The pillars of the state shaken by the anger of the people.. We truly live in interesting times. Never before have I witnessed such alienation by large swathes of the electorate with the institutions of the state. The anger is palpable matched only by a sense of hopelessness. People have endured terrible suffering and have been made to pay a price for the sins of the greedy. The unfairness of it all is taking its toll and is creating resistance on a scale never seen before. Picture the scene. Its 2002 and the Celtic Tiger is in full roar. The Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway races is booming. A mix of developers, policy makers, the so called great and the good mix it up with the customary exchange of brown envelopes. The elites and the wealthy are being wined and dined. And there is no such thing as a free dinner. The message was simple - keep the property bubble alive and keep the grubby hands of the state away from the activities of the property sector, the banks and the market. And for those outside the tent - be assured trickle down economics will see you get crumbs from the table. Jump forward to 2007. The Celtic tiger is beginning to whimper. The house of cards starts to come tumbling down. The unregulated property bubble is in meltdown. The banks are screwed. What follows is truly tragic for the state and its citizens. The banking regulator resigns as one bank after the other queue up for help. The grubby hands of the state are now their only friend. The banks must be saved at all costs. And they are. NAMA was set up for developers. The bank guarantee for the bondholders. Over €90billion of our money is given to the banks in the biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in Irish history. Followed by the arrival of the Trioka and seven years of cruel, harsh and morally unjust austerity. The very people who benefited least from the roar are made pay for the whimper of the tiger. In fact they are bled dry and cannot give anymore. So along comes this Government and their promise of change. But change quickly turns to more of the same. New stealth taxes and vicious cuts are not matched with tax increases for the rich and wealthy. This cannot be done we are told - they might leave the country. And the irony of 400,000 plus young people having left our shores is lost on those still protecting the elites. And the final insult. Along comes Irish Water and Big Phil Hogans plan to charge us for water twice. The Water Services bill is rushed through the Oireachtas. No need for scrutiny or accountability. €50m is spent by Irish Water on consultants. Bonuses provided for senior management. A gym built in its corporate headquarters for senior staff. Friends and supporters of Fine Gael appointed to the Board. Threats to turn down your water pressure if you cant afford to pay. You could not make it up. As I write my blood boils. So it is not hard to understand the mood of the people. Anger, resentment and alienation with the political system is at all time high. The pillars of the state are struggling to comprehend with whats happening. The right wing media are desperately trying to explain it away with column after column warning of the dangers of protest and the rise of Sinn Fein and left Independents. They just dont get it. And nor does the Government. Sinn Fein is not the problem and people know it. Its the rotten system which has shafted the working class and protected the elites. The Robin Hood in reverse economics is well and truly exposed. So rather than demonising protestors, attacking the real opposition and burying their heads in the sand - the Government need to not only listen but to feel the pain of the people. But is that possible from the comfort and safety of Leinster House? Interesting times indeed.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 22:21:33 +0000
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