An election will make no difference. We have two large and broadly similar conservative parties, either of which is always in government, usually along with one smaller party. Every time, they prioritise themselves and their friends (and now also Europe) and shaft the state and the ordinary people who elected them. The smaller party takes most of the flak for not standing up for their principles (we expect that from the big party to which we give most of the power but expect more from the smaller one) and is decimated at the polls next time round. We then vote in the other conservative party and whichever small party which hasn’t had a go for a while, and the whole sorry process begins again. What we need is a new and genuinely different party. But we don’t have it because we as an electorate haven’t created a market for it. What have we created a market for? Luke Ming Flanagan and Mick Wallace. No matter what happens, we’ll get the government we deserve.

Time for a national government , none of these people know what they are doing, we need the brightest and best minds in the country to get us out of the mire we are stuck in

Well said Mark.

Having election after election isn’t going to do anything other than cost the taxpayer more money.

If we’re to go by opinion polls, FG will be in the next government, probably in a coalition with FF or Labour. That’s what the people want. That’s democracy.

No, not an election to elect the same elite establishment figures, we need a revolution

We Irish are as thick as they come, voting in the same gombeens time and time again.
Look at FF rising in popularity again FFS !!!!
Politics in Ireland is like playing musical chairs with the same ugly old farts.
We need someone new. Fair play to direct democracy Ireland who are at least putting their hand up and giving us something DIFFERENT.
I wish David McWilliams would come out from behind his keyboard and make a difference.
Pat Byrne the founder of CityJet is another who is prepared to get involved and has publicily stated so.
We need someone to start this new group/party otherwise we will just keep giving out and calling for a revolution through our smartphones !!

Colin
Careful lad! That’s called sedition and criminal laws extensively cover the subject.

You are correct, however, i was careful to say what I think was needed (subjective view point), which would be a thought crime in Orwell’s 1984, but did not actually call for one

Sedition is the stirring up of rebellion against the government in power. Treason is the violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or state, giving aid to enemies, or levying war against one’s state. Sedition is encouraging one’s fellow citizens to rebel against their state, whereas treason is actually betraying one’s country by aiding and abetting another state.
The above are not my words but I think most will agree our government have committed treason and people need to rebel.

TD Stephen Donnelly maintains that IBRC’s midnight debt “deal” will cost us €55 Billion over it’s 40-50 year term.
So we’re looking at €71 Billion for Anglo and Irish Nationwide alone (at the moment).
Isn’t just amazing what vile spawn is created, when your government and criminal bankers get into bed with each other.

100% correct mark such a mess

So true there are so many people that could make such a diiference to our country but they wont be let
Why? Because they dont want them to see country corruption that has went on & is currently happening in this country as we speak

Colin

This is much, much deeper than just FF, or FG or any others. It’s an entire system of institutions, supposedly intended to serve the interests of the majority, in a democracy, that, in fact, have come to do no such thing.

All these institutions look after the interests of the top few percent – their senior authorities +are+ the top few percent elites.

By stealth , over decades, the power of the Finance (or ‘FIRE’, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate) sector has come to dominate & corrupt all, whilst greatly & continuously increasing it’s extraction of ‘economic rent’ or ‘tribute’ for no productive purpose whatever. So insidious is all this that it has become ‘normal’.

So, we have another €16 billion of FIRE sector casino losses, again being foisted on ordinary citizens so that the top few percent don’t lose much, if anything. Indeed, most importantly, so that the system which continues to make the top elites richer, even thru’ recessions, is kept in place unchallenged.

And at the same time, because of the economic & euro monetary system design, the ability to earn & pay, of the real economy of citizens – the only actual source of wealth – is being hammered with collective austerity. Which, in the long known ‘fallacy of composition’ principle of MACRO economics, will do nothing but cause stagnation or contraction. Which is precisely the results we are seeing. Growth does +not+ come from the fairies. It comes from increasing aggregate spending – GDP +is+ aggregate spending (including the vital government sector).

Seriously, does anyone need any more proof that the entire system & near all its present incumbents are rotten & not fit for the purpose in representing the majority interests?

And by the way, the ‘crisis’ is only just beginning. Greece is not ‘fixed’ – they only kicked the can past the German elections in September. Its economy still being destroyed not rebuilt, same for Portugal, Spain & Cypress. The Euro currency system is not remotely ‘fixed’.

It is only a matter of time & timing before Ireland goes the same way, if we let it continue.

Beyond all this is the looming economic ‘wall’ that is Peak Oil. Oil is still the energy source upon which our entire civilisation depends. We cannot have, and have never had, ‘growth’ without it’s production increasing year on year, without substituting it on the same scale. Absolutely definitely by 2030, most likely ‘…before 2020…’ (cf Michael Kumhof, IMF Chief Research Economist), world production will go into irreversible decline.

There has never been a sustained global contraction, year on year, of the 4 – 6% that is coming, that authorities have ignored (because they judge they personally will be ok). There is no easy or quick fix now – it’s too late. The next few decades will be nothing like people have ever seen before.

If ever there was a time when we, ordinary citizens, need functioning institutions of democracy that actually +do+ represent our interests, & not just those of the top few, it is +now+.

I was watching an interview with Tony Benn, the former Labour MP last night from Michael Moore’s Sicko!, and he made the very valid point that there are two ways for government to stop democracy working, 1) is to cause fear among the population (á la terror threat levels in the USA) and 2) was to demoralise the voters, to such an extent where they are no longer interested in protest or voting. The latter applies to Ireland. If every single person of voting age in this country actually voted, no government would dare pull off the type of sh*te that’s happened over the last 5 years, but they know only between 30-40% of us will vote, and the core of that percentage vote for FG, FF, Lab, or should I say, a party that will be quite happy to pull your pants down and have their way with you, over and over again. Who wouldn’t be a politician in Ireland, you get away with absolute murder and suffer no consequences, you may very well get rewarded for your incompetence.

Mike, I fully agree with you. Its a broken system, a failed ideology, a myth about markets dictating, a failed neoliberal dream. Some government state interventions/regulation is always required. Call it what you will, socialism for the rich, etc, but we have found out very much to our cost, and indeed the cost of future generations and the concept of market forces is as a certain Mr Goebbels put it, “nothing more than a big lie”.
Where our political establishment come into it, well, we were not asked about taking on the debt of a gambling elite. Is this constitutional? I know in Iceland, the president of the country told the bankers he did not have a mandate to impose such austerity of future generations and told them where to go.
Our politicians, were absolutely complicit on A, lumbering all people living in Ireland, as well as those not yet born, with a massive, unfair, unjust debt that these people were not responsible for.
B, the current shower have continued the charade and a general election will make absolutely not difference because all of the mainstream political establishment are cut from the same cloth, the differences between the parties are merely superficial, nothing more. The are all part of the establishment and believing any of them will rock the status quo is as believable as a turkey voting for Christmas. Something different is required, something radically different

Good comment Mike Hall.

It is also FG/Lab legacy – none of these parties should be in goverment – NOW . They have done enough damage . They are all in bankers hip pockets .
Neo -liberal Economics has failed wherever it went – and the people who introdueced freidmanns ideas Thatcher and Reagan shoulld – if alive – be in jail .
But the worst part is people actully voted for them- ie NL Economics .

Stephen Donnelly tweeted this video about wealth distribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Very interesting & shocking video…

Get out and protest, the reason they keep doing these things is because we do nothing when they do them. They are getting away with it. Protests in massive numbers will work. We have to do something. Not only is this just blatant corruption it’s destroying lives.

We are…. Sadly

The best description of how our world is dying ( economically) i have ever read…. Please send this description to my email if you dont mind.

Aib and BOI not actually Irish. So no Irish tax payer money should be given. Wake up folks it’s a scam. Enda and Gilmore gave away more with help of corrupt noonan than any other government in history

The Irish taxpayers paid for the mistakes of the European banks

”What’s Enda Kennys famous saying” we will exit the bailout program by the end of the year!! “. ”
If that is waht he said – only fools would believe it .
yes – the IMF is a machine . It gets money for near zero % and loans it out at 6-7 % . The whole idea is to get Nations in debt – and enforce their Political agenda .

True. It would be interesting to know what proportion of GDP goes to repay the IMF from countries who receive aid from NGOs. Consider how some of these people are suffering and you’ll see how lenient the IMF is.

why in all the name thats holy should it be the tax payer pay for the rich,gamblers because thats exactly what they are gamblers they gamble you lose

James, look at the Icelandic example, this is what we should have done, but it would have taken something most Irish politicians and establishment figures and their media cheerleaders lack…..courage….balls!!!

Only the rich can afford to buy a politician.

@Colin have to agree with ya there my friend