Thank the stupid people who elected Fine Gael. They are the same as Fianna Fail.

The rich need to be taxed. Kenny’s budget is regressive.

Here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the deficit:

ONE: HOLD YOUR GROUND. The wealthy have to pay their fair share of taxes. That’s what the next election will be all about. It’s only fair they pay more. They’re taking home record share of national income and wealth, and have lowest effective tax rate in living memory.

TWO: NO DEAL IS BETTER THAN A BAD DEAL. You’re in a strong bargaining position. No party should sell themselves the way Labor did in 2011. Which isn’t such a bad thing.

THREE: MAKE SINN FEIN VOTE ON EXTENDING THE TAX CUTS JUST FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS. After all the FF tax breaks expire, have SF vote on an extending the tax cut just for the middle-class. FG have refused and tried to hold those tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the wealthy, it will show whose side FG are on. They’ll pay the price in 2016.

FOUR: DEMAND HIGHER TAX RATES ON WEALTHY, NOT JUST LIMITS ON DEDUCTIONS. Don’t fall for Fianna Fail offers to limit some tax deductions on the wealthy. Demand we go back to higher tax rates on the wealthy and eliminate their unfair tax loopholes, so they truly start paying their fair share.

FIVE: DON’T CUT SAFETY NETS. Don’t sacrifice Social Security, or programs for the poor. Irish depend on these safety nets and can’t afford any benefit cuts.

SIX: DON’T CUT INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE PRODUCTIVITY. Education, basic R&D, and infrastructure aren’t spending; they’re investments in our future prosperity. If the return on these investments is greater than the cost, they ought to be made, period.

SEVEN: CUT SPENDING ON CORPORATE WELFARE. You want to cut, cut spending on the promissory note — which now exceeds 32 per cent of GDP. And cut corporate welfare — support to group companies, oil and gas, Big Pharma, big insurance and Banks.

EIGHT: PUT JOBS BEFORE DEFICIT REDUCTION. Finally, Don’t cut the budget deficit as long as unemployment remains high. Otherwise you’ll cause the economy to contract, making the deficit even larger in proportion. That’s the austerity trap Europe has fallen into. We need to create Irish prosperity, not European austerity.

Remember: Jobs come first. Refreshed copy.

Approx 400,000 have emigrated since the start of the Fianna Fail-led crisis. Kenny will bankrupt Ireland unless the promissory note is burned.

Im off anyway because people have no idea how much the debt really is .When the population decide to stand up for themselves i’ll be back but if im called a fascist again im off for good.

40000 immigrants still coming into the country as the new Irish earning below the minimum wage to curb workers wages and conditions is not being addressed by unions.70000 still leaving the country as well.

The problem is this:

1. Ireland keeps meeting its fiscal targets: this reduces any chance of politicians/rich/civil service cuts.
2. The Irish voters would re-elect FG/FF: Gravy train continues.

and so on..

Haven’t you heard about charging for air? Apparently tomorrow the government are going to announce a massive job creation programme, funded by the tax payer, they will build a glass dome over the whole country with an air ventilation system and guess what, they will charge you the tax payer for the use of the air, not a lot just €100 registration charge, then when they have you registered they will charge what they like…. Sound familiar???

Not so long ago, I recall hearing “vote yes for stability”. The sad thing is the stupid people actually bought into Kenny’s promises.

Meanwhile, taxes on the top 10% are at a 25 year low.

Stultz, you keep repeating this statement. Have you any evidence to support this or is it just another case of ‘keep repeating the lie until it becomes perceived as the truth’.

The Socialist Workers Party (SWP). It is a well-established party for workers.

Not off me, they wont!

All I know is first you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m a human being. God Dammit, my life has value.”

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” I want you to get up right now. Get up. Go to your windows, open your windows, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Things have got to change my friends. You’ve got to get mad!! You’ve got to say, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Had that chance with the household tax. Only a third of the population are still holding out. The rest bent their knee towards Kenny and the troika.

What makes you think they would be aware that it would suppress the economic activity?

True Kerry, we couldn’t even rely on then to be able to use a calculator it seems..

Most young people would think twice before voting FF or FG.

Either we want more of the same or something different.

The middle class would benefit if we made the change to the alternative parties on the left. The French middle class made a similar move and appear to be benefiting greatly from this.

Alternating power between the status quo/change nothing obsessives of FG or the corrupt criminals of FF has ensured that this country goes bankrupt every 20 years and there are more Irish living abroad than living here, one of the least densely populated countries in the world.

and still 50% of the electorate consider the 2 of them fit for election, the 2 parties with the worst economic records in the western world.

Hear that, Gilmore? You’re a conservative.

Joking aside, I wonder where exactly Mr. Joe sees ‘conservatives’. The last time I checked the only ideological difference between FF and FG was that FF was a tad more corrupt. Other than that, no difference. Same circus different clowns.

1961, John Cowperthwaite (London government appointed Scottish Civil Servant) began the process of transforming the Asian island of Hong Kong from one of the largest refugee camps in the world to one the most economically dynamic and affluent enclaves on the planet.
Hong Kong was the original tiger economy and it’s transformation was so impressive that other nations in the region began to imitate it’s economic model. This resulted in a litter of tiger economies.
Hong Kong’s economy grew for 30 consecutive years. Within a few years of launching his reforms the colony was able to finance a massive public housing programme. More recently Hong Kong, literally, built a new international airport in the sea.
By the 1970’s China under leader Deng Zhong began reversing the collectivist policies that had resulted in depravations and famine over decades to also imitate Hong Kong’s rapid economic growth.
In 1991, Russia (following an IMF bailout) also began adopting Cowperthwaite’s ideas. Progressive taxation was abandoned in favour of a flat 15% tax rate. Within one year tax revenues had swelled by 25%.
More recently, Latvia has opted for Cowperthwaite-like reforms.
Like Ireland, Latvia found itself in trouble at the onset of the the current crisis. It’s banking system too disintegrated in the wake of Lehman’s collapse. Unlike ireland, the Latvian government did not foist the cost of resolving the crisis onto it’s taxpayers. Instead dramatically cutting government spending ( public sector pay by 30% in one year). Today their unemployment rate is falling rapidly (below 11%) and their economy grew by over 5% last year.