As Euroland implodes with the shock news that the Germans did not get their full bond offering away the other day, albeit at excellent 10 year rates of 1.98%, the Euro teeters on the brink.
The experts argue (in hindsight) that trying to join 27 vastly differing economies together in one currency was never going to work, simply because the weaker countries, like Ireland have always needed to devalue in order to compete against the stronger countries such as Germany and France. But I am not an economist and will leave that to the experts……
The Croke Park Fiasco, which stipulates no change in public sector pay until 2014 is a disaster, which is sucking the life out of all Irish citizens. There is a stipulation in the agreement that it can be rescinded if there is a significant change in the economic outlook. We have long since passed that point and the first act of the new government, elected with such a huge mandate, should have been to rip it up!
Why be afraid of industrial unrest, which is what the Unions are threatening if there is any deviation from this fiasco agreement? Call their bluff ..Let them strike and let the unions pay the public servants while they are on strike.
What we would hopefully discover is that the several thousand hard working decent public servants who provide great service will stand up to the union bully boys and cry halt. The silence of the unions would be drowned by the silence of the lambs and for once and all common-sense would prevail.
We are all equal in the eyes of our God, whoever he or she may be, so why should the residents down on Animal Farm be more equal than the rest of us? The Pigs have been given the power and they must use it for the good of all the citizenry, not just for the vested interests.
We all hope to grow old some day – it would indeed be nice to know that we could do so in the knowledge that our governors would treat us all with equal dignity when that time comes.