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THE MINISTER OF State with responsibility for bringing down the cost of insurance travelled to the UK this week to try to convince insurers to operate to the Irish market, in the wake of the departure of one company which has caused grave concerns for the leisure industry.
Minister Michael D’Arcy was due to meet with a number of UK insurers and underwriters in London this week.
The purpose of these meetings was to “advise them of the most recent legislative changes and promote Ireland as a place to continue to write business,” Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil in response to a parliamentary question.
Donohoe added: “I think it is an important exercise as hopefully it will encourage some insurers to rethink their position about the Irish market.”
‘Compo culture’
The insurance industry has repeatedly said that the high level of personal injury awards and the number of fraudulent cases has driven up the cost of premiums in Ireland.
The government set up the Cost of Insurance Working Group in July 2016 to try to develop proposals that would bring down the price for consumers.
A number of developments that have been made include the establishment of a personal injuries commission to help to benchmark awards. It found that the payout for soft tissue injuries in Ireland is over four times more than the payouts in England and Wales.
And, although the cost of insurance is going down according to CSO stats, concerns have been raised that the industry could be knowingly misrepresenting the full picture in these statistics.
In a meeting in June, Minister D’Arcy asked representatives from Insurance Ireland for a guarantee that premiums would be lowered to reflect the action being taken to reduce the level of awards for personal injury claims.
Insurance Ireland replied it would be “difficult to persuade insurers to expand their risk appetite”.
A recent investigation by Noteworthy found that insurers’ spending on liability and motor claims has barely changed in a decade despite suggestions that Ireland’s rampant ‘compensation culture’ has been behind the country’s recent insurance crisis.
The leisure industry is one sector hit hard recently, after provider Leisure Insure announced that it was withdrawing from the Irish market.
The decision caused shock in the leisure sector, which has struggled in recent years to afford insurance – especially in an Irish insurance industry that has typically been unenthusiastic about offering insurance to such companies.
The government said that its hands were tied with limited options to offer relief to such companies affected.
One leisure centre and swimming pool in Kildare recently said it was shutting down after failing to secure cover, with the only potential quote more than four times what it had been paying before that.
Spin Activity Centre said there had not been a claim against it in the three years since it had opened.
Failure to secure insurance also hit the Dublin Oktoberfest festival which was cancelled this year with organisers citing high insurance cost.
Steps forward
Another action the government has taken has been the enactment of the Judicial Council Bill 2019. This provides for the establishment of a Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee.
While this hasn’t been put in place yet, Minister Donohoe said it should be before the end of the year.
Commenting on the withdrawal of Leisure Insure from the Irish market, Donohoe said that Minister D’Arcy had met with the company and was told “certain parts of the company’s leisure book were not profitable over the last number of years”.
“I acknowledge that the level of awards and the inconsistency in such awards is undoubtedly a factor in many insurers’ decisions not to continue in the Irish market,” Donohoe said.
He said that, in light of this, the “single most essential challenge” was to bring the level of personal injury damages down.
Commenting on D’Arcy’s trip to speak to insurers in London, Donohoe said he hoped Irish-based companies would also be mindful of recent changes.
I believe that Irish based insurers should also reflect on these reforms and in that context Minister of State D’Arcy has been engaging with them in order to seek a commitment that they will reduce premiums and widen their risk appetite to reflect savings made or potential savings, in particular if there is a recalibration of award levels downwards.
Donohoe concluded that he was confident that over time the pressure on businesses when it comes to the cost of insurance “should recede”.
TheJournal.ie has contacted the Department of Finance for comment on this week’s talks.
With reporting from Peter Bodkin
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No clout in Europe, we are like a flea kicking an elephant.
Yes I agree & it is about time that we will see what these guys in our government are capable of !
Short answer – they’re capable of doing Europes bidding.
At least the flea might have testicle’s !!
Stop paying them, now is the time to show them how much they rely on Ireland and Portugal to keep their precious monetary union together. If we stop then you’ll see a banking debt deal faster than you can say ‘blackmail’.
Its become sickening at this stage.
couldn’t agree more. we need to become a problem that has to be dealt with by the esm.
Wow. Clueless, are they not seeing what’s happening in Spain? It appears the time for a showdown is coming. Like Colm McCarthy said we should use the system against them and sue them.
Dude, it’s all part of the plan! Wake the fcuk up!!!
@Paul Mallon,The reader made a valid comment, Your a bully now go away you stupid sod.
hmmm… I don’t see how my comment is bullying, because I wrote “fcuk”?
It’s frustrating, nearly 5 years into this crisis to still see comments along the lines of “..are they not seeing what’s happening in Spain?”
Of course they’re seeing what’s happening around Europe; if sorting out this mess for the good of the European people was truly the goal here things would be very different. What’s going on now is a grab for wealth and power, nothing more.
@Tony, I apologies if you took offence at my comment, my frustration got the better of me, perhaps I could have expressed it more eloquently, but my point is still valid.
So Richard, you set up a twitter account specifically to call me a “stupid sod”?
Who’s the bully now?
Only for future problems? Let’s not pay the IMF and we would already have a “future problem”.
Another example of the Nordics not looking at the union as what it is supposed to be: a union.
Can you blame them?? who want’s to be part of a suicidal union??
What’s this got to do with the IMF. Better we tear up the €60 billion bank debt that the EU / ECB expects us to pay back and tell them to take a hike. Time for us to look after ourselves and stop being the fall guys.
Paul, Im glad you back tracked with your comments, but then a bully allways does that because they are cowards.
Go back to sleep troll!
Paul, the EU made Ireland a first world country. Nobody had complaints back then.
If the irish banks took advantage of the poor local regulation and lack of accountability to convert the country into a hedge fund it is not their fault.
Hi Patitas, are you saying that because the banks mismanaged themselves and because there was nobody making sure they didn’t , that it’s not their fault??
Our government dont have the balls to stand up these guys.
We must stand up to our government! Look at Spain!! Lets not take this one up the arse aswell!!!
They are not our government though, a government is supposed to represent the needs of the people that elected them. We have a Banker Bondholder career politician government. That lied to us to get into power for their own personal gain. They need to go. We need a government who genuinely represent us.
In the meantime Brian Cowen who signed off on the deal is swilling pints in Offaly on his €150,000 a year pension…
Fianna fail got us into this mess. We should start playing hard ball. That should have started with a no vote in the austerity treaty. So frustrating that we as a nation are so passive.
Bend over Eire, take it again, you’re so good at it now and you don’t even complain… the banks can’t repay all the German gambling debts, but the Irish people can so why change that?!!! It sickens me, I am so fed up with this sh1t now, time for a bit of Spanish protesting!
Thousands of people in Ireland agree with you including myself. I have taken part in small protests but we need one massive protest and it needs to be planned properly at least a month down the line to get people from all over the country time to get organised and come to Dublin where it will matter most.
What was it again you voted YES for in the referendum on the Stability Treaty?
Yup, default on the billion euro bond coming up shortly for starters. If Noonan and FG/Lab don’t do what they said they would now and stand up for Ireland in Europe, they will get wiped in next election. We were bullied into a bank guarantee to protect the Euro currency and are gonna be left pick up the pieces now. Whole US of Europe project stinks.
Actually in the grand scheme of things, this might be deemed as good news. It will force Kenny and co to take some real action. If they can’t find the courage to take decisive action now, then they’ll all be gone by Christmas. There’s no way they are going to be able to push through a crippling budget and avoid this issue.
Bring em to court , join the common wealth anything but let these so called friends on Ireland get away with this
Bring them to court ? The European Court ? Good luck with that :-)
The Common Wealth ? The one we escaped from less than 100 years ago !
Good luck with that too ,(altho I reckon that is the lesser of two evils )
However , I believe it is time (yet Again) to call on the people to stand up and get out and say Enough Is Enough ..
Eileen 25 percent of the people back these criminals that run this country 25 percent are scared 25 percent know whats going on and 25 percent do not care the battle is on .
Indeed ! Well I feel I am doing my bit BUT people like me need the support of the people who are Scared …. I decided ,yes decided ,that I do not want to be afraid any more . I have done nothing wrong . I have a voice . I was scared then I realised so are a lot more people and it is those people who I would appeal to , to stand up and be counted ! There is a great sense of FREEDOM in not being scared .
@eileen , are you having a laugh… We won’t get up off our fat arses, there are still not enough people in crisis financially in this country yet …. Now when the social is cut, when more taxes are implemented , when these water charges etc come into law then you just might see a few more people suffering and then they might start mobilising…… Gonna throw this out to everyone, now it’s only a very small observation and I maybe slated for it but….. When you see ordinary workers or mammys with kids or even teenagers still buying coffee and fancies in the likes if insomnia , starbucks etc then there is still some sort of cash flow in society…. I for one can afford to buy a mocchafrappachochamochachino and a €5 bun but my money goes to more legitimate expenses, like bloody house hetring oil, diesel for car etc etc …. Oh by the way I place m self firmly under ‘ the ordinary worker banner’
Dave O Shea
Hi .
No. I am not having a laugh ! However I see exactly where you are coming from and I agree with you . The thing is tho,there are people who part take in these ‘treats’ still do not realise they can not afford them. They are still in Celtic Tiger mode and it has not sunk in ,yet.
There are coffee shops and ”angel” shops and knick knack shops closing down all over the place and it will sink in.
I know of people who go to the shops to stay warm during the day .So a cup of coffee works out cheaper than Gas or home heating fuel ! The same people then go to that place where free food is given( sorry I just can not remember the name of the place ,in Dublin Run by a priest ) and they go home put on a dinner feed the kids and go to bed . There is a quiet desperation out there ,and people are very much afraid.
Dreading a cold winter !
Enda needs to go to Europe and explain that he has taken as much off the nation as they can afford and then some, any more and our economy will implode!
I don’t blame them for trying to milk as much as possible, its for our government to draw the line, before the people do!
“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”-Thomas Jefferson
Ahh European solidarity yet again. Eaten bread is soon forgotten. Kohl toured Europe years ago seeking permission for German unification. How humble they were then. The Finns are just bitter that no one came to their help during their recession. The Dutch are heading into a recession of their own making and are tightening their purse strings.
Default looks more likely every week
Time to take to the streets…. This is bs, I’m not paying the debts of some banker I never met (ANGRY)!!!!!!
Lets start be refusing to pay the €1 billion due on the 1st of October. Email Kenny, Noonan and Gilmore and tell them the Irish people have had enough of paying off other peoples and states debts.
I think Kerry Blake is right. Instead of (or as well as) complaining on comment fora like these, we should be mailing our TDs. If they were being bombarded with complaints from those they are supposed to represent, they might act in our interest!
Kerry I agree with you but it won’t stop them paying it. Will take more than a few emails and letter to do that. Massive protest is the only way.
When are the govt and all their supporters going to realise “diplomacy” ain’t getting us anywhere and we are merely being laughed at. First of all they walked us into taking the private debt as sovereign and we were told we’ll get a deal, now that we’ve done that, we’re told tough luck. Enough is enough. Oure brainless govt have spent the last 18 months distancing themselves from the PIGS and the UK, the very people we should be courting given our common purpose and instead we’ve been sucking up to the people now blatantly stabbing us in the back. Time to bring this country to a halt until we are listened to and represented!
Because Diplomacy is the model they learned in school after years of institutionalisation themselves. Diplomacy also suits them because its cowardice dressed up as action.
So the ESM bail out fund is not worth the paper its written on UNLESS we fall into a future banking crisis . We are not covered for the one we are already in…..I am so glad I voted NO in that Austerity referendum ,my conscience is clear !
Get UP , Get Out , and PROTEST.
If I thought for one minute that protesting or bringing the country to a halt would get us anywhere I would be the first man out.
However the sad truth is that it won’t.
These comments are to my mind just part of the negotiations as these are the countries putting up the money.
Only when we actually see the finished document will we know where we stand.
So what was the point of the referendum earlier this year ? Ah well !
So you think we should …wait ,to let them know how we feel.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/digicel-chairman-o-brien-on-apple-irish-economy-983p1tC7RBu5jZwdlcisdw.html
Have a look at what Denis O Brien says how good we are and not protesting here .
tell me where and when
Eileen
All I’m saying is that if we go nuts on the streets after every press release from Germany we will harm only ourselves.
I am all for taking effective action to get this unjust bank debt removed but let’s see the final document first.
Justin ,
Stephen,
Look out for information in your own areas.
Attend meetings . we are waiting for people like you to join us .
for a better deal – vote yes
thanks to all the suckers who fell for that one. did yous not see it coming?
They just would not be told !
No matter how much it was explained …
Time to protest people! Enough is enough!
There will be no real progress on the issues facing our people, debt, unemployment, emmigration, etc while out country is run by a bunch of idiots and clowns. It’s not funny – Kenny is seriously out of his depth – how could he be any other way . He is institutionalised, out of touch with no understanding of the core issues eg the cancer that is the odious layer of middle management in the HSE – the MBA brigade ( all management, no leadership).
At this stage I’m mighty sick of Europe – the duplicity, inaccuracy, lack of foresight, only looking out for your own interests and general complacency makes me think they’re all politi…oh, wait, they are all politicians. Time we gave them a little kick up the arse IMO, we’ve been walked over long enough.
So now we know that all those hopeful comments by Noonan, a few months ago, were more hot air. We are simply just going to have to deal with the banks ourselves….so get on with it?!?
That is simply Europe saying FU to us and expecting us to take it. Enough is enough. Burn them, burn them all
Our government haven’t the balls to take on Europe
why is everyone so shocked.A blind man could see it coming.They have been spinning shite for years now.Default here we come.
“game changer” comment now looks as foolish as Kenny
I can just picture the scene in FG HQ: “But but but, we’re being good and paying everybodys debts for them. Why aren’t they allowing us to stop?”
Eh……………………………………..because you’re paying everybodys debts for them.
the people need to start or threaten an armed insurrection against this, as unfortunately protesting will achieve nothing, look at the Spanish people eating from bins, these bastards have got away with too much for too long.. and as for the idiots who voted yes, you are all thick gullible fools.. what did you expect?????
Time to burn the bondholders and burn them hard… see how the Dutch, Germans and Finns like their pension pots wiped out… share and share alike.
Enda needs to go to Europe and explain that he has taken as much off the nation as they can afford and then some, any more and our economy will implode!
I don’t blame them for trying to milk as much as possible, its for our government to draw the line, before the people do!
“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”
-Thomas Jefferson
It really is time to stand up and be counted. Push back against a corrupt system which is dismantling our society. The pain out there can only be described as savage. People are at breaking point.
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men” Plato…
IT’S TIME TO RISE !!!!!
All the comments about getting out and protesting make me wanna cough my lungs up laughing! Non of you have the bottle!
Either that’s very poorly veiled reverse psychology or else you’re not used to the internet, you know the whole way you don’t have a clue about anyone personally on here?
Lead the way Dec.
I’ll meet you by the Spire at lunchtime, and we can march on the Dail.
I’m there!
Anyone else?
To short notice for me. But if a protest could be organised for some day next week I’ll be there.
I agree dec, I went to a anti bailout event organised on-line by the notourdebt group, based on the 300,000 people that viewed the “constitution v the sheriff” youtube video and less than 200 people turned up. The following day there was a protest in town against the selling of peoples reposessed homes, less than 25 of the 200 from the night before turned up for that. You would nearly give up on them if they weren’t our people. But we are slow to anger but once that anger point is crossed god help this banking controlled government.
Oh right, Shayno has arranged a spontaneous uprising on Saturday 6th. That suit everyone?
You have to plan spontaneous protests now. Fantastic.
Does anyone know how or where we would get these idiots email addresses? If the govt won’t represent us its time we, the Irish people, started letting them know where we stand, starting with electronic mailing!
here is a link to the td’s email addresses
Each party has a website with all their TDs contact details. The Govt website has contact details for all ministerial offices – Google is your friend!
Each party has a website with all their TDs contact details. The Govt website has contact details for all ministerial offices.
Wonder how many people moaning on here voted for the austerity treaty? Only ourselves to blame lads…
If only we had some kind of effective organisations that represent the workers to organise a proper nationwide protest…….oh yeah we have unions, wonder why they’re so quiet?……….whisper it…..croke park
anyone serious about protesting?
or you just goin to moan on here?
set a date! bring one friend tell them to bring one friend, and so on and so on and so on. next Wednesday would be perfect for me :-D
Theres a lot serious about protesting Stephen, problem is its gone way past a few mass demonstrations. Yes it would be nice to see feet on the streets, and hear the chanting, but in the long run its meaningless without some sort of action attached, running alongside. We cant rely on anyone in authority or power anymore, we’re being shafted left, right and centre by all those who should be defending our rights. We actually should be standing shoulder to shoulder with every single man, woman and child in this country, telling our union leaders, politicial leaders, banking leaders, European leaders that we’ve had enough. Problem is, the radical action we need to take most people will be afraid to do. Which is a pity, because what most people fail to realise that with a pressure applied, it actually is the people who do hold the power, we’re just continuously beaten down so we dont realise it. When enough finally cop onto that fact, then we will be on our way back.
Our good “friends” strike again…
Its simple, unless we get a million people out in protest nothing will change. This will give the government the anarchism card and put us back in the spotlight!!!
Why would Europe do anything for a nation that is that bothered they won’t even stand on the street in protest for a few hours.. Our silence is consent to continue plundering..
The message would be resounding across Europe when the media report that he poster child Nation has had enough.
Even if you don’t agree it would work, it would cost you nothing to do so try it and prove me wrong!!!
Lets set a date???
Has any one noticed that RTE has been reporting on the protests in Greece and Spain only since there was trouble at them …. Nothing about the thousands who have been protesting peacefully across Europe over the last few months…
Squeezing Blood from a stone protest
Date: Saturday 6th October
Time: 13:00
Location: Leinster House
Enough is enough
Tell Europe we want debt relief!
Tell Our government they work for Us!
It will cost you nothing but could change everything!
For once in your life make a stand and be proud you tried to stop the Lunacy!
Or do not attend and moan and suffer slowly until you end up eventually having to make a stand for keeping a lot less as you know thus process will continue until they meet a equal force!
STOP IT NOW.
Don’t continue to be a bystander
This has to end. We have been the good boy in the class too long. Stop paying back the debt. Plus we are meant to take on the Presidency of the E.U in 2013. Tell them they can go stuff that one if they don’t look after us. Please Enda grow a pair
Isn’t that the problem though Kevin. You mention rightly that we are like the good boys in class. The irony is that its the teachers are being led by the bullies.
an idea that anyone in neg equity can do..stop paying the mortgage, thats it, just stop.
I’m beginning to think that that nonsense in the Metro letters the other day about flouride could be true.
“We can’t rise up unless the unions organise it.”
“Yeah, let’s email them.”
YCMIU.
I’ve had enufnI vote NO in the last referendum and now can take no pleasure in rubbing it in the faces of the morons who voted YESnIrish people just don’t protest effectively…..that’s a fact!!!nHowever I do like the idea if snowing the correct email addresses DAILY with messages about how upset we are, we’d have to use a new address regularly or else it’s just gonna go to slam folder….but an effective protest nonethelessnI’d love to see Angela Merkel wade through thousands of angry Irish emails daily just to get to her business for the day!!!!
here is a link to all td’s email addresses
Our politicians are useless. Our unions are only worried about Croke Park, screw everybody else. And we as a people are apathetic. Look at how long it took us to cop onto the Carholic church! How long will it take us to figure we’re being rode again?
The gov keep Croke park agreement in place as they know that only the unions have the organisational clout to get people marching on the streets. If any other group organised it – there would be thousands out in protest. We re all sick of this s#*t. Those clown puppets of government are being played by the elite and they don’t even know it.
So how do the Unions do it. Can we not copy what they do and mobilise people?
“frankfurts way or labours way” what a joke the labour party are now, full of yes men. wheres varadakar now the minister for know it all
There is a law out that if your on the dole and are seen protesting, they can stop your payment because your not looking for work.
What ? Are you serious ?
That’s what masks and scarfs are for!
That’s what masks and scarfs are for!!
That happened to the Jarrow marchers in the UK during the 1930s
Sad day, it’s been thrown back in our face having taken it up the… for the last 4 years. I am beyond disappointment with our useless government. I could understand what they were trying to do, play the game stay out of trouble and they will cut us a break. This was always going to happen. Come out and defend/spin this now Kenny and Co. Make a real decision for once, the time is now.
When are people going to get it through their heads that Ireland no longer has a ‘government’ merely an implementation panel who do as they are told, when they are told and obey all diktats like the good little serfs they are. Kenny is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the still solvent countries of Europe, an annoyance to them as he rattles the begging bowl under their turned up noses, they couldn’t care less about the Irish now they have their treaties passed and the gombeen school teachers who run Ireland are fully complicit and wholly subservient. The ‘private’ banking gamblers are all getting their money back thanks to the Irish tax payer and the ‘fighting Irish’ (boy if ever there was a misplaced description that’s one, unless your talking about the usual weekend drunken yobs) are willing to lie down and take it up the jaxy then they can continue to dishing it out to meek fools who moan and bitch and complain but can’t be bothered to actually do anything about it. The country is divided into those who are still doing alright, ie the pensioners, the public sector workers who are all protected by Croke Park, the politicians, judiciary and of course the bankers! Then there’s the real losers in all of this the low paid workers, the unemployed, the squeezed middle with young families and mortgages who work in the private sector and who haven’t had pay rise in years and are now sinking fast under taxes, food inflation and new charges, but above all there’s the young people leaving education, no jobs, less pay, expected to work for less than some of their would be colleagues doing the same jobs, no gold plated pensions for them, no allowances to feather their beds, no unvouched expenses for them. All of this is a result of what Cowen and Lenihen did when they turned the losses of a bunch of mainly foreign financial gamblers into a sovereign debt and at that moment they signed away the country and it’s people. These countries like Germany, Finland and the Dutch see Ireland as parasites, a bunch of profligate pennyless scroungers wanting their money and they are determined that they won’t be paying off the debts of those who they see as such. Kenny is deluding himself and simply prolonging the pain, sooner rather than later the Irish are going to have to wake up to the fact that Europe has changed and there is no place at the table for the beggars unless you happen to be a ‘big’ player worth hanging unto and with 4 million people out on the fringe both geographicially and mentally and with a tiny market to sell to the big players are simply not bothered. Only if the Irish threaten instability or throw a spanner in the works will they do anything, look at the Greeks they kicked off and each time the had debt written off, The Irish do as they are ordered and they sneer and throw it back in our faces. Wake up and see the reality people, Kenny et al are simply pawns and powerless pawns at that!
You have hit the nail in the head and the your solution of Threatened Instability is now the only way we the people can take back the power taken from us.
I will protest. Gimme the time and place and I am in!
We need to start thinking outside the box. Weve played by the rules and been screwed by them. Theres isnt one thing that will work. We need to attack on several fronts, everyone making a contribution to the best of their own ability and talent. We need feet on streets, yes, we need an email campaign to each and every politician, yes, we need to consider boycotting banks, emptying accounts, becoming a cash society, we need to consider more radical methods including the commencement of non payment of loans or mortgages in huge numbers. Some of these are easily done, some have far reaching consequences, but the alternative is doing nothing and still getting raped by Edna and his cronies both in Kildare Street and beyond. But above all we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours and fellow citizens and support them in every single one of whatever foolhardy endeavour we and they decide to try. Death by a thousand cuts is still and whether its the Irish peoples funeral or the Governments and Europes will ultimately be down to each and everyone of us. Together we can do it, you need to stop listening to those who say it cant, because theyre the ones who are the really frightened ones
Agree totally Mark and most of all we need to stop bickering with one another on here. Basically we all agree this cannot continue. We all know the issues and most of all we now know the government is just not up to the deceit and lies being told in Europe to keep us playing ball. What we need is a proper organised protest. Not just isolated small ones in Limerick Dublin or Cork etc but a planned massive protest. My question I want to ask everyone on here is this. How can we organise properly a decent protest that will give people time to plan it? I do not know myself. How can we reach out to everyone who feels the same as the majority commenting here about this protest. Is there an organisation we can ask to organise this. The unions are not an option for obvious reasons so can people start suggesting was we can organise for one big massive protest?
The problem Christopher is not giving the people the heads up and time to come and match, it’s changing their attitudes to a march and actually getting them wanting to do it. Any of the ones I’ve been on, be it the education, SNA, household tax, bond payments and others, they’ve all been pathetically attended. People don’t want to be discomforted out of their couches. They’re all gung-Ho right up to the point that they got to leave their houses then suddenly, the baby needs feeding, Hair needs a colour, Fair City is on….won’t matter if you organise a march that is going through their front lawn on a bright summer day with all their favourite soap and pop stars in it and not clashing with anything else in the universe, they’ll usually find some reason they can’t go. Until THAT mentality changes we’ll still end up with the usual couple of dozen or hundred real diehards who’ll be dismissed as the mad fringe element and ignored.
BTW, I’m not dissing everyone with an excuse. I’m fully aware of the contribution so many have made outside of a protest march but can’t make a day for various reasons. They deserve recognition and respect, but they are just a minor minor number in the vast thousands and thousands who talk and type and do bugger all else. It’s when this majority realise that their excuses are just that, meaningless reasons to do nothing, then we’ll see real numbers at any event, whenever it is organised for.
Thanks for the support Germany, Finland and the Netherlands.
Making the rules up as they plod along, some how reminds me of this government , not forgetting the FAI. :)
Just let them all know what the alternative is .… default ( possibly on Anglo debt only). And not just by Ireland. Spain’s banking debt is “legacy debt” aswell. See how the banks of the big European banks get on then?!
There is a march in Bandon this Saturday. Or, I personally would suggest Budget Day if you can get people off their arses and away from their television sets!
But, actually, what good is ousting the Govt? Look what happened in Italy- they got Monti, an unelected Eurocrat installed. I think we ought instead to move beyond dependency on Govt since they clearly aren’t looking after the people. We need to grow up and start looking after ourselves. Our surrogate Govt Mummy is feeding too many mouths.
Housing, food/water, energy, education and healthcare. It’s time to get local and get sustainable because as long as other people control our food and energy supplies, a revolution would only throw us back to the last century.
This what is wrong with European Politics. As they say a friend in need only a friend if is not a preexisting condition
lol reminds me of that other one Brian…a friend in need is a pest!. Well we know who are friends in Europe are now, I fail to see what they can do to us now. Burn the Bondholders is the only way we can start figthing back. The Europeans put us in this postion in part, by blackmailing the previous government with that letter. Well its about time we dropped the default bomb and to hell with the consequences. By the reports Ive seen, we actually only have a deficit of about 5b when you strip out the payouts. We stick together, we can do this and wont need the ‘help’ of our European friends.
Honestly did we ever believe they would, they do spin very well
……where’s Declan Noone and his friends now? All very very quiet for a change!
: )
My apologies, my comment seems to have been posted 3 times. Not my intention.
This is what we have to do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGkmgnprrIU
Quite simple really. Get on the blower to all these countries and tell them we cannot afford the deal in its current state, as such we won’t be putting off the inevitable any longer and will be defaulting at the next available opportunity. See what happens then. Pity our politicians are little more than lapdogs.
have your say