Around the world countries have been betrayed by their politicians who have worked hand in glove with their capitalist partners to systematically destory each economy and then to hand them over to a private financial elite composed of bankers, investors and speculators and other parasites.
From Iceland to Lativa to Greece to Ireland the Financial Coup has taken place. It has already long ago taken place in such countries as the USA where big capital and big finance captured their governments long ago where corporations like Goldman Sachs have their own people in government dictating the bailouts. But many other countries are on the list. The austerity which the capitalists smile down on, have already hit most of Europe especially in countries like Spain, Portugal, Hungary and the UK.
The current crisis is the cumlination of a fairly long process starting in the late 1970s when the leading capitalist powers decided to go on the offensive and launched the Neo Liberal era which saw an claw back against all the rights gained by workers in the previous 70 years. At that time they also lent huge quantities of money to corrupt governments in the developing world and this ushered in the era of mega slums and third world debt bringing in the era of financial imperalism allowing the resources of these countries to be hauled away for almost free. continues below
So below we shall document some of the reactions of the Irish people so far:
Timeline: Nov 1999: Glass-Steagall Act repealed in US. deregulates the banks leading to financial to wild west in global finance.
Oct 2008: Global finance goes belly up. Celtic Tiger officially dead.
Aug 2010: €27 billion Tranche 1 & 2 loans transferred to NAMA (i.e. to taxpayer). Almost 50% for loans on UK properties See report Sept 2010: Legal door closes on shifting burden of bailout onto bond holders.
13th/14th Nov: Govt: "There is no bailout."
Thu 18th Nov: Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan announces for all intents and purposes the EU/IMF bailout.
Fri 19th Nov: IMF arrives in Dublin to help transfer more wealth to the rich.
Mon 22nd Nov:: Greens announce departure from government in Jan.
Wed 24th Nov:: Outline of cuts announced by govt. Pensions taxed. Tax increases + VAT. 1 euro taken from lowest paid workers. Nothing taken from the tax exiles. No tax or royalities on Corrib Gas.
Wed 24th Nov: 24 hr General strike in Portugual against austerity. Nothing similar planned by Irish unions.
Thur 25th Nov: Govt trying to close deal with IMF before they are booted out and before people can challenge the deal
Fri 26th Nov: Speculators driving up interest rates for Portugal and Spain in an effort to break the Euro.
Fri 12am 26th Nov: News reporting that IMF/EU will charge 6.7% interest. Prof Morgan Kelly (IT 8/11) says anything above 2% will sink us. Above 5% and our debt grows faster than we can repay!
Sat 27th Nov: Between 50,000 and 100,000 march against IMF cuts and FF govt in Dublin
Sun 28th Nov:Details of €85 billion deal done with private capital (aka IMF/EU) announced. Interest rate will be 5.8% and we get to handover €17.5 billion of our pension fund. And note that €85 billion includes €17.5 billion of our own money, making the so called bailout actually a high interest loan of €68 billion much of which will be handed over directly to european banks
Sun 28th Nov: Story circulating Anglo was using derivatives mentioned by Pat Rabbit on RTE This Week. Anglo report shows derivatives of €184 billion in total for 2010 up from €167 in 2009. This seems to show why ECB demanded the Pension Fund (€17 billion) as collateral. -i.e. Since 2008, Anglo probably made a bet with derivatives they would get their money back and lost the bet. Hole now is even bigger. Tue 30th Nov: Opposition claim IMF deal should be subject to a dail vote according to constitution article 25-9-2. "Markets" unimpressed by deal. Italy now being brought into the discussion more frequently in MSM.
Tue 07th Dec: Austere Budget passed targetting the lower paid
Thu 09th Dec: 40 million euro bonuses to be paid to AIB execs. Ireland's rating lowered by Fitch in spite of IMF "deal" (Minister intercedes to prevent payment of these AIB bonuses after major public outrage)
The now infamous 86,000 hit youtube "blair witch" garda brutality video (login free repost)
Upwards of 25,000 students from across Ireland descended onto the streets of Dublin on Wednesday 3rd November, 2,000 students broke off and occupied the Department of Finance, here are 2 interviews with students present.
Rain falls on the snow. The Contagion has taken hold. Ghosts from the old Dead Republic are emerging everywhere as the day of judgement approaches.
On Black Tuesday a guilt ridden political functionary runs from his job burying bodies in the city. He is tortured by voices of reproach as he journeys towards home. He recounts the history of his dealings with Fingers - a boss 'who made the old boss look like Mother Teresa'.
Meanwhile, back in the city, amid the spiraling negativity, Fingers and his acolytes lay the foundations for a new Easter Rising.
Attacks on working people are mounting right across Europe. The so-called PIGS (Portugal, Ireland & Italy, Greece, Spain) countries have been to the forefront of these attacks. In Ireland, we have seen €7 billion of cutbacks, seriously damaging public services, including health and education. In Greece, there has been a 10% cut in wages and spending in the public sector, together with an increased retirement age, VAT increases and the freezing of pensions. Portugal has a plan to cut its deficit by €11bn over four years through a crisis tax on wages and cutbacks in public services. The Spanish Parliament has passed cutbacks worth €15bn on top of €50bn already agreed. Italy is due to implement "emergency-cutbacks" of €24 bn.