I am confused and bemused, absolutely shocked to tell the truth here we are the citizens of this tiny island we are bang in the middle of austerity and misery and what do we get? Bono yes you are reading correctly Bono and not just the great man but we also have politicians you know those guys that make all the sincere promises but then when reality bites they have to park them, yes those guys. We also have our brilliant entrepreneurial business sorts who found the geographical confines of this little nation a little restrictive and they like Bono found better places to make and keep their loot.
It was laughable to hear them discuss our plight with such detachment and in very concise business speak as well which is nice of them. One guy informed us that within the next five years some shoppers in America will not use money at all, which is great news for us idiots who need to buy basics like bread and milk but can’t afford to pass the wanted posters outside our local store. Yes he went on to tell us that it will all be done over a phone line, and the shop will debit our accounts as we buy unlimited amounts of permanently discounted groceries. Well doesn’t that beat Banagher as the fella said, and thanks so much to this innovative businessman for spreading the gospel, and sure wont our consumer lives be all the richer for it,. I can hear people all over the country saying ‘well couldn’t we do with a few more like him,’ and they are right aren’t they, I mean this country has never built its economy on the brains of entrepreneurs now have we?
No Ireland has always built its economic planning round the sound ideology of collective responsibility the strong protecting the weak, the harvesting of our massive natural resources of gas and oil, all of this combining with the fruits of our fishing industry,and boy that is why this country is booming, oh sorry it is not like that here, that is why we have Bono and the boys in suits talking bollocks with our politicians is it not.
It is of course laughable that we citizens should bow to the entrepreneurial types who ride on the crest of the very wave that has engulfed us. Are we the citizens of this country that naïve to think that even if they had the odd good idea that it is going to save our lost souls? I liken it a little to those telethons they ran in the eighties when we had well know guys like Pat Kenny throwing off his suit and appearing in a nice jumper his granny knit and he asking us to dig deep to support something that we the people and by proxy our government should have been doing anyway. Why don’t we have a save Ireland concert we could have it in the Phoenix Park, get Ryan Tubridy to front the television phone in and we all can pledge to save the nation. We could even have Bono saying something really emotive near the end, and it will bring tears to peoples eyes and we will all remember where we were on the memorable night.
It is times like this when one wakes from a nightmare of huge proportions to think about jumping ship, who knows maybe the sth of France nice and warm or Italy, or dear old England. But the nightmare continues as soon as you realise that the empire has not only spread but it has actually dumped its toxic waste on us little Europeans to such an extent that it is unlikely to heal itself over time. What is the fall out of this cynical and evil dumping well if you watch the media, have you noticed a shift in the way that news is reported, for example whilst we all know that some very greedy people scam welfare, but when it is presented as one of the major ills facing our economic well being, it is disingenuous to say the least. The neo-liberal agenda is further served by staging this tribute to those entrepreneurial types I spoke of earlier, how can the Taoiseach sit smugly feting the business brigade when he must know that only through state intervention the state been us the citizens can we create the correct conditions for employment and growth. Do we need to continue with the cap in hand to multi-nationals who will soak up their tax breaks before bolting to India or someplace, or do we need as a state to control our natural resources at least one bank and one state credit union, our health and education services, if we were to control the core of our society surely by proxy it would create a lively economy an attractive investment proposition for foreign companies, and a real base for the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive.
I am sure the business types will go back to their various nests in whatever countries have benefited from their wisdom. They will have tales to tell by the fireside as their children listen in awe at the sad tales emanating from the oul sod. Tales of people lying on hospital trolleys all over the country citizens on urgent waiting lists to see specialist who may save their lives. Special needs children without the extra teachers they need to improve their lives, and nurses and doctors who are overstretched and exhausted from long hours and poor resources. They will tell tales of a society that judges and punishes people based on their level of income, a society where individualism is rewarded over conscience, where even the once sacrosanct teachings of religion have been replaced by a must have consumerism. They will tell of a society controlled by the media and corrupted by rogue financial interests, but at least they will have got Bono’s autograph and hey he might even write a nice song about the injustice, and we can all learn it and sing it.
For once I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteCaren