Well, we know they want to privatize water, which is not a commodity but a human right.
But other state assets are being sold to create a short term solution to bail out banks - in an effort that will fail, that is, the bank bailout.
Already our natural resources have been sold, as with gas and oil resources - or with coillte, will be sold.
We as a country do not have the best track record with privatization. Our Eircom flotation was a failure, Sugar and Steel went to the wall. Sugar in particular was a very bad deal, very short sighted and caused real loss.
Aerlingus shares fell from over 2 euro to just over 60 cents. Aerlingus landing slots are worth more than flight revenue - this is a service, not a business.
Now the ESB- the very foundation of our socio-economic structure is now up for sale. The ESB is a strategic company. The plan is not to retain any of the ESB but flog it.
Control of the network grid is where the money is, and with our shabby history of regulation, better a public than private monopoly.
It is a bad time to sell, the buyers know we are in a bind, it's like going to the pawn shop instead of the antique stores.
Pat Rabbite talks about giving an assurance to the potential buyers that we could sell in the future. This neglects the point that this will hamstring future governments.
The ESB and rural electrification was the jewel in the crown of the early free state. We need to think in creative terms, as they did - ambition on behalf of the nation, rather than assisting the private debts of banks.
We need to look at visionary projects like Spirit of Ireland , keeping control of distribution, improving the grid and generating jobs and income - rather than that the current Government want to sell off an asset that has the real potential to really do something radical and creative and create work, improving the lives of the majority.
Iceland is dealing with the financial crisis, and part of that is holding people responsible. Of those responsible in Ireland, a small select group of bankers, politicians and senior civil servants, they are not being charged, they have been moved into NAMA.
People say that the establishment link between politicians and property developers is a conspiracy theory, but the connections are clearly there.
Bertie Ahearn has instead of facing an investigation about links with property developers and banks has become a paid advisor to Parker Green International, a multi-national property developer.
We will not benefit enough from natural resources like the Corrib gas field, but we are also in danger of losing other resources like our state forestry, Coilte, in a drive to privatize state assets to bail out the banks.
Now Bertie Ahearn is working for the International Forestry Fund, financed by Hevetica Wealth AG - their intention is to take over Coilte, and get an area twice the size of County Meath at a bargain price from the new coalition Government.
Neil Ginty has written at length about this issue. Its not just trees and land though, this is state owned property, minerals will lie under the earth, but we do not know what is there because the survey done is not subject to the freedom of information act.
"Pat Carey’s signing off of the Corrib gas line on Election Day marked what many considered one last act of treason in giving the go ahead for Shell to build infrastructure that will pump gas from the west coast to their interconnectors in Britain."
Bertie is being paid by a foreign company who want to purchase an area twice the size of County Meath!! Is it just me or is there something wrong about this?
The driving force behind the planned sale of state assets is Colm McCarthy. His report wants to sell pretty much everything to the highest bidder. As well as being a lecturer in UCD, Mr McCarthy also works with the ERSI and DKM Economic consultants.
Also on the board of DKM is Annette Hughes - a former BP employee. Ms Huges is an expert on energy, with particular focus on interactions with demographics and regional development - one sees what that means in Mayo. She is also on the board of FÁS as well as being a Director of DKM.
This takes us back to the issue of resources, and the looming threat of fracking, a very destructive means of extracting minerals, and the ownership of vast tracts of land, that when privatized means we the people if we protest can be done for trespass.
We need to stop this happening. We need to hold those responsible for the financial crisis responsible, and certainly not put them into new positions of power to do further damage.
If default happens, so be it. If we need to revert to our own controllable currency so be it.
Iceland was warned that it would never borrow again if it failed to honour the debts of its financial sector.
But the country already seems to have been forgiven by the markets.
The Icelandic government issued $1bn in sovereign debt in June at an interest rate of around 6 per cent.
This was twice oversubscribed by investors. The contrast with Ireland, which assumed responsibility for all the liabilities of its bust banking sector, is stark.
Thanks to Dublin's blanket bailout, total government debt is now more than 100 per cent of GDP, four times pre-crisis levels.
And Ireland's reward from the markets has been a rise in the cost of insuring its sovereign bonds. Iceland's currency depreciation also looks good by international comparisons.
Latvia doggedly kept its peg with euro after the 2008 crash and has experienced a catastrophic 25 per cent decline in GDP and seen unemployment reach 22 per cent.
The economic policy orthodoxy through this crisis supported by McCarthy and others – sale of national assets and pushed by ratings agencies and European politicians alike – has demanded that the national governments honour the private debts of their banking sectors, protect their exchange rates, eschew capital movement restrictions, and impose massive austerity to earn back the confidence of bond markets.
Much of that wisdom was ignored by Reykjavik. And the early signs are that Iceland is doing quite well - it is a model that has been working, and it should be this model we adopt. Part of that is accountability, which again in Ireland is failing badly.
Also, our media is failing to address these issues. McCarthy is a commentator on RTE, but no-one elected him - why does an unelected person get to decide to sell of national assets?
In the UK and in Ireland hope for many young people has been taken away, yet at the same time the materialist celebrity culture is fed to them 24 hours a day through advertising by any means necessary. As Shaun Bailey, a conservative said, these kids, in the last 15 years, know all about their rights but do not realize their responsibilities. He also said on newsnight in the UK that although some may feel genuine grievances, the majority feel a sense of entitlement, that they can take what they want - I put that attitude down to our crass celebrity culture.
We no longer judge by color of skin or content of character, we do so by consumerism– you are what you have. The mixed ethnic nature of the looting youth gangs is a pretty good demonstration of this.
One can also understand the simmering anger, in actual fact a huge anger, but also a huge feeling of frustration - and it is justifiable. What is right and wrong! One law for the rich and one for everyone else.
No corrupt bankers or politicians have gone to jail, people who caused the cutbacks and who get away with it. No one seems accountable.
The hacking scandal in the UK has caused huge anger, the media behaving in such a callous manner.
Celebs who openly use drugs are not hassled in the same way as kids on the street.
We see bankers bailed out, corrupt politicians and a compliant, saccharine media who concentrate on the unimportant and there is little we can do to change that.
In Ireland we see cuts to public health, policing, the things now required but reduced, and the very rich or influential, banks, clerics and politicos, being unrepentant and untouchable.
Senator Calley in Ireland for example shows no shame, former Green politicians show no regret for supporting FF, Labour now support FG. Bankers still lead lives of privilege, they own their houses.
With this comes a parallel society that has little hope. City centre youths have few opportunities economically, never own a house, have menial un-improving employment - if they are lucky.
But the one areas they can access money is via drugs and criminality. This is a parallel economy, run by criminals who deal with competition in an increasingly violent way - as we see in Ireland. The Netherlands has many of the same problems at the margins as the UK with some young males from ethnic or economically hopeless groups, in many cases less integrated, but their access to the drugs business has been reduced through decriminalization and control. Many youths are drawn to gangs not by the need for protection but by the supposed glamour of a lifestyle that is celebrated in many areas of modern culture.
Recently the death of Amy Winehouse was given equal status and weight in the red top media as the Norwegian mass murder, and will continue to do so. Growing acceptance of this trivial culture has helped create these riots.
At the same time dispossession, hopelessness- you will never own a house, you will live as the state wishes - and shops crammed full of goods is brought together, who can be surprised that, with a little co-ordination via social networking sites, a peaceful demonstration in Tottenham should have turned into rioting and looting. We see a reaction of a distant economic and political system as well as dumbed down celeb culture.
A system that stresses materialist wealth, which constantly exposes us to increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous advertising, yet which oversees the breakdown of communities and the impoverishment of millions in order to increase the wealth of a minority.
We do not need to argue that these people are explicitly politicised, or fighting for some sort of social justice. They attack shops and business outlets, not police stations or political structures - this is about greed and envy, not politics. The shops are specific, fashion outlets - the marks of modern culture. Many of these people appear to have been acting selfishly, competitively, and without thought for the consequences of their actions. But these reactions have been conditioned, when consumerism and celebrity are the primary driving forces for peer endorsement, then envy and hatred, resentment and a sense of entitlement are the instinctive reactions of a dumbed down and greedy bunch of thuggish opportunists who lash out at their own communities and areas. But it is also apparent that there is a simmering rage, and a demand for attention expressed through mindless destruction aimed at what they have been told they need. Whatever ones perceived or real resentments and grievances are, turning on ones own communities and economy solves nothing.
A major issue I believe is the erosion of civil rights, abuse of stop and search laws written by Tony Blair to 'combat terrorism' in 2005 have been used many thousand times by the police, not to catch mindless murderers but target male youths from the poorer areas, particularly those from the Caribbean community - the humiliation, harassment and obvious misuse of these powers leads to resentment and anger.
In Northern Ireland internment fueled the same emotions as did the army check points.
One thing of note was how often one heard that baton rounds and water cannon have never been used in 'mainland UK' because of their effectiveness, yet it seems using them with reckless abandon in Northern Ireland was OK.
I have written before about the importance of civil rights, and this is never more important than when including the dis-enfranchised into society, as with Dr King in the 60's in the US, or Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia, or John Hume in Northern Ireland, or the German Jews in the 30's, or the Palestinian people today.
For that reason I believe the embedded film is one of the most important made.
Already the Michael Healy Rae seat on Kerry coco seems to be going to retired TD, and father, Jackie.
Some of these are double whammys, in that the newly elected TD's sometimes have two seats, one at county and one in town.
The other appointments now coming are the Taoseachs appointments to the Senate, a 60K per year job not including expenses.
It is astounding that the caretaker Taoiseach, a man who is no longer an elected official, has the gall let alone the right to appoint a failed Fianna Fáil election candidate - Darragh O Brien - to the Senate
They have no remorse.
The media are even worse -Terry Prone (Irish Examiner)
Toughest of all, of course, is the situation, today, of those who lost their seats, their livelihood, and in some cases, their self-respect. We have become so furious and cruel a society that the general reaction to their loss is “serves them right”.
It is deeply insulting to the millions of Irish people who are victims of our corrupt political system to witness self-righteous journalists like Prone accuse them of being cruel because they are furious and want justice.
his is especially the case when failed politicians get massive pay-outs having instigated policies that saddle the tax payer with massive debt.
And of course, the most sycophantic of the lot - RTE's Marian Finucane:
This must be a terrible personal tragedy for him (Brian Cowen’s fall). I mean to see the party he loves so much, to be at the head of Government of a party that you’re so proud of that brings in the IMF, I mean on a personal level that has to be very difficult.
Isn’t it amazing that a politician who has led a privileged life, who won a seat on the basis that daddy died and he got the by-election - who has never wanted for anything, who was among the best paid politicians in the world, who is retiring with a fortune at the expense of the people he betrayed can be described as a tragic figure?
It is for these reasons of corruption, of unwarranted influence, this unacceptable cost that I helped start Amhran Nua
LIST OF COUNCILLORS ELECTED TO DAIL EIREANN 2011
Ann Phelan (LAB) - Carlow/Kilkenny
Kilkenny County Council (Thomastown)
Pat Deering (FG) - Carlow/Kilkenny
Carlow County Council (Tullow)
Sean Conlan (FG) - Cavan/Monaghan
Ballybay Town Council, Co. Monaghan
Heather Humphreys (FG) - Cavan/Monaghan
Monaghan County Council (Clones)
Tom Barry (FG) - Cork East
Cork County Council (Mallow)
Sandra McLellan (SF) - Cork East
Cork County Council (Midleton) & Youghal Town Council, Co. Cork
Jonathan O’Brien (SF) - Cork North Central
Cork City Council (Cork North West)
Dara Murphy (FG) - Cork North Central
Cork City Council (Cork North East)
Jim Daly (FG) – Cork South West
Cork County Council (Skibbereen)
Noel Harrington (FG) – Cork South West
Cork County Council (Bantry)
Padraig MacLochlainn (SF) – Donegal North East
Donegal County Council (Inishowen) & Buncrana Town Council, Co. Donegal
Charlie McConalogue (FF) – Donegal North East
Donegal County Council (Inishowen)
Thomas Pringle (IND) – Donegal South West
Donegal County Council (Donegal) Pringle replacement: 31 year old teacher John Campbell, Glenties, Deputy Pringle’s Director of Elections.
Robert Dowds (LAB) – Dublin Mid-West
South Dublin County Council (Clondalkin)
Derek Keating (FG) – Dublin Mid-West
South Dublin County Council (Lucan)
Clare Daly (SP) – Dublin North
Fingal County Council (Swords)
Alan Farrell (FG) – Dublin North
Fingal County Council (Howth/Malahide)
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (LAB) – Dublin North Central
Dublin City Council (Clontarf)
Sean Kenny (LAB) – Dublin North East
Dublin City Council (Donaghmede)
Dessie Ellis (SF) – Dublin North West
Dublin City Council (Ballymun/Finglas)
John Lyons (LAB) – Dublin North West
Dublin City Council (Ballymun/Finglas)
Michael Conaghan (LAB) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Ballyfermot/Drimnagh)
Eric Byrne (LAB) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Crumlin/Kimmage)
Joan Collins (PBP) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Crumlin/Kimmage)
Eoghan Murphy (FG) – Dublin South East
Dublin City Council (Pembroke/Rathmines)
Kevin Humphreys (LAB) – Dublin South East
Dublin City Council (South East Inner City)
Sean Crowe (SF) – Dublin South West
South Dublin County Council (Tallaght Central)
Eamonn Maloney (LAB) – Dublin South West
South Dublin County Council (Tallaght South)
Mary Mitchell O’Connor (FG) – Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (Dun Laoghaire)
Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP) – Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (Dun Laoghaire)
Paul Connaughton (FG) – Galway East
Galway County Council (Ballinasloe)
Colm Keaveney (LAB) – Galway East
Galway County Council (Tuam)
Derek Nolan (LAB) – Galway West
Galway City Council (Galway East)
Brian Walsh (FG) – Galway West
Galway City Council (Galway East)
Sean Kyne (FG) – Galway West
Galway County Council (Conamara)
Arthur Spring (LAB) – Kerry North/West Limerick
Kerry County Council (Tralee) & Tralee Town Council, Co. Kerry
Brendan Griffin (FG) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Dingle)
Tom Fleming (IND) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Killarney)
Michael Healy Rae (IND) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Killorglin)
Catherine Murphy (IND) – Kildare North
Kildare County Council (Celbridge)
Anthony Lawlor (FG) – Kildare North
Kildare County Council (Naas)
Martin Heydon (FG) – Kildare South
Kildare County Council (Athy)
Barry Cowen (FF) – Laois/Offaly
Offaly County Council (Tullamore)
Brian Stanley (SF) – Laois/Offaly
Laois County Council (Portlaoise)
&
Portlaoise Town Council, Co. Laois
Patrick O’Donovan (FG) – Limerick
Limerick County Council (Newcastle)
Robert Troy (FF) – Longford/Westmeath
Westmeath County Council (Mullingar West)
Gerald Nash (LAB) – Louth
Louth County Council (Drogheda East) & Drogheda Borough Council, Co. Louth
Michelle Mulherin (FG) – Mayo
Mayo County Council (Ballina) & Ballina Town Council, Co. Mayo
Regina Doherty (FG) – Meath East
Meath County Council (Dunshaughlin)
Peadar Tóibín (SF) – Meath West
Navan Town Council, Co. Meath
Ray Butler (FG) – Meath West
Meath County Council (Trim) & Trim Town Council, Co. Meath
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (IND) – Roscommon/South Leitrim
Roscommon County Council (Castlerea)
Tony McLoughlin (FG) – Sligo/North Leitrim
Sligo County Council (Sligo Strandhill) & Sligo Borough Council
Michael Colreavy (SF) – Sligo/North Leitrim
Leitrim County Council (Manorhamilton)
Seamus Healy (WUAG) – Tipperary South
Tipperary South Riding County Council (Clonmel) & Clonmel Borough Council
Ciara Conway (LAB) – Waterford
Dungarvan Town Council, Co. Waterford
John Halligan (IND) – Waterford
Waterford City Council (Waterford South)
Simon Harris (FG) – Wicklow
Wicklow County Council (Greystones) & Greystones Town Council, Co. Wicklow
There are also two MEP positions, Joe Higgins in Dublin and Alan Kelly from Tipperary.
Looking at the independents elected in Ireland, they are now in a position to form a technical group.
As I said in a previous posting, I was delighted to see Luke Flannigan returned.
However, the group must be careful. To enter into any arrangement with a discredited politician like Michael Lowry, Tipp North, a dynastic spawn like Michael 'son of jackie' Healy Rae from Kerry or rats off a sinking ship like Mattie McGrath in Tipp South would be a major error.
These three are career political opportunist's.
As for FG and Labour, the Labour parlamentary party should listen carefully, very carefully, to their grass roots.
Yes, it is important to be in Government and affect positive change, but Labour should not help FG to sell off or privatise public services.
Ireland is not the UK, and as we saw with the Eircom debacle, privitisation in such a small country has a high rate of failure, and room for corruption.
It is quite possible to support legislation that is to the benefit of the country while in opposition, but retain the independence that the Greens and PDs lost as junior coalition partners.
But then again, the main leadership of the party is ex democratic left and workers party, having gone from perhaps 5 seats to taking over the labour party and now having 37 seats, the attraction of weilding power for people like Gilmore and Rabbite may be too much to resist.
As well as that it seems Labour are falling further into dynastic habits with Sean Sherlock and Arthur Spring being returned.
With 20 seats and little in the way of policy or moral difference, it could be quite possible for FG to do a deal with FF, a recipricol Tallaght accord if you will
Well, we have now a decision on the Donegal by-election, if we get that far without a general election.
However, the FF/Green machine will appeal at the cost of about half a million euro of tax payers money.
There are other elections that are needed for vacant seats, and the working majority will be reduced.
Already, FF are at each others throats.
Mary Coughlan and North West MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher became embroiled in a row about whether or not he was approached to contest the Donegal South West byelection.
Mr Gallagher who was given something like 24 hours notice to run as an MEP has said an approach was made to him by senior figures in Fianna Fáil to contest the Dáil seat he himself vacated in June 2009 when he was elected to the European Parliament.
With MEP income and perks for so little work outside the spotlight of the Irish media, I dont blame him for telling FF to F Off
After all, it was his slipping off to Europe that created the vacancy way back in 2009 I believe, abandoning those constituants who had voted for him in what can only be called a palenesqe deriliction, putting party before his own people.
Ms Coughlan told local radio station Ocean FM yesterday she did not believe the cope was approached but Mr Gallagher responded by saying the Tánaiste, the Irish deputy prime minister was “not in the loop” about the behind-the-scenes moves.
Though no opinion poll has been taken, in the Green corner Sinn Féin candidate Senator Pearse Doherty has been installed by bookmakers as the clear favourite.
It was his successful High Court challenge against the 16-month delay in holding the byelection that has bought it on stream.
With the December budget coming on about the 7th, and 14Bn Euro in cuts proposed FF and the Greens will have a hard sell, although Green party members in Donegal broke away from the Dublin leadership quite some time ago.
In the red corner Labour is expected to run Frank McBrearty Jnr, the victim of Garda corruption, who surprisingly won a seat on the county council.
In the blue corner the Fine Gael candidate is sports journalist Barry O’Neill.
And in other bad news from Donegal for FF, Jim McDaid has resigned his seat - the same guy who was stopped driving drunk the wrong way down a main road - guess his sense of direction has improved and its good to get while the gettings good.
However, one thing I would think is that FF will run the byelection in Donegal mid-week, when students and workers may not be able to get to the polls - it gives them a higher turnout among the older population who tend to vote for them, when the cope ran up there they did not count votes - they weighed them.
But in terms of dependency, if FF lose this one, their majority will be further reduces, forcing them to depend more on Lowry and Healy Rae types.
Most dissappointing is the Greens support for the government.
It is all very well and good to talk about limiting registered contributions by companies and individuals to political parties but there is a reason the old parties agreed to this system.
Now the Irish tax payer is to fund political parties on the basis of how well they did in the last election, that makes it a lot harder for new, small parties and to a lesser extent sitting independents.
Bear in mind that Beverley Flynn had to be forced to give up her independents allowance despite rejoining the FF party.
I have seen Amhran Nua ideas being lifted by FF, FG and Labour, so not only do they have a lack of new ideas, they also have an unfair advantage in funding - and it is money and media exposure that win most elections.
Why should the tax payer fund a political party, particularly when one would have profound disagreement with what they stand for, e.g. FF's NAMA support, as well as problems with FG and SF policies
That is creating a further democratic deficit, copper fastening the bottom planks of the established caste and crew on the ship of state from the people whom they are meant to serve.
They really do not want change on this Island, and unless people vote for alternative, protest, parties - there is the probability that the caste will ride out this squall
Political parties received a total of €13,603,264 in state funding for 2009, according to figures released today by the Standards Commission.
The money was paid to the parties under the Electoral Acts and under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation.
Five parties (Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and the Green Party) received funding of €5,438,385 under the Electoral Acts and those five parties along with the Progressive Democrats received €8,164,879 under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation.
The funding is not subject to income tax and may not be used for electoral or referendum purposes.
The level of funding is linked to pay increases in the civil service; however, the legislation which governs the funding is silent on pay decreases.
Qualified political parties must furnish to the Standards Commission Statements of Expenditure of the funding received.
Non-party members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann also receive funding under the Party Leaders Allowance legislation.
The amount payable to each non-party member of Dáil Éireann during 2009 was €41,152 and the amount payable to each non-party member of Seanad Éireann during the same period was €23,383.
The total paid to non-party members was €306,000. Non-party members are not required, however, to provide a Statement of Expenditure of the allowance to the Standards Commission, or to any other authority.
The Healy Rae Clan have done quite well out of expenses. The Healy Rae brothers are defending one hundred thousand euro in expenses they claimed from Kerry County council.
An Irish Independent investigation reveals Danny and Michael Healy-Rae, were paid a total of €196,000 for 2008/2009.
In the meantime TD Dad Jackie Healy Rae claims he does not have a travel pass.
This is despite the fact that Deputy Healy Rae is entitled to apply for a free pass for public transport as he is over the age of 66.
Everyone aged 66 and over living permanently in Ireland, is entitled to the free travel scheme.
Deputy Healy Rae travels to Dublin on average once a week while the Dáil sits, incurring a fee of up to 72 euro per return train journey.
Deputy Healy Rae is then claim's expenses for these journeys.
Well, again we see the headless chickens running the coop, or ruining the coup perhaps, as Enda Kenny has fired one of the most popular deputies on his bench.
It also shows that FG, after a few polls not favouring Kenny, hit the panic button and head for self destruct.
At the age of 24 Enda Kenny - like Brian Cowen - was elected to the Dail to replace his father Harry died.
Kenny is currently the longest-serving TD in Dáil Éireann still in office, and is the incumbent Father of the Dáil.
He was challenged as leader by Richard Bruton, the brother of a former leader who - unlike his brother John - seems popular with people, and is very bright.
We want change in this country, we need a change in the way things work - but yet again, in the main opposition party, we see the same names and the same families and that will not deliver change.
With the set up that we have, dynastic politics are here to stay, and make no mistake about it - it wont change, as that requires legislation, so politicians voting to reform the way things are done on this Island is like turkeys voting for Christmas.
It is laughable when FG talk of reform, the same clans have been in politics since the foundation of the state.
They are as culpable as FF for the current system, which is not fit for purpose.
This jittery response also took the attention off FF and the banking reports published by Klaus Regling and Max Watson, which are far more serious issues than the internal squabbles of dynasties within FG
PRINCIPLES
I dont feel comfortable when multi-national corporations use their money and influence to promote their own agenda in a country.
Multinational corporations may be 51 out of the top 100 GDP's in the world, but they have lttle 'national' identity left.
Corporate requirements can override the democratic decision making progress of sovereign nations.
We have seen so often the result of the need for corporations to make money takes presidence the most basic human rights and environmental considerations.
We have seen recently in the US how large corporations such as health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies use professional lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and fight universal health care - a human right - by spreading half truths and confusing the basic issue.
The United States, the worlds leading economy is the last developed nation to not have a national health service.
But from the sick denied healthcare in the US to the increased privatization and degrading of private healthcare in Ireland we know the results of the neo liberal economic model, and we will look at this in relation to Lisbon next Thursday.
Indeed, one of the major supporters of the Lisbon treaty in Ireland, Brendan Halligan, already runs a lobbyist company, CIPA (former employers of Andrew Byrne of Generation Yes) who allegedly act on behalf of the tobacco industry in the EU.
This neo-liberal economic trend is global, bank bail outs, toxic debts nationalised, from the child labour sweatshops producing garments to the logging of the Amazon, from the suppression of dissent in Nigeria to the open strip mines in Argentina.
Corporations are not evil, they are simply amoral. Their primary consideration is to make as much money for shareholders as possible.
That is their job.
Reduction of labour costs by using children in the third world where it is allowed or the bypassing of environmental considerations by outsourcing to countries where laxer controls allow for reduced costs all contribute to that increased profit margin and share value.
Several multi-national corporations with operations in Ireland such as Microsoft, Glen Dimplex and Intel have thrown their weight behind the second Lisbon referendum in Ireland, the last democratic obstacle in the way of its implementation.
Intel, Dimplex or Microsoft could cut labour costs in the morning by transferring production to Eastern Europe or other countries, which they no doubt will do unless Irish workers accept reduced pay and conditions.
They tell us that a more efficient EU would sustain economic growth nationally as well as promote international trade.
I agree – but at what cost. I have long said I have no objection to the European Union, provided it is for the benefit of the People of Europe.
Along with them, Ryanair have come onside in the campaign for a Yes vote – so lets deal with them, at least Ryanair is Irish.
COMMENTS ON FUNDING CONTROL
The Chairperson of PANA, Roger Cole said the Ryanair announcement was not a surprise to him. He has said previously that limits must be placed on the amount that private companies could spend in a referendum or election campaign.
This is particularly needed in our democracy in light of the BCI decision not to give equal treatment to both sides of the debate.
It is not reasonable that the Irish media give such coverage to money was being spent by bodies such as Libertas on a No campaign, but have little to say about similar sums of money being spent by companies such as Ryanair and Intel to promote a Yes vote.
The Standards In Public Office Commission, the independent body which oversees spending in elections and referendums, confirmed yesterday there was no spending limit for individuals and companies.
This essentially means we could have a company from the US, the UK, Germany, Russia, China, Algeria or North Korea coming to Ireland and spending vast amounts of money advocating a Yes vote with few restrictions or control.
A spokesperson said the commission, in its annual report, had called for a redefinition of what constituted a “third party”, subject to limits on spending in a referendum campaign.
It argued that the definition should not be determined on the basis of whether an individual or group had received a donation, but should focus instead on how much they spent. They should be regarded as “third parties” if they intend spending over a certain threshold.
Mr Cole said the Irish people had rejected the Lisbon Treaty last year in a democratic vote. “Now they are being forced to vote again on exactly the same treaty…these same firms.....who have a vested interest.....can spend billions of euro bullying the Irish people into submission.”
Well, at least not all of them want to charge us to use a toilet.
RYANAIR SUBSIDIES AND MONOPOLY
An EU court in 2008 backed Ryanair in a battle with state aid regulators on how far small airports can use public money to attract low-cost carriers.
The ruling from the European Union's appeals court allows Ryanair to keep a very sweet deal, a discount of more than €4 million that it received from the Belgian Walloon regional government to help run flights out of the state-owned Charleroi airport.
The Walloon Region gave Ryanair a half-price deal on landing charges that are usually fixed by regulation and promised to compensate the airline if it lost money on any changes to airport charges.
The airport would also help fund Ryanair's costs and pay it €1 per passenger for ground handling — rather than the €10 it charges other airlines.
In return, Ryanair pledged to base two to four aircraft at the airport and turn each around at least three times a day. The deal was for 15 years.
EU regulators ruled in February 2004 that parts of the Ryanair contract were illegal state aid and must be changed, which Ryanair appealed in an EU court.
But recently an EU Court said the European Commission was wrong to demand Ryanair refund the sum in 2004, and antitrust regulators had made a technical mistake when deciding the payments were an illegal state subsidy by not checking whether private investors would also have offered Ryanair low fees to start using the airport.
Mr. O'Leary now says the court decision also makes meaningless other EU investigations into claims that Ryanair received illegal subsidies at eight other airports in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Slovakia
Co-incidentally, it wasonly after the Court ruling Mr. O’Leary announced he favored Lisbon and would campaign for it. The treaty is being supported by Ryanair to the tune of €500,000.
There is also the fact that Mr. O Leary has long wanted to take over AerLingus - his main rival on the Irish market.
This would lead to a monopoly, as stated in the EC ruling of 2007.
But the more recent court favourable judgment on the indirect subsidies from in Belgium seem to have given Mr. O Leary a reason to support the Lisbon Treaty
Ryanair - Shafting you at home
NATIONAL INTEREST Vs COMMERCIAL INTEREST
Ireland is an Island nation. It is vital to the national interest that we have frequent and economic air transport to Europe and the rest of the world.
Aer Lingus was our national airline, but increased privatization encouraged by the EU with regulations on state subsidies and competition is causing problems.
According to the Irish Times August 27 2009 AerLingus is planning a review of its business after reporting a sharp increase in losses due to downward pressure on fares and a highly uncertain outlook.
Aer Lingus losses after tax in the six months to the end of June had widened a massive 242% to €73.9 million on revenue down 12.2% at €555 million.
This is an operating loss of €93 million compared with a shortfall of €23.4 million for the same period a year earlier.
Aer Lingus were guilty in the past of extremely high prices when they had a monopoly on Irish flights, so this made flights very expensive. The arrival of Ryanair competed with this, leading to a reduction in prices. We have learned in Ireland in particular that free and fair competition in the airline business is good.
Ryanair has become the dominant force in Irish aviation, publicly promoting free markets and attacking any subsidy given by governments to state airlines, regardless that they may be needed for strategic reasons.
Ryanair strongly oppose any government interference in their business, as long as they themselves are not the beneficiary, this is a dual standard.
Despite a very public commitment to consumer choice, competition and a free market Ryanair already owns almost 30 per cent of AerLingus (about 4% more than the Irish Government) and said in a statement in 2008 it wanted a “merger of the two airlines into one strong Irish airline group under common ownership”
In December 2008 Aer Lingus rejected a Ryanair €748 million takeover bid, saying the offer significantly undervalued the carrier.
This is probably true in the current economic situation.
In December 2006 Ryanair withdrew its first €1.48 billion bid for AerLingus, due to an investigation by the EC.
The EC has been concerned that the takeover would reduce consumer choice and increase fares. In June 2007, the European Commission announced their decision to block the bid on competition grounds saying the two airlines controlled more than 80% of all European flights to and from Dublin airport.
Despite its dedication to neo-liberal economics, Ryanair is happy to create a monopoly and accept state subsidy, directly or indirectly.
By providing financial support to ensure the Lisbon treaty goes through in its current format, Ryanair and other corporations like Microsoft and Intel place decision making further from the democratic process.
With the money involved they also ensure that their lobbyists have access to or even places with the unelected decision making committees.
To make sure that government remains of, by and for the People, we need a treaty that enshrines democracy answerable to us - not special interest groups and their lobbyists-whether their influence is sought or unsought - it is a danger Eisenhower warned against.
The adage of Tacitus still holds true - that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Again, as always – thanks for reading.
Even if you don’t agree with me – I hope you give some thoughts to the points made
And please let others now about these blogs.
Citizen Simon - out
