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Make no mistake…our politicians saw ‘the train of economic destruction’ coming down the tracks but kept their mouths shut in case they would be the first casualties. They knew that their pals who pass for the Captains of Industry and, whom they had facilitated to loot the country during the Celtic Tiger era, were scraping the bottom of an already empty barrel.
But they didn’t have to worry because substantial portions of the loot had already been secreted away for future use when the heat died down.
Mark my words, all of the crooks - politicians, developers, financiers etc - who are responsible for our sorry and mostly avoidable mess will be back in business in the near future carrying on as if nothing happened because the stupid electorate, who will pick up the tab, will make very little fuss because their money has already been used to pay ‘consultants’ to find out to what extent the voters can be fooled…a vicious circle.

Gene Kerrigan puts it all in perspective in his piece in today’s Sunday Independent

“For years, bankers borrowed billions abroad to lend to developers, who in turn made billions building crap houses (often in absurd locations) to sell to anxious house-buyers, who were urged to buy now before they were excluded from the property ladder forever. And the home-buyers borrowed billions from the banks to buy the crap houses at grossly inflated prices.

All this was designed and encouraged by lousy politicians, using tax incentives to help their builder buddies, who in turn contributed handsomely to the parties’ funds — because they’re so committed to democracy.”

Read full article

For many years now I have been thinking that the ‘unchecked’ growth of the human race has to come to a position of ‘critical mass’ whereby some sort of seriously vast cull must take place.
In light of the Irish government’s recent budget, one has to wonder if the cull hasn’t already started.
The recent Fianna Fail led coalition budget has targeted every vulnerable section of Irish society.
If you were having difficulties getting access to services like health, education, social welfare, housing or any other need that you might have as a poor/disadvantaged person during the Celtic Tiger era, you can look forward to getting fuck all from now on.
The gombeenmen who pass for our political leadership have come along and said that they were going to look after the the vulnerable sections when compiling the budget. Instead, all the ‘vulnerables’ got was a kick in the groin and a shove in the direction of the gutter.
Josef Mengele made his selections while standing on the rail tracks at Auschwitz, Brian Lenihan made his selections while standing up in the Dail and calling the process ‘a budget for the Irish people’.
If you are old, sick, out of work, handicapped, uneducated, homeless/poor or generally ‘on your uppers’…YOU have been selected.

You voted for them - Fianna Fail - and now they want you do do the ‘patriotic thing’ by believing their lies.
Brian Lenihan’s budget is only the start of what’s to come.
They keep trotting out the same old concept…it’s the global situation stupid!
Here’s a little film to help you understand where you fit into the global picture and which shows disturbing aspects of how democracies are hijacked by crooked and greedy business interests.
The next time you buy an item with a stupid designer label so that you can look cool, remember the poor bastards who had to work long hours for peanuts in sweatshops to provide the ‘gear’.
And you might also consider the fact that, after yesterday’s budget, workers in Ireland are headed in the same direction. The only difference will be the degree.
Comments (2)

The splurge to impress each other with material crap is over
Yes, we are now reaping the whirlwind that should have taken the Galway Tent and it’s occupants high into the air and out into the Atlantic.
We now know why our former leader Bertie Ahern was given untold amounts of money by the country’s ‘business elite’ and, yes, Sleeveen Ahern was probably right when he claimed that he did nothing for the money because that’s exactly what the business crooks wanted him to do.
By Ahern and his cronies doing nothing they were given carte blanche to loot the country as they pleased and allowed to salt away their ill-gotten gains in foreign banks and property portfolios so that when the inevitable arrived on the doorstep, they could tell the banks to fuck off if they dared to ask for their money back.
The greedy elite will laugh all the way to their bolt-holes while those who thought that Bertie Ahern was god will end up paying the tab.
Those 100% mortgage holders who paid criminal money for shoe boxes will bear the blunt of the depression for the rest of the lives with little complaint because it’s ‘not the done thing’ in Ireland to admit that you’ve been conned.
Instead of packing the streets in protest, our little nation of idiots will continue to believe our inept government will come up with the answers.
BOLLOCKS!

The terrifing prospect of this imperial power having a presidential election to basically decide who believes more fervently in god is more worrying than any Islamic terrorist threat.
Here’s a little film - by John Pilger - to educate those of you who think that the ‘American dream’ is something to aspire to.
See film

On top is our former leader and all-round crook Bertie Ahern and on the bottom our present leader who keeps his mouth shut a lot Brian Cowen.

There’s a load of All Ireland shite on today…I’m going for a walk in the mountains to get away from it.

People who are on Welfare etc and doing nixers are to be targeted by the Revenue Commissioners
A yes, it’s the same old story. When things are going well, from the governments point of view, a blind eye is turned to all sorts of skulduggery committed by the ‘well in’.
And when things are going badly, they come down on those who are permanently struggling.
I was disgusted today to hear a news item on RTE Radio concerning a report that the revenue are to check out those who are trying to make ends meet by working in the black economy - mostly for peanuts - while drawing the dole or getting some other benefit.
It appears that a major source of the ‘illegal’ earnings come from unregistered child minding.
The amount that anyone could get from this activity would be totally useless if they had to pay tax on it.
It’s gas to think that Bertie Ahern led this country for 11 years and for some of those years he wasn’t tax compliant.
Would revenue not be better checking out this crook and his friends first?

At the height of the Celtic Tiger I said that it wouldn’t be long before you could buy a cheap house with a 4×4. Is my prediction coming true?
I remember 10 years ago seeing cars with very little wrong mechanically or otherwise and with a few years left in them being sent to the crusher. I thought it was a crying shame as many of them were better than what I was driving. I saw my daughter and her partner ‘going into hock’ for E20,000 which was more than double what I had paid for all the cars that I had in my lifetime.
During the boom it seemed that ‘ordinary’ people were ashamed to be seen in a car that was a few years old. It was so out of place to see new cars parked outside rundown council houses where, previously, you could expect to see a ’sensible’ car.
Years ago, I had an association with a car breakers at a time when the demand for used car parts had dried up. The demand for car parts is now starting to increase and I can see those who used to be ashamed to be seen in a scrapyard starting to hang around the gate in the hope of a bargain and, more importantly, in the hope that their neighbours don’t see them.
Needless to say, it did my heart good to see one of Ireland’s leading status car outfits - Orwell Motors - going to the wall. They’re auctioning off all their cars.
It’s bad enough to have to stomach the thick greedy neck in the Mercedes, Lexus etc. without having to see the stupid ‘Mot’ stuck up in the front with a fucking Gucci handbag.
NB: My present ’statement’ is a 97 Fiesta which I repair myself.
And if you want some car parts, I have access to around a thousand used cars.

A great day out in spite of the weather.
38 Photos of Stradbally Steam Rally 2008

Ossie Bennett is now in his 90’s and older than some of the steam engines.
The weather won last year forcing the cancellation of this huge and very popular annual event.
We left Kildare with trepidation around 12.30 after being told by one of my daughters that it was raining in Portlaois but, luckily, it was dry in Stradbally and remained so for about an hour at which point the first heavy shower caused everybody to head for shelter. It lasted about 30 minutes and we then got about one and a half hours without rain and with the sun poking through a few times before the next downpour. It turned out to be a lovely evening afterwards.
You’ll find it hard to beat the Steam Rally for a good family day out. It has something for everybody including a carnival for the kids and teenagers, stalls selling everything from a needle to an anchor, animal exhibits with horse riding events, vintage cars and agricultural machinery, helicopter rides and, of course, steam powered traction and other engines. This year, being the centenary of the Model T Ford, had about twenty different versions of the famous machine.
There was also a section where you could see how corn was threshed by steam power and, alongside, a steam powered stone crusher.
As the event was almost in the town, a carnival atmosphere seemed to be the order of the day with people drinking outside pubs and the street lined with market stalls.
Along with the Steam Rally, Portlaois Town was also hosting some type of Fleadh Ceol with 50.000 visitors expected over the weekend.
Going by today’s crowd, Stradbally Steam Rally seems to be going from strength to strength.
Tomorrow is the last day and the weather is expected to be somewhat better.
I’m heading to Glenmalure tomorrow to take a walk through the Wicklow mountains and to take some more photos.

It’s very difficult to plan any outdoor activity.

I got up this morning about 7.45 as the night’s clouds were being ‘burned off’ by the sun. After thinking to myself that I might go for a bit of a hike in the countryside, I decided to have breakfast in Tougher’s restaurant.
On emerging from the restaurant, I found that it was pissing rain again which put a halt to any plans that I was about to make. It rained on and off until about 2pm and, after that, it turned out to be a very nice day, albeit, a bit cloudy at times.
And so, I took off in the direction of Monasterevin looking for some photo opportunities. As you can see from the photo above, I got lucky along the banks of the Barrow where I came across this beautiful Damselfly. After taking some shots of Moore Abbey - the former home of the great John McCormack - I headed over to the Grand Canal where I came across a rare photo opportunity but, could not take a photo.
You see, what I saw was a nice pair of female knees sticking out of the grass with a man in between them. I, reluctantly, had to look the other way without getting a great photo. The ‘missionary position’ is not dead yet.
Being a keen student of this sort of activity when I was younger and, I haven’t totally lost interest yet, I realised that there is nothing as bad as being interrupted when you’re ‘nearly there’.
If only they knew how ‘unembarrassed’ I would have been if asked to join in.
Anyway, you can see the photos that I took in the next few days here
I’m off to the Stradbally Steam Rally tomorrow where I hope to get some photos of how it was long ago…mechanically, that is!
Will be reporting here as soon as possible.