Comments on: Paying For The Celtic Tiger

By: de fan

de fan — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:35:43 +0000

for most people in this country all the last twelve years meant, was having a job and the fact their children didn't have to leave.
FF are fucked this time because they cant export the problem to Kilburn or Queens
A lot of people who came here to work and paid their taxes are also staying, better off unemployed here than at home.

By: C'est La Craic

C'est La Craic — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:45:29 +0000

Ah, the big fat moustached shadow of JP Morgan is still looming over us. Like me dear aul' Ma does say, there's nothing new under the sun

By: Bock

Bock — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:22:39 +0000

Now you put your finger on it.

What does "leverage" mean?

It means making up money that doesn't exist.

What we're seeing now is the evaporation of all that false wealth and the people with the real wealth waiting to buy up everything at almost no cost.

It's exactly the same thing that happened in 1929. A consolidation of wealth in the hands of a very small number of people who will become even wealthier out of this than they already are, while you become a lot poorer.

By: EashtGalwayWoman

EashtGalwayWoman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:18:07 +0000

Somehow I have to believe that irrespective of the conspicuous consumption this would be less of an issue if the financial services industry worldwide did not leverage loans 35 times in complex mortgage backed securities.
Is it just me (and John Stewart a bit too!) ?
And then add a touch of classic FF jobs fer the lads of the post modern persuasion and a gambling nature that all entrepeneurs have and you have this clusterfuck.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:03:25 +0000

"We are the only country I know of where a person is judged by their car reg."

That just about sums it up No.8. I too am "ditto" to Bocks description of himself only I have become unemployed ( actually, I don't know Bock's employment situation). However, my old car is paid for and my mortgage is manageable if my wife can keep her job, ( and hopefully I can find another one)

I am not in debt to thousands like some of the feckin' eejits in this country that borrowed on the strenght of nothing and now find themselves in deep doo-doo. Incidentally, some of these eejits are also blaming the government for getting them into this mess. I'm not exhonorating the bufoons in Dublin but there was a lot irresponsibility by joe-soap as well.

I would hate to be some of the people I know right now with 2007 Audi A6's in the drive and no job to pay for it. Let's hope a lesson can be learned.

By: Abdul

Abdul — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:30:01 +0000

Those greedy developers with their greedy investors are everywhere, being greedy, going forward.

"Greed is good", insisted Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, summing up what many believed to be the malaise of our age.

By: artyeva

artyeva — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:30:15 +0000

in a wee tiny village near my parents i see the left overs of the celtic boom:

an apartment complex that was built by a greedy developer and a shoddy builder. the roof was never put on right so only a few unsuspecting greedy investors hoping to rent them out at extortinate prices actually bought them. but no one wanted to rent a shoe box in a hole of a village with a leaky roof for â‚¬1300 a month so now they lie empty and local kids take great pleasure in throwing bricks in the windows…

By: C'est La Craic

C'est La Craic — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:52:00 +0000

-Abdul
Would those be the shodily built but almost nice to look at new houses? Estates full of rural 'regeneration' scumbags (a generlisation obviously, but not too far from the truth)? Shopping centers to spend all our redundency money in?
It would seem that Fianna Fail and a handful of speculators and their banks were exactly what it took to keep Paddy down.

By: st.leger.norma

st.leger.norma — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:40:30 +0000

Are we tending to set a standard here ?
I live in a simple house, at least its simple to me, but its in a lovely place and no neighbours close by, but it has been a 30 year struggle to be what is now, which is minus the leaks and holes.
I drive a very nice vehicle, my treat to myself, not guilty about it, I know about cars so for me its not as basic as getting from Ato B its paid for.
I have had nothing and I have had lot's, made no difference to who I was or am, so for me the huge difference here is the total injustice and apathy of our Government and the continued indifference to us, the people who did'nt perform the "snatch, grab and run" tactics, who have remained stable, reliable and consistent. If I end up with nothing again I will be fine in myself as long as i don't have unreasonable imposed debt and that my home remains safe, I just want to live here and leave it to my kid's.
Its ok to have what you want, you just have to be accountable when paying for it.I am very angry at having to pay other peoples debts, but i'm glad i did'nt lose my head during the "boom" just never believed in it.

By: pacman

pacman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:37:27 +0000

I'm not so sure Abdul, successive FF governments managed to keep us down for decades in the past.