faith.

Maybe this will help. I made a remix of ‘Ode to Joy’ and ‘Deutschlandlied’ set to late 1980’s techno. If anyone wants a copy let me know. Guaranteed to raise your spirits.

See the new “street tax” around some parts of the city centre! I’m all for celebrating new year, but charging people to come in to the city is absolute bull…

@Justsaying: I take it you’re making that up????

“Why? Are you not proud to be a European?”

No, being European is nondescript. Why would be proud of being European?

Sean one day you will understand. I just hope it’s not too late.

One day I’ll understand why I should be proud of an arbitrary title? Perhaps I should be proud of being born in the northern Hemisphere. Or perhaps be proud of being a primate? Do you even understand what the word proud means? You can be proud of something you accomplish, not something which you had no hand in.

Are you proud to be Irish Seán?

a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.
t

I’m Irish first and last. Nothing else. While I agree that we share the same tectonic plate, there is very little else in common. We eat different foods and in a different way. Our musical taste is different. Our social stance, i.e. individualism vs. Collectivism is different. Most of the rest of Europe has a mindset built on a history of imperialism while Ireland’s is that of subjugation. Politically we are centrist or slightly to the right while Europeans are sharply left-right divided. On top of that, the centralising forces of the EU are only serving to alienate those in the peripheral regions. Am I proud to be European? Only in so far as a Cypriot is proud to be Asian.

“Are you proud to be Irish Seán?”

No, I’m not proud of anything I have not accomplished myself. I am happy that I am Irish, and appreciate the scenery, history and culture of the nation. But proud isn’t an adjective I’d use to describe any nationality I might have.

Fair enough Seán

Burn that joke of a eu flag and raise the Irish flag..eu my arse

No other flag should be raised higher than the tricolour, we are Irish first and Europeans second. Pity our politicians don’t realise this before they sold us to Europe.

That flag will cost us €140 billion to EU banks. Great. Promissory note deal scam on the way.

What idiots are giving this red thumbs?
Do you have no commitment to your flag or country, No wonder we are going down the tubes.
The Americans have this right, it’s against the law in usa to raise any flag above the stars and stripes – that’s the way it should be in every country.
Your countries flag first,

More people in third level- great
More woman able to leave unpaid labour in the home- amazing.

But what about the crippling mortgage debts and the cost of Childcare do they can leave the home.. Makes me sick I swear. F#*k him and all his cronies

I can see the headlines now

Ireland sinks Europe .

Lets see. Am I proud that my parents chose to stay in Ireland rather than emigrating before I was born? Am I proud that by virtue of their decisions my birth cert lists my nationality as Irish?
What precisely about a geographical circumstance is supposed to impart this pride?
They had me baptised too, but I’m not catholic.. Why should I feel proud about something that I had no decision in? It’s not like I have had to hide it all my life and am finally able to reveal it.. It’s just where I was born. It’s a visually beautiful country, with some great artists to its credit – but the level to which it is part of me is purely circumstantial.

Shanti, by that logic no one should be proud to be Irish, Katie Taylor,the Irish rugby team, our football fans who travel the globe are loved and respected WHY? Because they are irish and proud, our peace keeping forces are amongst the finest in the world proud Irish men and women.

@Shanti- Nationalism is no more than a sense of community. So yes, there’s every reason to be proud of what we as a nation have built. We’re a tiny nation that bats way above its weight in terms of accomplishments in Sport, Literature and Global political and economic influence and unlike most European nations we as a country haven’t started any wars or persecuted any people’s. So yes. A bit of pride is appropriate.

While I can appreciate that other Irish people have done these great things, why would that make ME proud?

I’m proud of the people I know who have achieved worldwide success (of which there are quite a few), and I am happy for them – because I was on that journey with them and saw them put in all that work – did this country have any part in their success? Well no actually, this country worked against many of them.. I have a few mutual friends with Katie Taylor and they were all very proud of her – but they had reason to be – they knew her, and ACTUALLY supported her rather than just saying they did, the rest of us were just happy for an Irish woman winning the gold and introducing a new category to the Olympics – happy for her, does it make me proud? No. Why should it? (perhaps I should point out, I don’t follow sport, I don’t see why people are so obsessed with WATCHING other people get physical)
Have never understood this pride for your country thing. I’m human, I don’t get this being proud of a landmass malarkey, it seems kinda ignorant and tribal.. I feel pride when I have accomplished something, I feel proud OF my friends when THEY achieve something, do I have pride in people I’ve never met? No. I may respect them, but to me pride is something different.