Tonight The Pensive Quill features guest writer Sean Doyle, Wicklow branch, Independent Workers Union.
People have been downtrodden for years through the greed inspired selfish self serving ruling class who portray themselves and their financial parasitic friends and politicians as the respectable selfless servants of the country and society as a whole.
Possibly because we suffered British occupation for over 800 years and still do in the occupied 6 counties and the misrepresentation and denial of social justice governance ever since 1922 in the 26 counties, some people could be forgiven for thinking this is the lot of man and have become sensitised accepting the total disconnect between the political system and the quality or lack of it in their lives. Leading to a mental withdrawal and a sense of irrelevance to influence. A state of apathy which provides easy prey for the opportunistic reformist, a servile class poking their ashes where he can garnish favours and votes by drip feeding people their basic civil rights.
Faith must be restored in self reliance and get these parasites off our backs out of the ashes and on to the streets. A reappraisal of our values and social justice in recognition of the misery inflicted by greed of elite on the sovereign people the only true inheritors of all this island possesses.
Our ancestors were starved to death in 1847 while food grain and meat were shipped out of our ports. It was genocide. The people versus the preserve of “the market system” were NO CONTEST. In this capitalist world they called it “FAMINE”. We must and owe it to our ancestors to write our history correctly. Maybe this generation will come to understand the danger of capitalism. Education of our true history and mental stimulation is the key to our emancipation. The present day Irish capitalist government’s duty is to uphold and protect the market system. The people of Ireland democratically gave them a massive majority which means they have the power bestowed by the people upon them to take whatever measures they deem necessary to protect them self serving markets for the duration of their term. What can we do if we elect them believing or hoodwinked to believe through the same media indoctrinated by the learned men and renowned experts that predicted in as late as 2008 that the economy was fine and we should continue to spend, and buy houses, even though they had by speculation and greed inflated the price.
The reality is our democracy with the exception of Election Day the individual is powerless. And if we cannot agree collectively, as it has clearly emerged to a huge percentage of the deceived electorate, that we are secondary to the preserve of the rich and the system, then we must accept the consequences: e.g. closure of hospitals, deaths en route to distant hospitals, neglect of our elderly dignity bared, special needs children deprived of educational opportunities, respite care for those who save the system a fortune and take care of their loved ones at home practically nonexistent, prolonged operational appointments - some will die others will suffer irreparable damage due to delays, grandchildren born with a 50,000 debt around their necks, cuts in wages, unemployment almost 500,000, cuts in welfare and further to come in the next budget and of course to put salt in the wounds selling of ESB and the best of our semi state companies and our natural resources, water tax, home tax, septic tank charges. Any more proof needed to substantiate their loyalty is to the ECB, IMF, and the preserve of the system and we the people are expendable.
For us as individuals our task is to learn what was natural to our parents - co-operation in our communities talking, listening and supporting each other in sickness and troubles sharing and exchanging views on topical issues, a craft that sadly suffered in our so called modern Ireland of consumerism. The only hope we have is to have faith in our collective thinking and harness our energy and talents for once to make the welfare of our people our priority. James Connolly said, “Slavery cannot survive the awakened intelligence of the slave”. We must awaken by stimulation and the reality could not be clearer that we have been slaves to the slaves of the market system. We cannot say they have failed us because they have proven their priorities time and time again.
We must think out of the box, misplaced party loyalty, and tradition. A new reality must dawn. We COLLECTIVELY must stop, think, and find the means to take control of our own destiny before they strip us and our country naked of all we possess.
The role of political parties of this persuasion is fundamentally important to this process. It also calls for new thinking from within to overcome inhibiting factors in relation to upstaging banner waving egotism and cooperate on issues. The only banner should be descriptive of the issue which would make participation more people friendly. We are all activists for change not reform. The latter will be exposed more readily as we advance to the dismay of their supporters. The parties should continue to have inter party discussions and debates on agreed ways to advance and support communities and people can decide based on community activity in stimulation in awakening people to the strengths in cooperation and confidence to make them self reliant and not as the reformist objective, totally reliant. I have no doubt people will respect those who advocate by example work for freedom against subjection no need to fly the party flag every time there’ll be plenty of other opportunities to do so.
Parties can also gain in experience through involvement at local level through dialogue with communities and discussion other than talking to the converted. It can be more beneficial than all the theory and thesis that just goes over their heads. Bread and butter issues the welfare of our children is the starting point and the foundation of our journey to emancipation.
Parties are a vehicle to transport us to our destination. Our priority is our destination. If the party as has happened diverts on another course then we reserve the right if we cannot influence direction to get off and bring our experience to another transporter that will bring us to or closer to our destination. We are all secondary to our goal of our prolonged and denied freedom.
As one of the issues I mentioned earlier the proposed water tax, home tax and septic tank can be defeated by community solidarity and with assistance of the aforementioned parties on a national scale campaign. The challenge that faces us now has long term consequences the aforementioned taxes will escalate in a few years to approximately 1500 per home per annum. Our task is resistance, to rejuvenate, and not capitulate; build confidences and camaraderie in every city, town, village and hamlet throughout the country. Because if we take control by unified determined decisive rejection on this additional savage financial burden on every family, we will send a message to the government parties that we are taking back the power to decide issue by issue and affirm that we retain the right as the final arbiter on matters that adversely affect our homes and our families from the legacy of savage financial cuts and the relentless pursuit of ordinary people to pay for the greed and speculation of banks and developers.
When the government and state institutions prove their unwillingness to prioritise peoples’ welfare over the banks the ECB and IMF to even a greater proportion of the electorate then the ranks of resistance should strengthen.
Casting a vote every four or five years is a totally inadequate and ineffective system that has led to this total disconnect that has effectively led to the total misrepresentation of peoples’ rights by successive governments as I detailed earlier.
We must create an environment of openness and reappraisal and reaffirm that peoples’ rights takes precedence over all others. The time is NOW. Seek and you shall find the answer is in our ability to achieve unity. Lack of will undoubtedly resign us to more of the same.
The power as always is within our grasp. We just need to exercise it.
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My prediction, Reds to win , Suarez to score, came up trumps.The best solution to Ireland's mess is to give everybody over the age of 18 a basic income of €12,000 per annum.Abolish income tax and vat as well as all welfare payments,therby eliminating poverty traps, tax land instead.Try reading the late TCD economist Raymond Crotty.Public services are too expensive, the private sector can provide superior health and education cheaper, The Netherlands being a good example.
ReplyDeleteNetherlands a good example of heath and education?! You must be joking. "Wonderful" Netherlands healthcare system has left my child severely handicapped with brain damage at the age of 4: we were insured, but didn't have insurance papers on us, as we were in a women's refuge at the time. The Dutch doctor was called it at night when she was in convultions; he came in and before he even opened his suitcase, he started arguing who is going to give him his 100 guilders (£30) for his night visit, while a child was dying in front of him. Even a Dutch receptionist girl started to cry and to shout at him: "I'll give you that money, just do something!" So, please spare me your fairytales about "good health and education" in that semi-Nazi land (my child was mixed blood, you see). The British "briulliant" NHS system has finally finished her off a month ago, when she died of a heart condition, right on her 18th birthday - that in all our almost 15 years here none of these "fantastic" doctors managed to spot (my girl lost her speech as a result of the Dutch healthcare and could not explain or show herself where she had pain). In the USSR, Cuba, in North Kprea the whole population has full (and free of charge) annual health checks. No annual health checks for the whole population in Western "rich" countries: "too expensive" (would leave them with no money to bomb Libya, I guess!).
ReplyDeleteAs for education, if you wish your child to know how to pull a condom on a cucumber, but barely be able to spell and to count after completing a primary school - yes, send him (or her) to the Netherlands! I lived in that hole for 8 years, so I know very well what I am talking about.
Slick,
ReplyDelete"the private sector can provide superior health and education cheaper"
It's hard to agree when we look at the USA.