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THE ARMY WAS almost called in to protect Ireland’s banks during the depths of the financial crisis, Agriculture and Defence Minister Simon Coveney has said.
Coveney told Newstalk the public didn’t realise how close to the edge the country was during the worst phase of the economic recession, which took hold in 2008.
He said Enda Kenny had been briefed that the army may need to be called in to protect banks in case they ran out of money.
“We were losing about 1,000 jobs a week in the economy, the country was bust.”
The Taoiseach was getting briefed by the Central Bank that actually he needed to have a fall-back position whereby the army may have to surround banks to protect them because we could literally run out of money. That is how close to the edge we were as a country because of political mismanagement in the past.
During the interview Coveney defended Kenny, saying he had led “from the floor” after years of “political mismanagement”.
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And yet, Kenny continually called for more and more spending from the opposition benches.
Go figure.
Enda ran errands for the troika when the Fianna fail government were negotiating the bailout …… he got the story of Beverley Cooper Flynn and then went and let the bankers in on what the irish government’s position was – as reported in the National Media some time ago !
Treason pure and simple. The man sacrificed his country for a grubby bit of power for himself. Treachery of the highest order
Just like SF are doing now yes?
We are being sold out, lock, stock, & barrel,
Our treasonous government has sold us & our future generations into slavery.
Simon Coveney & Chairman Of Goldman Sachs Peter Sutherland Confronted At Bilderberg ; -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5K_bxxNQc
Shur whats new! The nasty party have always been the same. They always like to play lapdog. Remember when the British authorities used Cosgrave in opposition to do their dirty work against the Jack Lynch government and the arms smuggling incident? Cosgrave served the Crown well and tried to bring down the government for his own political gain. Fortunately the Irish Jury saw through what was going on and acquitted all.
So don’t be surprised at the betrayal of the nasty party….its ingrained in their history.
And yet, when the money ran out they made the cuts to stop a total collapse. While Sinn Fein called for the cuts not to be made.
David, what’s your obsession with SF? They are not in government. They are unlikely to be in government for some time if ever. They did not cause this crises. Why don’t you try and expand your sphere of thought and politics beyond your love of the nasty party and yiur hatred of SF. The rest od the world is moving on and would like to explore a better way of governing for the people.
The nasty party did no more than they were ‘briefed to do’ by the troika and outside interests. My dog could have done that with his paw and a stamp pad.
Tell that to the thousands and thousands of homeless people who will spend Christmas living on the streets.
@David the fact is SF did not call for no cuts
They wanted to spread the cuts out over a longer period and do a stimulus package, on those two they were in agreement with FG and Lab before the last election btw.
I’ts a funny trend that even many SF supporters think their policies are further to the left than they actually are, they’re gonna be v disappointing when they get into govt, after what happened to Labour I’d advise them to stay out unless they’re the dominant party.
90% of all parties in Ireland are the same policy wise, most of it is an exercise in identity politics what kind of person you are. If you come from the council estate you vote SF, if you’re a middle class preppy you vote FG or FF if you’re a diff brand of yuppy you vote Green etc
The only major diff between SF and the other parties is the wealth tax (just an extension of the property tax really) and turning welfare into living wage long term (something I think would be a disaster)
This proves that we now have a government prepared to use the army against its own people at the behest of the Troika and the banking elite of this country and Europe. Shameful.
Excellent retort Jack
The Irish army would NEVER open fire on civilians unless one of them was a direct and present threat to the life of the solider in front of them.
First, without a declared state of emergency a general shoot to kill order would be illegal
Second, even with one the Garda and Army rules of engagement say it’s up to each individual in the situation to judge the level of force required and assess the threat, he can justify it and explain himself later, even with a STK order they’d not do it I don’t think.
They might shoot someone who came at them with a weapon but someone throwing a brick at an empty building? FFsake no way no way. Can you imagine any Taoiseach who gave a shoot to kill order to protect an empty building lasting 24 hours? He’d be out on his ass!
Take the British embassy firebombing as an example. Des O’Malley, hardly a pinko lefty , told the Guards to let them burn down the empty building because the Guards told him stopping them would get people killed and he figured an empty building was not worty that.
typical long winded Coveney,,,,why would anyone want to attack a bank that had no money?…why come out with this scaremongering again?, I bet they told Iceland they would have no money either eh?!!!
Or the thousands upon thousands having to dpend it on foreign soil
You mentioned that before, Dermot, and it is true. The filthy sleveen was undermining the efforts of the poor Fianna Fail gobdaws, for preferment and for party political gain. I can think of some countries where, even now, that sort of action would merit a firing squad.
Ronan you are some muppet…answer me this…why will enda kenny get a teachers pension of 30k a year and a lump sum of 100k when he retires…. on top of that he will get a gold plated TD’s pension…he worked as a teacher for how long? kenny and his parasites are sucking this country dry…pigs at the trough
Sinn Fein wanted the wealthy to almost all of the hit. The general public however wanted the wealthy to pay their way but knew they would need to take some pain and make some sacrifices… that is why they put Fine Gael/Labour in Government… to ensured everybody paid and that the taxes were progressive and that those who created the problem paid the price. Unfortunately, Fine Gael have gone back to those on low and middle incomes to bail out Ireland. The wealthy have not paid their way and Labour have sat back and allowed Fine Gael or the Irish Christian Democrats to damage society and push people who were just about getting by into homelessness and poverty. They have shut A&Es which has led to more deaths and damaged healthcare while failing to reform the HSE. They have damaged education and the future of the next generation. If they won’t make the wealthy pay, it is time that Fine Gael and Labour pay!
…………And then he pulled a Napoleon and went out to Angela before he was elected as Taoiseach ….It reminded me of Napoleon crowning himself – and we know how that worked out for Napoleon …he ended up eating the wallpaper under house-arrest and poisoning himself on the arsenic in the wallpaper !
We’re supposed to forget by moving from one topic to the other as they fire out scandal from the Dail – they have been completely caught out with the water charges though and the whole thing is going to crack wide-open like Humpty Dumpty – look at the Ansbacher sitting on Dick’s desk …..
Don’t investigate too far back ,the antecedents of the Coveney political dynasty.
You might find out why a lot of Irish money -even then-was in overseas tax havens when exchange controls prohibited it’s export.!
Kinsealy, Cork- Fianna Fail-Fine Gael.The pot and the kettle,all in the same boat, entertaining the people with bread and circuses while sharing the same Des Traynor sleaze pot.
When will we ever break the dreary cycle of “to the Manor born” style,inherited high political office.?
Spot on sean….fianna fail did the murder but fine gael/labour hid the bodies
@Francie
looked at that video,sutherland the mass immigrationist tongue and cheek with a potential successor to kenny ,Coveney ,what a disaster, no wonder Ireland is rapidly filling up with foreign Nationals,its all about extreme greed nothing else,sell our country our culture our nationality down the swanny.
and who was Attorney General of Ireland when Europe were pushing hard with treaties – why Sutherland of course – the new Banker to the Pope as well – it should be added !
Have you seen all the videos on facebook of the Gardai beating the bejazus out of ordinary people protesting about water charges. Why do you think there are silent protests outside Garda stations. Wake up if the Gardai can behave badly so can anyone else!!
I have to wonder had the army been brought in and an attempt was made by people to get what was theirs out…would the army have used deadly force?
Look back on history J.D….It was that long streak of misery that sent the most wanted man in Ireland Michael Collins, over to Lloyd George and Co, knowing very well the outcome of it…..He was a spineless leader who created the Civil War in Ireland…
Spineless rats breed other rats, and we all know the Rats that jumped ship in the last so called government, leaving this Country in ruins…..That code is ingrained in our history alright, apply it where it is richly deserved…
Francie, excellent video. Thanks for posting it. You can be assured that Sutherland is always lurking in the background for his opportunity. There is something of the night about him.
Someone should warn poor Simon that swimmimg with sharks is a dangerous business…..unless of course you are happy to be a pilot fish! Lol.
Patrick, you are right, to a degree but don’t confuse Collins with the nasty party. He was not and would not be associated with their politics of today. The fact that the long fellow had an aeroplane waiting to whisk Collins away in the event of the treaty negotiations failing says it all.
However bad you think FF are, the nasty party are worse and for this reason, they have no nationalism, they don’t get it. They would betray anyone for their own gain. The primary concern of a government should always be it’s loyalty and determination to the people if this country. If you watch the old Mitchel & Kenyen movies of Ireland in 1910 you will see where the nasty party roots come from.
Can we now call on the Army to protect us from this Government ?
armies protect governments, more likely they would shoot people before politicians
Rubbish. This is not America. Every Irish man and woman would be related to or know someone in the crowd if even anyone turned up. In America being so big they cab send them from different states so noffamily friend ties. Here that’s impossible. Shows what they think of Irish people. They hold us in such disdain and disrespect, they thin k we would do something like be dangerous over money. God ff ff an greens PDS make me sick to stomach. Only people who robbed are them in dail,robbed the people. Also pretty sure we have another army if Irish army hurt our people who would step up. That’s why Islamic extremists are afraid to touch Ireland. I laugh at off fg lab brain dead pathetic wasters.
P.S I think this is a thinly veiled threat.
Are you seriously saying that Islamic nutters are afraid of “our” other “army”…as in the IRA? Because that is the most stupid thing I have ever heard.
But on your other point, at least in the US the citizens would stand a fair chance of going toe to toe with the government.
Leviathan – In Ireland everyone knows where the T.D.s live ……
Ireland is untouchable. If they did something they wouldn’t survive. Anyway toe to toe with American government and Obama would take them out with drone strikes. Ever seen hunger games? That’s what the fall out would look like. The only safe state would be Texas.
What a load of Crap from Coveney again….. Trying their best to scare us … …pure spin….
Trying their best to scare us about something that happened 6 years ago? Take your meds.
why are they telling us now – oh yes the I.M.F. have to look good today as they turn ficticious computer bytes into hard cash !
Some of my best friends take meds, so we do.
Some of my best friends are imaginary ,so they are.
Some of the voices in my head tell me that the govt are out to get us, so they do
They’re telling you now because there is an election coming and, given that they abandoned the stimulus package, the UHI plan, the graduate tax plan etc etc and basically continued Cowen policies, they need to paint a contrast between the Cowen years and their term.
No politico has off the cuff remarks or casually tosses out a press release not this day in age, everythings planned everything is strategy everything is part of the game.
Perfect Ryan …the story about Enda on the R.T.E. is all election – telling people to consider their election choices ….. i.e. Pensioners, Civil Servants – be afraid of the big bad Sinn Fein …they will take all your money and give it to the poor ……no, no, vote for us cos we take all your money and give it to the I.M.F……
Shut up you fool….
Covney – ‘He led from the floor’ Led up troika shit Creek without a paddle, led us to paying a so called temporary USC charge which is here to stay.
Is the journal going to run this USC piece?
Fg propaganda machine on full power fool me once ???
“Fool me once – shame on……… shame on you……….. fool me, you can’t get fooled again”
-George W Bush
By the looks of things.
You’ll be calling in the army to protect FG/”Labour” from the people Coveney.
Now that’s progress.
Coveney, the Bilderberger’s newest darling, obviously issuing a “veiled threat” at the anti-water and anti-austerity brigade. Just don’t expect our compliant media to describe it as such.
The army were almost called in? Wtf? I almost called the police yesterday except I realised the noise was a creaky floorboard. I almost won the lotto once, except I didn’t. Quit with the media barrage to try bolster government approval. It won’t work. December 10 for Ireland.
I know an army that could do it for half the price.
well maybe we should make you Taoiseach then …there seems to be an awful shortage of money and you might save us a few bob !
It always makes my blood boil to see FG pretend if only they’d been in power it never would have happened.
FF/FG-Lab had virtually identical economic policies during that era, hell the entire western world was addicted to neoliberal magic economics, cut taxes get more revenue, deregulate to the death etc The IDA used to BRAG about this saying it was a sign of stability
In fact FG had a bailout policy before anyone had ever heard of a bailout, with the eircom shareholders. It was far too late to turn back in 2007 anyway even if FG had won, the changes needed to be made back in 2004 to make a diff. Even then we’d still have had a big crash, just the banks and IMF would not have been a factor.
What worries me was that then FF in gov were willing to use the army on the people. It was also supported by Enda Kenny. How many people would have been shot with them steyr augs Simon?
They’re pulling this out as part of a new campaign, it’s all part of a new spin cycle with them.
They’ve done the math and they are worried that the next Dail Eireann will be a hung Dail. For various reasons I’m not AS convinced of that as others but don’t wanna make the post too long by going into it here.
So the only govt becomes a FG minority, a FF-FG or another election. They are trying to at least get to a position where they can come in again with Labour and maybe some indos. The key to this is to admit ”sure, ok we didn’t do all we said we were gonna do , but compare us to Cowen years” and they compare the two, and people, worried and nervous about ”jeopardizing the recovery” will give them credit for what was gonna happen by now anyway, a stagnant half assed recovery.
The more they can show you the horrors of the Cowen years the better they look, and the more they inch towards re-election.
I hear what you are saying. By telling everyone that there is no alternative they hope that people will buy into it.
Its a bit like the Its Labour’s way not Frankfurt’s way rhetoric.
They’re basically saying ”we can’t promise you boom we can promise you steady as she goes slow stable recovery…now do you wanna put that all at risk by getting SF in with FF as the minor partner?” and then you scare those FFers who loaned you their vote from going back with ”remember the Cowen govt? sure we didnt do everything we said but we still did better than him!”
Then to get the middle class vote out they’ll throw a bit of scare tactic in about the unwashed hoards getting increased welfare while their kids college fees go up and they get 52% of their income taken to pay for said welfare, scare enough swing voters into going Indo rather than SF and you get a FG minority govt.
People don’t make political decisions with logic they make them with their emotional subcoincious, it’s the most painful and depressing lesson I ever learned working political campaigns, identity politics and parish pump push policy to the back seats.
It’s official so – the army only exists to protect bankers against the citizens –
Demilitarise the State immediately and put the money into social housing …lol
Idiot.
“Where’s your ffffing Pride “”….l.o.l.
I meant social housing for the Soldiers that are sleeping in their cars …..
Dermot, that’s a load of old codswallop, members of the Defence Forces are paid well and have good benefits
F–k it! Housing for the desperate general public!!! This government are an embarrassment to Ireland; A total disgrace; and a poke in the nose to simple intelligence, honesty, and basic human decency. Cannot wait to see them out!! And out they will be!
…sorry I was being bold – it’s just the stress of bailing out the Newbridge Credit Union and it on the edge of the Curragh that has me so worried …
I hear what you are saying but my gut feeling is telling me different. Its saying Vote Fine Gael in again and watch another generation of young people emigrate.
That’s a pack of slyly spun lies designed to try an make themselves look good.
“Oh look, aren’t we great, we saved you from all of this” Pure BS
The heartening thing is that we as a people see through the bullcr*p now
… And Sally O’Brien – and the way she might look at you…
Revisionism – what FG like to call history.
You could fry an egg ……
Call out the army against the citizenry! How very democratic of the blueshirts and their supporters the Labour party who never support the working people. About time this lot were out.
These lies come at a time when a group of serving and retired defence force personnel said they will protest on the 10th of December, I’d say its to try drive a wedge between the protesters noting but dirty tricks
They couldnt Hear a thing
These clowns never run out of lies and spin………. clapping each other on the back on a job not well done and still the corruption continues…… pathetic
Maybe the Army could take over the country, kick these EuroTraitors out. Stranger things have happened.
Tired hearing we were nearly this and that previous government did this and that people defending this government saying things what would happen if AAA Sinn fein would do this or that none of these are in government now running the country FINE GAEL AND LABOUR are meant to be they are the ones now making decisions hard tough ones as they like to say fixing every thing but we now know there decisions burn bondholders or bully electorate frightening people tainting people who disagree with them all with the same brush thugs Isis morons clowns they could stood up to bankers and Europe burned bondholders but they choose to be bullies in Ireland and cowards in Europe..
does this mean for anyone thinking of joining the Irish army ,the priority is to protect the banks?
What the army shoot the people, gobsites
Simon, little do you know, but this comment confers no credit on any arm of this State. We are informed by you that upon a severe crisis arising with our banks the Central Bank’s (who are charged with the oversight and regulation of banking in this country) only advice to the “Leaders” of this country was to plan to mobilise troops against the citizens of this country?!? This should tell every citizen of this country all they need to know about “the great and the good” before whom we are meant to genuflect because they know so much better than we, and have our best interest at heart at all times. Jesus wept.
I heard he stopped crying and set his chin to vengeance – but sure I could be wrong !
Kenny and company would be to afraid of the Irish army supporting the Irish people on the streets- that’s why he ran out of guts to call them out-
Jesus I gave him an number 1 what a focking spoofer. He can take it from this comment he will not be so lucky next time
Where’s joan
John Hartigan in answer to your question as to where iPhone Joan is I guess she must still be sitting in that darkened room after her ridiculous behaviour in the Dail the other day, cant wait to see what sets her off next time!
Opening a food bank in cork, i kid you not
That’s our failed Minister for Social Protection iPhone Joan opening a food bank. Labour are a disgrace.
I wonder will the Army be called in to protect Irish Water.
They would have been ran off the streets
I’m on the floor ..
I’d say more likely the Army was going to be called in to protect the bankers when they collected their fat bonuses and ensure their safe passage when they ran..
The IMF s mission is to bankrupt every country. Once again we are ignoring the elephant in the room
He is SPOOFING.
A subtle preemptive threat, thinks me.
If our “dissident protest” doesn’t wrap itself up by dinner time, we face the stormtroopers in their masks and plastic fetish wear.
Shut up Enda!!
Why would you “call in the army” to protect banks that “..ran out of money”?
I’d think you’d call in the army to protect banks that had some money.
It’s obvious nonsense!. there were no protests, no indication of protests. He’s making it up. Id be interested in hearing an army response to this. Is the army on red alert for the 10th?
I read a comment recently saying there will be ex-members of the Irish Defence Forces coming out to parade on the 10th to stand in solidarity with the people.
It is easy to discern that FG and Labour are overegging the anarchy and lawlessness threat. FG always resorts to the notion of threat to law and order when it feels that its hegemony is under threat. If anger is not a policy, then promoting fear and paranoia is not a sustainable policy. You can’t keep the populace in fear and trepidation indefinitely.
I’m not fooled by this self serving manipulation by fear. Are you?
Not one bit !
Sounds like a tactic to me …..
it seems Kenny and his cronies are scared of the protest on dec 10th,and they are trying to cause some sort of fear,pathetic really
My concern is that the Government has not only lost touch with democratic sentiment but is starting to become repressive as well as reactionary. This Government is steadily losing democratic legitimacy and is undermining its own ability to govern. As the Government swings to the right it is leaving many of us on the left. This Government no longers represents me or my values. Talk of the army being brought out in September 2008, some 6 years ago, serves a fake law and order agenda. The spirit of blue shirtism is being resurrected.
More scaremongering,rhetoric and Bullsh..
And fool Shatter continued on his relentless passport ceremonies how much were they costing,the big picture i`m talking.
Terrifyingly Simon Coveny is a Bilderberger. He is a dangerous one to watch. He lives Newstalk via its owned by one if his pals. He brought up the army thing to scare middle class people into thinking if the water thing got out if hand this could happen in the streets and also he was trying to say look everybody look at the wonderful work FG have done. He is the most dangerous of them all. He is young and ambitious with a very serious agenda and he will get an even bigger reward than Phil Hogan dud when his time comes. One to watch
Dont believe that for a minute.
The threat of calling out the army is implicit and reveals a weak Government which is steadily losing its mandate.
My friend is in the defence forces, got a nice claim too. Told him about this bullshit, said he didn’t hear a thing!
Sooner we get the election over and Sinn Fein and the other left loons left out in the cold again the better. It’s mostly the uneducated and certain socioeconomic classes that believe they are a game changer.
Coventry caught telling porkies again
Trying to figure out if the picture of the solider is a handsome man or very attractive woman !…..
anyone ???
Enda Kenny wasn’t taoiseach in 2008.more government lies
Liars. Spoofers the lot of them!!!
YET AGAIN MORE SPIN BY THIS GOVERNMENT THE IRISH ARMY WAS NOT BRIEFED ABOUT BEING CALLED IN TO PROTECT BANKS NOR WOULD IT HAPPEN BECAUSE ORDINARY PEOPLE HADNT GOT MONEY IN ANY BANK TO GO AND WITHDRAW IT KENNY OR COVENY TALKING BULL AGAIN THIS POLPOT KENNY LED GOVERNMENT ARE ALMOST GONE ONE FINAL PUSH ON THE 10th OF DECEMBER TO GET THEM OUT
should we have actually ran out of money, i wonder how long those soldiers would have protected the banks with no money going into their accounts.
The irish army are useless
No they are not – they are just confined to peaceful means of international dispute …. they are still the finest soldiers in the world – sure don’t the Rangers whip all the other special forces in that Superstars competition they have ……..
Peaceful yes,myself as a member of the British Army was involved in conflicts in the gulf and bosnia,thats what you sign up for,not to escort cash in transit vans
that’s what you sign up for in the British Army …the Irish army aren’t the British army – different country different rules …
Boo
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