Is the Celtic Tiger nearing its end

dublin | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Thursday March 02, 2006 23:08

by jim travers

Prepare for the crash

Has the Celtic Tiger finally reached its end and are we looking out for the signs of decline.

Is the Celtic Tiger Nearing its End

It was 1972 and the country was hanging on a thin thread of economic collapse and the total failure of a state emerging from the uncertainties of independence, two world wars and a country striving to have its roots securely placed within the global society. Trade unions controlled the recruitment of those who strived to secure apprenticeships in the many trades and placed as many obstacles as possible in front of those who did not come from the traditional blood stock of those already employed within the industries under their control. ANCO the new training authority gave hope to all those young trade seekers who wanted to secure a trade but had nobody within the trades to drag them in. Work was there if you could get into it, while the old reliable jobs in the automobile and general operative industries provided the hope of long term jobs and financial security for all those who were lucky to get their feet inside the gates of the companies that were in full thrust. The Brittain Group in Portabello, Rathmines provide hundreds of jobs in the automotive assembly industry while companies like Hickeys Fabrics in Inchicore, Irish Printers and Players Wills on the South Circular Road, opened their gates to white and blue collar workers. CIE was always looking for staff, while Iarnrod Eireann was operating like a fisherman guaranteed of catching a fish once he cast his line. Politicians and the clergy played their active parts as those in the know and to who you must pander too in order to secure a character reference so that the employer seen favour in your application. That representation did not come cheap as politicians sought their famous brown envelope donation and the clergy scrutinised your church attendance records like the Gestapo interviewing you under bright lights.

1973 seen Ireland change from a country very slowly moving out of economic disaster to a country sliding down a hill at full speed. The visible sign of recession was beginning to show with increasing numbers of for sale, or to let, signs springing up all around the city. A plan that would give the masses long term hope while at the same time hide the real facts of mass unemployment needed to be conceived so that the political system appeared to be working and the slide to extreme left ideologies by the masses was contained in the efforts of the accepted and elected political party system to resolve the problems. Enter the belief in the need to train up people for better times ahead. All those who signed up to this new training drive trained and trained and trained and found themselves securing more employment interviews but no jobs. ANCO was in full swing but needed to be upgraded to accommodate this new found industrial training business which gave people an imaginary job called training while diverting the unemployment payment to a newly designed training allowance and therefore another figure less on the unemployment register. Thousands of people trained and trained and trained, became knowledgeable in the field they chose but could not practice the new found skill due to lack of employment experience. Homes up and down the country had families and the next generation of families in this training frenzy but with little or no hope of securing the prospect of permanent employment. An add-on to a training scheme was needed and this emerged under the guise of a Community Employment scheme.

Employers and especially the clergy flocked to sign up to a scheme where they could secure cheap labour, have no need to guarantee any job security and could work the masses till blood flowed into the drains. The state paid the menial training allowance while the worker worked his or her arse off in hope that the employer would find favour in their efforts and give them a permanent job. Employers with the help of the political system exploited the abundance of free labour while at the same time dashing the hopes and aspiration of those who struggled to improve their living conditions. The clergy for their part had now no need to employ gardeners, general workers or trade workers because of the free pool of labour handed to them in the form of a Community Employment scheme. They exploited this free labour pool to its maximum and treated those under its control no better than slaves. The threat of receiving a very, very bad work reference was always dangled like a carrot to a donkey.

Ireland was training-up and gearing itself for the birth of a Celtic Tiger that was allegedly brought about by the emergence of Intel and the establishment of the Financial Service Centre. What kicked off Ireland’s economic prosperity was the willingness of government to provide big business with massive tax breaks combined with a workforce desperate to secure permanent employment at any cost. The British and American governments rolled in behind this new push by Ireland to become and to be seen, as a new emerging and prosperous economy. Northern Ireland was a noose around the neck of the British establishment. Britain had to continue its support to a state that boasted its loyal Ulster allegiance to the crown but in reality was alienating itself by its loyalist political intransigence to power sharing and economic co-operation with the Republic of Ireland. Resistance to a British and American solution to the Irish problem was becoming more anti-British by those who proudly flew the Union jack over Stormount Castle. A vibrant and progressive Republic would eventually draw loyal Ulster people south for work, therefore providing them with first hand experience of the open and welcoming southern society which was contrary to what their political leaders had been saying and preaching to them since the foundation of the Northern state. Britain was on a winner, a way to rid itself of the northern problem by allowing the cake to bake in the oven of those who opposed British rule for so long. The Celtic Tiger was constructed and executed so that a two-bit trumped up Republic that resembled a society from the dark ages, could progress and develop into an economy attractive to all who looked at its birth and rapid development.

The Slide back to Recession

Ireland was on a high, politicians were spending money as if there was no tomorrow. The Celtic Tiger gave every man and woman in the state the new found ability to borrow and borrow and borrow until they could borrow no more. The old days of the pawn shop was replaced by a flexible friend who could provide you with all your needs at a price.
IIIIIII change my carrrrrrrrr every two years. Oh do you. OH yes my husband and I dine every week in the Berkleyyyyyyyyy Court Hotel, What does your husband do for a living? Oh my husband has just opened up his own paperrrrrrr trashing compannnnnnny and business is booming. Is must be difficult getting the finance to get the business up and running. Oh no my husband is a friend of our bannnnnnnnnk manager(credit union) and he had no problem providing the funds.

People sought to have all the things they would have only dreamed about when our economy was in the dark old days. Instead of taking a high speed ferry to England we may be still queuing up to board the cattle ships, reluctantly accepting the demeaning treatment handed out to us by our now friendly Ireland loving British neighbours. Ireland was booming, growing, seeking well educated and skilled people from abroad to quell the rising tide of job vacancies (where the hell has AnCo or FAS been all these years) that overtook the car for sale advertisements in the national newspapers. We needed more people, and we needed to build accommodation for them, so we needed and got a booming construction industry that in itself contributed to the Tiger getting stronger. The construction industry built and built and built. It built modern replicas of the slums that condemned Irish citizens to poverty in Dublin so many years ago and it built these replicas all over the country and then enhanced those replicas by the lack of amenities and services for the people it wished to implant in this concrete future slum jungle. Demand for housing caused higher costs to build housing and higher costs to purchase land for building houses, which in turn caused higher prices again.

At the same time politicians were looking for as many ways possible to spend tax-payers money, therefore indirectly enhancing their own financial gains through corruption, salary increases, perks and brown envelope payments from big business. Funny, nearly every politician starts a consultancy business when he or she eventually leaves political life.WHY? It’s payback time. Its payback time where a hammer that costs 15 Euro can now be invoiced to a corporate business for 2500 Euro and that does not include VAT.
Its payback time where personal donations that would otherwise have been given openly but for the electoral donations regulations, had to be postponed until the game was over.

We now find a government and state in serious financial crisis because its spending is going through the roof, the savings and investments that should have been planned by an elected government on behalf of the people is now wasted and squandered on ill-taught out and planned projects. We allowed thousands of people into the state, provided them with accommodation, medical care and welfare payments that financially burdened every aspect of the Irish welfare and social services system, that will have serious reprocussions in the ability of the state to provide its own people, citizen and taxpayer with a proper comprehensive system befitting of a country at the height of an economic boom.

We now have a situation where central government funding is being increased through more and more direct taxing of goods and services while local government is hampered by central governments desire that local government should increasingly secure funding through services charges and other methods of revenue generation. What we have is a two-tier, twin system that is taxing both people and the economic future of the country out of existence, The Celtic Tiger will cease to exist if people from all social classes find themselves hampered and excluded in being part of any future economic growth. The willingness of multinational companies to remain in Ireland thereby allowing people to spend their money within the Irish economy and generate further job opportunities is now governed by the tax incentives other countries are willing to offer and the total cost of labour in that country. Former eastern block countries now have the advantage of having their location in the heart of Europe thereby servicing the vast European market by road and rail. They have low labour costs and a vast pool of young and educated people eager for work and financial prosperity. Rings a bell, does it? Oh yes Ireland had young and eager people, educated, green (don’t forget the green grass we sold to the Americans for so long) and the friendliest in the world that attracted so many companies to Ireland.

The day countries from the former eastern block became part of the European Union was the day Ireland’s economic boom was destined to falter and decline. Politicians continuously express words of sorrow and regret when a company decides to call it a day in Ireland but these displays of concern are hidden by their quiet acceptance that Ireland is on the slope downwards. They are worried and concerned by the slow decline in the economy and the EU insistence that we now become both self sustaining and increased contributors to the emerging development of the new EU states. They have spent and squandered money as well as opened our doors to anyone who wanted to come to Ireland with the result that we now have a country that is incapable of looking after its own people’s interests.

The economy is contracting with the visible first stage signs of major companies moving their location from locations around the country to other countries in Europe. Counties all around the country have reported companies reducing staff or production and sometimes both. This process eventually ends up with companies moving out of Ireland to greener pastures offered by the emerging European countries. Stage two is seen by medium size companies experiencing difficulties as their source of revenue shifts its source of low cost production to the newly booming economic eastern countries. This can be seen every day of the week as traditional Irish based companies begin to make the move out. Jacobs biscuit factory in Dublin, Tayto, Cadburys, Fruit of the Loom, General Motors and all the other companies that have moved their operations to other countries while maintaining just an office presence in Ireland so that their product interests are maintained within the country.

Politicians have acted like an irresponsible housewife withdrawing the last 20 Euro out of the family account thereby leaving nothing for a rainy day. The housewife can be fully forgiven as she is forced to survive on what the state has left her to spend on living essentials but politicians have totally mismanaged, badly planned or envisaged a day when our economy would be in decline and we needed to manage our economy with care before that day came. During the economic boom politicians secured their guaranteed salaries and future security for the eventuality of a massive economic recession. So while you and are once again being told to tighten our belts by corrupt politicians, spare a thought for all those people during the last economic recession who struggled and scrimped to survive while our politicians of the day lavished themselves in the benefits of corrupt practices at the expense of the people. It still goes on to this day. When you pay your bin taxes or receive a bill from a hospital, a fine for speeding or a parking ticket, just remember that its all part of the governments way of squeezing more out of its own citizens because it mismanaged the benefits of a booming economy for the benefit of a small few within our society. We are now being asked and told to pay for mistakes that loyal party supporters and sections of the general public seem to find agreement in a state that constantly asks for more. When your daughter or son cannot find work or are unable to secure their own accommodation, just remember its too late complaining, you have already contributed by your support to a state that has conspired to bring about your families downfall. When the Garda with a speed camera stands on a road that is capable of handling speeds of 120KPh but the signs say 80KPh, just remember the state is extracting from you revenue that is secured through deceipt and that therefore is EXTORTION. Spare a thought for the Garda who is asked to stand and enforce a law that was concocted out of a state need to secure financial gain rather than a priority for road safety and to which the Garda knows is wrong. There are numberious locations around this country where the speed limits set for those roads are totally inconsistent with the speeds set on similar or minor roads. For example side roads showing 80KPH while the main road ajoining that road is set at 60KPH.

Ireland is sliding downhill, if your have faith in your political representatives then you have no need to worry. If you judge them on their past records then you will know that deceit, corruption and blatant mismanagement has been part and parcel of Irish political life and now you need to worry.

When Dell decides to either reduce operations or leave Ireland, do not hold your breath because Intel will be very quickly hot on its trail with great speed. And when the major multinationals decide its time to go then why not show this comment and opinion to your local political representative and say that a small, unimportant but concerned individual seen the writing on the wall long before the elected representatives of this country were willingly prepared to inform the people.

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Comments (14 of 14)

Excellent article

by Dinny Fahey

Fri Mar 03, 2006 01:10

Evidence of how the current system is about to go "POP"!

snap crackle n pop

by jim

Fri Mar 03, 2006 18:15

Thinking only a few years ahead instead of a few decades (as well) can only have one logical outcome…(mmm?). We are ruled and managed by the short term visions of C.E.O type profit worshiping suckers.

Celtic Tiger

by John - dunaree2000

Fri Mar 03, 2006 21:06

You're talking bullshit. The economy isn't contracting, as you claim, its growing by 6 per cent per annum. Since 2000 manufacturing output has increased by 28 per cent, not as good as in the late 1990s, but comparing very favourably with other EU countries - the increase in manufacturing output in the EU as a whole since 2000 is about 4 per cent. There is always a small loss of jobs from the least profitable sectors of the economy. Even at the height if the boom in the late 90s, Seagate in Clonmel closed with a loss of 1000 jobs, as did Motorola and Packard in Tallaght. None of these heralded disaster. Instead, the job losses were swamped by job gains in the most profitable sectors. That's how capitalism works and why its so efficient. Last year there were 20,000 redundancies in Ireland, but over 110,000 new jobs created, giving a net gain in employment of 90,000. No other country in Europe comes close to matching that figure. The government isn't in financial crisis, as you claim, its enjoying a huge surplus. Figures out only this afternoon show this surplus is going through the roof as economic growth soars. There will consequently be large tax cuts in December. No organisation involved in economic forecasting supports your ludicrous predictions, not the OECD, not the EU, not ESRI, not the Central Bank. There is nothing new in leftists predicting the imminent demise of the Celtic Tiger. They've been saying it for 10 years. Its what gives them a reason to live in what, with the triumph of capitalism, are very dark days for Irish leftists.

Bollox

by parishpump - none

Sat Mar 04, 2006 13:53

This is a load of claptrap.The job losses in this country have been in the low skilled Manufacturing sector.It is an inevitable consequence of a dynamic economy that is successful.There is a huge Government surplus.This is modern economics and so far it is been sustained.Of course it cannot be garaunteed but that is the way it is.It would not be any different if we were all working in indigenous industries.If this is indymedia it is no different to the shite spewed forth by the Indo every day of the week.If the economy does go belly up there is so will immigration.Factors such as interests rates are largely ouside forces.The economy is in a good position to weather it.

The only truthful thing in the article was the comments about unions protecting their own cronies.This is still the case and the real threat to the economy.The erosion of there influence has been the best thing that ever happened.The Nordic social systyms is the way to go is their Mantra.Yet in these economies they are reliant on low skilled immigration.The real race to the bottom.

David McWilliams writes....

by redjade

Sat Mar 04, 2006 17:26

'Fast forward to today and similar global rebalancing is occurring. Low-skilled industrial/service workers today are the 21st century equivalent of the 19th centuries’ peasant labourers. These jobs have no future in high cost, high-income countries like Ireland. To make matter worse, unlike our ancestors, for today’s displaced low-skilled workers there is nowhere to emigrate to – even if they wanted to.

Equally, there is not much incentive to emigrate, the welfare state sees to that. However, Chinese and others are going to continue to come here so demographic competition will sharpen. Thus, the second squeeze on the underclass comes from immigration. The history of immigration is the history of social fluidity and of winners and losers. Again the history of the Irish in American is instructive in this regard. Whenever there is net immigration, competition for jobs increases dramatically as the immigrants do whatever it takes to get by. The experience of black manual workers in the US faced with thousands of Irish workers coming into the major cities of the US in the 1840s and 1850s gives us a fascinating glimpse of what is likely to happen to our unskilled workers over the next five years.'

read the rest at
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/Articles/view.asp?Article...D=343

1916 ideals under threat

by Eoin Harass

Sat Mar 04, 2006 18:38

The Taoiseach, Mr. Ahern, has said that our economic success means that ,finally ,the ideals of the men of 1916 have been achieved. A country, or an island, I should say, where everyone can find work is a realization of the independence movement. Therefore we can again celebrate 1916 and not leave it to be hijacked by the republcan movement.
The upcoming military parade at Easter will show the world that Ireland's independence movement has come of age. Hopefully, the Gardai, bolstered by the presence of Oglaigh na hEireann, (no I do not mean the IRA) will prevent any repeat of the dreadful scenes witnessed last Saturday. The riot was a black-eye for Ireland's image in the world economy. And as Ireland's working class reap the benefits of globalization it is incumbent that we maintain an image that is friendly and welcoming to the influx of capital on which our collective future is now so dependent.
Years ago when I was a young Stalinist I published a brilliant pamplet advocating that Ireland,(by which I mean our 26-county Republic)should promote the influx of foreign capital. Although nowadays I derive my authority from Sir Anthony and Aristotle rather than from Uncle Joe my brilliant analysis and insight have been borne out by the success of the Celtic Tiger. So, modestly, I do claim some responsibility for our prosperity.
Any repeat of last week's riot would put in jeopardy our economic success. All means necessary to prevent a recurrence must be taken. A sacrifice of civil liberties, temporarily, may be necessary, so that the ideals of 1916 are not threatened. My grandfather was out in 1916, and how I have resented the flagwaving of northern nationalists in years gone by. Now is the time for Minister McDowell to show his authority, -an authority derived from the Sovereign People, not from the barrel of a gun. Does McDowell have the mettle for the task? Failure on his part risks not just our economic prosperity, but it portends the spectre of fascism rising from Dublin's lumpen inner-city element, aided and abetted by Gerry Adams.

Celtic Kitten

by Deciso

Sat Mar 04, 2006 20:29

To Messers Redjade, Parish, Dunare

Robert Beckman wrote a very famous book called the Downwave. You should read it. It describes something called the economic cycle and how easily a debt bubble develops. He developed the Kondratiev Cycle theory which predicts long-term economic depressions. He was the only economist to accurately predict the 1987 Wall Street Crash. All western societies have experienced 'downwaves' some more disastrously than others. Ireland is in the middle of a collosal debt bubble that could easily explode. It shares many of the indicators that Beckman warns will result in economic recession after a boom period. The debt burden is becoming unsustainable. Your neo-liberal ranting hides an abject ignorance of reality on the ground of a growing endebtedness of huge swathes of Irish people. This simply can't continue due to the following key issues many of which are exogenous factors outside of EU and State control, they are:

unsustainable mortgage lending; unsustainable house price inflation; Ireland having the highest debt burden in the EU; unsustainable immigration levels; rising ECB interest rates; low tax base; rising oil prices; historically high and inflated market values; the 'unsustainable' US deficit; a possible collapse of the dollar following a sell-off; poor capital infrastructure; underdeveloped research base in Ireland; underdeveloped public transport; environmental pollution and waste; growing political instability in the middle east and the oil regions; rising inflation; overreliance on cheap labour and the construction industry; rising redunancy levels in manufacturing; falling FDI and inward investment; rising stealth taxes; profligate government spending that isn't capped; an unregulated black economy; rogue employers infecting workers rights standards; and finally appalling levels of 3rd level research funding due to free 3rd level fees for all regardless of wealth. The list is not exhaustive. Add to this the growing level of relative poverty indices and you have serious risks to society and the economy.

These are issues looked at by forums and institutions such as the OECD, ESRI, NESC, Central Bank, IMF and the EU Commission. This is reality we are talking about not 'bollix'.

These issues are economic and political variables. The Celtic Tiger as a social and poltical construct is simply an independent variable or function of these central dependant variables. You guys speak/rant about the Celtic Tiger and the Irish economy as if it is a dependant variable in a math equation, some solid and eternal normative constant in Irish life that society can depend on. There is now a 'serious' risk (according to the latest OECD report from Paris) of a housing market crash and at best the housing market has overstepped fundamental growth by 20%. If a crash happens (sorry I think the term is a sharp correction) then this will damage consumer confidence further and the 'downwave' begins. You are naive at best to think this cannot happen and soon.

There is a breaking point. It's only a matter of how damaging that will be to the Irish economy. If you think MNC's/TNC's such as Intel etc. will remain in Ireland forever you are deluded. The shift has already started to low-wage economies in the East. Transnational capital flows to where the biggest returns are. Unless we develop our own indigenous industrial, high-tech, research-driven and manufacturing base we are left with the 'services sector' to create wealth. This is unsustainable. Tourism and indirect taxes can't do it.

The Celtic Tiger will end as all boom/bust cycles driven by zealous consumerism/materialism and run-away, low interest cheap credit will end. No one will die. Some will end up bankrupt. The rich will for the most remain rich. We won't go hungry (maybe some will). But to suggest that the original article as expressed is a load of boll*ix is wishful thinking. It's playing devil's advocate for a reason. That reason is plain for intelligent people to see. Go back to the land of Reagonimics if you want to hide behind neo-liberal Miltonian economics. Look where that got the US in the 80's. A dash of Keynsian logic is required if the ingredients being stirred into the Celtic Tiger melting pot are to have beneficial social consequences and long term economic stability. No one wants to kill the Tiger but to say it's claws don't need clipping is crazy. Looks like the ECB will have to do it for us. The government has allowed a Beckmanesque bubble to happen by non-intervention in the economy to cool runaway spending. The risk my friends is now on the high side. Hang on to your SSIA's. They may just buy you a house in a few years....!

Good original article.

Tiger is long dead

by Chupa

Sat Mar 04, 2006 20:40

The "Celtic Tiger" boom ended approximately 5 years ago. Present growth rates which fluctuate between 3 - 5% do not constitute a "tiger economy". Ireland is experiencing a boom but during the "Celtic Tiger" growth rates were as high as 12% which is 240% higher than now!

Re. Government non-intervention

by the magnificent lord rothschild - N.M:Rothschild & Sons

Sat Mar 04, 2006 21:06

"Looks like the ECB will have to do it for us. The government has allowed a Beckmanesque bubble to happen by non-intervention in the economy to cool runaway spending."

Maybe it escaped your attention but since joining the Euro single currency zone, the goverment effectively abdicated sovereignty in respect of monetary matters like interest rate.
It's not a case of the ECB having to do it, but rather the ECB is the only institution empowered to raise interest rates.

And just in case you hadn't noticed, "government non-intervention in the economy " is the prevailing economic dogma of the globalised new world order. Governments (especially of the weak-kneed vassal-state type that we have in Ireland) don't intervene in "the economy", except of course to safeguard corporate interests ....... certainly not in the interests of their subjects, ahem pardon me, I meant citizens .....

The Tiger is Dead?

Sun Mar 05, 2006 05:33

Yes Mr. Rothschild I'm aware of the ECB and monetary union. I don't disagree with your sentiments about the globalised world order and non-intervention. However to say the government has no powers ina globalised regime is remiss. The government still has a modicum of control over fiscal policy. However, FF are following the free-market approach to economic development. They are responsible for the current debt crisis Ireland is facing into. Raising the tax base and redistributing wealth in a fairer, broader and more equitable manner is what's required to counteract the risk of a property crash. This will never happen under this government. They created the insatiable appetite for house construction and ownership by years of neglect in building social and affordable housing. People have no choice but to take huge risks. It's a vicious cycle.

Re.: counteracting the risk of a property crash

by the magnificent lord rothschild

Sun Mar 05, 2006 16:48

It´s Baron Rothschild to you ... !

And as for "raising the tax base and redistributing wealth in a fairer, broader and more equitable manner is what's required to counteract the risk of a property crash", what a load of old tosh ....

Who in their right mind would want to do such a stupid thing and interfere with the self-correcting mechanism of the market ?
A good healthy market correction never hurt anybody with a sufficient cushion of liquidity ..... you do have one of those don't you .... and if not well you're very foolish ..... probably one of those silly divil-may-care types living on over-extended credit .......

Of course nothing wrong with living on credit as long as you're a banker and extending it to other suckers ........ give them the umbrella when the sun is shining and call it in again when the rain comes .....

What?

Sun Mar 12, 2006 05:55

"Failure on his part risks not just our economic prosperity, but it portends the spectre of fascism rising from Dublin's lumpen inner-city element, aided and abetted by Gerry Adams."

What are you talking about? I think the word "fascist" is bandied about here a little too much, people are throwing labels without actually knowing what the hell they're talking about.

Sinn Féin is staffed by Marxist opportunists, i.e. pinkos - not fascists. Marxists engage in brutality and criminality too, you know?

A reply to Eoghan Harrisism

Sun Mar 12, 2006 06:07

"The Taoiseach, Mr. Ahern, has said that our economic success means that ,finally ,the ideals of the men of 1916 have been achieved. A country, or an island, I should say, where everyone can find work is a realization of the independence movement. Therefore we can again celebrate 1916 and not leave it to be hijacked by the republcan movement."

1916 was the first blow in establishing a Republic - therefore it is nothing without the Republican element.

"The upcoming military parade at Easter will show the world that Ireland's independence movement has come of age. Hopefully, the Gardai, bolstered by the presence of Oglaigh na hEireann, (no I do not mean the IRA) will prevent any repeat of the dreadful scenes witnessed last Saturday."

The upcoming military parade is the greatest opportunism ever indulged in by a Europhile government, and is an insult to those who fought and died for a 32 county independent Republic.

"The riot was a black-eye for Ireland's image in the world economy. And as Ireland's working class reap the benefits of globalization it is incumbent that we maintain an image that is friendly and welcoming to the influx of capital on which our collective future is now so dependent."

It's true what they say about neo-cons...

"Years ago when I was a young Stalinist"

... they all indulged in Stalinism at one point...

"I published a brilliant pamplet"

... and live on self-aggrandisement...

"advocating that Ireland,(by which I mean our 26-county Republic)"

... as well as politics at the cheapest rate.

"should promote the influx of foreign capital. Although nowadays I derive my authority from Sir Anthony and Aristotle rather than from Uncle Joe my brilliant analysis and insight have been borne out by the success of the Celtic Tiger. So, modestly, I do claim some responsibility for our prosperity."

Are you taking the piss? I sincerely hope so.

"Any repeat of last week's riot would put in jeopardy our economic success."
Take your fingers out of the greasy till for two minutes and wake up to what's happening in this country - the sale of our independent nation to external forces.

"All means necessary to prevent a recurrence must be taken. A sacrifice of civil liberties, temporarily, may be necessary,"

More neo-con bullology...

"so that the ideals of 1916 are not threatened."

And you'd know what about them?

"My grandfather was out in 1916, and how I have resented the flagwaving of northern nationalists in years gone by."

Even more reason for you to have shame on yourself for betraying your grandfather's memory.

"Now is the time for Minister McDowell to show his authority, -an authority derived from the Sovereign People, not from the barrel of a gun. Does McDowell have the mettle for the task?"

I'm beginning to think you ARE Michael McDowell - oh wait, his grandfather stayed inside in 1916.

Actually, I'm beginning to laugh - that post was a piss-take! Isn't it? IT IS! It doesn't matter - I suggest all Eoghan Harrises out there read the reply :)

I dinnae Ken

by Eve

Sun May 27, 2007 22:31

I've no long heard about this tiger, How can it be dying?

Who are these Brittish People you talk so loving about? They'll no longer existence, by that time, anything like that happens as fewer a fewer people are willing to lable them selefs that.

Oh scary stories, How reiable is this (Site/ New paper/ Magazine/Blog) I was given this link by some one on another thread, who total disagrees with me on many political points. After I told him I didn't trust the Telegraph link.

Though no as scary as the front cover of the apparent Scottish SUN on the 3rd of May 2007.

One things for sure Negativity all breeds negative things while positivity promotes bettter mental health which equals healther people.

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Is the Celtic Tiger nearing its end

Comments (14 of 14)