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WHY ARE THE Catholic nations of Europe being bailed out by their Protestant neighbours? Looking at the financial crisis, why are Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy in trouble? And why do we expect Germany, the UK, Holland and Scandinavia to come to our rescue?
Admittedly there are some exceptions to this Catholic/Protestant dichotomy. The French are nominally Catholic – although anyone who’s been to France in the past 30 years will tell you that the French are institutionally atheist. And also full of themselves. (Much as it pains me to say it, I don’t think these two things are completely unrelated.) And of course the Greeks are neither Catholic nor Protestant. They’re Orthodox. Although their system of accounting is not particularly orthodox.
In Protestant culture, you get into heaven by following your conscience, reading the Bible and telling the truth. Whereas, in Catholic culture you get into heaven by following orders, feeling guilty and saying the magic words. When you translate that into finance, Protestants hear “Play by the rules, work hard and you’ll become rich.” Whereas Catholics hear “The rules are impossible. Everyone sins, everyone gets into debt… But if you want to consolidate all your sins into one simple, monthly confession, dial this number.”
I don’t have a problem with God. I have a problem with God’s customer support team.
Of course, people in Europe don’t take God nearly as seriously as they used to. A thousand years ago, Europeans truly believed in God. People born as serfs were persuaded, and convinced, that God wanted them to work in crappy jobs. They accepted dreadful leaders, because they believed in the Divine Right of Kings. At one point Europeans even invaded the Middle East, because God wanted them to reclaim the Holy Land… even though God had clearly given the land to the Arab people living there at the time. (This suggests that God is somewhere between a dodgy estate agent, and a flirtatious, high-maintenance girlfriend, shrieking, “Fight over me! Fight over me!”)
Fast forward a thousand years and God has been largely removed from European politics. We won’t do things for God any more. Instead we do things “to help the economy”. And what do we do? We work in crappy jobs, accept dreadful leaders and invade the Middle East… because we need the oil. Essentially, we’ve replaced God with a vague, nebulous entity that “moves in mysterious ways”.
The good news about money and God is that their power is consensual. If you walk around constantly worried about what God thinks of you, or how much everything costs, then God and money will exert extraordinary power of your life. However, if you choose to worry less about God, or to place money lower down your list of priorities, their power over you diminishes. Gandhi said “If you wish to overthrow a dictator, see first that his throne within you is toppled. The rest will follow.”
In 1650, Europe received a fabulous gift from the Islamic world: the coffee shop. For the first time in Europe total strangers could meet in public, and have a private conversation about whatever they wished. (More importantly, as they were sober, they would remember it the following day.) As people sat down to debate the affairs of the day and compare notes, they started to question authority as never before. Modern European atheism began in 1650.
In 2011, the Islamic world received a slightly less fabulous gift from the Europeanised West: Facebook and Twitter. For the first time in many years, total strangers could have private conversations about whatever they wished. (More importantly, as they weren’t being watched by the secret police, they wouldn’t be ‘disappeared’ afterwards). As people sat down to debate the affairs of the day and compare notes, they started to question authority as never before. Modern Arab democracy has begun in 2011.
The lesson in all of this is that communication is powerful. Given its centrality in our lives, we very rarely talk about money. When was the last time you asked someone “How much do you earn?” or “What’s your bank balance?” It’s a deeply personal question. But then, so is “How often do you sin, in the eyes of God?” It’s only when we start talking openly about the effect of money in our lives that we realise how arbitrary, unfair and irrationally powerful it is – and what absurd things we do in pursuit of it.
We have replaced our desire for heaven and our fear of hell with a desire for riches and a fear of poverty. And we have allowed those in power to exploit our greed and fear for their own ends. Personally, I would love to see the people of Ireland rise up against the IMF and the ECB as the Egyptian people rose up against Hosni Mubarak. I would love to see the jubilant scenes on Tahrir Square repeated in St Stephen’s Green. But I know it’s never going to happen. We just don’t have the weather for it.
Abie Philbin Bowman performs Pope Benedict: Bond Villain at the Lir Theatre as part of ABSOLUT Fringe, until Saturday September 24.
His previous shows Jesus: The Guantanamo Years, Eco-Friendly Jihad and Sex, Lies & the KKK are being filmed for DVD release in Dublin next month. To pre-order copies, or to attend the live performances, check out indiegogo.com/AbiePB
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Of course it was an Irish budget; it took much from those that need most, and took nothing from those that have most.
Just one example…three rows of social houses across the street from me…car or two in front of each of them…trips to the post office every week…work?…what for?…we have everything for free…i hope i will see them soon leaving home in the morning to go and work hard, just like me!
Good man. There are jobs out there.temporary maybe. Interns maybe. Free college or fas courses maybe. But defo no excuse to be at home all day
Agree wholeheartedly with the Senator – the budget reflects profound ideological choices about the kind of Ireland we want.
Neither party has outlined any kind of vision beyond balancing the books – this is a massive failing.
I think it was a very good budget.. Its not going to impact much on those who are working. There are currently 10,000 jobs advertised in ireland… So jobs there are, i think the budget was a push to get people back to work.
Alex. When I see the “back to work” slogan used regarding this budget it makes me laugh. Very few employers in their right mind will employ anyone unless absolutely necessary with this proposal for them to pay first 4 weeks of sick pay.
What are we paying PRSI for again? Oh yeah, for when we’re all on the dole!
And even if the 10,000 jobs figure is correct (where are you getting that from, btw?), there are well over 300,000 people unemployed in this country at the moment. And what about the 140 companies that went under in the past month?
“Incentivising” people to go take jobs that aren’t there, by placing them
In danger of poverty, pushing them deeper into poverty. Weak justification, given the circumstances.
Well I think was a good budget. There are politics to how the decisions can be made and they did their best. But they should have put a few euro on the fags. That way unemployed people won’t smoke away their social welfare. And don’t tell me unemployed strapped for cash people should have the freedom to smoke blah blah
Have you something against the Unemployed then Aidan ?
That’s all very well and good, but you are actually speaking about an addiction. And forcing them to quit is infringing on their rights, whether it’s a silly decision to smoke or not.
If a person on the dole had a worse addiction like heroin we wouldn want them to spend their dole on it and smoking is no different.. I dont mind paying tax for the needy or for education and healthcare but you can get fucked if you think im paying for someone to smoke 20 a day and live in the local bookies.. Tax the shite out of bad habits I say…
@yosser. I have something against the unemployed smoking my tax money. As stated. Now please stop with your amazingly silly point
Aidan. You’d never look in the mirror for me and tell the cranky man to stop making his amazingly silly points.
Can they smoke their own tax money? I’m pretty sure the 14% out of work haven’t always been on the dole.
Yeah lads great being on the dole money for nothing ….Working 5 days a week on the black market couldn’t beat it !! You just keep on paying your taxes good lads ….
Unemployed because they chose it as their lifestyle?…YES…because they are too lazy?…f..k YES! They feel far too comfortable with the dole coming to their pockets every week and don’t even think about doing anything towards finding a job. Not all of them of course, but surely a lot of them.
Es war sicherlich ein irischer budget!!
enjoy! :)
Bitterly disappointed to hear Dr Zappone on with Ivan Yates during the week. Dr Zappone talked about how great the Seanad was but guys like me (taxpayers) have no say because I went to the “wrong” university. Another taxpayer (a friend who happens to own and run a shop, and is doing so very successfully during a recession) who pays a lot more tax than I do gets zero say because he didn’t go to college. Another friend, a supremely intelligent guy doesn’t get a vote because he got his degree (a First Class Honours) at Baliol, Oxfod. It is a bit rich cribbing and moaning about inclusiveness when you are happy to partake in the most obscenely undemocratic instituion imaginable.
Huge respect for gay rights work, but the fact that Dr Zappone went out of her way to say how great the Seanad was makes my blood boil.
Dump the euro
Balance the books
Problem sorted
Ooops! One small problem. The public sector might have to take a pay cut. I guess we will just have to make our children pay instead. Simples.
@Rommel the country is in debt. If you can find their own tax money you are some man. Otherwise cop on
@Aidan
Can civil and public servants smoke? After all you’re paying their wages too. Or are they exempt because they contribute tax? The majority of the unemployed have contributed plenty over the years too you know. Why not hammer drink in the budget too?
@Rommel public and civil service can do what they want with their disposable income. Don’t be so silly. Look, ill spell it out for you like a kids story it might help you: So if you were unemployed, you’re sitting with your partner scratching your head over how you are going to financially cope, and her and your feet are sore from walking through Dublin at the anti budget protest and she turns to you and says ‘Rommel, please give up the fags for a start, that will help, there is too much money being smoked. You smoke twenty a day. That’d sixty a week, a third of your job seekers allowance ‘ ‘why no honey, it’s my right to smoke, I’ll smoke if I want, I’ve worked long enough over the years so I’ll do what I want, so goodnight’
End of
“public and civil service can do what they want with their disposable income”, but not the unemployed? Why not? I got news for you, it’s none of your business.
End of.
@Rommel buddy surely you know that disposable income is that of money left after tax. Unemployed receive allowance, support. Incomparable in my opinion. Anyway have a good Friday night. I’m headin out for a fag
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