FG - Never Failing to Disappoint

The recent news that Olwyn Enright will not be contesting the next election for Fine Gael, leaving a gap in the Blueshirt ranks in Laois-Offaly, is both disappointing and understandable. Disappointing because, although she didn't set the world alight (no one ever can in Irish politics), she did seem to be bright and capable, and represented a younger generation of Irish politicians; also, although part of a dynasty, her lineage only went back to 1969 through her father. So practically a newcomer to politics by Irish standards!
Her stepping-down is understandable as, with a young family to raise, a husband representing a constituency in Donegal, and the prospect of ministerial office dim following her part in the heave against Enda Kenny, there is little to entice her to run again.
Now would seem the perfect opportunity for the party of plodding conservatism to run a dynamic candidate, who could galvanise the constituency and get Laois-Offaly ready to see-off the recession. Instead, the speculative candidates being spoken of today include an All-Ireland hurler and another member of the Enright clan.

The hurler in question (and relax yanks, it's not that bad. This kind of hurling, not the kind you experience after a night's boozing) is Brian Whelehan, who, while undoubtedly a great athlete, has been less than successful in the political arena:

Although he performed poorly in the local elections, a senior party source says he will be looked at as a possible replacement for Ms Enright.
"You can't rule him out as he's known in every house," the source said.

You can't rule him out as he's known in every house. That really shows the paucity of thought in Irish politics at the moment, and in particular it shows up how little will actually change even if FG get in to government - and I'm a member, by the way. When will someone actually realise that selecting candidates who can bring more than a well-known face to the political scene will be vital if this country is ever to stagger its way out of recession. With all due respect to Mr. Whelehan, FG should be selecting someone who can actually contribute to the legislative process - that's the whole point of being elected to the Dail, after all.
 
The big question is, of course, will the people of Laois-Offaly fall for this ploy?

Anti-Semitism - the idiot's choice

Tribaltastic

I may be a Dub (not an honest-to-God, true blue Northsider, Joe Duffy, kind of a Dub; yet a Dub nonetheless), but I love Monaghan. I can't place my finger on why, exactly, I like this county so much; in large part I expect it is the unique way it keeps a cultural foot firmly North and South of the border all at once. On top of that, the centre of Monaghan town is quite well preserved; efforts have been made to boost the town's cultural stock through the County Museum and the various theatres and drama groups, plus there's the archaeological society. In short, Monaghan does a pretty good job of balancing the best of the rural with the best of the urban.

But my enthusiasm for the Big M isn't shared by the native Monaghanites - wherever I go, whenever people hear my accent, the first question is always "Why in the name of God would you move to Monaghan?" When I express my admiration for the town, and for the county generally, they stare at me in disbelief, before reciting the litany of all that is wrong with the area: the lack of a full hospital, the factories shutting down, no motorway to Dublin, insufficient businesses in the town, and so on.

Such disgruntlement could be easily dismissed as simply the disillusionment that has spread throughout the country since the Celtic Tiger bit the dust, but what is truly revealing is not the negative attitude which pervades the town, but rather the factor which Monaghan people blame for their travails.

The supposed cause of their woes is usually revealed when they contrast Monaghan with nearby Cavan. "You see Cavan," they tell me "That's a great town. They've got great politicians over there; they get them all sorts of things. Sure why else do they still have a hospital?"

Now, I never have the heart to point out that the county of Monaghan actually has 4 of the 5 TDs (members of parliament) in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, and that 2 of the 4 Monaghan TDs are in the governing Fianna Fail party. More worrying though, is the attitude that has developed (all over Ireland, not just in Monaghan) that a politician's only job is to get things for their locality, even if this is to the detriment of the nation as a whole. In many countries politics might be ultimately local, but in Ireland politics is only, and ever, local.

The sad irony is, of course, that this fixation on the tribalisms of who gets what at county level (counties are, after all, by and large based on the old borders of tribal kingdoms) actually ensures that all of us get substandard and ineffective services. Monaghan, and the whole country, would arguably be better served by having no "local TDs" but rather by having national governments that, in a bold revolutionary move, actually governed the country.

Besides, if any Monaghan people are reading this, just remember that Monaghan has Dinkin's bakery. And by God, I've not tasted the like of their ginger wheaten bread anywhere else on earth: compared to that sort of a luxury, motorways are overrated!

Bread and Games - Soon to be Minus the Bread

Last night, Ireland shuffled down another step on the slow descent into financial Hades, as Standard & Poor's cut our credit rating from AA to AA -. Despite the fact that the rating agencies seem to base their grading system on the Sports Day awards ceremony of a Junior Infants class (Ah, the memories! "Don't cry Aitor, you get the "Good Hustle" Trophy for trying your best!), the - (minus) in Ireland's rating is more telling than the somewhat empty AA.

I can't really pretend to know how this whole bond market thingy-majig works, but what I can tell you is that this latest downgrade means the cost of Ireland's bank bailout will probably rise from €30-35 bn to €45-50 bn.

As you can imagine, this is the story on everyone's lips.

Right behind the Rose of Tralee winner.

And the stupid cat-in-a-bin story in England.

And the obviously pressing national importance of Senator Ivor Callely's resignation from Fianna Fail following chronic address amnesia.

But after those stories, everyone is talking about it.

If only: it barely featured on Tonight with Vincent Browne last night, and was given a passing mention on the RTE news this morning. It was left in the dust as "the most texted about news story" on Newstalk (admittedly, it is on the front page of the Independent).

No one here seems ready to admit that Ireland is on a serious hiding to nowhere. We have not turned a corner, reached the bottom, or started the recovery.The people of this island go about their daily lives, grumbling about the extra taxes they have to pay, or the decrease in services, without ever asking: " Who is responsible? And what can I do to change things?" They go on expecting that things are going to get better, when they are just about to turn infinitesimally worse.

Occasionally, the more volatile citizens will phone Liveline, where there anger can be carefully managed before being dismissed by the state broadcaster.

But that's it - a few angry words over a greedy Senator, some hysterical caterwauling over a cat. The slow dissolution of Ireland's financial reputation, and our stamping with the label of "Top-European Debt Monkey" - that's a little hard to follow. There's too many distractions, too many pop news stories that catch the eye; the bread and games are too enticing.

Only problem is that, soon, our Irish Caesars won't be able to give us any bread. And, to strangle the metaphor further, we will have fiddled while they let Rome burn.

Time Machine

When was this photo, of an Armenian women in traditional dress, taken? (H/T to ditch dweller on thepropertypin.com)

Is she a modern history re-enactor, snapped on a digital camera? Too fuzzy, I suppose.

Perhaps a late 80's photo, taken during the reawakening of Armenian identity under glasnost?

The quality of the image, the vibrancy of the colours, would suggest it was taken after the Second World War anyway, right?

How about 1910?

That's right, the above photo was taken in 1910.

It's from a collection by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) of photos taken throughout the south of the Tsarist Empire, which has just been made available by the Library of Congress.

You can view the remainder on the Boston.com Big Picture website.  Do go and have a look, they're breathtaking.

An equivalent collection of Irish pictures is available here (H/T to 2Pack on thepropertypin.com as well).

The Politics of Failure Have Failed!

- as an alien in the Simpsons once claimed, while disguised as Bill Clinton. In Ireland today, the prophetic words of that "one-eyed space fellar" seem to have become reality. We have a governing party, Fianna Fail,who have (along with their twerpish coalition colleagues, the Greens) frankly handed the opposition an open goal by bringing unemployment to an all time high in real numbers, by bringing about the quickest contraction of the Irish economy in history, and by not seeing how obscene salaries and expenses for legislators could possibly rile the electorate.

However, it is the inability of the main opposition party, Fine Gael, to capitalise on this buffoonery by the incumbents which truly highlights the failure and stagnation of the Irish political system. Some might argue that FG will inevitably fail to tackle FF, simply because the two parties are so similar - centre-right, conservative off-shoots of the original independence movement. However, I disagree - voters in Ireland are by nature centre-right and conservative, so Fine Gael should be able to trade on the fact that they are at least an honest centre-right, conservative party. Their failure is, then, perplexing.

Perplexing, that is, until I heard Jimmy Deenihan, FG TD for Kerry North, on the radio, discussing the plight of Irish hoteliers in the current economic crisis. Basically, perfectly profitable hotels in Ireland are being undercut by "zombie hotels", businesses which have gone into receivership and are now run at below cost. This depreciates the cost of rooms across the hotel sector in Ireland, hitting the bottom line of hotels that should be still viable.

Leaving aside whether dirt-cheap hotel rooms are actually a bad thing for tourism, Mr. Deenihan proceeded to castigate the government for its failure to help the sector. He then called on the government to produce a "strategy" to help the hoteliers.

Ah yes, a strategy. Any hint of what that strategy might be, Jimmy? Any inkling of how we might reconcile the needs of the hotel sector with the requirement to ensure our banks are not undermined by excessive bad debt?

No? No ideas, FG? We're just going to demand the government produces a "strategy", are we? We're going to loudly call on the government to "do stuff"?

At this point, I would like to announce the launch of my own political career. My platform: I am in favour of good things (puppies, sweets, free money), and against bad things (war, taxes, pestilence, Sean Fitzpatrick).

This is not an attack on Mr. Deenihan, who I'm sure is probably a decent, honourable man. But FG as a whole need to learn that standing for something is part of being a political party, and an absolute necessity of being in government. We need ideas, folks, and not simply empty rhetoric.

But surely, this "yay!boo!" approach to politics is characteristic of an older generation of Blueshirts; the younger members must be a little more savvy, right?

Step forth Youn Fine Gael, who last week bravely stood against that most horrid of injustices: an FFer (Finance Minister Brian Lenihan) speaking at the annual Beal na mBlath commemoration of Michael Collins. The reason - FF policies are the exact opposite of everything Michael Collins stood for, while FG continues in the Big Fella's footsteps with its own policies. And those policies would be? Er...

Never mind the fact it is always bad press to attack a dude who has continued to serve in the cabinet (as one of its few able members) while battling cancer. FG needs to learn that if you want to criticise the policies espoused by others, well, fine...but you need clear concise policies of your own.

Now, vote Aitor to receive your free puppy in the mail!

P.S. For purposes of disclosure, I should probably reveal that I am an active member of a political party ...and that my blue shirts match the colour of my eyes.

The Commodification of Faith

Recently, Aitor and Mrs. Aitor visited Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land/the Promised Land/ whatever you wish to call it, and I've been meaning to post on it for a while now.  Obviously much has, can and will be written on the current political situation there, and the security precautions prevalent throughout Israel are legendary (on our flight home, for example, we had to go through two security checks before we checked in!). However, what I found surprisingly remarkable, at times disturbing, and certainly disappointing about the trip was not the obvious security and political issues, as summed up by this image:

The West Bank Security Wall seen from the hills around Jerusalem

But rather the commodification, commercialisation, and at times trivialisation of faith, as perhaps can be summed up by the below image: 

The exact point - the exact point- where Jesus was laid in the manger

That's right folks, the very spot where Christ was laid in the manger in Bethlehem. We visited Christ's tomb -  I can believe that is possibly the real thing, as He would have had sufficient following at the time of the crucifixion to make the location noteworthy. We visited the exact spot of Christ's birth, (which was in the same Church as the manger above) which was stretching things somewhat for me. After all, Christ may have died well-known, but His birth passed unnoticed by most people (save those three dudes from Persia - and hey, they were wise!).  But the manger? The exact spot where the manger rested? C'mon!

Now, I am no atheist, I am very much a Catholic, believe in God, go to Mass, the whole nine yards. A bit miffed at the Pope at the moment, admittedly, but in part that's because I think the hierarchy is seriously damaging the church (or should that be Church?). But it is precisely because I am relatively religious that Jerusalem and Bethlehem were so disappointing to me. It felt, for all the world, like a faith-based Disneyland. Don't get me wrong, as a Catholic I am certainly not averse to a little bit of relic-heavy religious worship, and I can appreciate the appeal in being able to place your hand in the supposed spot Jesus leaned against a wall on the Via Dolorsa:

 

Some might dismiss that as mere superstition, others might see it as a legitimate expression of faith. As far as I am concerned, as I'm sure is the case with most of you, it's a matter of personal belief. What I found disturbing was not the attempt to make elements of all three of the main monotheistic faiths a literal reality in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but rather what the literal presence (supposed or otherwise) of religious locations did to the allegedly faithful, and how they aimed to cash in on the territory they held. And I'm not talking about the Jews and Muslims here.

When a local noteworthy in Bethlehem asked were we Catholic, he was only interested as he already had a prepared sales pitch designed to tug at our Rome-influenced heartstrings, telling us of the plight of our co-religionists in Bethlehem, who would be immeasurably helped if only we bought a limited edition, hand-crafted olive wood rosary in his shop. For those of our companions who were not Roman Catholic, no problem! He had simple, sleek crosses for the Anglicans and Lutherans among us, and icons for the Orthodox Christians, with an (unspecified) donation from each sale going to the relevant Church. 

Given the razmatazz and constant hustling surrounding the Christian sites, I suppose it is not really that surprising that I found the Western Wall to be one of the most spiritually inspiring locations: That the Western Wall is not actually a part of the Old Temple didn't detract from it as a focus for faith and belief. And whatever you think about modern Israel, the idea that this site, after nearly two milennia, has returned to Jewish hands is remarkably powerful. 

Alone among the Christian sites, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre actually felt spiritual. As I outlined above, it is not impossible that the site of Christ's tomb might actually be where people say it is, and within the Church there was a definite sense of peace and calm. Indeed, what impressed me most was the tour group of Muslims (who I think were from Pakistan) visiting the Church while we were there - their presence underlined the common elements of the Abrahamaic faiths, and suggested that whatever we all believed in did have a real, tangible root. Yet even here, man's ego and greed was able to profane the sacred: 

If you look closely at the picture above, you will see a ladder under the righthand window on the second floor above the door. This ladder has been in place since 1852, when the status quo agreement was signed under the Ottomans, and agreement which set out the rights and responsibilities of the 6 Churches (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox.) that claim ownership of the church. Due to the careful division of powers within the building, no one can agree on taking the ladder down, and even organising basic repairs can be difficult. Men of God, eh?

And finally, the Dome of the Rock. I'd love to tell you what it is like inside, but apparently non-Muslims are not allowed in (or is that just what our Israeli guide told us?). 

P.S. If you want a truly heavenly experience in Israel, go to Benedict's in Tel Aviv, an all-day breakfast place. Oh my God, their white chocolate pancakes!

Leaf in the stream

I have a newsflash for you Ireland: we are not at the centre of the world. I know, I was shocked too! Apparently, that bowl of shamrocks Biffo gave Obama last St. Patrick's Day doesn't even have a special place of honour beside the presidential bed; nor does Obama give it a little pat each night before falling asleep, whispering "I love you Ireland".

Having adjusted to the fact that Ireland is not the nation on everyone's lips, and that indeed many Americans don't know where we are, and that many Brits think we still belong to them, I realise now that such anonymity on the global stage is no bad thing. Sometimes. After all, up till now our bluffing regarding the state of our financial affairs has been accepted (hook, line and sinker one might say) by the international press and, more importantly, by the bond markets. Its hardly surprising really; after all, outside of Ireland there is noone analysing the Irish economy as a full-time job. At best, our financial announcements get a quarter of an hour on the desk of the Moody's analyst who handles the smaller Euro economies, snugly tucked between a report by the Maltese central bank, and an article on the financial situation in Slovenia.

Unsurprisingly then, our bluster about "taking the tough decisions" has been accepted on face value, as no one has had the time or inclination to look behind our words. If the general information available on Ireland was positive (given the circumstances) it was broadly accepted internationally that Ireland was on the road to recovery.

However, with more negative reports emanating from our shores - as they now are - we find ourselves in a pickle. No one is taking the time to see if things in Ireland are truly as bad as the bond markets think, and consequently, it is generally accepted that Ireland is in trouble. This leads to a vicious downgrading spiral as Irish debt becomes more expensive to fund because everyone knows that Irish debt is expensive to fund. And because it is accepted that Ireland's economy has some serious structural flaws, even if we do address things, no one will believe us!

Nothing better sums up how general market ignorance about Ireland has turned from an opportunity to a threat like the recent column by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Daily Telegraph. An expert on all things financial, AEP notes how Anglo-Irish Bank is a serious threat to Ireland's long-term financial stability. He notes that the €25 billion provided by the state to bail-out the banks has almost all gone to Anglo, who he refers to throughout the article as AIB (Anglo-Irish Bank), generally painting the bank in a bad light.

Only problem is that AIB is actually Allied Irish Bank which, unlike Anglo, has not been nationalised, and is still quoted on the stock market. Whether AEP's switcheroo has had an impact on AIB's share price is hard to say, as they were already in the toilet has helped push AIB's shares even further into the toilet is hard to tell. However, if even one of the sharpest financial commentators around can only allocate a cursory level of research to Ireland's financial situation, what chance have we of getting a fair hearing from the big cats of the global markets jungle? EDIT - Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan notes commentators confusion regarding AIB/Anglo an issue.

Best. Job. Ever.

At a young stage in Aitor's life, a difficult choice had to be made. Given my nerdy fascination with all things military, I could either try to pursue a career in the Irish Defence Forces, or go into the heartless world of private sector capitalism.

In favour of a military career was that:

1) I could make things go KABLAMMO!

2) I might actually be taught how to fly - for free!

3) I might see a little of the world (in the Irish military, primarily Chad, Liberia and East Timor.)

4) Something else about serving the country, honourable career, protecting ideals yadda, yadda.

Against a military career was:

1) I would need to do some exercise.

2) Mean men would shout at me.

3) I get easily airsick, reducing the likelihood (somewhat) that I would get through flightschool.

4) You get much more cold, hard cash in the private sector.

I chose the path far more trodden, and left military service to those more heroic than I. Let them face the mean men who shout, I decided. I'm in it for the money.

Joke's on me now, it would seem, as I have realised that in Ireland, no one is paid well, least of all a young fella in a private company (you're lucky to have a job Aitor! Here, do more work- see, aren't you lucky!). Plus, I sometimes gaze wistfully upwards at the burning blue, wondering what might have been.

And when I found out about this company, well then I knew I had definitely gone wrong:

"E.C.A. answers the training needs of armed forces around the globe. This is possible thanks to the fielding of an integrated system that is composed of individual assets such as aircraft, drones, cruise missile simulators, ground based air defenses, radars, passive ELINT components and jamming complexes. The integration is obtained thanks to the resilient, fully off-road mobile, Command and Control, Communications, Counter-measures (C3CM) back bone"

That's right, boys and girls. Private sector Flanker pilots. Now, admittedly the website is a little corny, but it seems at least some of us get to combine the awesomeness of military aviation with the filthy lucre of private business.

On the other hand, you're probably going to spend your time training the air forces of despots. Still, no such thing as a free lunch, I suppose.

County Cavan's Dark Secret

Cavan may look all nice and friendly - gentle hillocks, still clear lakes, friendly people. But beneath the pleasant veneer lurks an ancient, evil secret.

Just southwest of Ballyconnell, a wonderful town in the northwest of the county (and near to where Mrs. Aitor is from), you will come across a wide expense, a weird and eerie place, called the plain of Magh Slecht.

Although called a plain, in actual fact Magh Slecht is quite hilly, only marginally flatter than the rest of drumlin-rich Cavan. Dotted across the area are barrows, stone circles and standing-stones, ruins which stretch back, in some cases, 4000 years. Unsurprisingly, when the Celts arrived in Ireland during the Iron Age (around 700 -600 BC) they were somewhat in awe of the existing neo-lithic structures on-site, and turned the area into a site for religious worship, focussing on the god Crom Cruach. Now, this fella had a bit of an old penchant for blood, and thus this area of Cavan became Ireland's main centre for...

Human Sacrifice (and people think Quinn Group put Cavan on the map!)

"Crom Cruach's cult image, consisting of a gold figure surrounded by twelve stone figures, stood on Magh Slécht ("the plain of prostration") in County Cavan, and was propitiated with first-born sacrifice in exchange for good yields of milk and grain. Crom is said to have been worshipped since the time of Eremon. An early High King, Tigernmas, along with three quarters of his army, is said to have died while worshipping Crom on Samhain eve, but worship continued until the cult image was destroyed by St. Patrick with a sledgehammer."

So if you find yourself wandering among Cavan's rolling drumlins, just remember the soil you walk on is soaked in blood...

Bwahahaha!

Muchos Gracias do Starbuck

Muchos gracias Starbuck for the shout-out (I believe that's the correct American term, hm? I say, bloody colonials) on your blog.

However, I must defend the honour of Her Majesty's Royal Air Force and point out that, while perhaps the US Army may have been there first, the RAF WSO surely must get bonus goof-off points for suggesting not only is he/she with stupid, but the said WSO is now willingly travelling at 600mph, perhaps 200 feet off the ground in an aircraft piloted by stupid. That would humorously suggest that there are two stupids involved. Truly, a Pythonesque concept.

Anyway, I think I hear a Predator overhead, so you might have the final say in this matter.

Thanks again,

Aitor

Endgame Ireland

Ladies and gentlemen, start your fans...as a noxious substance is about to hit them. We are in endgame, in my learned opinion ( how learned you ask? Well I've read at least 3 books on economics, one of which was quite expensive. Expensive automatically means its better).

Ok, so I'm not learned. But many other people are, and they are beginning to notice things like the head of our Central Bank, Patrick Honohan, referring to the spreads on our bonds (vs the German rate, now a 3% difference) as ridiculous. In other words, when we go to borrow money from foreigners (bloody foreigners, coming over here and lending us money!) we have to pay interest rates which are "ridiculous". This is now an actual economic term in Ireland.

A number of problems are about to rear their ugly heads. A bank guarantee offered by the Irish government is going to run out at the end of September, when we will get to see whether investors truly trust the banks. I'm betting that they don't. Whats more, the debts of the stinkiest of Irish banks, the nationalised Anglo-Irish, are currently considered separate to the state's balance sheet, as the EU sees these debts as viable business assets. But that might (indeed, almost certainly) will change. When that happens, Irish debt will reach around 112% of GNP. That's right, we'll be Greece without the sun or the millenia of civilisation.

But don't worry people, our government has two clever ideas. The first is that they've gone on holidays. Hooray for holidays!

The second: let me introduce you to our crack suicide squad. Suicide squad, deploy!

The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands

Recent news from North of the border is worrying. Every day seems to bring a fresh attempted bombing, while last night witnessed a suspected arson attack on an Orange Lodge in Co. Tyrone. Disturbingly, we seem to be witnessing a slide back into violence, a slide that is being led entirely by dissident republicans.

While the thugs themselves would probably claim that their escalating campaign is part of a just crusade against British occupation, most people would dismiss their violence as nothing more than the activities of slow-witted bigots. The recent case where an independent republican councillor in Kilkeel in Co. Down, Martin Connolly, refused to condemn an attempted attack on his niece (a PSNI officer) and her baby daughter, would seem to support such a rash generalisation. After all, nothing says illogical hatred like tacitly supporting attacks on your relatives for spurious political reasons.

However, what seems to be regularly overlooked is how this violence is linked to the economic crisis gripping both North and South, and in particular, the after effects of the collapse of the property market. At the height of the boom, 1 in 4 men in the Republic were employed in building or building-related activities; unsurprisingly, these workers now make up a significant chunk of Ireland's 466,000 unemployed. So, we have a sector which employed a disproportionate number of young men, many of whom were unskilled or early school-leavers, who became used to inflated wages (and the self-esteem that comes with working) and now have nothing to do, and are getting by on social welfare.

Inevitably, a tiny fraction of those who now find themselves at a loose end are drawn to political violence, if only because it gives them a purpose, a code, a set of beliefs that they can hold onto and say "This is who I am, I matter". Witness the reluctance of Cllr. Connolly above to codemn the attack on his niece; condemnation would undermine one of the primary planks of his (warped) set of of beliefs. Throw in the ability to blame our economic woes on the Brits, and the "puppet" Free State government in Dublin, and you have the sort of heady cocktail that produced such lovable movements as the Nazis and the Falange.

If things are bad now, just wait and see what happens if David Cameron decides to trim public spending in the UK further, and focusses on Northern Ireland as a prime place to cut into the fat.
We can only hope that the vast majority of Northerners, both Catholic and Protestant, can face down the unthinking bloodlust of these so-called "republicans", and build the sort of community that they deserve after so many years of suffering.

Per Ardua Ad LMAO!

Many of you will probably have already seen these pics, but, just in case you haven't, if you like hi-speed hi-jinks the following photos are worth a look. These photos come via the Daily Mail's website (I know, I know, why was I reading the Daily Wail?) and photographer Andy Chittock.
Imagine the scene: you're an aviation spotter sitting on the side of a hill in Wales, hoping, breath-baited, to catch a glimpse of those heroic young men and women of the RAF as they roar past in sleek grey machines, streaking through the quiet, mist-wreathed valleys of winter, proud descendants of those noble few of the summer of 1940. Your heart thumping in your chest, you hear a distant rumble: Round the bend in the valley zips a Tornado GR4, the RAF's premier, top-of-the-line strike aircraft (don't laugh, you bloody yanks!). Gleefully, you snap what pictures you can as this thoroughbred of the air flits past, two steely-nerved heroes (or heroines) in the cockpit. It's only when you get home and take a closer look at the photos that you see:

Sadly, there are rumours that, as the RAF's fast-jet crews are now showboating a little too much, the low level routes will be continuosly changed so as to keep keen-eyed plane spotters guessing, removing the audience for the jet jocks. Bloody civil servants.

The answer to all our economic woes...slavery!

At a time when 466,000 Irish people are on the dole, representing an unemployment rate of 13.7%, it's pretty obvious that a ingenious new approach to job creation is needed. Lefties might argue for massive state investment in jobs creation, at the risk of increasing public debt and taxation levels. Righties might demand tax cuts, easing the burden on employers while risking a reduction in public services. But I am proud to say in Ireland we have trod our own, wholly unique path.

In a world first, I am proud to say, our powers-that-be have managed to develop a system that combines both the worst of the left and the worst of the right, merging wasting of public finances and exploitative working practices. Step forward the Work Placement Programme...

You see, it's simple really. You're a young guy fresh out of college, on the dole, and hence not getting any work experience. Employers can't offer you a job because they can't afford to pay you. So what the state does is say "Hey, employers, why don't you give this guy a job, but don't pay him anything. Instead, we'll still pay him social welfare even though he is working. Everyone wins right? You, a young dude, get work experience, the employer gets a free worker and the state...well, the state is still paying for your dole money, but at least it can claim that the unemployment levels are dropping.

But wait, it gets better. Notice the stipulation in the above example that you are a young fella, and hence need to develop experience. I would think that we should be encouraging young people to develop experience in key areas of the economy, like R&D and pharma development, those sorts of things.

Instead, we have a scheme where the state is providing free labour to that vital sector of the economy, shoe retail:

Retail Sales Consultant (WPP2) Dublin 2.

Or, the equally strategic travel agency sector:

General Administrator (WPP2)

Note that some of these placements last for 9 months to a year - that's right, 9 months to a year of state subsidised workers for business, 9-12 months of someone working full-time, 5 days a week but still drawing the dole, and not paying any taxes.

And, anecdotally, I've even heard that employers are hiring those more mature, senior people who find themselves unemployed, instead of new graduates who are trying to develop some real-life skills - defeating the whole point of the scheme.

Surely, only a greedy capitalist free marketer would engage in such disgusting activity:

15 WPP Opportunities at Department of Justice

That's right, 15 opportunities for fully qualified solicitors to work, free, gratis, at the Department of Justice.

Surely, those champions of socialism, the Labour Party, will put an end to this:

Recruitment » The Labour Party

The Labour Party is currently recruiting two positions under the Fás Work Placement Programme (WPP).

Jesus wept...

They walk among us...

If you're Irish, you'll know what I'm talking about. You'll be out in the pub, or at work, or in college, and having a great laugh, talking about football or travel or whatever. Then talk will, inevitably, turn to the economy, and the usual grim tales of dole queues or emigration. And that's when one of your friends, someone you know and love (let's call him Jimmy, for arguments sake), someone who you thought you could trust with your life, will come out with one of the lines:

"Still, it has to be expected, what with the global situation."

Or

"Well, ever since Lehman's brothers, you know, the whole world has been suffering".

Or

"No one saw it coming".

Or

"We're all to blame"/ "No one person is to blame".

A chill shiver will run through you. My God! you'll think, He's one of them! Jimmy, noooo! You're a ...you're a...

Fianna Failer!

Yes, those little lies are always a dead give away: I mean, who really thinks we have 300,000 empty houses just because of Lehman's Brothers? Who honestly believes that we have 13.7% unemployed purely because of the global economic situation? Of course, when times were good, it was all down to the inspired leadership of El Berto and his gang; but now, it's as if the Irish government were only there for ceremonial purposes, and the real decisions are being made elsewhere. Well, thanks to FF, that vision of a powerless Ireland might soon come true (I've started practicing my German already: Ich mochte gerne ein kaise kuchen bitte)

This is not a tirade against Fianna Failers generally - listen, some of my best friends are Fianna Fail members. I even feel sorry for most FF members or supporters, who shuffle, embarassed, when you mention the economy, before they quickly change the subject. They're as much a victim as anyone; I mean after all, we all suffer from this mess, but they actually voted for it!

No, I'm terrified by the hardcore, the Fianna Failer with a capital FF. The ones who, even now, think that Biffo is the best choice for Taoiseach. I mean, seriously, 18% of us still think this dude is leadership material:
What was being smoked during that survey?

Such blind loyalty worries me, not simply because it suggests a stunning lack of imagination. It's also profoundly unpatriotic. Loving your country is like your love for your wife/husband/boyfried/girlfriend/ significant life partner/whatever. My wife, so she tells me, loves me, and I have a legal contract saying that this emotion is eternal and unending. She loves me despite the fact that I do little to no housework, and despite the fact that I sit on my ass in front of the telly/Playstation during most of my free time. Her love, unconditional though it allegedly is, doesn't mean that she doesn't want me to help clean a little, or get up and go for a quick jog round the block. She loves me that much, she wants me to improve myself - she knows what I am capable of.

And so the blind loyalty that leads a rump of FF supporters to put party ahead of nation is in direct opposition to what that party, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, is meant to stand for. FF should be the party that challenges Ireland, that looks our problems dead in the eye and says "We can beat this." FF should not be about cover-ups, it should not be about excuses - it should lead the rest of society in making the sacrifices needed for economic recovery, by cutting the wages of TDs and Senators, and culling the useless quangoes which are staffed by FF appointees.

Instead of slavishly covering for the gentleman above, perhaps we need to start looking for someone a bit more like:
Sean Lemass, one of the finest Taoisigh ever, and a man Fianna Failers (including my grandmother!) can be justly proud of.

ATTENTION Caulfield-the -Yank

Howya,

I know you occasionally read this blog so I hope you see this. You dropped me a line on Politics.ie that I'm only after seeing now. Tried to send you a private message, but couldn't, as I don't have requisited number of posts.

Answer to your question is yes please, the more attention the better!

Also, fairplay to you, Scotstown man! Good to see a Monaghan fella done well in the US

Aitor

The Tides Shift...

As many of you may (or may not) know, I began my career after college in China, as a lightbulb man. Yes indeed, lightbulb men, those carefree, heroic individuals who spend their lives wrangling lightbulbs on the open grasslands of Inner Mongolia, herding great flocks of 40 watts into pens, where they are sheared and shipped out to provide light for the Western world. Yaagh! Lightbulbs, ho! ... Yes indeed, noble work.

Before I get carried away by my own nonsensical ramblings, I think I should point out that I actually worked in Guangzhou, in Guangdong province (the original Canton, and sadly at the opposite end of China to the plains of Inner Mongolia). My working life in the Big GZ consisted not of cowboy inspired antics, but of managing a dull and dingy office on the 18th floor of a rickety sky rise. All computer controlled and very simple: lightbulbs get ordered, lightbulbs get packed, lightbulbs get shipped to Ireland, lightbulbs breakdown, customers get angry. There was a set process.

Only rarely did I get to actually see lightbulbs, on supplier visits where we would venture over the Pearl River and out to the factories, located in small hamlets of only a few million people. There, regimented, dehumanised, regulated row after row of young women performed with robotic precision the same movement for 12 hours a day. At the end of their shift, they collapsed into their bunks in the hastily thrown up dormitories around the factory, while their nocturnal bretheren shuffled down, pale and with bloodshot eyes, to take on the night shift.

It was Dickensian, and simultaneously a perfect example of all that is wrong and all that is right with capitalism. These girls were exhausted, with scant opportunities for human contact or emotion. They were, for the few years they were in Foshan or Dongguan or Cixi, mere components in an industrial machine.

And yet, they were immeasurably better off than their grandparents. They would never know hunger, and tough though their lives were, they had far better access to medical care in Guangdong than back in home in Hunan or wherever they happened to be from.

Arrogantly, perhaps, I thought that these sorts of jobs offered fantastic opportunities - if you were from the developing world. After all, had not Europe and the US gone through the exact same process during the Industrial Revolution? Would the hard work and sacrifice of these young women not simply lead to a better, fairer China in the future?

Well, recent news from Ballymote in Sligo suggest that the worm has turned, and I may come to regret that condescending hubris. G-LED, a Taiwanese LED lighting manufacturer (you can't keep a light-bulb man down!) have just announced plans to develop a factory in the town. What does this mean for the locals? What kind of jobs can they expect this development to produce? And are we in Ireland (and the West generally) prepared to accept the argument that this isn't exploitation, merely progress, when we are the ones on the wrong end of the value chain?

If the 21st Century belongs to Asia, then Ballymote or Limerick may soon take the place of Guangzhou or Shenzhen - will we be prepared to accept the rule that economic might makes right then?

A little bit of India in Cahersiveen - it's all about optics, people!

As I discussed below, some very nerdy myths have been aired in relation to Defence and Security on a thread over at Politics.ie. A real beaut has been the claim that, due to an administrative oversight by some bespectacled bureaucrats in Britain, during the 19th century the plans for a Royal Irish Constabulary police barracks were mixed up with those destined for a militia fort in India. The result, according to the myth, stands today in the town of Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry. As you can see above, (h/t to saintinexile on flickr for the image) it is somewhat out of place.

Alas, this myth is probably not true, unless the Brits repeated the same mistake throughout Ireland in towns such as Ballyduff in Co. Waterford (below right), where the station is apparently still in use today by our own boys in blue, the Garda Siochana (isn't it great, lads, how the state invests in your work at least once a century?).

In fact, it is to the eternal shame of Ireland's erstwhile colonisers that these stations were not a product of bureaucratic oversight, but rather a deliberate effort to build defensive structures (in what was, after all, a part of the United Kingdom) throughout the latter half of the 19th century (Cahersiveen was built in 1875, and Ballyduff in 1870). A good summary of the defensive features of these barracks is found at Building of Ireland, and all I can say is that these are not the police stations you build in a country you respect, or among people who you view as equals. True, these buildings were a direct response to the Fenian Rising, but that rebellion was most remarkable for the degree of military inability displayed by the participants. Fortress style stations that would not have seemed out of place on the Khyber Pass were probably overkill, one must admit.

Surprisingly enough, by the dawn of the twentieth century many Irish people did not entirely trust the RIC, and consequently (and somewhat unfairly) it became one of the first targets for attack during the War of Independence. What's more, very quickly the RIC members themselves (the vast bulk of whom were Irish Catholics) were quickly torn between competing loyalties in the increasingly "us vs them" atmosphere of the conflict, leading to low morale and desertions. Perhaps if Britain had put more effort in to developing an effective and fair police service during the 19th century, rather than providing a Constabulary with the tools for an occupation that (let's face it) had already been more or less successfully completed, we might still be in the Union, or at least our exit may have been less bloody.

Obviously, those of you in Iraq/Afghanistan, or with recent experience of those theatres, already know how much optics matter. But if you ever have any doubts, be sure to speak up when your superiors suggest that Operation Evangelical Storm or Mullah's Bewilderment are good names for your upcoming offensive. Otherwise, 100 years from now, a young man in Kabul might be wondering "Why does that madrassah look so much like an American Burger King?".