1% Network Find The Pot Of Gold On Shewsbury Road

dublin | anti-capitalism | feature

Monday November 01, 2010 21:26

by Andrew - 1% Network

1percentnetwork at gmail dot com

!% network halloween horror treasure hunt tourguides

A larger than expected crowd turned out for last night’s 1% Network Treasure Hunt around the exclusive Aylesbury and Shrewsbury roads in Dublin. In 2006 Shrewsbury Road was the 6th most expensive address in the entire world and it remains exclusively populated by the richest of the 1% who own 34% of the wealth in Ireland.

Over 50 people met up at the Head Quarters of Allied Irish Bank on Merrion road where we found the Special Branch and a van load of uniformed Gardai waiting for us. During the tour we would be joined by another 2-3 Garda cars but the only interaction was when the Sergeant in charge came over at the start to ask our capitalist vampire where we'd be heading. Merrion Road and around he was told and back across to the van he went. Unfortunately our photographer failed to capture the exchange.

AIB was the meet-up point because it was confirmed earlier in the month that the amount of loans it is transferring to NAMA is just over €23bn. Alongside this AIB is effectively being nationalised with the government’s stake of AIB rising to over 90%. It's also just up the road from Hume House, bought for the equivalent of €195 million per acre in 2005 by Sean Dunne - one of the highest prices paid for real estate ever in the entire world.

Out first stop was the Four Seasons, a luxury hotel where the ‘Luxury Pamper Escape’ package costs €570 a night but in terms of our Treasure Hunt the point was that the tax breaks given to the 20 1% investors who own it were worth around €32 million, money that under the Tiger could have gone to healthcare or education and which if claimed back now is an alternative to cutting social welfare or services. Multiply that by all the hotel projects and various other tax breaks and you have one hell of a pot of gold.

We then swung off the Merrion road onto Shrewsbury road, a very suitable venue for an after dark Halloween tour as it’s very badly lit and lined with big old mansions. We stopped first at ‘Balhom’ No. 4 owned by Paul Coulson who sold the Irish Glass Bottle site for €412 million to Bernard McNamara and Derek Quinlan. Quinlan actually lived right next door at No 6. The sale of the site involved the closure of the plant and 375 workers losing their jobs despite a 17 week strike and an occupation of the site for several months in 2002. Ardagh, the company controlled by Coulson, was profit making at the time and now has annual sales in the region of €3 billion.

The next stop was No. 8, the home of Dermot Gleeson who stepped down as chairman of AIB in 2009 but only after getting the bank bailout agreed with the government. Gleeson was paid €475,000 in 2007 by AIB, at this stage they must think he was well worth it as that night of the bailout the state guaranteed the deposits, loans and obligations of the six Irish banks to the tune of some €400 billion. In keeping with the Hallowe’en Trick or Treat tradition we left an invoice for the bank bailout for Mr. Gleeson.

Then it was down the length of the road with our ever growing Garda escort to No 21 or ‘Belmont’ - the home of Denis O’Brien, which he paid €35 million for back in 2006. When we reached the gate we found two very burly black leather jacket and glove clad gentlemen inside the locked gate who on being asked what they were doing informed us they were gardeners. It was an impressive devotion to Denis that must have had them out so late in the dark no doubt planting the spring daffodils.

O’Brien himself was nowhere to be seen which wasa pity as we had prepared a tax bill for him which was duly handed across the gate to his 'gardeners'.

O'Brien is almost directly across the road from No 24, Walford, the mystery mansion. It was bought in 2005 for €58m, the highest price so far paid for any house on this road. The mystery buyer has been trying to get Planning Permission for 9 houses through the front company ‘Matsack Nominees.’ It was only revealed in the Irish Times of 30 Sept 2010 that this buyer was Gayle Killilea, wife of developer Sean Dunne - an illustration of how difficult it can be to gauge the true wealth of individual members of the 1%.

Then it was around the corner onto the slightly less exclusive Ailesbury Road for our final stop at No 22, the home of developer Bernard McNamara whose house includes a cinema, ballroom and underground swimming pool. McNamara is a former two-term Fianna Fáil councillor, and as a developer continued his close connections with the party including hosting parties at the Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway Races. He was given the contracts for five public-private partnerships (PPPs) regeneration projects with Dublin City Council but when the property bubble collapsed McNamara simply walked away from those projects condemning hundreds of people to sub-standard accommodation.

We were there a couple of minutes when flood lights at the gate were turned on presumably so those inside could see what was going on as we delivered our final trick or treat, a box containing the broken dreams of those McNamara abandoned. With that it was off into the night and to our various Hallowe’en parties in the parts of the city where the houses don't have a left and right driveway to choose from.

The 1% Network is going to continue its work of revealing the huge wealth divide that exists in Ireland between the 1% who own 34% of the wealth and the rest of us. As we have shown on this and the previous tour there is indeed a pot of gold held by the 1% that can be used to prevent cuts in health, education and other services.

Four seasons hotel

On Shewsbury road

A Zombie developer shows up

Box of broken dreams at McNamar's

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Comments (16 of 16)

Five more images

by various - 1% Network

Sun Oct 31, 2010 22:32

see you next time

Delivering the bail out bill to Dermot Gleeson

The lights come on at McNamara's

Not a daff in sight

by Rasher - 1% network

Sun Oct 31, 2010 22:37

The camera shy gardeners at Denis O’Brien's

Scandal

by Conservative - None

Mon Nov 01, 2010 00:22

It is an utter scandal to bother these outstanding businesspersons at this critical time. We must depend on them, working in partnership with our government to solve the economic crisis. Boom - Bust - Boom. Bridge the gap as our leader has said.

eeeek

by Transylvanian Ted

Mon Nov 01, 2010 03:14

I admired the scary facelifts and Halloween gear of some of those who went on the trick-or-treat treasure trail in Dublin 4 and 6 this weekend. The Irish economy and ruling classes get scarier and scarier as winter nights creep in on us.

Brilliant!

by Ratonal Ecologist

Mon Nov 01, 2010 09:42

Fair play to the people who organised and attended this. There's plenty of money in Ireland. Humour is important in highlighting the farce that we are confronted with.
Time to reclaim our Republic.
Well done.

Great work

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party

Mon Nov 01, 2010 13:01

Information mixed with justifiable disgust.

Maybe ye can set up a 'special rendition' party for Santa Claus to fit in with the damage our loudly fore- tolled budget is going to do to the most vulnerable kids, not least those with mental health problems(which will be exacerbated and multiplied by the wrecking crew at the helm).

You could hang an effigy of father Christmas from that Christmas tree they will be erecting in O'Connell St. Maybe hang a large label from the ankle proclaiming the corpse as a special gift from Dig-Out&Co.,Eire Inc.,(all inquiries to the Chief Officer,Anglo-American Chamber of Commercial Horrors).

Join us on Facebook

by 10f99

Mon Nov 01, 2010 14:42

There is a 1% Network Facebook group which has now grown to almost 900 members, if you want to follow the development of the network and get info updates about what the 1% is up to see http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143661105666744

Dont rely on FB for support

by bookface

Mon Nov 01, 2010 17:29

Any politcal campaign that relies on or considers its FB membership as a measure or source of support is in trouble. There are 900 or so 'likers' of that group, so where were they at the weekend? FB is fine for 'leisure' and chat, and even passing on a message, but actually motivating people to do something...? Experience shows that its easy for people to click on a button, but when it comes to following up in real life, FB numbers are always way off the mark.

Dermot Gleeson

by Denis O'Brien

Tue Nov 02, 2010 01:11

Here are the mock up Bank Bail Out Invoice and Revenue Commissioners Tax Demand that were left at Dermot Gleeson's and Demis O'Brien's mansions.

Dermot Gleeson Bank Bail Out Invoice

Denis O'Brien Tax Demand

Footage (2 mins) from the Oxford Vodaphone shut down

by Vodaphone Shutdown Oxford

Tue Nov 02, 2010 09:59

Over the weekend in England there was a seres of actions closing down the tax dodging Vodaphone outlets. Here's some footage from the Oxford one (2 mins)..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nofB7gjh_Rk

Is fingers on the next tour?

by Banksters

Tue Nov 02, 2010 19:28

Nice clear list of "Fingers" Fingletons assets here.

http://www.thejournal.ie/in-numbers-michael-fingletons-...0-11/

He "forgot" to mention his 27million pension fund recently in his disclosures to the Commercial Court.
Hard to keep track of it all eh fingers?

Perhaps 1% should pay a visit to him and give him a copy of this list to jog his memory!

Fingers Fingleton ..

by 5 Little Fingers .

Tue Nov 02, 2010 21:40

Fingleton would have been amongst the 1st heads of building societies to ' insist ' on removing
mortgage holders ( and their children ) out of their family homes , quite legally of course ,during
the last recession of the 80s , If the mortgage holders fell behind with their repayments that oul
scourge was in the civil courts , without mercy , that often ,he should have been a solicitor .

Ask him if you dont believe me .

Lovely!

by John

Tue Nov 02, 2010 21:46

Big appreciation to ye for this. Good clear information.
Thanks

Worthwhile

by Des - None

Tue Nov 02, 2010 22:16

Well done, I just wonder how many people were/are aware of the protest. I saw no coverage on 'our' national broadcaster. It illustrates perfectly what an unequal society we live in. And you were all safe, as u had a garda escort.

Puppets on a String .

by Punch & Judy

Wed Nov 03, 2010 03:26

What do you expect when the likes of OR-TEE-EAGH who employ only the very bestest to pull the
strings of their so called presenters by engaging them in an atmosphere of wealth beyond their
wildest dreams , in doing so the least they can expect is to Walk the Walk and Talk The Talk-Down
to the blue rinse brigade by scaring the listeners with doomsday language of which most of them
are too terrified to object to in the first place.

If the presenters are to eat a crust of bread , instead of black bread then it is expected of these
jumped up traitors to at least toe the party line given the ridicously huge salaries they are paid
out of our T.V. license fees .

No , you wont catch Joe Dumpy swiggin pints with their unemployable at all at all , now will you?
Ask him about the Ford Galaxy he drove , which was given to him because of his ' rising star '
image when he was over doin' the 911 coverage on that fateful day , all with the compliments of ,
Yes you guessed it , FORD , free of charge for well over 2 years . and thats only some of the perks
the likes of Joe Dumpy receive from the big firms ,

Sweden

by Zebedee

Tue Dec 14, 2010 23:44

http://www.thelocal.se/30794/20101212/

very odd...

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1% Network Find The Pot Of Gold On Shewsbury Road

Comments (16 of 16)