The Big Bailout of the Eurozone (Another crisis coming? - Seriously)

[Rossfan]

Tax is meant to be redistributive.It should have e been used to shorten waiting lists or build new classrooms so my asthmatic child wouldn't have had to spend years in a damp leaky prefab getting sick and missing a lot of her schooling.

[J70]

Wasn't at least part of the idea to take money out of circulation to ease inflation fears at the time?

25% top up though!

[magpie seanie]

Wasn't at least part of the idea to take money out of circulation to ease inflation fears at the time?

25% top up though!

Like a lot of things in this sorry excuse for a country there's the "story" and the real story. The cover story was - "taking money out of the economy to help control inflation/encourage people to save, not spend" but the real story was that the SSIA's were to mature before the election to assist the re-election of the government. The stated benefits were a handy spinoff or side effect and of course as Rossfan points out the whole scheme favoured people who had more money than they needed anyway. As a piece of public policy is left a lot to be desired but what's new?

[stew]

Can the EU and Germany not just make them have another referendum to get the vote they want like they do with us?

And what did the sheep do? They turned to the dark side and accepted what the rest of the EU wanted.

[AZOffaly]

Sorry excuse for a country? Come on Seanie. A young lad from our club just came back from building houses in Calcutta. We don't know how lucky we have it here.

[magpie seanie]

Sorry excuse for a country? Come on Seanie. A young lad from our club just came back from building houses in Calcutta. We don't know how lucky we have it here.

We'll see where they are in 20-30 years time versus where we will be.

If you can't see what a sorry, lame ass place this is then I'm sorry for you. Kenny and Noonan siding with Merkel with people's lives being destroyed all around them. It's disgusting and unforgivable what is being done to people across Europe for the sake of German economic strength. But you go on and keep accepting it if that makes you think this is a great country.

The great things in this country are despite the people who are ruining the fuckin place.

[AZOffaly]

Sorry excuse for a country? Come on Seanie. A young lad from our club just came back from building houses in Calcutta. We don't know how lucky we have it here.

We'll see where they are in 20-30 years time versus where we will be.

If you can't see what a sorry, lame ass place this is then I'm sorry for you. Kenny and Noonan siding with Merkel with people's lives being destroyed all around them. It's disgusting and unforgivable what is being done to people across Europe for the sake of German economic strength. But you go on and keep accepting it if that makes you think this is a great country.

The great things in this country are despite the people who are ruining the fuckin place.

No, I don't accept those things. But I see a lot more positives than you do. If you genuinely feel this is a lame ass place, then it's I that feel sorry for you.

[armaghniac]

Like a lot of things in this sorry excuse for a country there's the "story" and the real story. The cover story was - "taking money out of the economy to help control inflation/encourage people to save, not spend" but the real story was that the SSIA's were to mature before the election to assist the re-election of the government. The stated benefits were a handy spinoff or side effect and of course as Rossfan points out the whole scheme favoured people who had more money than they needed anyway. As a piece of public policy is left a lot to be desired but what's new?

The problem is the politicians taking intrinsically useful ideas like benchmarking or the SSIA and then distorting them for their own benefit and an electorate that seems incapable of punishing them for the distortion without condemning the merits of the measure itself.

If you can't see what a sorry, lame ass place this is then I'm sorry for you. Kenny and Noonan siding with Merkel with people's lives being destroyed all around them. It's disgusting and unforgivable what is being done to people across Europe for the sake of German economic strength. But you go on and keep accepting it if that makes you think this is a great country.

It was Irish people who ruined Ireland, not the Germans. Now the Germans are suiting themselves, too be sure, and are not exactly covering themselves in glory, but others need to look at their own conduct also.

[trileacman]

Sorry excuse for a country? Come on Seanie. A young lad from our club just came back from building houses in Calcutta. We don't know how lucky we have it here.

We'll see where they are in 20-30 years time versus where we will be.

If you can't see what a sorry, lame ass place this is then I'm sorry for you. Kenny and Noonan siding with Merkel with people's lives being destroyed all around them. It's disgusting and unforgivable what is being done to people across Europe for the sake of German economic strength. But you go on and keep accepting it if that makes you think this is a great country.

The great things in this country are despite the people who are ruining the fuckin place.

Things must be shocking depressing in Sligo at the minute. Christ you'd be hard to listen to in a famine. You'll get this gig when the ould crying hoor kicks the bucket.

[Dinny Breen]

1st world problems whinging about the state of a country on the internet! Please tell me he sees the irony in that? Wonder what the 4 million off refugees in Syria would think of that? The old woman in the glass bottle comes to mind.

[ludermor]

Like a lot of things in this sorry excuse for a country there's the "story" and the real story. The cover story was - "taking money out of the economy to help control inflation/encourage people to save, not spend" but the real story was that the SSIA's were to mature before the election to assist the re-election of the government. The stated benefits were a handy spinoff or side effect and of course as Rossfan points out the whole scheme favoured people who had more money than they needed anyway. As a piece of public policy is left a lot to be desired but what's new?

The problem is the politicians taking intrinsically useful ideas like benchmarking or the SSIA and then distorting them for their own benefit and an electorate that seems incapable of punishing them for the distortion without condemning the merits of the measure itself.

If you can't see what a sorry, lame ass place this is then I'm sorry for you. Kenny and Noonan siding with Merkel with people's lives being destroyed all around them. It's disgusting and unforgivable what is being done to people across Europe for the sake of German economic strength. But you go on and keep accepting it if that makes you think this is a great country.

It was Irish people who ruined Ireland, not the Germans. Now the Germans are suiting themselves, too be sure, and are not exactly covering themselves in glory, but others need to look at their own conduct also.

I'm sure someone else can dig out the numbers but the exposure of the German banks to the Irish crisis was huge and protecting their interests affected the entire Irish bailout .
Seanie what option does Kenny and Noonan have? They have inherited the situation , would you really prefer if they went down the Greece route? Ireland has a lot of problems but you must have a short memory or have blinkers on if you think there was no problems in before the boom.
And if it bothers you so why dont you find somewhere else to live, the world is a big place and im sure you can find someplace that will satisfy your moral/political/commercial/social ideologies

[magpie seanie]

1st world problems whinging about the state of a country on the internet! Please tell me he sees the irony in that? Wonder what the 4 million off refugees in Syria would think of that? The old woman in the glass bottle comes to mind.

OK so there are people worse off so shut up and accept your lot.

[magpie seanie]

This country is a joke relevant to what it should be. Most people, from our "leaders" down have zero belief in ourselves as a nation. We need handouts from the "great" Europe "that has done soooo much for us". We can't create jobs so we have to get US MNC's to come in and to do that we have to offer sweeteners because why else would they come??? They're just examples of the flawed groupthink that prevails here and that annoys the hell out of me.

We never should have accepted the hosing we got (and continue to get) from the ECB. It is unjust and immoral and has depressed our economy and people wrongly for too long. Suicide rates are massively increasing but I suppose those people are just collateral damage. Maybe they should fcuk off to

someplace that will satisfy your moral/political/commercial/social ideologies

if they don't like it.

While people go on accepting it and taking the "ah we can't do that" attitude we will remain down at heel, tugging the forelock as so often in our history. The sad part here is that it's largely our own fault now for not having the balls to do what's right for ourselves once in a while.

[Rossfan]

So tell us what we should have done and when we should have started doing it?

[Dinny Breen]

1st world problems whinging about the state of a country on the internet! Please tell me he sees the irony in that? Wonder what the 4 million off refugees in Syria would think of that? The old woman in the glass bottle comes to mind.

OK so there are people worse off so shut up and accept your lot.

Yes you need a dose of reality Seanie. Your whinging about the political landscape is pathetic. What have you as an individual done to affect this? You have probably contributed to this culture of cronyism that is rampant in Ireland as we all have - have you ever paid cash only for a job, expected cash payment for a job? Every walk of life in Ireland people are trying to cheat the system no matter how small yet somehow we expect our politicians to be morally and ethically above this. They are merely reflection of us.

You mentioned India, christ on a bike over 1/3 of their population (400m) live on less than $1.25 a day. Thousands die of diarrhea every week. If you think that will change 20/30 years you are stone wall mad.

Everyday I have more positive experiences than negative, maybe you don't I would feel sorry for you if that was the case. The compassion and generosity of Irish people is fantastic, my education was paid for by the government and by one those multi-nationals that employ 1000s and pay millions in PRSI and whose employees pay millions more in PAYE and stealth taxes. My paid for education sent me to WIT, DIT and TCD - how many countries in the world would allow that opportunity. Both my kids were born in the public health system and it was a fantastic experience. My mother spent her last months in the public health system and those people who work in Irish Hospices are some of the greatest Irish people alive, again how many countries support your fight against Cancer through the public health system with fantastic resources(people and medicine) made available and then when you lose that fight that you can die with dignity.

Every country in the world suffers from incompetent politicians, poor decisions lead to war, poverty and economic collapse. No society is perfect Ireland certainly isn't but I will continue to pay my taxes I will continue to contribute and support my local community, I will still donate to local, national and international charities, I will still try and influence my own children to be the best they can be, I will use my vote as best I can to ensure equal opportunity for everyone and for every f*cking kick in the teeth I get I will pick myself up climb that hurdle and move the f*ck on and stay as positive as I can. The only person I allow to affect my life is me.