Greece 2017

20/02/2017
There will be no public transport in Athens on Thursday due to a protest strike by the unions representing workers on the Metro, ISAP (Ilectriko) and Trams. The strike is in protest against the proposed use of stations and other STASY land and facilities for commercial purposes. The unions claim this  "will reduce STASY’s revenues and threaten the “public and social character” of public transport." STASY is the company that operates Athen's fixed-track public transport system. It is difficult to justify a strike like this and also hard to see how it will negatively affect the revenues of STASY. As usual, no consideration is being shown for ordinary people who will  struggle to get to work or not make it at all. 

http://www.ekathimerini.com/216355/article/ekathimerini/news/no-metro-tram-or-isap-in-athens-on-thursday


13/02/2107
The chart in the previous post shows the depth and duration of Greece's recession compared to other recent economic crises. The article below gives a synopsis of the IMF report on the Greek crisis and it makes for very grim reading. There is an air of defeat about it and it offers no hope, under the present circumstances, of improvement any time soon. Taking the current sentiment among most people in Greece into consideration, this is probably a very accurate analysis of the current mood - hopelessness.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/216130/article/ekathimerini/business/greeces-sad-story-in-black-and-white


08/02/2017
The IMF has published its report on Greek debt sustainability and, putting it mildly, it disagrees with the EU in relation to this issue.

As can be seen from the chart, the recession in Greece has continued longer than other crises, including the Great Depression of 1929. The Eurozone crisis overall was not very deep, especially when compared to the Great Depression or the Greek crisis. It seems likely that the big players in the Eurozone, such as France and Germany used countries like Greece and Ireland to launder "illegal' state aid to their ailing banks, via bailout money to these countries. Greece and Ireland used the bailout money to pay of bank debt and bondholders and thus save the European banking system. The EU and IMF are now the main creditors for countries like Greece and the banks have been reimbursed, despite their reckless lending practices. Based on the duration of the crisis in Greece, it would seem that the 'not so hidden' agenda is to create the circumstances where Greece's position as a member of the single currency is untenable. 

The following article gives a summary of the IMF report.

http://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2017/02/07/Greece-2017-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-44630?hootPostID=a9d39941bea8526afbc8506b43727ae6

 This article on the IMF report is from the Irish Independent newspaper.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/eu-faces-new-crisis-over-explosive-greek-debts-warns-imf-35433290.html


05/02/2017

Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister of Greece, has suggested that Alexis Tsipras discontinue discussions with the Country's creditors and move to a parallel payment system that he designed. He also suggests that German finance minister Wolfgang Shauble, wants to make the situation so difficult for Greece that it will voluntarily leave the Euro.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/215916/article/ekathimerini/news/varoufakis-urges-tsipras-to-ditch-negotiations-with-lenders

Irish Commentary

Saturday, 5 March 2016

Post Election 16

22/12/2016

It's great to see action being taken on behalf of homeless people. The occupation of Apollo House is a good move and hopefully it will lead to action by the Government to do something about the housing situation in Ireland. In the past, local authorities provided social housing and this acted as a damper on house prices, as well as providing accommodation for people who couldn't afford to buy a house. The vested interests of building and development in Ireland, and this includes the banks will resist any measure to address the issues surrounding homelessness and affordable housing so the political will of the Government and Fianna Fáil will be tested. It will require a huge effort to overcome this opposition but it is vital that it is sorted out.

13/03/2016

It's not surprising that people are disenchanted with politics and politicians. Looking at the behaviour of all the recently elected TDs, particularly the two biggest parties, can only lead to the conclusion that they are all hypocrites. After the election, all the talk was about "listening to the people" and 'hearing the message" from the electorate. Now we're off on another red herring - 'Dáil Reform', according the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This is the same Fine Gael that spent 5 years in government, promised to reform politics in Ireland and did nothing, except make a mess of abolishing the Seanad. 

The issue here is not about Dáil reform or reforming the political system. It's about trying to do the things that people want i.e. solving problems. The issues are well known - Housing Crisis, Health Crisis, Poverty, Living Wages etc. At a European level, the refugee crisis is tearing the heart out of the EU and the majority of people want to see a solution, with at least some humanity shown to the people suffering under appalling conditions in Greece and other countries.

It can be assumed that all politicians agree that these issues need to be dealt with. So why can't 158 elected representatives apply their collective grey matter to tackle these problems, particularly the national ones? Take each issue one at a time. Devise a plan, identify the obstacles to solving the problem, work out ways to overcome these obstacles and implement the plan. Housing is a problem - build more affordable houses. In the past councils and corporations built houses for rent so why can't that happen now. What is stopping it and what needs to be done to start it up again? The same should apply with the health service and the other issues. 

It's ironic to think how both Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party were prepared to 'jump through hoops of fire' to raise money to pay bondholders who gambled on reckless banking practices, yet they bicker and squabble among each other when it comes to dealing with the problems of the people they are "listening to". The same urgency should be shown when it comes to raising money to fund these social problems. Dáil reform will not be necessary if the politicians elected to it do what the people who put them there are asking them to do. After all, that's supposed to be the purpose of a national parliament - to act in the interests of the people it represents. However, taking into consideration the current navel-gazing and soul-searching of the main political parties, it's hard to imagine that representing the people who elected them is foremost in their minds. And the real killer is that most of them don't even realise that's exactly what they were elected to do.

05/03/2016

Now that the election is over, it is plain to see that Ireland has followed Greece, Portugal and Spain in rejecting pro-austerity governments. So much for Ireland being the 'poster boy' of Europe and its policies.One of the key issues of the election was water charges and the establishment of Irish Water. This was very badly handled from day 1 and previous experience in relation to water taxes  should have warned politicians about the sentiment of Irish people when it comes to paying for water. After all, it never seems to stop falling out of the sky  here.

That said, caution needs to be exercised by those declaring a victory over water taxes. A glance at any newspaper and the comments of the two main political parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, show that the spin has already started. Both parties are talking about the charges continuing following a review, while Fianna Fáil is in favour of abolishing Irish Water. Representatives of neither of these parties have mentioned privatisation. Water charges have now been introduced by Fianna Fáil in the past and by Fine Gael in 2015 it can be assumed that both support this measure. However, a crucial issue is whether it will be privatised in the future! 

As regards privatisation, there is one simple question - who gains? The answer is the owners of a privatised water company. Private water companies make billions in profits by charging for water. It seems that the real issue is which party's political cronies will be given the largesse? Why can't the government take on the responsibility of providing a very basic human need, invest taxes in water infrastructure and see a return to the exchequer from a fair charging system? The original reason put forward for water charges was conservation, but that's no longer on the agenda, as people do not pay for the amount used. 

Irish Water was created for national balance sheet manipulation i.e. to keep its borrowings off the national debt. This failed due to the 'low charges', which according to the EU was direct subsidisation from the government. This is the bottom line here - don't add to the national debt. No problem adding to the national debt to buy an election but not so in relation to a basic human requirement. The government could have (and should have) invested in water infrastructure after years of neglect but in order to keep the borrowing off the national debt, a 'vehicle' had to be created - Irish Water. Fine Gael was ambiguous, to say the least, about the future plans for the privatisation of Irish Water and the Labour Party was virtually silent. The Labour Party misread the mood of the population and spurned an opportunity to save itself by opposing water charges in government when things began to get out of control. This would have brought down the government but probably saved the Party from the wipeout it received in the election.

In conclusion, the priority is to legislate, by way of a constitutional amendment if necessary, that the privatisation of water will never happen in Ireland. If privatisation is off the agenda, then a rational debate can take place, in the context of overall tax policy, about how to fund water infrastructure into the future in Ireland.

Friday, 5 February 2016

General Election 16

17/02/2016
The outgoing coalition government composed of Fine Gael and the Labour Party were using the 2016 budget of tax cuts and 'stable' government' as a platform for re-election. However, this tactic has not worked and both parties have been losing support in recent polls. The strategy is now changed to frightening people and 'enterprising' Richard Bruton is out of the traps early comparing Ireland and Greece (see article below). One must question if there is some problem within Fine Gael with Greece. Michael Noonan has previously made disparaging remarks about Greece and failed to support debt relief for the Greeks. Now Richard Bruton, along with Enda Kenny is trying to scare Irish people that Ireland will suffer like Greece if Fine Gael and Labour are not re-elected. People weren't taken in by the stability platform and hopefully they won't be scared into voting for a return of the coalition. For the most part, politicians are powerless anyway when it comes to running the country, so it hardly matters at a macro level who is governing the country but voters should try to elect people with some sort of social conscience and public service ethos, unlike the previous group of mercenaries that were in government. 

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/rightcol/irelands-way-or-greeces-way-bruton-warns-voters-34460723.html


08/02/2016
I don't remember agreeing with Fianna Fáil on any issue but I agree on this. The abolition of the Universal Service Charge (USC) will favour the higher-paid by putting more money in their pockets and the higher their earnings the more they will save. Unlike people on lower wages, who will spend any extra income and increase domestic consumption, wealthier people will, more than likely, spend extra income on foreign holidays or imported goods. It looks like Fianna Fáil is 'changing tack', as mentioned below (07/02/2016) but walking the walk is different than talking the talk. Most people are aware that promises made during an election campaign are seldom honoured. 

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/fine-gaels-plan-to-abolish-the-usc-favours-the-rich-fianna-fil-claim-34434185.html


07/02/2016
It looks like Enda Kenny was wrong about people's lack of economic knowledge. According to a report in today's Irish Independent, people want the problems in Ireland sorted out rather than tax cuts. It is obvious that for the majority of the workforce in Ireland, tax cuts don't add up to much but proper hospital care, housing, education and other social services will save them more money than they would gain from cuts to income tax. The Taoiseach's mantra about cutting taxes and 'jobs that pay' is being exposed for what it is - a catchy soundbite. It will be interesting to see if the main political parties change tack and actually come up with solutions to the country's problems. The government bears the responsibility to tackle the social problems facing Ireland and Fine Gael policy abdicates that responsibility. Deal with the issues rather than throw a few crumbs to working people in the form of money borrowed on our behalf. A few tax cuts and the creation of a low-wage jobs environment is not what Ireland needs or wants.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/parties-are-told-fix-our-country-before-tax-cuts-34430071.html


06/02/2016
The parties that made up the last government,  Fine Gael and the Labour Party are running again jointly on a platform which emphasises stability and continuing growth. Yet today we read of two contradictory proposals from the members of the 'stability stable'. Firstly, Fine Gael has "abandoned plans for balanced budgets" (see article below), while on the other hand, the Labour Party  are promising to prioritise paying off the national debt over the next five years. How the national debt can be paid off while continuing to borrow money is difficult to explain but no explanation is necessary because according to Enda Kenny, ordinary people don't know anything about economics.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/we-wont-let-national-debt-overwhelm-us-again-joan-burton-34428406.html


06/02/2016
Fine Gael (FG), the zealots of prudence, have decided to delay the process of balancing the budget, citing the new buzzword expression 'fiscal space'. It seems the EU have relaxed the rules related to how much a country can spend, in relation to tax intake. As noted earlier, the tax intake is already questionable as there have been significant increases in taxes received from foreign multi-national corporations. It has already been pointed out by the Fiscal Advisory Council (FAC) that this income is uncertain into the future and should not be used as guaranteed income for budgetary planning. The FAC has also commented negatively on the government's plans in the run up to the last budget. The FAC's role is to comment publicly on the government's budget planning and whether or not it is meeting its stated objectives.

http://www.fiscalcouncil.ie

The bottom line here is that, if elected, Fine Gael will borrow even more money in order to fund tax reductions. Reducing income tax for people on high incomes benefits them to a far greater extent than those on lower incomes, so the net effect is that the wealthy benefit greatly and the cost is imposed on everyone because it's added to the national debt. Of course, anyone outside the tax threshold gets no benefit from tax reductions but they suffer the consequences due to lack of investment in public services. Borrowing might be acceptable if it were going to to used to invest in infrastructure or tackle the many problems in Ireland, for example, the health service. The average worker would not mind paying taxes if public services were improved. This is borne out by the acceptance of the 1% employment levy imposed during the economic crisis of the 1980s. However, for tax income to be used to pay interest on borrowings used to fund tax reductions, which mostly benefit the wealthy, is nothing short of robbery. 

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/fine-gael-abandons-plans-for-balanced-budget-34425672.html


05/02/2106.

The general election will be held in Ireland on February 26th. The political parties and independents will be announcing their manifestos and plans over the next few days. However, the main questions are; will any party deliver on its promises, or to what extent will they fulfil the measures outlined in their election promises? Are the proposals contained in the various manifestos what Ireland needs?

The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) was interviewed on RTE radio this morning and it would not inspire confidence about the future of Ireland if the current government is returned to power. His basic message is to keep the economy growing, providing jobs that 'pay' and the benefits will cascade down to everyone. It is widely acknowledged that external factors, such as the price of oil, low interest rates and QE by the ECB, have been the main reasons for Ireland's recovery. These benefits, coupled with the high rate of sterling vs the Euro have helped Irish exports to the UK, our main trading partner, as well as worldwide. Taxes received from foreign multi-nationals have also seen a dramatic increase in 2015, perhaps due to more scrutiny by the EU or more sinister, their efforts to return this government to power.

Nevertheless, this government has been in power for five years and has failed to address some serious issues facing Irish society. Firstly, there is the health service, which has deteriorated during the tenure of this government. One of Fine Gael's key election promises was 'universal health care' but the government  now admits that this could never have happened under the plans proposed by Fine Gael. Reform of the education system is another area, particularly the pupil-teacher ratio, which was to be reduced over time. It could be argued that the government 'inherited' these problems but other issues emerged during its term in office. 

Firstly, there is the housing crisis. This is a direct result of government policy to repair bank balance sheets by driving up the cost of houses. Houses are now unaffordable to people on average incomes, unlike in the past, when anyone in a steady job could aspire to own their own house. The core tenet of Enda Kenny's interview was about growing the economy and creating jobs 'that pay'. Leaving Cert economics students would be aware that if you drive economic development, you have to have the infrastructure e.g. housing, public transport, an energy policy etc. to complement this growth but these are all conspicuous by their absence. Enda's talk about jobs that 'pay' does not seem to mention a living wage and instead we have all the issues facing employees related to part-time work, zero-hours contracts and the continuous pressure to dilute employees benefits and entitlements. In relation to employment we are entering the area of "there are 5 jobs for everyone in Ireland and I've got 3 of them". 

Another problem of the government's own making is the proposal to charge for water. This is an example of a 'blank page', planned and designed by this government and we can see the results. Irish Water is a total catastrophe, whatever way you look at it. The introduction of property tax was another unmitigated disaster, where the government had to involve the Revenue Commissioners in order to force people to pay this tax. Incidentally, both government parties opposed property tax  prior to being elected. 

The real problem with this government, and governments in general, is the low tax policy. Firstly low taxes facilitate employers by allowing them to keep wages low, peddling the idea that take-home pay is good in relation to gross pay. This ignores all the stealth taxes that have been introduced by the government. Jobs can then be created with poor pay and conditions, on the basis of being competitive, and cost savings go towards profits. The government will then at the same time claim to be solving the unemployment problem. However, there is a disconnect between this policy and the government's role in providing public services, such as education and healthcare. Many people are on comparatively low pay, are living hand-to-mouth and can't afford to pay for a house or healthcare, things associated with a civil society. There is a severe shortage of housing and no social housing to speak of resulting in exorbitant rents. The combination of low pay and reduced tax intake suggests that the government will never be able to provide decent public services and will have to continue borrowing to pay for the day-to-day running of the country. If the government had a progressive tax system, reductions in take-home pay due to higher taxes would drive wage growth, resulting in business paying its fair share. Wage growth also has a knock-on effect on inflation, lack of which is one of the problems facing many countries worldwide. 

Voters need to become more aware of the way the country is being run and not get taken in by soundbites about tax reduction or the type of handouts being bandied about in the run up to polling day. It's ironic that billions of Euros have been 'found' in election year after all the cuts, extra taxes and charges of the past five years. Politicians seems to be past-masters at spending the money they borrow on our behalf but who benefits?

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Politics in Ireland

14/11/2015
David Drumm, the former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, says"emigration is a big sacrifice". Well, that's fairly rich coming from a man whose bank was a major contributory factor in the forced emigration of 300,000+ Irish people. Anglo Irish Bank was the main driver behind the recklessness in Irish banking that caused the economic crisis in Ireland. The government are talking up the economy and the recovery. Unemployment is supposed to be under 10%, but that figure is dubious when people on training and other schemes is factored in. I wonder what the figure would be if the majority of the 300,000 had remained in Ireland?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/emigration-a-big-sacrifice-says-drumm-as-he-awaits-bail-decision-34199947.html


30/10/2015
Joan Burton needs to change her spin doctor in relation to Irish Water and water taxes. A similar approach has been used when dealing with this issue:

Spin 1.
When criticising RTE for its coverage of the water charges protests (below 30/03.2015 ) she states that '1 million people have signed up', implying they are happy to pay these water charges.

Spin 2.
In further criticism of RTE's coverage of the water charges protests ( below 01/04/2015 - April Fool's Day), she asks rhetorically "what about the people who have decided they need a proper form of (water) infrastructure?" This implies that the hundreds of thousands of people who refuse to pay the water charges don't want a proper form of water infrastructure.

Spin 3.
Joan is astonished (below 30/10/2105) that trade unions don't consider upgrading the water system to be a priority. Again this is putting words into people's mouths, implying something that the trade unions have never written or stated.

It's probably time to try something new at this stage, although most would say if you're in a hole, stop digging

30/10/2105
Joan Burton is still spinning in relation to Irish Water and the latest initiative by the trade unions backing the Right2Change campaign. Obviously, the Labour Party is feeling the heat from the alliance who are campaigning for a different way of government. Joan is "astonished" that trade unions "don't consider upgrading the country's water system to be a priority". Since the political parties went into election mode, Joan is continuously 'surprised' or 'astonished' when voters indicate they are not happy with Labour's performance in Government. This implies that Joan is not living in the reality that faces many of the people Labour claims to represent. Trade unions supporting Right2Change or Right2Water have never written or stated that they don't consider upgrading the water system a priority. The problem for Labour is that a coalition of parties is taking over its traditional territory and the Labour Party is facing the same fate as The Greens and the Progressive Democrats. No one to blame but themselves!!!

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water/irish-water-crisis/burton-astonished-at-unions-in-antiwatercharge-brigade-34154123.html



23/08/2015
The problem facing the Irish government is that higher GDP,  lower borrowing costs and all these 'positive' economic indicators mean nothing to the majority of ordinary people - especially since the introduction of all the extra taxes and cost cutting by the government. Most people feel (correctly) that all the extra revenue being raised by the coalition is going to pay off debt and not to benefit the economy. The article below sums it up as the government's "failure to efficiently allocate tax revenue for the provision of a sustainable and high-standard public service".  It is not possible for this to happen in Ireland and many other indebted European countries because they are paying back questionable sovereign debt, especially in Ireland's case. Few people will propose solutions to these difficult problems but  in Ireland's case, the government should be forced to produce a balanced budget, with borrowing only allowed for major infrastructural projects that will be beneficial for the economy overall, i.e. for the common good. 

In Ireland over the past 20 years, successive governments have shifted responsibility, for what were former public services, away from themselves. For example,  Telecom Éireann, (telecommunications) was privatised, The Health Boards were  abolished, Refuse Collection privatised and Irish Water introduced. The result is that now regulators  and the HSE are now responsible for these services and not the various government departments, which are the responsibility of ministers and politicians. Politicians are in power, without being responsible for many of the services previously within the remit of government departments and the government is now turning its sights on Public Transport !!!! 

It appears that governments are borrowing more and more  for current expenditure (and to pay interest on 'dubious' debt) in order to be re-elected. They have focus groups to determine what 'the electorate' wants and these requirements become part of the election manifesto. In many cases the promises are broken but politicians will do anything to retain their seats in parliament. Therefore, the government should be prevented from borrowing on behalf of the country unless it is for investment. Running a balanced budget should be a target and there would be pain involved as historic debt is paid down. After the debt has been paid down, the government would be required to provide the level of public services it can afford and if people wanted better public services, then increased taxation would have to pay for them. It would be a courageous political party that would agree to write mandatory balanced budgets into the Irish Constitution. However, it is one way to prevent the type of meltdown experienced by Ireland, and other countries such as Greece or Portugal. Infrastructure projects, such as a metro system could be undertaken by borrowing or public/private partnerships, provided there was a  benefit to the economy, with an eventual payback over the longer term.

Unfortunately, most politicians have no vision for the future, apart from the next election, so  it is highly unlikely that they will be able to wean themselves off borrowing 'on our behalf'.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/this-government-has-worked-yet-voters-want-to-get-rid-of-it-31470178.html


09/08/2015
Enda Kenny said on this evening's news that he wants to 'finish the job' in sorting out the Country's finances and get Ireland "back to work", therefore we should re-elect Fine Gael in the next election obviously. Alex White of the Labour Party, the other party in the government coalition, followed the Taoiseach and he also wants to be back in government with Fine Gael after the election. This is based on the "achievements of the government" over the past 4 years, according to Alex. These achievements include:

Household Property Tax
Irish Water
300,000 + emigrated
Homeless families increased by 55%
highest number of people ever recorded on hospital trolleys
House re-possessions increasing
Unaffordable houses
IBRC - Siteserve

to mention just a few. In today's Sunday Independent, Enda Kenny is quoted as targeting 'The Grey Vote' by increasing the old age pension by €5 per week. Pensioners are being hit with property tax and water charges and have no means of increasing their income but €5 won't go too far. Perhaps Fine Gael should stop dipping into private pension funds if they are serious about attracting the Grey Vote. The Labour Party will probably lose a large number of its seats so they will probably not be able to help Fine Gael to form a government.  The problem with elections in most European countries in general, and Ireland and Greece in particular,  is that there are no credible political parties to vote for and people just don't know what to do. Do elections really matter any more or does Goldman Sachs rule the world?


25/07/2015
Once again, Enda Kenny is deluding himself about the reasons why emigrants won't return - he claims it's the high marginal rate of income tax. (see link below). However, since Fine Gael and Labour came into power we have USC, Property Tax, Water Charges, Dirt Tax increased to 41%, Unaffordable Housing (again), a third world Health Service and the Cost of Childcare is exorbitant.

The extra taxes, which should be used to provide the public services that our emigrants are now accustomed to, are being used to pay off debts that these same emigrants did not incur. Obviously this statement is spin designed to get the government re-elected by gullible people who think emigrants will return home because of government policy. The same is happening with nurses - many of whom have made a life for themselves outside Ireland and will not return to work in the conditions that currently pertain in the Country in general and the HSE in particular. Unfortunately, €1,500 is no incentive to return home as it's about a months rent on a decent apartment in Dublin or three weeks childcare.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/taoiseach-admits-young-emigrants-wont-return-home-due-to-high-taxes-31403066.html


25/06/2015
Michael Noonan is a great man to kick the Greeks around the place but when it comes to dealing with Irish banks, one of which is 80% owned by the state, he likes to reveal his softer side.

http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/homeowners-hopes-of-mortgage-rate-cuts-dashed-31328573.html


03/06/2015
Who's afraid of Denis O' Brien asks the article. The question is what hold does he have over Fine Gael in general and Enda Kenny in particular?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/so-whos-afraid-of-denis-obrien-enda-kenny-is-26782500.html


02/06/2015

Denis O'Brien has failed in his attempt to prevent the media reporting a Dáil speech outlining his dealings with IBRC (former Anglo Irish Bank) by Catherine Murphy. He did obtain an injunction against RTE (the national broadcaster) preventing the broadcasting of a programme related to his dealing with IBRC. Denis claims his reputation is being damaged and every individual is entitled to protect his good name. Below are the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal, set up to investigate payments to politicians and, from 2007, to investigate the awarding of the 2nd mobile phone licence to ESAT Digiphone. People may wonder why Fine Gael in general and Enda Kenny in particular are very quiet on this issue. Based on the findings below it's obvious.  Remember Denis O'Brien was on the platform when Enda Kenny rang the bell at the NYSE a year after the Moriarty Tribunal report. That's politics in Ireland.

http://www.thejournal.ie/taoiseachs-appearance-with-obrien-on-nyse-shouldnt-have-happened-martin-394103-Mar2012/

Moriarty Tribunal Findings 

• Lowry "secured the winning" of the 1995 mobile licence for O'Brien.
• O'Brien made two payments to Lowry in 1996 and 1999 totalling IR£500,000 (GB£147,000 and GB£300,000) and supported a loan of GB£420,000 given to Lowry in 1999, a benefit equivalent to a payment.
• Lowry imparted substantive information to O'Brien which was "of significant value and assistance to him in securing the licence".
• Lowry bypassed consideration by his Cabinet colleagues and thereby not only influenced, but delivered the result for Esat Digifone.
• A US$50,000 donation to Fine Gael was made through Telenor on behalf of Esat Digifone.
• Lowry sought to influence a hike in the lease for Marlborough House (Telecom Eireann headquarters) following a request from Mr Dunne. These rent increases would have improperly enriched Dunne, and were deemed to be "profoundly corrupt".
• Lowry was criticised for his "cynical and venal abuse of office" and his brazen refusal to acknowledge the impropriety of his financial arrangements with O'Brien and Dunne.

Sunday, 1 March 2015

Election Mode

02/04/2015
Ivan Yates, a former Fine Gael Minister, makes some very good arguments about the inadequacies of Irish Water and the  potential political fallout at the next general election. Irish Water has made a total mess of everything it has done so far and every new initiative seems to make things worse. The article calls for a 'back to the drawing board' approach but the key question is: will Denis O'Brien allow Fine Gael to change course on Irish Water?

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/ivan-yates/article31112795.ece


01/04/2015
Another attempt to divert attention from the main issue. Joan Burton is still criticising RTE for its coverage of the water charges protests and she complains about the fact that more anti-water charges people are being interviewed. In her statement today she asks 'what about the people who have decided they need a proper form of infrastructure'.  The answer is that everyone wants proper water infrastructure and most people have been paying for it as a percentage of road tax since 1997. Again, politicians using spin words and then they wonder why trust in politics and politicians in Ireland is at an all time low. The Labour Party needs to examine its conscience and its role in the current  government.What about Labour's  pre-election policies and The Party's claim to represent the working people of Ireland ?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/tanaiste-rte-has-developed-a-sense-of-excitement-about-water-charges-31110977.html


30/03/2015
It looks like the water demonstrations are really getting to the Labour Party. Now the leader, Joan Burton, is criticising RTE's coverage of the water charges demonstrations. The attitude of Joan Burton is unbelievable. In the article below we read she's aware that people have problems with water charges. Then she says that one million have signed up, implying that they have no problems with the water tax. Initially the numbers signing up were very low and most people who signed were bullied into it by government threats. It would be hard to imagine anyone being happy with this tax or any other tax for that matter. One solution to the problem is to abolish Irish Water and start again but there will be no climbdown on this by the Government, although the backbench TDs would probably have no objections. Hopefully RTE will continue to report on the water tax demonstrations in the same way as it has up until now.


http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water/irish-water-crisis/tnaiste-weighs-in-over-rte-coverage-of-irish-water-31104137.html


29/03/2015
Censorship is beginning to rear its ugly head in Ireland. Obviously the government in general and the Labour Party in particular,  don't like the water charges demonstrations so they attack 'the messenger, RTE. Again, no surprise here as the "law and order" Blueshirts in combination with Labour have past form in this area. In 1971, the Fianna Fáil Minister for P&T, Gerry Collins,  instructed  RTE under section 31 of the Broadcasting Act not to interview anyone from Sinn Féin or the IRA. This was during the Troubles in the North of Ireland and the order was liberally interpreted by RTE. However, the Fine Gael / Labour coalition were not happy with RTE circumventing weaknesses in the legislation and once again, the Labour party rode to the rescue with Conor Cruise O'Brien, Minister for P&T, amending the Act. He also issued an new order to RTE banning spokespeople from specific parties, including Sinn Féin. Perhaps Pat Rabbitte might have a word with his 'old mucker' Alex White, the current Labour Party Minister for Communications, to stop RTE reporting on the water charges demonstrations. It's interesting to note that many water tax demonstrators are highly critical of RTE's reporting on the issue, claiming that it is biased in favour of  'the establishment'.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/fine-gael-tds-back-pat-rabbittes-attack-on-rt-
31101148.html


29/03/2015
It's might be hard to believe that the government is contemplating deducting water charges from wages, pensions and social welfare. However, this government has no qualms about taking money from people. For instance, private pension funds were, and still are, subject to an annual levy and property tax has been introduced, with legislation to deduct that from the wages and pensions of people who don't pay. Another tax, the Universal Service Charge (USC) has been added. A further revenue-gathering measure is the increases in DIRT tax (now at 41%)  up 11% since this government came into power. The figures below are taken from the Revenue Commissioners website:

Deposit Interest Retention Tax (D.I.R.T.), at the rate of 41% (from the 1st January 2014) is deducted at source by deposit takers (e.g. banks, building societies, Credit Unions, Post Office Savings Bank, etc.) from interest paid or credited on deposits of Irish residents. 

The above D.I.R.T. rate was:

• 33% for the period 1st January 2013 to the 31st December 2013 
• 30% for the period 1st January 2012 to the 31st December 2012

 Taking all the measures outlined above into consideration, it should be no surprise that the government is considering attachment orders to deduct water charges from people's incomes. This raises the question about how self-employed people will be treated. How can the charges be deducted from them? I'm sure Labour Party Minister, Alan Kelly, has an answer. He's responsible for the legislation and also deputy leader of the Party that 'claims' to represent the Irish working class.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water/irish-water-crisis/water-bills-to-be-taken-from-wages-without-any-court-argument-31101161.html


25/03/2015

Labour - Exit Stage Left.

The Irish Labour Party, the oldest political party in Ireland, has reached a new low with its involvement in the coalition government in general and in relation to Irish Water in particular. Labour has always been a junior coalition partner throughout its history and has suffered as a result.  It can only be concluded that all it will ever be is a bit-player in political terms,  if it's not wiped out in the next election,. On the occasions that it entered coalition with other parties, particularly with Fine Gael, Labour has been blamed by the electorate for any negative measures introduced by the government in which it participated. This is because for people to vote for Labour, they have to attract disaffected voters from the two main centre right parties, Fine Gael (FG) and Fianna Fáil (FF). In the 2011 general election the Labour Party got 37 seats, mainly because FF were almost annihilated and entered a coalition with FG, giving the new government a very large majority in Parliament.

Both parties went back on promises made during the election campaign but, although FG ministers have made many major blunders in office, it is the Labour Party that is taking the hit, even though its ministers have not made any big mistakes. The reason Labour has always been blamed is precisely because the people who switch from the big parties believe it will prevent or curtail the main parties' proposals, particularly in relation to social welfare cuts, public service reform and other measures that might impact on 'working people'.  History shows that, when alterations are made in these areas, Labour is to blame in many people's opinion and The Party usually pays the price at the next election. During the recessionary 1980's Labour took part in coalition governments with FG and paid the price for the health and public service cutbacks introduced to curb government spending.  A review of its history will show that the Labour Party has always done badly in general elections following a period in government and also in European and local election, while still in government.

However, despite this awareness, the opportunity to govern always seems attractive, particularly to the leadership and parliamentary party of Labour. In the light of Labour's current performance, cynics point out that the lure of ministerial office and the associated pensions on retirement are the motivating factor in Labour's eagerness to take part in government. It is hard to argue with this, especially taking into consideration the fact that massive losses usually follow participation in a coalition government. On that basis, it must be concluded that the Labour Party has collectively decided that it will never form a government as a majority party. Being a party of the moderate left, perhaps it has realised that it will never be big enough itself to get a parliamentary majority and it realises the futility of joining up with other populist left-wing parties to form a 'SYRIZA-style' political party.

While 'floating' voters may be generally disaffected with the Labour Party, its handling of the the water charges issue is politically naive at best and totally stupid at worst, and bound to undermine Labour's core support. The Labour Party opposed water charges before the 2011 election and Eamonn Gilmore is quoted as saying that water charges would not be introduced if Labour was in Government. Obviously, the Party supported the passage of the legislation in relation to Irish Water, both at cabinet level and in the Dáil, so this is generally seen as a broken promise. To exacerbate matters, this is legislation introduced by a FG minister, which was badly formulated from day one.

Since the beginning, there has been huge public opposition against water charges, now considered to be a tax, and the creation of Irish Water. In the meantime, the FG Minister for the Environment responsible for the original legislation, Phil Hogan, has moved to Europe as Commissioner for Agriculture, to be replaced by Alan Kelly, currently Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. The political nous of the Labour Party is questionable, since acceptance of this portfolio was always going to be politically damaging, especially in light of the Party's pre-election policy related to water charges. A sizeable majority of people in Ireland no longer believe politicians and the public's trust of politicians in the context of Irish Water, particularly in relation to it remaining in public ownership, is at an all-time low. In recent days, Alan Kelly is reported to be proposing the introduction of legislation involving fines and deductions from wages, pensions and social welfare, as payment to Irish Water. This will (rightly) be seen in simple terms as forcing people to pay a water bill that Labour promised nobody would receive while it was in government.

While it was politically naive to accept the Environment ministerial portfolio, it was utterly stupid to announce the introduction of this legislation two days after a massive demonstration against water charges on Saturday March 21st. On Monday, March 23rd,  Alan Kelly spoke about the measures to tackle non-payment and Joan Burton said people will eventually accept paying for water. There has been no comments from FG ministers, other than Enda Kenny's comment that people who pay shouldn't be disadvantaged, which was not given prominence in the national media. The only assumption that can be made is that Labour are 'hanging in' until the next election and hoping there will be a turnaround in Ireland's, and thus its own, fortunes. Whatever about an improvement in the outlook for Ireland, resistance to water charges will continue and may even become more widespread. Instead of the 'water debacle' being associated with FG or at least the coalition collectively,  it will be inexorably linked to The labour Party, thus providing other parties with a stick to beat it with during the next election campaign. It should be noted that the Labour Parliamentary Party has lost 5 TDs, including Minister Roisín Shortall, one senator and MEP Nessa Childers, since 2011. Unfortunately for the Labour Party, there will be no heavyweights left as they will all have ridden off into the sunset with their pensions and with lightweights like Alan Kelly as potential leaders, it  wouldn't give rise to any optimism in relation to the future of the Party.





22/03/2015
The election of SYRIZA in Greece has opened a debate  as to whether it is possible for a leftist government to be elected in Ireland. Left-leaning parties, from Sinn Féin, Socialist Workers Party and People Before Profit in Ireland, to Podemos in Spain, are celebrating the election of SYRIZA. However, there are two  issues that need to be examined  (a) exactly what is 'The Left'  (b) what  policies would a left-wing government implement or reject.

In relation to the first, "The Left' can be defined as a range of points on a scale to the left of the centre. This could range from close-to-centre, where its proponents accept the necessity for a free market economy and support private enterprise with an emphasis on equity and social justice. Unfettered capitalism would be contained by strong regulation and the weakest members of society would receive some level of protection and support. As we move further left along the scale, other issues emerge, such as total opposition to privatisation or nationalisation of banks, for example. The last point on the scale is return to a command economy (communism), in the manner of the former Soviet Union or (formerly) in China. There are many more pinch points along the scale that may be acceptable to one left-wing party and utterly rejected by another. This is what is confronting SYRIZA at present. There are various factions in the party, some of which are already opposed to what the leadership has done in its negotiations so far with the EU. This means the Greek negotiators are operating against a background that no matter what they achieve, it will be unacceptable to certain factions within the Party.  To compound SYRIZA's problem, its choice of coalition partner (Independent Greeks) seems to be anti Europe and leaning towards cooperation with Russia.

Greece is in a strategic geopolitical environment, considering its proximity to the Baltics and Turkey, as well as it being Orthodox  in religion, similar to Russia, It could be argued that these circumstances would give SYRIZA some bargaining power if the Party knew what it would settle for. Ireland is not strategic in a global political context. In terms of a left government in Ireland,  a left alliance would face the same difficulties currently being experienced by SYRIZA, without having any geopolitical leverage. Apart from convincing people to vote for them, the parties of the left in Ireland have divergent views about the economy and even EU membership itself. A left-wing alliance in Ireland, if it came to power,  would then be confronted with the same internal factional difficulties being faced by SYRIZA.

In relation to a manifesto, what policies could a left alliance in Ireland adopt, firstly to get elected and secondly to run the economy. The European Left is hailing the election of SYRIZA as a breakthrough. The SYRIZA  election campaign was based on a debt write-down, an end to austerity, a crackdown on tax evasion  and "restoration of the nations dignity".  Presumably, the achievement of these objectives would pave the way for restoring the minimum wage to €751, restoration of some low pensions to previous levels,  measures to promote growth and tackle the humanitarian crisis. The reality has turned out to be quite different as can be seen from the various clashes between Greece and its creditors. The finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, has referred to Greece as a bankrupt country on a number of occasions but it has been made clear to Greece that unless it sticks to the terms of the bailout memorandum, then it will receive no further assistance from the 'institutions'.  The alternative for Greece is to declare itself bankrupt and default on its debt, resulting in an exit from the Eurozone. It is impossible not to envisage a similar outcome if Ireland were to go down the same route.

The disappointing aspect of SYRIZA is that, although the party was a 'government-in-waiting' since long before Christmas, there seems to be no policies or plans to reform the economy. There have been no measures announced to pursue large-scale tax evasion or tackle any of the anti-competitive practices endemic in the Greek economy. These measures would certainly help domestic consumption, and while not a panacea for all Greece's ills,  may help increase disposable income by reducing prices, which could lead to an increase in employment. The same scope in relation to promoting domestic consumption is not available in Ireland. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that  a left alliance in Ireland would fight an election campaign on the same basis as SYRIZA, with economic reforms being paid for by a reduction or write-off of debt. Unless there is a miraculous change of heart among Greece's creditors, the Irish electorate will be voting in the knowledge that this path will lead nowhere and are unlikely to embrace the 'left' as an option.

The difficulty facing 'the left' is that normally they don't prepare pragmatic policies incorporating the need for compromise - it's all or nothing based on generalised principles. There is often no 'joined-up thinking' or a planned incremental approach to making changes.  For example, tax the rich is often cited as a means of addressing national income problems but rich people are well able to avoid paying tax legitimately and the amount raised would not solve Ireland's problems. Burning bondholders is another slogan but many Irish pension funds could be invested directly or indirectly in the very banks that would suffer if this were to happen. Irish pension funds lost badly when the share prices of Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank collapsed. The argument in this instance should be about the disproportionate amount Ireland had to pay to save foreign banks, an argument the current or the previous government seem not to have made. Whether this was out of ignorance or being bullied into submission is open to debate.

The only role for left-wing parties in Ireland is as part of a coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil. Their remit would be to curb the excesses and cronyism of these two parties. The Labour Party claimed this role for itself in the past but is now identified as the same as 'the rest' and is probably facing big losses in the next election. The left can also play an extremely useful role in opposing specific measures proposed or being introduced by government. The national demonstrations against Irish Water and water tax are a very good example. The government's policy has undergone big changes and the campaign has been very effective but Irish Water will not be abolished and it would be better if the Right2Water group had a fallback position on how it sees Irish Water in the future. Legislation that it remain a public utility and never be privatised is a good place to start. The question is will the disparate groups involved in the protests be able to agree a compromise solution among themselves.

In relation to general elections, it's hard to avoid coming to the conclusion that left parties are not really capable of governing on their own or as a majority party, mainly because they are so used to being in opposition, not having to make any hard decisions, lack the ability to formulate achievable  policies and are only comfortable with discussion and dialogue among themselves.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/politician-vows-to-hold-the-line-dont-hold-your-breath-31085355.html


04/03/2015
Continuing with the election mode theme, Enda Kenny is promising reductions income tax and USC in successive budgets if the government is returned to power. Fine Gael and Labour are building up a list of promises but if they are re-elected most of them will not be implemented. Apart from the fact that politicians make these pledges at election time, there is also the point that in a coalition the promises will be subject to trade-offs as the parties fight among themselves to bring in 'their' list of goodies. There has been no mention of political reform but then again, why should there be - sure everything is fine. Enda Kenny was also able to take the time to advise Greece about what to do to solve its crisis - do what you are told by the EU and its partners.

http://ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_04/03/2015_547863

However, in the article below from Journal.ie, we also learn about Enda's commitment to people on low pay. The person in the photo with the Taoiseach is none other than Richard Bruton, the Minister for Jobs and Enterprise. Enterprising Richard is the minister, who in 2011 began the dismantling of the JLCs, which set wages in the services sector for 190,000 workers. These are workers in the hotel industry, restaurant staff, contract cleaners, hairdressers etc. who are low paid and many of their rights were abolished or diluted under the new rules.  One change proposed under the new system:

 "Special rates of pay for Sundays may now be a thing of the past as the JLCs will lose their right to set different, premium rates. However, Bruton insisted that working on a Sunday will still be recognised as a special position."

Employers, IBEC, ISME and the Chambers of Commerce were very enthusiastic, as can be imagined, and wages were effectively reduced (employers costs) as a result. Now Enda's heart is bleeding for workers on low pay. Not alone that but also graduates looking to return to Ireland are contacting Enda all the time :

"They are contacting me from American and Australia and so on, and they are coming back and they are very welcome because they bring with them new experience and energy that is devastating when you lose it through emigration.”

How anyone would come back to the land of property tax, water charges, a housing crisis and a dysfunctional health system is hard to fathom but if people are asking Enda, then I'm certain they will be reassured that it's all good.


http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-tax-cuts-1972002-Mar2015/?utm_source=twitter_self


01/03/2105

Unless there's an 'accident' there will be a general election in Ireland in the spring of 2016. Already, the political parties are ramping up for this with the usual plethora of promises. The Labour Party is leading the charge in relation to all it's going to do. Alan Kelly (Minister for the Environment and Deputy leader of the Labour Party) is going to sort out the sky-high rents for accommodation. One wonders why that hasn't been done already but government policy in relation to re-inflating the property market to repair bank balance sheets and take people out of negative equity is not conducive to solving this problem. There is a huge demand for rental accommodation because many people can no longer afford to buy a house due to wage cuts and the central bank rules on mortgage lending have had a further negative  effect, by making it very difficult for house-buyers to save for a deposit. Best of luck with that one Alan!

The Labour Party conference was held this weekend and the leader, Joan Burton, has gone 'native' (as in Fianna Fáil) with promises. We're going to have full employment, increases in children's allowances and two years free pre-school for children. The Labour Party is, and always has been, the junior coalition party in government and to see promises of this magnitude is laughable. The one positive point about Labour is that for the most part, social welfare payments were not seriously eroded so far during the crisis currently being experienced. However, no political party in Ireland would implement draconian cuts to the social welfare budget, so every party will claim success in this area. 

There has been talk of a voting pact between Fine Gael and the Labour Party for the next election but there seems to be very little difference between these parties, or Fianna Fáil, for that matter. One issue promised in the general election campaign by Fine Gael was the reform of the political system Well, following a botched attempt to abolish the Senate, that went nowhere and never will. Today we read in the Sunday Independent about the pensions Fine Gael and Labour ministers will receive if not re-elected or if they decide to retire. Now, contrast that to the general public who are going through very difficult times, to put it mildly, and ask are any of these politicians electable. Household property taxes, water charges, health service dysfunctional, 300,000 people have emigrated and these politicians will be "standing on their record" in government and promising everything under to sun to be re-elected. And sure why wouldn't they when you look at what they get when they exit the political stage.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/rabbitte-quinn-and-gilmores-pensions-to-cost-2-million-each-31030893.html

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

26/02/2015
The march and demonstration on Saturday 21st was peaceful, contrary to what was forecast here and this is a good sign. Various groups are still targeting individual politicians when they attend functions and once these remain peaceful protests it will keep the pressure on the politicians. One point though is that it's not acceptable to protest outside politicians' homes, as they may have partners and children, who have no direct involvement in politics. All in all, if momentum can be maintained and a massive turnout takes place at the next national demonstration against water charges and Irish Water, then it will definitely make politicians sit up and take notice. It is all the more important to keep the pressure on all the political parties, as they are now in election mode and promises can be extracted more readily. This is particularly true as regards the opposition parties. The Government are very unlikely to do an about-turn but it has happened before in relation to medical cards.


20/02/2015

End of Mass Demonstrations against Water Charges.

Five people have been imprisoned for refusing to obey a court order. They have been convicted in a court of law and as can be seen below, there is a protest march scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 21st February. Earlier in this blog (11/02/2015) it was pointed out that the anti water-charges protests had taken a disturbing turn, which would have  negative effects on the overall Right2Water campaign. The arrests and imprisonment of these five people is the beginning of the end for the mass demonstrations against the water charges. The scenario is as follows: there will be a fairly large demonstration and march to Mountjoy Prison tomorrow. The demonstrators will be all fired up about "the injustice" of the treatment of these five people ( who were convicted in court). There will be a large garda presence, on the basis that they are expecting trouble. This will further provoke the crowd, some of whom will not be able to contain themselves and are waiting for this opportunity. There will be clashes between the gardai and some protesters, which will be widely broadcast and printed in the media. The vast majority of people who have been taking part in the peaceful demonstrations up to now will recoil at what they see and read and will no longer turn out. The next national demonstration against the water charges will be small by comparison to the previous ones and will be attended mostly by the people at tomorrow's march.  End of Story.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=936876239665181&set=a.570497409636401.1073741825.100000284416316&type=1&theater


16/02/2015
Yesterday we were informed that 'economic confidence is on the up', which implies an improvement in the economy in Ireland. The economy is growing but the question is who is benefiting from this growth. The article below reports that the situation in Accident & Emergency departments is worse than last year or the year before. Now how does that tally with an improving economy. Are conditions getting worse, the more the economy improves? Note that conditions are "considerably worse" In A&E departments!

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/overcrowding-in-emergency-departments-is-considerably-worse-than-this-time-last-year-30995000.html


15/02/2105
There has been lots of criticism about the 'political policing' related to the blocking of Joan Burton's car in Jobstown. It seems to have been a one-off situation and it might be better if the people involved  i.e. Paul Murphy and the others who have been arrested, kept a dignified silence. I think this would be far more effective than the rhetoric and protests that have been taking place. As in any protest movement, the danger is that people get sidetracked and it dilutes the message, which is to stop water charges and abolish Irish Water. That should be the focus, not whether Paul Murphy broke, or did not break, the law. Similarly, the socialist representatives in the Dáil should refrain from criticism of the subsequent arrests in such emotionally-charged language. Anti water charges politicians need to challenge the spin being sent out by the government, for example, in the article below from today's Sunday Independent. The article is against the accusation of 'political policing' and the reactions both inside and outside the Dáil to it. However it does contain it's own little bit of spin, buried in there with criticism of protesters and certain politicians. This part refers to the economic confidence being 'on the up' and government parties improving in polls. The writer of the article accuses anti-austerity politicians of "manipulating the narrative' and that's what opposition politicians and others should challenge  - the government's assertion that the economy is better and people's circumstances are improving. I commented on this article as I believe it is better to debate the issues, rather than have an never-ending circle of empty rhetoric.

jeriakis (this comment on article was not published by the Sunday Independent)

I think everyone, including yourself Eilis, is 'manipulating the narrative'. When we read "economic confidence is on the up, the Government parties are rallying in the polls as an election draws nearer", you are glibly repeating government spin about improvement in the economy. Ireland is expected to grow further in 2015 and Greece had small growth for 2014 but people in both countries are unhappy. The number crunchers are happy and the 'economic confidence' you talk about is related to their opinion, not the people struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/send-in-the-clowns-theyre-already-here-30993029.html

Some further thoughts on the article above: 

Surely the headline of this article " Send in the clowns? They're already here" is guilty of using the same pejorative language that it accuses others of using  in relation to the gardai? As regards the offence taken by the reference to gardai as dogs, similar offence could be taken by referring to politicians as clowns.

13/02/2015
It is fairly obvious that 'political policing' is happening in Ireland in relation to the Jobstown protests and the blocking of Joan Burton in her car. However, the antics in the Dáil following the remarks of Ruth Coppinger have reduced political discourse in Ireland to farce. The article below from today's Irish Independent sums it up - recognising the difference between an insult and an idiom. The more usual idiom is to "call off the dogs", which means stop threatening, criticising or hounding a person or group. Therefore, we can assume that to "call out the dogs" means to do the opposite. It seems everyone, including Paul Kehoe, the government chief whip, wants people to acknowledge 'the hurt' they supposedly feel when someone makes a statement like this.  This type of pseudo-hurt is hard to take from people in general and politicians in particular. Most politicians have necks like 'roecrete' and getting up on a high horse over a legitimate expression is political opportunism at its worst. The real issue with the Irish Government is that they have nothing to talk about, as the Country is being governed from Europe. As a result, we get all sorts of proposed legislation to fill the void, e.g ban smoking on beaches, in private cars, do something about pigeon infestation etc. In contrast, actual legislation which really 'hurts', such as that surrounding the setting up of Irish Water "is made a dogs dinner of". What more can you say ?

http://tinyurl.com/msaqbsp

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11/02/2015
The anti-water tax protests have taken a disturbing turn recently. Apart from the Jobstown protest, which might have been viewed as a 'one off',  it seems that small groups are harassing politicians and protesting outside council meetings, as in Fingal. The only way for the Right2Water campaign to succeed is to continue peaceful demonstrations and marches against the water charges and the company Irish Water. Activities other than peaceful demonstrations will have two negative consequences. Firstly, they will alienate the ordinary people who take part in these protests, many of whom are taking part in protests or demonstrations for the first time. The majority of people will not want to be associated with such actions. Secondly, the government will ignore the message from the protests on the basis that it's just the usual 'rent-crowd' stoking up trouble. The government will be delighted that these fringe groups are causing trouble, as it will deflect attention from the real issue. Already, the arrest of the Jobstown protesters, including Paul Murphy TD, has attracted a backlash over the arrests. There is no need for this to become the issue and people need to realise how important it is not to get sidetracked and to avoid creating a set of circumstances which could be exploited by the government to split the Right2Water campaign.


05/02/2014
"January was the worst month for emergency department overcrowding since the Government came to power, and the second-worst month ever, according to an analysis of trolley figures by The Irish Times.

http://tinyurl.com/kf83qlp

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30/01/2015
The 'recovery' in Ireland is well underway, according to the government. That is if you omit families being made homeless, a disaster of a health service and young people either emigrating or unemployed. If that's a recovery, then I wouldn't like to see a recession.

http://tinyurl.com/la8ud9r

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29/01/2015
I notice that Michael Noonan, having initially supported SYRIZA's call for a European Debt Conference, is now of the opinion that it's not a good idea. Obviously, his current opinion has been passed on to him from Berlin. Joan Burton also came out in support of this but has gone remarkably silent on the issue. The three main political parties, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour must be sweating while they wait to see what SYRIZA achieve. Why would the Finance Minister of Ireland not support an initiative that might help reduce Ireland's debt burden?

02/01/2015
The lack of funding for the health service in Ireland is having a horrendous effect. The latest situation is related to people on trolleys, waiting for a bed in hospital. Last week there was a record number of people on trolleys waiting for admission to hospital. There are beds available but they can't be used because of a shortage of staff. It's immoral for a government to be paying back bondholders who gambled on Irish banks, while the citizens of the country have a third-world health service.  It is hypocritical of Enda Kenny to go to Paris to support the demonstration against the attack on free  speech and the Charlie Hebdo murders, while the people in Ireland could be dying as a result of the neglect of the health service. Of course, all the politicians that attended that demonstration hijacked it for political purposes and the Irish Prime Minister is no different. How many of these leaders have imprisoned journalists or tried ( and often succeeded in )  preventing the publication of articles or other information that would damage them or their parties ? All the time these politicians preside over the continued suffering of their own people.

30/11/2014
The government are trying to take the sting out of the anti water tax protests by dishing out goodies. Apart from the changes in the Water Charges Plan, Enda Kenny is going to reduce the top rate of income tax below 50% if the government is re-elected. Now we're all familiar with Enda's promises so we can take that with the usual grain of salt, coupled with the fact that it's easy to offer something when you know there's no chance you'll be there to deliver it. Fine Gael has been badly damaged by all the controversies of the past number of months and it will take a miracle for them to form the next government, unless it's in coalition with their other partners in toxicity, Fianna Fáil. Not to be outdone, Joan Burton in her role as Minister for Social Protection, has announced this measure but there's not a hope this will save the Labour Party from being demolished in the next general election. I hope the anti water-charges protests planned for December 10th will bring hundreds of thousands onto the streets and let this government know they no longer have the support of the people.


21/11/2014
The Government's new plan for water charges exposes what the real agenda is in relation to this issue i.e. just another tax. There will be no need to conserve water now that there is to be a flat charge for water. Given that it's now an across- the- board tax,  it's obviously a regressive tax. This means that lower-paid people will pay a greater percentage of their income in water tax than people on higher incomes. It's all very well for the government to say that the charges are affordable and fair, when they are neither for many people struggling to survive.

The Taoiseach left the Dáil before the opposition replied to the new plan, which shows his attitude and ignorance towards the opposition in particular and the public in general. It would be hard to imagine any form of acceptance of Fianna Fáil currently but Enda Kenny is probably the best campaigner on their behalf for the past number of months. Since the Troika left Ireland, the government has shown itself incapable of running the country and has made a mess of many issues, e.g. medical cards, household tax and Garda whistleblower issue. There is also the emerging issue about senior politicians, including members of Fine Gael, being accused of tax evasion,  with accusations of the investigation being obstructed and the final report being 'buried'.

It is hard to say if the new water tax plan will quell the protests but one way or another, there is no way Fine Gael and Labour will form the next Government. Unfortunately, the Labour Party has lost all credibility and will be all but gone after the next general election in Ireland.


18/11/2014
I decided to begin this blog following the Irish Water debacle. The politicians in the main political parties, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour seem to think that affordability is the main reason for the opposition to water charges. It is one of the reasons but there are two other serious points.

 1. The insistence on giving PPS numbers when registering with Irish Water

 2. Linked to PPS numbers is the potential privatisation of Irish Water in the future.

I don't understand why Enda Kenny rejected a proposal to hold a referendum on the privatisation of Irish Water. He has stated that it will never be privatised but nobody believes politicians any longer and nobody trusts them to keep their promises.

My thoughts stray back to Denis O'Brien, lurking in the background. His company, ESAT,  was awarded a mobile phone licence when Fine Gael was in government and controversy and questions have surrounded this event since then. Moreover, Denis seems to have connections with Fine Gael, which may be helpful, taking the cronyism and 'golden circle' aura that seem to pervade politics and business in Ireland.

The Government is backing down but Irish Water will not be abolished nor will water charges (or the water tax, as most people consider see it) be abandoned.