Furrowed Brows and Earnest Cant

By AM Wednesday, June 6, 2012

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Tonight The Pensive Quill features guest writer David McSweeney probing austerity related issues

Two decades ago I came across a husband and wife team operating in a state the US side of the Mexican border. They were Christian people. They dedicated their lives to working with people mainly from Central America who were undocumented. They were not always the easiest to get on with, but when I reflect, they are two of the people I have to say I respect most on my life’s journey so far.

They were against abortion. The husband once said to me:

In the context of a consistent ethic of life, we are against abortion, only in the framework of a consistent ethic of life, anything else is just bullshit, there are many in this country who are pro- the birth canal, they want loads of birth to be done, but when it comes to people having life, living dignified lives, no no they wont have that. Some of the most “pro- life” cons in this community would lock these people (Refugees) up in a concentration camp in a heart beat and let them rot.

This couple protested and wrote against the US military and its human rights abuses, and campaigned for humane Educational and Health services in their communities; in short they wanted people to have life and have it to the full.

The irony from today’s Irish context is that many of those who had fled to the centre run by this couple were direct victims of the machinations of the IMF/World Bank and big business in their countries. IMF-speak called the cutbacks and economic terror in Central America, Structural Adjustment Programs, that’s what they are still calling them in Ireland 2012. The North American Free Trade Agreement was just coming into force wiping out Mexican economic sovereignty and leading with a grim inevitability to the death and chaos being played out on that country’s streets at this very moment.

The latest revelations in the Sean Brady scandal gave opportunity to the stage-managed, punch and judy, concern/outrage routines from the political class. Labour politicians seem to particularly relish these cameos of furrowed brows and earnest cant about children and protecting them. Fine Gael is more likely to wax lyrical about the “centrality” of family to society.

Sometimes the hypocrisy is startling. The 44th plenary of the British-Irish parliamentary assembly took place in the Seanad chamber at Leinster House two weeks ago. The agenda for the first day showed at 9.50 am. Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael Minister would speak to the assembled delegates. Next to speak would be Darina Allen, of the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Allen would speak on the topic of “Opportunities for the Food sector in Britain and Ireland”. Next to speak after Ms Allen was Minister of State, Roisin Shortall of Labour.  In 2003 Darina Allen’s husband Tim was convicted of having 977 pornographic images of children, some as young as five. The images were described in court as being “extreme” and as having been accessed through known paedophile chatrooms. Some of the images had been saved onto discs. Following her husband’s conviction Darina Allen stated “I have been married to Tim for 32 years, and I absolutely still love him. I am married to a good, decent and honourable man”.

Today, on a day towards the end of May 2012 spineless traitors have transferred 2.5 billion euro of wealth, hope and life to a gang of banksters and fraudsters who operate under the name of Bondholders. To date with bank bailouts and bondholder repayments the oligarchy and their underlings in the political system have transferd at least 65 billion of our lifeblood to people in the bondholders case, who we are not even afforded the minimum dignity of knowing the names of.

The Children’s Referendum awaits a chance to be put to the people. It has waited year upon year, upon year. This would enable a legal strengthening of, and unequivocal enshrinement into law of Child welfare safeguards.

A Children’s hospital awaits building, indeed even lacks a site despite years of deliberation. The Chairman of the Board of the National Paediatric Hospital is Harry Crosbie one of the most shameless and unapologetic developers under the remit of NAMA. Crosbie owes hundreds of millions to the agency. He has also opined that NAMA is a bailout for developers. It is Orwellian that this individual will dictate in a major way the future format, remit and scope of the states Children’s hospital.

The week that the bondholders cashed in again, saw the 26 county states only Children’s Hospice plead for funding to continue providing for the over 100  families to which  The Laura Lynn House offers a lifeline. This hospice was built totally with funding from members of the public, 5.5 million euro. So as the economy gorged on funding not one of the UBER- Catholics in politics saw the prioritising of a Children’s Hospice as important. Croke Park received funding of 200 million euro from the state during this period. The amount the Laura Lynn House are looking for to be able to continue their work is enough to make you stop and weep - 1.4 million euro, one, 1, point four 4 million, not billion, million. Roughly the amount that one of Irish capitalisms poster boys Denis O’Brien “donates” to pay the wages of Giovanni Trappatoni part time soccer manager for a year.

The month of May also saw Childline release statistics which showed that they cannot answer a third of their daily calls due to lack of funding. This equates to over 800 children not answered each and every day. Childline is funded from public donations. It runs on a budget of 4 million euros a year; add a third to that next year and thousands of children will have a listening voice, 1.4 million euro.

One of Harry Crosbies stolemates in NAMA is developer Sean Dunne. Mr Dunne presided over his sons wedding in recent weeks, religious ceremony at both father and son’s alma mater Clongowes Wood College chapel, reception at the K club. Clongowes Wood is a Catholic private boys school in Co Kildare. One of the schools features is a state of the art all weather rugby pitch, world standard, cost over 1 million euro.  Yeh, the Dunner picked up the tab for this little comfort for the chaps. Recent years have seen the past pupils raise over 22 million euro to fund a development of the school campus, which is recently completed. A 25 metre swimming pool is now at the disposal of the students. Clongowes received over 4 million in state funding last year

Another private school which has its own swimming pool for students is Blackrock College. Tens of millions have also been spent on infrastructure at this establishment in recent years. Blackrock, is Labours minister of education Ruairi Quinn’s old school. Ruairi won’t cut the state funding of private schools worth over 90 million euro per annum. Ruairi will slash special needs assistants and Autism specific education programmes in our schools. Blackrock College got 4.2 million euro in state funding last year.  The people of Coolock in Dublin, an area of tens of thousands of people had to fight tooth and nail not to have their only swimming pool closed in 2011. The people of the north inner city had a similar fight.

St Michaels House, an organisation which provides services to people with intellectual disability and their families has had to make severe cutbacks to their respite care service because of cuts from the state. These respite service changes have particularly affected the over 70 age group of parents who look after their adult children at home.

Professor Michael Turner Director of the HSEs Obstetrics and Gynaecology programme warned at the beginning of the year that cutbacks in the states maternity units were putting lives at risk. Turner stated “Ireland has the lowest number of consultant obstetricians among OECD countries. Greece, which has also had the IMF in, has nine times as many obstetricians as we have”.

The Catholic Church’s Eucharistic Congress will hit Dublin soon at the cost of 12 million euro. There will be mantra like reference to the sanctity of life and the family no doubt.

Jesus wept.