Ireland in Ruins

English: Anglo Irish Bank, Great Victoria Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

During the week I Retweeted the following from KSat News in San Antonio, Texas….

Tom Baldwin ‏@LegalEagleStar

I wonder how many of these guys made money from Irish Citizens? Bondholders ? Ask #Enda World’s richest billionaires http://www.ksat.com/-/478556/9259712/-/wvv8urz/-/index.html#.UTT3ocxeiUo.twitter …

If we go to the List we see Warren Buffett, the 82-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is worth an estimated $53.5 billion. Bill Gates, chairman and co-founder of Microsoft Corp., is also co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His net worth is more than $67 billion. I ask the hypothetical question whether any of these made money on the back of the Irish Citizen? The answer is that I don’t know and our Government is making sure that I cannot find the answer as they refuse to disclose the identity of the Bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank and other Bank Bondholders who have been handed money by our Tax Payers. Our Government has, and is paying back every cent due to these same anonymous bondholders. The Citizen on the other hand, those that invested their redundancy or inheritances, if they were lucky enough to have the money in the first place, have taken huge loses in whatever Funds they were advised to invest in. No bailout for the Citizen, only those who claim Elite status.

The Citizen in Ireland now faces a life devoid of hope. They face the serious prospect of their homes being repossessed by these same Banks and Financial Institutions who they have in fact bailed out. My point is that Billionaires small change would rescue Ireland. But our Government prefers to be the Good Boy in the Euro Class and instead bleed their citizens dry. I’m sure that Billionaires have reaped the rewards from their Bonds, many of which were purchased, I’m told, at a great markdown. I’m sure they were laughing at the incompetent Irish all the way to their banks.

We’re told we are in a recession. I’m not an economist but have listened carefully to our Economists over the past number of years. Their diverse opinions are at times illuminating but it seems most just base their opinions and comments on what is in the media at any given time.  Some, who I believe should know better give us little hope and just side with Government strategy in advising more austerity and pain for Citizens who already have been cut to the bone. It seems they reside in a parallel universe where people count for little or nothing and all that is important is the survival of the multinational conglomerates and their bankers. Tune in to Vincent Browne’s Show Monday to Thursday at 11pm on TV3 and listen to their endless diatribe. To be fair to Vincent he does tend to show them up for what they are and in an entertaining fashion.

Historically, Irish People have trusted their politicians and for that matter, their local friendly bank manager. If advised to purchase a home they will follow the advice, take whatever mortgage is offered and complete the purchase. They are fed media hype concerning what they should buy and most if not all media handed out advise on a weekly basis with glossy inserts in the daily papers. People are trusting and believe what they are told. Naive many would say, but I for one have seen what motivates people. As a solicitor in practise for over thirty years, I see the ‘little guy’ spending his/her hard-earned cash in ways that they are ‘urged’ to do by their ‘leaders’, whether politicians, bank managers, investment brokers, Thursday’s Irish Independent Property Supplement, Friday’s Irish Times Property Supplement or indeed the Sunday Papers with their advice regarding the queues outside housing developments to get a bargain. People cannot be expected to discriminate against such pressure from those they have come to trust. Their Friday Irish Times has in fact become the ‘Bible’ for such people. Can we honestly blame people for being taken in by such propaganda? The media, our politicians etc. were forcing an agenda. Those behind the newspapers, advisers and yes sadly, our politicians were making a fortune for themselves, I believe, on the back of the citizen. The money our people spent ended up in already rich coffers.

Now politicians change their mind and continue our previous  Government’s austerity measures. People threw out Fianna Fail as they believed them corrupt and voted for change.  Now they feel betrayed by those they trusted, again naively some might say, who now claim their hands are tied by previous the Government. So while politicians change their minds and continue to trade cheap shots with one another, the Citizen is driven to bankruptcy, lose their family homes and family silver and are told its their own fault. ‘We partied during the Celtic Tiger’ we have been told. No we didn’t. Yes, most did their part as they were told and spent money on property, if the funds were handed to them. To say people partied is an insult. The Citizen is now driven to despair and sadly many lives have been lost due primarily to the helpless situation they find themselves in. Families have been broken up, many, too many suicides have occurred and yet the Government ignores their pleas for help.

Yesterday we saw our leaders Enda Kenny, Fine Gael and Eamonn Gilmore, Labour Party  ‘glorify’ in the success of the first two years of their Government. They told us that we are doing well. The reality is somewhat different on the streets where the level of poverty has arisen to greater heights than ever before in my lifetime. This without the upcoming property tax, water metering and whatever other schemes they dream up to fleece the citizen. Remember all those that bought their homes paid an enormous amount of Stamp Duty and to ask them to now pay Property Tax is an absolute travesty of justice. Those ‘economists’ who favour this charge citing other countries property taxes, simply ignore this injustice. Shame on them ! There seems a major disconnect from what politicians are saying and what the reality is. While citizens are awakening in a new era of poverty and austerity, corporations, who are not even pursued for the meagre corporation tax, continue to prosper. Who are the Government working for? The citizen or the multinationals who continue to prosper?

Are we in a recession or is it the implementation of all those Euro Treaties that we were told would bring jobs, prosperity etc. The United States of Europe, which no Irish Citizen ever voted openly for, but is the culmination of said Treaties, is now a reality and its imposition is being forced upon us. Be careful for what you wish for as all those Yes to Europe Votes have indeed come back to haunt us. We Irish are now a small poor Statelet within a huge capitalist entity. How did we ever think we’d be a player enjoying equality and fraternity with the likes of Germany? That is what we were sold by our politicians and we believed them. Recently on RTE Pat Rabbitte, a prominent member of the Labour Party said that you say some things before elections. He was justifying a change of mind when parties take power…

Video: Pat Rabbitte admits to breaking election promises http://www.joe.ie/news-politics/current-affairs/video-pat-rabbitte-admits-to-breaking-election-promises-0031538-1 … via @JOEdotie …And We continue to believe them..

Enda Kenny changed his mind on taxing the family home. I tweeted on this…Tom Baldwin ‏@LegalEagleStar

‘It is morally wrong. unjust+unfair to tax a person’s home.’ EndaKenny 1994.’Don’t ever trust a politician.’ Me, 2013 pic.twitter.com/0P05G6vxY1

When I was in College we were taught about Capitalism, that you were ‘Never too big to fail’ What utter nonsense. Whosoever controls the capital calls the tune. Billionaires who continue to prosper, their bankers and suchlike, many under the guise of Anglo Irish bank Bondholders control this new United States of Europe. I wonder as to where the old Nazis are now because Hitler has indeed realised his ultimate goal of a United States of Europe under German control and with an ‘Elite’  firmly in charge of our destiny. Whatever will the German people think when they discover what is really happening to the Irish Citizen?

LegalEagleStar , Thursday , 7th. March , 2013.

A Depleted Police Force Rings Bells of Corruption #GardaSiochana

Over a lifetime of involvement in the law, I’ve had to deal with the Garda Siochana on many levels. I have seen the progress as well as the demotion of individual Gardai and by and large I have been impressed with the level of integrity and humanity that most show when carrying out their duties. Of course, we come upon the odd bad apple, as in all walks of life, but unfortunately there is nothing as rotten as a bad Cop. The misuse of the Garda Siochana is what annoys me the most. When political influence interjects to corrupt the Force it spells disaster.

In the Ireland of the 1970’s there was no shortage of Gardai to man the ‘political police’ who spent many hours working against those who threatened the State. Politicians left no stone unturned to capture their ‘enemies’ and legislation was enacted to allow for the detention of ‘suspected terrorists’ when the need arose. People were targeted for the most menial of reasons and I personally believe that many became involved in the ‘troubles’ as a direct result of police action who would otherwise not have done so. My point is, that once the State felt threatened, it threw all it’s resources to protect itself regardless of the consequences to the civil rights of those who, for one reason or another became politically active against it. There was never any issue of not having enough ‘Special Branch’ on the ground and manpower was never an issue. The State in this instance was in fact not you and me but the interests of those in power. The old ‘civil war’ politics which have divided this country for many years were alive and well. The Free State was to be protected at all costs.

Times, they are a changing. Today politics have moved on. The Good Friday Agreement has unleashed those who ‘threatened the State’ into mainstream politics. This can be nothing but a good thing, although unfortunately it has left behind some of those who feel that the politicians are now pursuing another agenda. I  suppose, following the Civil War in the 1920’s there were those who felt betrayed and disfranchised. That is where the politicians fail. Not to be inclusive is to distract from the reality. I truly hope that progress can be made to bring about an inclusive society where the rights and aspirations of the Citizen can be nourished, not quashed.

Today in Ireland, we have many problems. Most have been due to the ineptitude, self-interest and downright corruption of the political classes. As a State we have lost our sovereignty. Joan Burton, Labour Party, has stated that we have pooled our sovereignty with our friends in Europe. This loss, or pooling, is in the interests of those who want a United States of Europe, a matter that has never been openly put to the Irish Citizen. Nonetheless, we are now being dictated to by Foreign Powers regardless of our wishes.

The interference with the independence of the Garda Siochana and the cut-backs being imposed by our Government, clearly at the behest of others, including the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, have left the Citizen exposed to forces whose objective is the dismantling of society as we know it. Only last night on National Television we saw the open drug dealing on the streets of our capital city, Dublin. Some have asked why RTE cameras could expose the transactions taking place while the Gardai on film seemed to be acting under crude restrictions. From talking with members of the Force over the last while, I have received an education. Their resources have been cut to such an extent that it has become nigh impossible for them to carry out their duties. The Force has become depressed as a result and the Citizen is the one suffering the brunt of the actions of the politicians. This begs the question… ‘In whose interest are the Garda Siochana acting?’ Well, they are there to protect the State. They take their orders from the political classes, those same people who have sold out our sovereignty to others whose interests are not in line with those of the Irish Citizens.

Who is benefiting from the cutbacks? Well as shown, clearly not the Citizen or indeed the Garda Siochana themselves. Who then benefits? Well I suggest the Drug Lords, Corrupt Bankers, White Collar Crime etc.  One could suggest they are one and the same people ! The Gardai, despite their misuse on picket lines are our protectors. We should listen to them when they tell us they are suffering. When the old and vulnerable in our society are being brutalised by thugs and gangsters who operate now freely in our society.  Is it not time to call an immediate halt to the disastrous policies on policing currently being imposed by our current Government ?  Or is it now fact that they really control nothing and that policy is being dictated solely by a Higher Force which is blind to the needs of the ordinary citizen. If the same mentality existed today as in the 1970’s as regards the protection of the interests of the State, things would be very different. Or would they? In those dark days as today, maybe the interests of the political classes are still being served. Maybe the Gardai have been used all along to protect the Elites among us, not the ordinary citizen. Today the Gardai rank and file are not happy being used and abused in this way. But, will anything change ?

LegalEagleStar , Friday , 22 nd. June , 2012 .

Referendum in Ireland, 31st.May 2012, the End of the Journey

English: James Larkin Statue and The Monument of Light The Monument of Light is 120m of stainless steel. The Larkin statue was erected in 1981. James Larkin was leader of the general strike in 1913. The building on the left is the General Post Office which was seized on Easter Monday, 1916 by members of the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a democracy, such as ours, we elect politicians for a term of years to look after the Rights of Citizens and to, as it were, ‘run’ the country in their best interests. That is the theory. The practice has been somewhat different, unfortunately. For years Fianna Fail were the champions of business and in particular, the construction industry. Over time, mainly due to corrupt practices, in my opinion, the interests of the citizen became somewhat overlooked. Fianna Fail became too close to the Bankers and the European Elites and began to strive to promote themselves to be rubbing shoulders with these people who were to become their Masters.

There were meetings, before meetings, if you get my drift and the power shifted to unelected Bankers and Businessmen whose sole concern was profit. The control of the Country was in effect handed over to these people with no regard whatsoever to the interests of the Irish Citizens. We became a land of would-be elites and the policies pursued by Government lost sight of what really mattered. The interests of the citizen took second place and so upon the advice of the Bankers and their fellow travellers decisions were made on another agenda altogether. Dishonestly so, in my opinion.

Fianna Fail were not alone in pursuing their agenda. Both Fine Gael and Labour played their part in this deception. So in effect, all parties in the Dail, who each made their policies clear come election time, had no intention of carrying out their promises once elected. When a Fine Gael/Labour coalition took power, the emphasis shifted in a small way to their own people who took over jobs previously held by Fianna Fail. The construction industry, while primarily Fianna Fail people, lost out to some degree. Fine Gael looked after their more rural supporters in the alternative. That is the way Ireland has been ruled for decades.

So, come the proposal to join in with Europe and the European Economic Community, all of the parties enthusiastically joined forces and urged the Irish Citizen to Vote Yes as it would be good for jobs, among other often repeated slogans. Ireland entered on its European journey and while some disagree, we have certainly developed as a nation to a degree of prosperity as a result. This is probably a good thing as when I was young, the abject poverty of some was shocking. A walk around Dublin’s inner city was an eye-opener. Today a walk around Dublin is a somewhat different experience. The horrible slums have been replaced by modern buildings which by and large, have improved the living conditions of the citizens. So our journey into Europe, encouraged by almost all of the political parties has not been such a bad experience. Yes, but at what cost? We joined an economic community based on open border trade. The citizen worked hard to bring about this change but as time has gone on, those that prospered were primarily the multinationals and the banks. Peoples lives were becoming controlled, not by themselves but by institutions whose agenda was solely based on profit. The trade unions, once a powerful force in looking after the rights and working conditions of their members, began to take up seats on the boards of companies. There was an age of new industrial relations. No longer had you the James Larkin types running the unions. They were a training ground for future politicians who slowly but surely positioned themselves into positions of power.

From an e economic union we have been steamrolled into the European Community. Sovereignty, while once a powerful emotive term is now a dirty word. We are, after Maastricht, on the slippery slope to what we didn’t vote for i.e. The United States of Europe. When did that happen? Well, over time the Irish Citizen have voted for a little change here, a little change there and now it is past the time to turn back. Still the three major political parties are singing from the same hymn sheet. Vote Yes for Jobs, is still their mantra. Yes, there is now a slight change in the makeup of the Dail. Independents and Sinn Fein have emerged onto the scene but as yet cannot exercise any real power in their arguments. Their time will be another day, somewhat into the future. By then it’ll be too late to undo the wrongs perpetrated on the citizens of Ireland by unscrupulous individuals, both elected but in the main unelected, who have imposed dreadful austerity on the citizen in pursuit of their own selfish agenda.

On Thursday the Citizen has the opportunity to Vote. That is their right. But is it just an exercise in democracy for the sake of it, or is it an opportunity to try to stop the runaway train which is delivering us to a destination that we know not where? The United States of Europe is upon us. It will be a brave man or woman who stands on the line to try to stop this train. Sadly, it appears we cannot stop this train regardless of where it’s true destination lies.

As I’ve stated in a previous Blog, I encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote. Sadly it may be the only chance you have for some time as in the last General Election the citizen voted for change which has clearly been denied them. The present Fine Gael/Labour Coalition has continued to implement the same policies as Fianna Fail despite the citizens mainly anti-Fianna Fail Vote. I believe it was not a vote for Fine Gael and Labour but primarily anti-Fianna Fail , a point which seems to be lost on current Government politicians. The importance of steering us into the United States of Europe now takes on a greater urgency as to slow the process now would only allow the Irish Citizen to say No, enough is enough. Now, you couldn’t have the Citizen daring to change direction, could you? No, clearly that would be disastrous to the bankers whose interests we are now told, come first. Bail out the banks, not the citizens. That way you keep the citizen powerless in this New Europe. Irish citizens have lost their individual identity. They are now only citizens of a country called Europe.

LegalEagleStar , Tuesday , 29th. May , 2012

EU Elites do what Hitler failed to achieve…

Image by Abode of Chaos via Flickr

Well now it’s official. Germany, with the collusion of France has determined that our future lies within the United States of Europe. Ireland, once a proud Independent Nation will now lose it’s sovereignty, obtained by the blood of generations, to the Elites who control the Banks and the Multinational Business Community. Some of us saw this coming but many trusted our Politicians and their Political Parties to lead us out of economic stagnation and depravity. Those who lead us into this mess have, in my view, done so deliberately and in such a fashion as to let us think that they were so doing to help us. Guarantee the Banks, the late Brian Lenihan determined. This would save us. Sure how could we survive without them. Like a long-lost child who has returned to the fold. By so doing, he made the Citizens of Ireland responsible for the debts of the Elite who ravaged this little country for their own personal gain. We are just left with their gambling debts. They are now though, the sovereign debts of us all. We are the ones who must pay off debts which we didn’t even know existed, and more come to light on a daily basis.

I remember many years ago the Irish Labour Party joining with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in a determined drive to join the EEC  i.e. the European Economic Community. We were told it would give us many more trading options and would be good for the country. It would take us out of an economically depressed state into an open market. And we were told, on more than one occasion, that it would prevent wars in Europe. We really had no other option but to join. No thought was given to actually trading with countries we had more in common with. The thought of dealing with the Super Powers was too much to miss out on. The Irish people believed in our politicians and openly embraced the EEC.  Over time, we have been asked to Vote in Referendum after Referendum to approve the latest Treaty. When we got it wrong, in their determination, sure just get us to vote again. What would us ignorant people know about such International matters. Again and again we trusted our political Elites and look where it has got us.

Where we are today is, just maybe, where the Elites want us to be.  Down on our knees, in the worst depression ever contemplated and most importantly, subservient to the Elites for our very existence. Not so many years ago our sovereignty was, we were told, assured. Nothing to worry about. But behind the scenes the Elites just smiled as they knew that as time went on, it would only be academic. Their view of our world is somewhat different to what you and me view as ideal. They demand control of the wealth of the Citizen and God help anyone who stands in their way. The example of Iraq should not be discounted. When Saddam Hussein stood up to his heretofore masters and decided on a course of action without their approval, he was deposed and his country ravaged. Control of the oil was paramount and a subservient nation an essential element in their plan. Those who stand up for social justice are now being targeted as Opponents to the plans of the Elite and will be targeted as Opposition. Those who stand up to protect the rights of the Citizen will also be restrained as it would not be right to let the Citizen act in any way to opposed the onward and upward match of these Elites.

Our Political Parties have in effect been bought off and it is clear for all to see that our Puppet Government has no power to act in the interests of the Irish Citizen and must do the will of the IMF/EU without any option but to say ‘Yes Sir’.  I was listening to the Radio over the last few days about the Nazi occupation of Europe. Is this any different? Maybe War is now fought in the Boardroom instead of the battlefield, unless of course you are talking about the Middle East or in some far away poor African State where the people are fed drugs deemed unfit for consumption within the European Community. In such cases, it would appear that the use of chemical and other such obscene weapons which massacre people but do minimum damage to property are preferable. Precision strikes are lauded while peripheral damage is tolerable.

What type of obscene world do we live in today? We can debate on Vincent Browne’s TV3 Programme weeknights and on Primetime on RTE until we are blue in the face, but in our joke of a Democracy it amounts to nothing. It lets us get some ‘stuff’ off our chests but in the end it only acts, as it is meant to do i.e. provide a safety value for the Citizen to let off some steam. That suits our Political Elites who can then continue to plan the total domination of the Citizen for generations to come. Unless someone, somewhere, is prepared to stand up and indeed suffer the wrath of these self-styled Elites, then our collective futures seem doomed to oppression. Are our politicians just naive or are they in collusion with these obscene Elites. The Irish people are fast running out of time if they want to halt this torrent of oppression. With the Church in disarray following scandal after scandal who is to give succour to those who would stand up for us? Is it too late to realistically do anything for the Citizen or do we just continue to lie down and trust in those who clearly have another Agenda.

LegalEagleStar  Wednesday , 17th. August , 2011