“I will not sacrifice personal or civic freedoms for the illusion of security.”
The need for security is a powerful determinant of human behavior. We can be manipulated into engaging in actions that are alien to us when faced with alleged threats to our security or the promise of security from danger. More often than not, influence peddlers gain power over us by offering the Faustian contract: You will be safe from harm if you will just surrender some of your freedom, either personal or civic, to that authority. The Mephistophelean tempter will argue that his power to save you depends upon the people making small sacrifices of this or this little right or that small freedom. Reject that deal. Never sacrifice basic personal freedoms for the promise of security because the sacrifices are real and immediate and the security is a distant illusion. This is as true in traditional marital arrangements as it is in the commitment of good citizens to the interests of their nation when its leader promises safety at the cost of a collective sacrifice of suspending laws, privacy, and freedoms. Erich Fromm’s classic “Escape from Freedom” reminded us that this is the first step a fascist leader takes even in a nominally democratic society.
Philp Zimbardo (The Lucifer Effect)

Sean, how do you it?. If I could afford a subscription service for your comments , I would gladly pay it. However, keep up the the good work.

Thanks.
Zimbardo has done much work and offers many insights into the abuse of power and the corrupting influence of power.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

U are dead right about France & Germany. It’s all about an EU of equals. Seems some are more equal than others.

….but the government keeps saying we DON’T NEED another bailout .

@ Jay – finally, a constructive comment as to why to vote No. As someone who formerly voted yes in both Lisbon referendums, I’ve taken the decision the vote no in on the Fiscal treaty — although when I read some of the remarks made on journal.ie by the ‘No’ camp, it does give me second thoughts if this is the correct decision.

6 reasons to vote No.
http://www.realitytimes.org/why-ireland-should-vote-no-to-the-fiscal-compact/

I am with you Gis …. No no no .

Do you pay anything Jimbo???

No to the Household Charge
No to the water metre Charge
NO to the Fiscal compact/ Austerity.
Gilmore you and your co horts are traitors to your own party’s ideals and to your electorate and your country. GO AWAY !

@ Susie – do you pay paye?

@ Buckwheat mc millan
Why do you ask ?

Water meter House Hold Charge water charges and Referendum all NO and Wgen hell freezes over I hope the labour party and Fine Gael party are down there in hell with fine fail and the greens and we will never hear tell of them again.

@ Susie – to answer your question, I asked if you pay PAYE due to you obvious aversion to paying different forms of taxes.

Buckwheat
I am tax compliant :) Are You ?

@ Susie – I am tax compliant also. I thought you didn’t pay the household fee though?! :)

Buckwheat
Thats right ! :)

@ Susie – how then can you be tax compliant? ;)

Buckwheat .
That’s right I am tax compliant .:)

here is food for thought, in the ESM treaty, each country shall have the amount of votes as stated in annex1, so in this case,, Germany(27.1%) and France(20.4%) combined hold 47.5% of the vote in the ESM, add Italy(18%)to that and the total is 65.5% of the vote,,, DO WE REALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN

Wot difference does it make whether someone has a job? Are unemployed people not allowed to have opinions now?

Declan Cotter
What do you stand for ? Do you work ?

Er Declan..
Remember Sinead asked you to stop making personal attacks and comments about people’s jobs etc.. Don’t suppose you could be a dear and adhere to the rules of the comments policy could you?

Zero relevance to anyone? That must be why you’re all over these threads like a rash with personal attacks and irrelevant questions Declan. Go figure.

Feck lads. I was ignoring him! Now I have to respond. Yes Declan I do have a job. I pay taxes with great pleasure. Well it used to be with great pleasure when they were going towards my country and my fellow citizens.

Now it’s being sent to pay off bondholders I’m not so happy about it.

Susie. I stand for people who work hard and pay their taxes. Thats it. I have a full time job that pays me well. In fact Mr Higgins would probally consider me the elite…I am not but i do take offence with people who dont work and claim more from our systems than anyone protesting. I get sick at the thought of spongers protesting outside conferences.

I am not a sponger. I protested outside #lp12 yesterday because I also take great offence to spongers! Spongers in Suits! Ripping off the ppl of Ireland. Damn right I’m sick of them and I’m not alone and we’re not going to take it anymore!

Give me a break….ripping off the Irish people…What are you on about??? You have not got a clue… Everything is a conspiracy theory with you guys….Your all becoming a joke at this stage.

I have a finite income , my disposable income has vastly reduced . I am not prepared to paay another red cent until the government can prove to me that my hard earned money is going to services and not deadbanks or the troika

hahahaha i love the way the blue shirts call everyone that doesnt agree with their failing policies a ‘conspiracy theorist’, i see no conspiracy except the wilful compliance of the irish sheople with the theft of their childrens future

p.s. thanks for working hard and paying lots of tax declan, i love getting the free loot every week, sure just last tuesday i got €400 from the welfare for a new bed, im lying on it right now aaaaahhhhhhhh

Ah Declan, more logical fallacies..
You made another ad hominem attack on Reada there by trying to force the guilt by association fallacy of being “full time SF” as you call it, also insinuating she is a liar which is another attack (we’ve already discussed this.. It’s against the comments policy as Sinead pointed out on another thread)
Then you slide into an appeal to ridicule by branding everyone “conspiracy theorists” and saying they are “becoming a joke”.

I think the kettle may be calling the pot black, your childish taunts make you look quite poor, if you could make your arguments logically and without lowering yourself to such a level I am sure we could have a far more constructive debate..

Hi Revolting Peasant. Why thank just Declan? Are you not going to say thanks to me too? Sorry you’re on the dole but I have a couple of scoops from me too while you can! ;)

If we don’t get rid of FG soon they’ll send the unemployed to the poorhouse!

Revolting Peasant,
you only got 400?
Ya aul eejit, i got 800 outta dem
on account of me big fat lazy arse.

Sent from me super fast up to the minute iphone.

Anyhooooo, back to me margaritas! thanks Dec,,,,
and Reada :-)

Joseph you never fail to amuse me, thanks. :)

heh, alright Réada, ill have one on you from the huge wheelbarrow full of dosh i just collected from the post office, im thinking i might have to hire an accountant soon…

Haha lmho jaysus but you’ve great manners for a revolting peasant. Hope you’ve taken Joseph’s advice. You’re not getting enough!!! ;)

Ireland’s number 1 plonker lol..

Nice Jimbo…where are the comment police now…. Simone, If people on this blog agree with me then something would be seriously wrong…..Its the same old same on here every day from the same old faces…

It seems Rommel you’re confusing dependence with independence.

Not really no, voting yes to the Fiscal Compact doesn’t bring us any closer to economic independence, it pushes it further away.

shut up and yes i pay lots of tax like everybody else,also Reada is a voice for the people i dont see you sticking up for the irish people at all,you just like to piss people off..

Hahaha good man jimbo. I don’t know which way this will go but I know my parents (who would be like lots of people of their generation and are mostly conservative) are voting no, they think that kenny and gilmore are nothing more than yes men.

Dont tell me to shut up Jimbo…Thats the first thing….and Reada is the voice of nobody….

Who are you the voice for declan…or should I say mouthpiece?

U running a book deco I’ll take your money