Comments on: Well Done For Being So Slippery, Says IMF http://bocktherobber.com/2009/12/well-done-for-being-so-slippery-says-imf/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:35:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Scotlyn http://bocktherobber.com/2009/12/well-done-for-being-so-slippery-says-imf/comment-page-1/#comment-86967 Scotlyn Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:51:57 +0000 http://bocktherobber.com/?p=11687#comment-86967 In Irish political/economic discourse, I've noticed two phrases bandied about, which are worth deconstructing. 1) "keeping the markets happy" - this means that even though citizens are the only people who can vote - "markets" - ie that sector of society that lives, parasite-like, off the rest of us who work (if we can), just so happen to get a vote that is always slightly larger than that of the rest of the citizens put together. (How do they do that?) Our leaders are clearly frightened to death of anything that will make markets unhappy. On the other hand, they will never be able to make the markets completely happy, as that would involve transforming us into a generation of people who are so grateful to have somewhere warm to go everyday, that we wouldn't actually want to be paid for working. 2) "commercial sensitivity" - this is a truly bastard phrase, and it is designed to conceal the extent to which public money gets siphoned into private pockets. The latest example is the "commercially sensitive" deal whereby, if insufficient numbers of cars drive through the tollbooths on the new M3, the Irish government, ie you and me, will fork out an unnamed sum in compensation. Why can't we find out how much we will be compensating a private company for not providing a large enough number of cars for them to privately tax? Because it is "commercially sensitive." And another one - I just read that the amounts paid, and any increases in salaray, to staff at commercial semi-states cannot be revealed to us who pay these salaries - why? Because that information is "commercially sensitive." Well, here's a thought - how could there be anything, paid for by the taxpayer, that is too commercially sensitive for the taxpayer to find out how much? How can we get rid of this mealy-mouthed excuse for concealing the sight of private vultures ripping chunks out of the public purse from us? In Irish political/economic discourse, I've noticed two phrases bandied about, which are worth deconstructing. 1) "keeping the markets happy" – this means that even though citizens are the only people who can vote – "markets" – ie that sector of society that lives, parasite-like, off the rest of us who work (if we can), just so happen to get a vote that is always slightly larger than that of the rest of the citizens put together. (How do they do that?) Our leaders are clearly frightened to death of anything that will make markets unhappy. On the other hand, they will never be able to make the markets completely happy, as that would involve transforming us into a generation of people who are so grateful to have somewhere warm to go everyday, that we wouldn't actually want to be paid for working.

2) "commercial sensitivity" – this is a truly bastard phrase, and it is designed to conceal the extent to which public money gets siphoned into private pockets. The latest example is the "commercially sensitive" deal whereby, if insufficient numbers of cars drive through the tollbooths on the new M3, the Irish government, ie you and me, will fork out an unnamed sum in compensation. Why can't we find out how much we will be compensating a private company for not providing a large enough number of cars for them to privately tax? Because it is "commercially sensitive." And another one – I just read that the amounts paid, and any increases in salaray, to staff at commercial semi-states cannot be revealed to us who pay these salaries – why? Because that information is "commercially sensitive." Well, here's a thought – how could there be anything, paid for by the taxpayer, that is too commercially sensitive for the taxpayer to find out how much?
How can we get rid of this mealy-mouthed excuse for concealing the sight of private vultures ripping chunks out of the public purse from us?

]]> By: unstranger http://bocktherobber.com/2009/12/well-done-for-being-so-slippery-says-imf/comment-page-1/#comment-86956 unstranger Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:04:22 +0000 http://bocktherobber.com/?p=11687#comment-86956 What's so frustrating here is that you are wholly correct. The frustration for me stems from the undeniable fact that all of this is well known to every member of Dáil Eireann. What's so frustrating here is that you are wholly correct. The frustration for me stems from the undeniable fact that all of this is well known to every member of Dáil Eireann.

]]> By: Builderfromhell http://bocktherobber.com/2009/12/well-done-for-being-so-slippery-says-imf/comment-page-1/#comment-86933 Builderfromhell Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:59:18 +0000 http://bocktherobber.com/?p=11687#comment-86933 We are far from doomed. Nama will accelerate the collapse of the Irish economy. The system is rotten to the core. The sooner we have economic meltdown the better. We can then concentrate our efforts at building up an alternative system. Any half baked collapse will only result in the ruling elite hanging on to power and making the suffering of the masses last for more than one generation. Anyone who believes that things will improve should consider the other ailments with which Ireland is afflicted. I won't list them here as they are well covered in this blog. The ailmnets which are not covered here include; - The pension timebomb - Peak oil - Global food crisis next year, caused by credit crunch and weather http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/2010-food-crisis-for-dummies.html - corrupt and inefective legal system - rising crime rate and lawlessness - Listowel attitudes We are far from doomed.
Nama will accelerate the collapse of the Irish economy. The system is rotten to the core. The sooner we have economic meltdown the better. We can then concentrate our efforts at building up an alternative system.
Any half baked collapse will only result in the ruling elite hanging on to power and making the suffering of the masses last for more than one generation.
Anyone who believes that things will improve should consider the other ailments with which Ireland is afflicted.
I won't list them here as they are well covered in this blog.
The ailmnets which are not covered here include;
- The pension timebomb
- Peak oil
- Global food crisis next year, caused by credit crunch and weather http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/2010-food-crisis-for-dummies.html
- corrupt and inefective legal system
- rising crime rate and lawlessness
- Listowel attitudes

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