Madam, – Your declamatory Editorial (November 18th) regarding the visit to Dublin of representatives from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, contains literary and historical allusions to all the struggles of the last 200 years, which are not as apt as might be assumed.
Probably neither the 1916 Rising nor the 1798 Rebellion would have taken place without the leaders being able to hold out some prospect of foreign military assistance (“gallant allies in Europe”, “the French are on the sea”). Indeed, Tone was captured off the Donegal coast wearing a French officer’s uniform. Both times, there was some speculation about the political price that might be exacted, a German prince, a French pro-consul.
“Was it for this the wild geese spread”, asked Yeats, the “wild geese” being those who served in continental armies with the hope of eventually and triumphantly recovering their lands and their freedom at home. In the final lines of the September 1913 poem, which are equally famous: “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone. It’s with O’Leary in the grave”, Yeats arguably misread the situation, only three years before the 1916 Rising, though its leaders shared his fears.
We have taken our place amongst the nations, entered new forms of co-operation, and shared sovereignty, such as in the European Union and the euro zone. While all of us are deeply concerned about the extremely difficult economic situation in which the country finds itself, we have to be pragmatic and practical in our nationalism and republicanism.
We are not and never could be an isolated republic, and in an interdependent world sovereignty and self-determination are relative not absolute concepts. As such, they have neither been nor will be abandoned. If we are to secure them, we are likely to have to battle for them politically in every generation. As you point out, self-determination was a crucial element in the achievement of a constitutional settlement in 1998, but it was not a term in use in the time of the United Irishmen.
As the present experience particularly highlights, we have as a society to adopt a discipline that may not come easily to any of us, if we are to thrive as a democratic nation state within both the European Union and the euro zone. Despite some understandable hesitations, we should welcome the interest, assistance and solidarity of our partners and of other international organisations we belong to, and be glad of the friends that we now have, few enough of which existed or were genuinely able to help those who struggled in earlier times. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I note with sadness the letter you published from Brendan Corrigan (November 19th), who makes a plea for the Irish diaspora in gainful employment to “lend a financial hand”, to our country of birth. Sadly, it is my duty to inform Mr Corrigan that many of the Irish in America are unable. Those of us who are employed are busy bailing out Wall Street and the banks over here. We are suffering under the idiocy of the Bush tax cuts, as our relatives at home are feeling the pain of Fianna Fáil’s massive mismanagement of the Irish economy.
Perhaps the only thing that the Diaspora can do is welcome and help orientate the large numbers of Irish men and women who will soon be forced to join us abroad. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – There are days when editorial content washes over one. Thursday was not one of them. The Editorial “Was it for this?” was a powerful reflection of how we the citizens of this great country feel at being traduced by the political pygmies that have delivered us to this shameful point. Naturally, the notion of shame will not feature in any of the warblings emanating from Cowen & Crew — it’s for history to deliver that judgment. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I heard an advert on the radio today for a recently nationalised Irish bank offering loans, but only to viable businesses. The copywriters must have had a laugh at that one. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The incredible events of the past few days have opened everyone’s eyes to the absolute depths to which our State has sunk. For the past few months, in press and online, there have been numerous discussions about the failings of our political system as an underlying cause of the current crisis facing our State. Several of these have aired the idea of re-establishing the state as a Second Republic.
I’d like to extend an invitation to your readers to form a sustained, serious and credible campaign for wide-ranging political reforms in Ireland. If any of your readers are interested in participating in this campaign, they should visit www.2nd-republic.ie. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – "The surgeon's knife has been put to the corruption in the body of Ireland and its course must not be stayed until the whole malignant growth has been removed." So thundered an Irish Timeseditorial which did not fear to speak of Easter Week. Not Thursday's Editorial asking if the men of 1916 died for the Ireland of bailouts, banksters, builders and buffoons, but the editorial which appeared in the paper immediately after the Rising, urging the execution of those same leaders of the Easter Rebellion.
Invoking the betrayal of the heroes of 1916, following regular features extolling the virtues of Ireland’s British military past and present – such as journals of British soldiers from Ireland posted from dusty lands like Afghanistan and others mocking our Defence Forces – makes it a little confusing keeping up with the changing Times! – Is mise,
A chara, – So will “regulated by the financial regulator” now change to “regulated by the IMF”? – Is mise,
Madam, – Patrick Henry Pearse, turning in his own grave, might quote from his own poem Mise Éire, translated into English; "Great my Shame: My own children that sold their mother." – Yours, etc,
Madam, – We are told, with regard to the economic crisis and all kinds of major cuts and tax increases, that everything is now on the table. Everything, it seems, except the billions-worth of gas and oil off our coasts — including the Corrib Field — the royalties for which were given away in successive Fianna Fáil deals.
Isn’t it time to put tens of billions of potential net worth back on the table? – Is mise,
Madam, – In light of current events, might I suggest a change to the lyrics of the traditional pre-match anthem at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, as follows: Come the French, and come the Germans/ Come the British and the Belgians/ They have come to witness Our Country's fall/ It's the end of the road for poor aul' Ireland.
Chorus: Ireland, Ireland/ Together we must crawl/ Shoulder to shoulder/ While Europe dooms us all. – Is mise,
A chara, – The fools, the fools – they have left us our people enslaved. Ireland unfree shall never be at peace. – Is mise,
Madam, – In these dark times in Ireland, we have become like rabbits petrified before the lights of an oncoming truck. Where has our creative spirit gone? Who says we cannot get out of this crisis using our own resources? Is there any situation in history that can provide us with inspiration? There is one.
In 1871 France signed the Treaty of Frankfurt after its rout by Prussian armies. The Germans imposed an indemnity of massive proportions on the French people – five billion gold French francs – to cover the costs of the war. The Germans were to occupy several provinces of the country until the money was paid. It was expected that the payment would take at least five years.
The French prime minister Adolphe Thiers decided to ask the French people themselves for a loan to pay off this indemnity and appealed to their national spirit. In the first year two billion francs were paid, one third more than was planned. The second loan that was launched immediately afterwards was oversubscribed about 14 times. France was completely freed in two years instead of five.
There are parallels for us. Our country has come through years of great prosperity. There is a still a lot of money out there; some estimates suggest about €100 billion. The country is under attack from “the markets” which have absolutely no interest in our welfare. We are facing years of “occupation” by our European partners unless we can get our finances right.
Yet we should be able with our own resources to get out of this mess. A loan from the Irish people themselves at home and abroad would surely be more attractive than what is being proposed, where only others benefit and we carry the pain.
The instrument for managing this type of loan should be straightforward to set up. There is already a National Treasury Management Agency in place, for example. We also have the experience of the government’s saving scheme of a number of years ago to guide us. The government at that time guaranteed to add 25 per cent extra interest to the savings of people who invested a certain minimum figure for five years.
Especially, we have a great tradition of self-help in this country – the meitheal that farming communities organise to help one another out for harvest and turf-cutting. A loan from our people to our own country, one that would be attractive to those who invest their savings in it, could also help to avoid some of the harshest elements of the cuts. We may even be able to avoid many of the cuts altogether.
We can get out of this mess through our own resources. Why don’t we? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Who is going to bail out the IMF when Fianna Fáil is finished with it? Yours, etc,
Madam, – A full 165 years ago, in 1845, John Miller in An Authentic Account of the South Sea Schemewrote "It has been very judiciously observed that a commercial country has more to dread from the golden baits of avarice, the airy hopes of projectors and the wild enthusiastic dreams of speculators than from any external dangers". Plus ça change. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Thankyou for printing such a range of letters on (November 18th). But has everyone forgotten our friend Bertie Ahern, man of the people, Celtic Tiger finance minister and taoiseach? He is as much responsible if not more so for the debacle that we are now in yet he retains all the perks of a retired taoiseach. Let us call Mr Ahern to answer for his role in the mess and let him lead by example and forsake the perks that he supposedly deserves. –Yours, etc,
A chara, – Brendan Corrigan (November 19th) suggests that we expatriates contribute a percentage of our annual income to Government coffers. By doing this, he says, we will have a “meaningful and powerful influence in shaping the direction of a revitalised republic”.
Unfortunately, as an Irish citizen living abroad, an expat cannot be listed on the register of electors, and therefore cannot vote. I find it hard to believe that I can have a powerful influence while my voice is silenced. It sounds like a scam to me. – Is mise,
Madam, — In the light of recent events, is it now time for that the National Consumer Agency’s financial advice website www.itsyourmoney.ie be amended to www.itstheirmoney.ie? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Thursday was a very black day for the people of Ireland, one that frightens me. I am a 25-year-old teacher and I have been left reeling in uncertainty about a lot of things. About the purpose of the sacrifice of so many for our freedom, about the meaning of being Irish, about the future of the country, about my future – is Ireland the place that I want to raise a family?
However what disturbs and frightens me most is the lack of action by the masses in this country, because through all the fear and uncertainty, there is one thing that I am sure of and that is that members of the present Government should be ousted from their position and the people should ensure they never set foot inside Dáil Éireann again, if they have any respect for the people who fought for this State, their communities, their children and themselves.
What happened on Thursday brings the urgency for the immediate removal of this Government to a new level. It is an issue for every man woman and child, whether pensioner, student, public sector worker or private sector worker, employed or unemployed.
Our nation is being run into the ground and I can’t sit back and just watch it and accept it any more, not after Thursday, which is why I am urging everybody in the country to rally together with one sole aim, to oust the present Government and give them a general election it will not recover from, as we have been fed one lie too many.
This goes beyond the public-private sector debates, it goes beyond simply turning up with your unions. There needs to be a peaceful show of unity from all classes and denominations to say that enough is enough. If we can fill Croke Park with over 80,000 people for an all-Ireland final, surely we can muster up a similar figure for one day for the sake of our nation, for our own pride in the wider world, to show that the people who fought for our nation did not die in vain, for our children and a brighter future.
I propose a one-day peaceful demonstration outside Government Buildings soon, for the reasons I have outlined above. This will be an opportunity for us to see the biggest show of unity this State has ever seen.
If Ireland is to be rebuilt it, should be done without the incompetent Government we presently have. Let’s get back our pride, let’s do this for Ireland as it needs us now more than ever.
If people are interested in helping to achieve this please email me at saveirelandnow@gmail.com. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Some brief questions if I might. 1. Is there anything on the statute books to allow for the indictment of our previous three ministers for finance (treason perhaps?). 2. How embarrassing must it be to approach “the Germans” with a begging bowl, while one and one’s officials are paid twice as much as said “Germans”? 3. Can we force Michael O’ Leary into public office? 4. Can we have a revolution now? 5. Is it just a coincidence that the countries at most risk of collapse are Catholic? (questions submitted by a Catholic incidentally). – Yours, etc,
Madam,- In keeping with recent events and to ensure relevancy, I would suggest this newspaper be rebranded The IMF Times, – Yours, etc,
Madam, – We need the budget to be passed. We need a new government. Would it not make sense that all parties agree to support the budget on the agreement that a general election is called immediately after? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I never voted for Fianna Fáil in my life. I always looked upon them as a party devoid of vision, doing only what they perceived their voters wanted. However, I am informed enough to know that they were only one of a number of players who were responsible for the mess we are in.
Watching the debacle of our finances unfold, one has to have a sneaking regard for Brian Lenihan. With what he knew at the time, I believe he made the correct decision in guaranteeing the banks. I happened to be in Argentina when their system collapsed and it was a terrible time. If there is one person I should like to see manage us out of the crisis it is Brian Lenihan.
I do not want a general election. I do not want political instability at this time. I do not want a new team to come in and waste precious time trying to understand and reorganise. Let’s get on with it. And if Fianna Fáil stands fast to manage us out of this, then I may very well, for the first time, vote for them. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Expressions of, anger, resignation, disgust, shame and deep depression will achieve nothing in the present crisis. We must take positive action and do something. We do not have a real government at present, so we are in a state of virtual anarchy, and every extra day of such anarchy is causing further damage, that will have to be paid for by our grandchildren. Our sham government is driving the country towards the edge of cliff, so we the people need to stop the country and turn it around. The self-serving Fianna Fáil and Green hypocrites will not resign but will continue to the last possible day to maximise their ministerial and TD paycheques and pensions.
We need a national strike now to force a general election, before Christmas, and before any deal with the ECB/IMF is agreed. Any deals or national budgets brought in by the present regime will have no mandate from the people of Ireland. This national strike must be all-encompassing, and include public and private sectors, the young, the old, the gardaí and the Defence Forces. Enough is enough, we need to re-establish our republic and take back our country.
We must do this now to restore the honour and self-respect of the Irish people, otherwise we will deserve the shame that has been forced upon us. We must do this peacefully but with firm determination, otherwise many people will be destitute and many will die because of lack of adequate medical care and essential support services. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – At last some spontaneous, passionate anger and outrage directed at our Government. And it came from a Rabbitte. Well done Pat. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The nation started the week with reports of the “e-cofin” meetings in Brussels and is ending it “with O’Leary in the grave”. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – We used to be worried about Haughey’s shirts, now we are worried about losing our own . . . is this what you call progress? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Terminal 2 today for Brian Cowen. Termination tomorrow for Fianna Fáil. –Yours, etc,
Madam, – I wish to say thankyou to Patrick Honohan. You are an independent governor. You have the courage of your convictions. You may not get every decision right, but if you continue to show you are your own man you will do more for us citizens than anyone else I can think of. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Fianna Fáil has a great history of leaving poisoned cups for their political foes. What better than accepting the IMF/EU bailout, calling a general election in the new year, leaving their political opponents to carry out the austerities of their IMF masters and sweeping to victory with fresh new faces in 2016. Power at any cost! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The revolutionaries of 1916 must be revolving in their graves at a fair speed considering the heir to the Osborne baronetcy of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon is thinking of bailing out the Irish Republic with Bank of England notes. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I believe that Niall McArdle’s letter (November 19th) referring to our Taoiseach as Brian Canute was intended as opprobrium. But I’m afraid he is mistaken in history.
King Canute was, in fact, an extremely wise monarch and contrary to popular myth did not drown whilst trying to stem the tide. He was demonstrating to his court his lack of divinity and evinced his humanity by showing that he could not prevent the incoming tide. He lived on and ruled wisely for many years thereafter. I am sure Mr Cowen would be delighted at such a suitable comparison.– Yours, etc,
Madam, – It seems the Government is within days of agreeing an EU/IMF bailout.
It appears the reason we require this is due to the burden on the exchequer of our bank bailout. Furthermore it appears that any EU/IMF bailout will be used at least in part to make the banking sector “viable and sustainable”, to quote Commissioner Rehn, and as the EU has ruled out direct support for our banks, it would imply that the Government will itself once again recapitalise the banks using proceeds from the bailout.
Can the solution to possible Government insolvency caused by our bank bailout really be yet more Government borrowing to support an even greater bank bailout? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The first act of a new government must be to pass a Bill excluding from current and future public office all persons who were members of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat cabinet in the 2003-2007 period. Before he became governor of the Central Bank, Prof Patrick Honohan in the Economic and Social Review(Summer, 2009) said the "Irish banking system had been, in effect, on a life-support system since September 2008". Complacency resulted in the banks fuelling the late stage of an obvious construction bubble with massive foreign borrowing, leaving them exposed to solvency and liquidity risks which in past times would have been inconceivable.
At the end of 2003, net indebtedness of Irish banks to the rest of the world was just 10 per cent of GDP. By early 2008 that had jumped to over 60 per cent. The Bill should also provide for similar exclusion of all those members who sat on the board of directors of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland over the same period. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The present economic problems in Ireland have to be seen in a wider context. The euro zone is a monetary union without political unity which means that instability is built into it. Each country has its own history and culture and is responsible for its own taxation. Pensions and welfare arrangements vary from country to country yet the EU tries to impose budgetary constraints on member countries which causes instability. The widening of the union to include Eastern European countries with lower levels of economic development will only increase the strains. The core states like France and Germany benefit from the widening of their markets but baulk at helping out their neighbours when they fail to meet their budgetary requirements.
Ireland’s particular problems can be traced to its enthusiastic embrace of the Anglo-Saxon model of finance capital which puts too much emphasis on banking and finance as engines of economic growth. The housing bubble was a consequence but it should not be forgotten that the origins of this bubble was the American sub-prime market.
However, the Irish politicians have to accept their responsibility for their decision to try to appease the markets by making savage cuts in public spending. Whatever deal is done with the IMF and the EU the money should not be given to the banks but invested in capital projects to boost employment and tax revenues. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Not for them the sleek Mercedes with tinted windows. No, our IMF visitors walked to work at the Central Bank and carried their own bags. I hope that this is the first of many lessons in restoring a sense of proportion to our beloved country. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Your Editorial (“Was it for this?” (November 18th) regrettably appeals to a jingoistic claptrap we can do well without. Wars, and insurrections are not fun days at the fair, and should only be entered into as a last resort. The 1916 Rising did not meet this criterion.
The event was a mix of stupidity, fanaticism, and tragedy, which arguably put the country on the course that ultimately lead to the pass we are at now.
In the end the idealists were dumped and the power elites – as Diarmaid Ferriter has argued – took over and handed social and moral policy to an avaricious and oppressive Roman Catholic Church. There is no evidence that it would have been any different if all of the 1916 signatories had lived.
A country founded on such a flawed, and undemocratic ideology as Fenianism is bound to falter and collapse from the weight of its own corruption and essential problem with real democracy,including inherent contradictions regarding which comes first, the country or individual political advancement.
We should not really be that surprised at our national implosion. What we need is a new republic inspired by one of our most misrepresented patriots, Theobald Wolfe Tone – not Patrick Pearse, nor James Connolly.
For all his well-intentioned, but misguided actions, Connolly destroyed the prospect of progressive politics in Ireland by aligning himself with the far nationalist right. A point made by John Newsinger in his book Rebel City. The problem with Irish history – especially when it comes to 1916 – is that we often get a populist romantic myopic perspective on it, rather than an objective one. This serves no purpose other than to obfuscate our past and render us intellectually impotent. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Does the arrival of the IMF mean the bust is getting buster? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Now that we have the IMF, the ECB and the EU Commission in town to sort out our future, can we be excused from having to either watch or listen to the failed politicians, economists and bankers? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Despite good intentions and large loans, the ECB and IMF will find themselves unable to fix our problems. The inflexible euro won’t adapt to meet our country’s fiscal needs. Our untenable situation has a valid solution. We must leave the euro and devalue to restore competitiveness.
Then we can address the issue of the money we owe. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – How happy are the markets and the ECB and our euro-zone colleagues now that the IMF has finally landed in Ireland? Why they’re on the PIIGS back, of course. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Since I first voted in 1956 I have been Fianna Fáil committed. However, with Brian Cowen being incapable of the exercise of leadership or responsibility and with him treating our people as immature idiots, never again will I vote for Fianna Fáil as long as he remains a public representative. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – With regard to our sovereignty, please do not say “we” have squandered it. “We” did not. “They” did. Let us not lapse in to too easy cliches. Let responsibility rest where it truly lies. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Why all the fuss on loss of sovereignty? We had already lost it.
A definition of a sovereign government is a “government free from external control”.
Our Government has had, to name but one project, to build a ring road around Castleisland, Co Kerry in order to pass a budget in the current recession. Now it looks like it will have to run a similar ring road around Tralee, plus assist in enabling legislation to allow a casino operate in Tipperary in order to get another budget passed. Difficult to spin that as a sovereign government. At least with the EU/IMF we will get some realism back. We may not like it, but the alternative is worse. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I am Irish-born and have lived in the UK for 20 years, yet I am thoroughly proud to be Irish.
I am deeply saddened to the point where I really wish to make a very public appeal.What on earth is happening to the country that I love? I left Ireland during the 1980s recession and always planned to return, but looking at its current status will have to yet again wait.
I hope I am not alone in thinking that there must be enough Irish across the world like myself who would be willing to put their hands in their pockets and donate to a rescue fund for the country before it is completely in debt to the rest of the world.
Even if all Irish descendents donated a minimum of £100, surely that would eradicate the debt? Is it really not possible for people who have made millions across the world to donate at an appropriate level?
Others may resent bailing out the banks – I would just like my country to be owned by the Irish and keep its respect on the world stage. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – There remain only three things left for this discredited and increasingly irrelevant Government to do. 1. Go. 2. Go now. 3. Go without their pensions. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The poet Louis MacNeice was not far off the mark about Ireland's current state when he wrote about the country in 1939 in Autumn Journal: "A cart that is drawn by somebody else's horse And carrying goods to somebody else's market." – Yours, etc,
Madam, – When is a bailout not a bailout? The Government has been accused of lying around this issue. However, if members actually believe what they are saying, it is more likely that they are less guilty of doubletalk than doublethink, as described by George Orwell in 1984; the phenomenon of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them . It is not that they tell lies, nor that they can’t tell the truth, it is that they can no longer tell the difference. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I feel like I am in the middle of a a fairy tale, the IMF and the European Central Bank are wandering around like wolves, while we the public are shouting, watch out behind you. The Government is like the first little pig with the house of straw rubbing its eyes sleepily saying “The IMF called here, but he said he is only looking around and he promised he’s not going to blow our house down.”
Children would not believe that load of old tosh excuse. The wolves will huff and they will puff, and unfortunately we know the rest of the story. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – In addition to scrutinising our banks, let us hope that the visiting IMF/EU team prioritises an impartial bench-marking exercise to compare the public service size, pay levels and pension entitlements with other EU countries. Our elected politicians should not be exempt from this exercise. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Can anyone explain to me the difference between a digout and a bailout? Is it the case that if there are sufficiently many digouts, they must be followed by a bailout? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Where is Paddy the Plasterer when we need a proper digout, ie, one with no strings attached? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The aid-package currently being negotiated for Ireland is being dubbed in Brussels as the “Oliver Cromwell package”. This may be someone’s idea of a joke, but it only adds to the international humiliation of Ireland.
As others have rightly written on these pages, Ireland fought long and hard for its soverignty and to lose it (or at least aspects of it) because of the flawed and self-interested decisions of our political leaders is simply unpatriotic. The members of the Government who ran our affairs in the period leading up to 2007, whose decisions fuelled an already inflated property bubble, are directly responsible for this situation.
These people, one of whom is now our Taoiseach, played fast and loose with our freedom. If they have any respect for the Irish nation and its long struggle for independence they should resign from public office at the earliest opportunity (immediately after the budget is approved). – Yours, etc,.
Madam, – In considering the damage done by Fianna Fáil, it seems appropriate and yet ironic to recall the words of another well-known republican when dismissing the rump parliament: “You have sat here too long for any good you have been doing lately. Depart, I say, and let us be done with you. In the name of God, go!” – Oliver Cromwell, 1653. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Now at last we know. The EU/IMF will be running the country for the next four to five years (probably even longer). Now is the time to look at our totally ineffective and corrupt political system. As The EU/IMF alone will formulate budgets over this period there is now no need for the impending general election or indeed the Donegal byelection.Simply close the place down and at least save some money that way.While the lads of 1916-1920 did their best in the circumstances, Dáil Éireann in its current form has now reached the law of diminishing returns. We will now have three to four years to be ready to govern when the IMF gives us back the keys.
The overwhelming number of the 166 TDs that are only interested in looking after local issues rather than governing the country are a national disgrace. Our political system has completely failed us and now is surely the time for change. It only needs 20 or so economists or like-minded people to show the kind of leadership that has been lacking since the days of Lemass and thus govern the country in a proper manner.
Greater Manchester with a population larger than Ireland has only eight MPs in parliament.Surely this tells us that Dáil Éireann is overpopulated. Let the current crop of clowns in the Dáil sit on local councils or whatever even though most of them are underqualified for those positions.Let’s just get them out of there.
It would seem that when my two sons, aged 11 and 12, come through the education system (or what will be left of it) the only thing they will be able to look forward to in Ireland is their holidays here. Thanks again Fianna Fáil. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The rousing Editorial (November 18th) evoked the 1916 rebels under the headline "Was it for this". It's probably irrelevant that the poem quoted in the headline was September 1913by Mr Yeats and, as such, obviously predates the Easter Rising.
Evoking the Flight of the Earls, Yeats asks: “Was it for this the wild geese spread The grey wing on every tide”. Given the state of our economy we can probably assume that plenty more wild geese will be spreading their wings from the gleaming new Terminal 2 at Dublin airport. One might almost think it had been built for just such a purpose. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Vincent Browne in his column (Opinion, November 17th) refers to “the crowd who ravished our fiscal arrangements”. “The crowd” according to Mr Browne is of course the Government. What nonsense! “The crowd who ravished our economy” is all of us.
The general public stood silently by, the labour unions pushed for higher wages and welcomed the construction of homes and offices that resulted in high paying jobs, the politicians of all political parties supported overtly or covertly the financial policies of the time, individual home-buyers bought homes far in excess of their individual earnings. The mass media kept reporting on the “good times” we were experiencing. The entire nation said “Give me more and to hell with our children’s future”. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Given the depth of the crisis, some of the focus has been on what assets could be sold or could be of future use. Therefore I would seek some proof (evidence required, as assurances no longer credible enough) that the one significant asset which remains relatively untapped – our natural resources either onshore or offshore – have not been sold off or licensed for a song?
A recent report on this suggested there was significant value to accrue to the State in the event of major discoveries. However, what was not covered was the percentage of the value that accrued or, more importantly, what percentage of value could be given away.
As I cannot think of any other sources of future wealth which could be sufficiently material to save the economy,
I think it is vital that the nation has confirmed to it: 1. The split of value between the State and others for existing deals. 2. The commitment to review these if they have been sold off for a song. 3. The commitment that it won’t trade off some value here as part of any EU negotiations and 4. The commitment to establish a body akin to that in Norway which would seek to utilise such value for the long-term benefit of the citizens.
The last point may unfortunately require some funds being used to repay the EU or whoever for the cost of the bank bailout, but I suspect that our natural resources may be our last chance saloon in the same way that the introduction of the 10 per cent tax rate was the last throw of the dice in the 1980s.
Could these resources be the one possible chink of light on the horizon in a world hungry for energy? Some positive news of that nature would be welcome in these dark days. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – In recent weeks I have heard and read several politicians, economists and commentators saying “we need to get back to where we were at the beginning of the decade” – which was 11 months ago. I don’t know what concerns me most, their limited ambition or the fact they can’t count from zero to 10. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Paul Krugman in The Irish Timesin January 2009 highlighted the basic and fundamental flaw in the euro currency concept that, coupled with our own political incompetence, has pushed Ireland into the arms of the IMF.
The idea that all European countries can have simultaneously performing economies under one straight-jacket interest rate and exchange rate mechanism comes from the Alice in Wonderlandschool of economics.
A two-tier and twin-currency euro model is what is required. The Irish electorate will sort out its own political incompetents. It is up to the European leaders to sort out this fundamental flaw.
In light of this euro straightjacket which enforced artificially low interest rates on Ireland’s boom for the benefit of France and Germany, adding fuel to our already overheating economy, it is only fair that Ireland receives a partial bailout from Europe at this time.
If none is forthcoming and the biased flaw against weaker countries not removed, the Irish taxpayer should resurrect the punt and give the proverbial two fingers to the European currency. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I want to issue an open invitation to my fellow taxpayers and citizens of Ireland to express our deep unhappiness and distrust in a positive manner, towards our collective political parties in their handling of our current economic circumstances.
With a harsh budget on the way, the normal reaction would be to have another meaningless national day of striking as a sign of protest. I propose that we do the opposite and everybody work an extra day in the name of this great country of ours and to protect our future economy.
Saturday January 22nd, 2011 will become “Work Free for a Day” Day. The unemployed, the sick, the retired, the stay-at-home carers must also be heard and I suggest that they should all volunteer with a charity of their choice for the day.
I implore the trade unionists and the employers to go against their natural instinct and not exploit this day of positive action for their own respective political and financial gain.
Apart from the obvious economic benefit to this country, this positive protest will show the world that we too are unhappy with our Government and we want to do something about it, while also highlighting to this Government that they may hold authority but we, the people of Ireland, still hold the power.
For those who support this initiative please e-mail me workfreeforaday@gmail.com with “I want to save my country” in the subject line.
For those who want to continue the misery, continue doing nothing. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – While I am angry at the Government, bankers and developers who have plunged the country into its current state of rot, I am even angrier at those hypocrites who refuse to take responsibility for their contribution to the crisis.
I refer to those who elected the Fianna Fáil government, in its various incarnations, to those who bought opulent SUVs on credit and those who invested their wealth in expensive, status-symbol rubbish.
The nation elected this Government – repeatedly. Very few protested its fiscal policies throughout the boom and many in the country became greedy and squandered their short-lived wealth. The Government, although repugnant, is merely representative of us, the Irish people.
There is no question but that there should be a general election, and perhaps those bankers and developers should be prosecuted. However, the rest of the country must take responsibility for their own actions and get on with the painful years ahead. We must get over our anger and, more importantly, learn from our mistakes. – Is mise,
Madam, – Why in the midst of all this economic and political turmoil can we, the Irish people, only scream, shout and point the finger of blame at one another? Now that we have reached the stage of utmost shame and lowness, can we not simply stand together? We have a history of resilience and strength. Surely if we stop squabbling, and look to solving the problems we face, we may not lose all dignity as a people. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The primary duty of the Government is to protect the nation, and in this they have clearly failed. While the outpouring of anger over the past few days is understandable, it does nothing to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes. We elected these incompetent people based on their family history, their attendance at local funerals and their ability to pull the odd stroke of cronyism. It’s hardly surprising that they are unable to manage a country properly.
What we need now is a move to a new electoral system, based on national lists and no more than 80 TDs. Unfortunately, this would require a change in the Constitution, which can only happen if the Dáil passes a bill proposing it. Given the upcoming byelections and inevitable general election, it is time to vote for candidates of any party, or none, who solemnly swear to make their top priority the reduction of the number of TDs by at least 50 per cent. It would almost guarantee their election. It’s time to force the turkeys to vote for Christmas. – Yours, etc,