Irish Economic Crisis. The X Factor Factor.
October 28, 2008
Now that the Irish economic crisis is beginning to make itself felt our new Irish middle class are intent on showing us what they are made of. And that is of course the same sterling strength of character we see displayed on our television screens weekly on the likes of the X Factor where contestant after contestant inform us ( with great shedding of tears ) that life for them and their children would be meaningless and unbearable without the wealth and fame that comes with winning. Most people are I think repulsed by this distortion of values and the underlying selfishness of it all but for all that it speaks volumes about the society we live in. We now hear much the same waling and gnashing of teeth from this Irish middle class when faced with the prospect of being told to live within their means. Having grown rich on the back of cheap imported labour (with no regard for those who have to pay the real price for this ) and having performed the moral and intellectual gymnastics that go hand in hand with the new ideology of greed they now find themselves having to face a new and harsh reality. The penny may not have dropped yet , indeed the shock of it all , the possibility of having to reach into their own pockets has been such that it has rendered them incapable of even thinking straight. “The noise of the mob is it’s imagination” and these folks have a great imagination. They feel , are convinced in fact , that their relatively modest taxes can actually pay for all the things they have come to take for granted. And this in spite of the million or more euros that we are borrowing daily just to stop the whole show grinding to a permanent halt.
The Irish economy is fundamentally a parasitic one. We produce nothing or next to nothing. Our industry, such as it was , no longer exists. We may talk whatever nonsense we wish about I.T. economics in a pathetic attempt to flatter our distorted egos but deep down inside we know that no one ever started a war over it. Wars are fought for control of steel and shipping lanes , for things of real and true value. There is no inherent value to the nation in home ownership and even less in the ‘buy to let’ market and yet this it is the whole basis of our economy. The easy wealth of landlord-ism is not conducive to Enterprise in spite of what the new bourgeoisie and their media might wish us to believe. The protectionism of a single European currency while beneficial in many ways also has it’s dangers in it’s ability to insulate us to some of life’s realities. Our Enterprise Culture has little to do with real enterprise. Borrowed capital , cheap labour , globalisation and all the rest of it can create great wealth for some but it is a parasitic form of wealth with little if any real substance to it. To blame our situation on the global downturn ignores the fact that we helped to create this downturn in the first place.
Too much credit and a subsequent credit crisis are not the causes of our present problems in spite of what you may hear on the TV. Rather they are a symptom of a much more serious problems inherent within Globalisation itself. Everything has it’s price. Bio fuel production may yet lead to global food wars. Economics devoid of social responsibility. The working class of Kimmage and Crumlin bought their houses cheap and saw the potential. They live well on their rents. Students and business people only ( no unemployed need apply ). “We worked hard for our money “. Did you indeed!. “We worked hard for our money”. But we know what the subtext is here , we understand it well. The landlord and sheriff…….our history is full of it. But they are quick to forget history when there’s money to be made. Their children and grand children don’t play in the street and it not for fear of paedophiles. It’s about class and upward mobility. “We worked hard for our money”. A house ( maybe two or three ), children at university , several holidays abroad each year , a career - a good life by any standards with money in the bank. “But it’s OUR money , and we WORKED for it”…….Like spoiled greedy children they stamp their feet…..”It’s our money ” …..”We worked hard for it all our lives”….The X Factor ……we NEED this wealth , we can’t live without it……It’s OURS….
Him and her. We see them on The Property Show as they talk of their flat in Romania. They are in their late 50’s and no doubt would tell us that they ‘worked hard all their lives’……but the body language says otherwise…..they have done well , really well and have no intention of tightening their belts……….”But , we worked hard all our lives”. They are comfortable with the notion that they deserve all this reward…..The new landlord class…God and the constitution ( no welfare checks accepted )…..they have come a long way and forgotten much (deliberately). And like any common landlord thug the veneer of civilisation will drop in an instance if they feel threatened…..Make no mistake these good people will if necessary kill to protect what’s theirs……..In the meantime they take to the streets to protest. They make much of the tax they paid but didn’t we all pay tax. They want to live at the expense of the public purse regardless of the cost…..they want you and I to subsidise their latter years of good living ( the little tax they paid could never cover that). They take some comfort in the hope that , if things get really bad , their property portfolio will protect them from the worst. They may be right. But they may also be wrong. They are happy that social housing is a thing of the past. If the situation demands it they will be even happy to take welfare cheques for rent . But as dole ques grow and the need for rent allowance increases there will in turn be less and less money to pay for it. How long can any government afford to ignore the economics of buy to rent. Who could have predicted the smoking ban or the deregulating of the taxi service ? Lobbies that seemed to be untouchable , that could make or brake any politician were brought to heel…..and no quarter shown. In the new Corporate Europe nothing is impossible. This new middle class was quick (and happy) to turn it’s back on the trade union movement. They welcomed the ‘free market’ but may yet need protection from it. They will probably vote no to Europe next time round and not from any principled stand but out of fear and greed. This X Factor generation only knows the gospel of self interest and personal gain. Public emotion and shallow values. Atavistic greed and an inbred insecurity. A jealous eye watching a neighbours field.
A venial people. A shallow people. They know the value of money (and property). A four wheel drive and a son or daughter at business school……a minimum wage immigrant to carry out the necessary menial tasks. And a warped psuedo ideology to justify it all……conservatives parading themselves as liberals…..they will be the first to vote for some racist candidate. A pox on them all. And if they are not happy then let them emigrate. After all there are no shortage of immigrants who can fill the gap. Young healthy immigrants who will not be a drain on the economy. So by all means emigrate. Go to your natural environment , your spiritual homeland. Vote for McCainn and low taxes…..and live off your own resources. Join the NRA , get yourself a ‘45. Watch the blacks kill themselves in the ghetto from your all white neighbourhood. Isn’t that what the Irish in America have always done ?……A pox and a double pox on the lot of you.
Fiscal rectitude can work in much the same way as a laxative. It can help us flush out anything injurious to the system. Regular healthy bowel movements are essential to our personal well being and this is no less true when it comes to the economy. So let us have one big collective crap. Let’s flush this contaminant down the drain where it belongs…..
IRISH BANKS CRISIS
September 18, 2008
You could be forgiven for thinking that Irish Banks were in a state of crisis if not meltdown if you happened to be a listener to Joe Duffey on RTE. One after another callers into his radio show described how they were in the process of hotfooting it down to the bank to get their money out before….well before things got completely out of hand. And yes , we know the Irish banking system is quite sound but if Lehmans can go bankrupt having lost literally billions then it’s better to be safe than sorry. So regardless of what you think about all this the fact is that a lot of folks are anxious to put their money just about anywhere rather than in their friendly local bank. And just tonight on RTE TV news there were more reports of ‘concern’ among those lucky enough to have some spare cash in the bank.
So let me ask you this question . Do you have a tidy sum sitting in your local bank? And if the answer is yes then what are you going to do ? What I mean is , are you getting worried …….are you? . The experts are predicting that yet more large US banks will fold so don’t you think you have a right to be worried ? . The US Federal Reserve has released $180 billion dollars to help other US banks and global central banks are doing likewise……the biggest bailout in human history . So let me ask you again. Are you getting worried ?.
UPDATE: (19/9/08) On foot of a ban on short selling and intervention by the US Reserve Bank share prices have rocketed in the last few hours while we are told there is no need to worry as the European Bank has no shortage of cash. But this very volatility is a worry in itself. We are told that Irish banks are not at risk as they were not involved in the sub-prime issue in the first place but that’s simplistic to say the least. The fact is that the banks are facing the biggest crisis in their history…….and it’s not over yet…
And to imagine that Irish banks are somehow immune to all this just because we are in Europe is the stuff of fairy tales..
Towards Integration. A City Framework
June 23, 2008
The Dublin City Development Board (along with some others) have just launched “Towards Integration. A City Framework” , a plan to aid the integration of immigrants into the wider community of Dublin. What it aims to achieve is however not very clear. Part of this plan is concerned with fighting racism (presumable YOUR racism) and the ignorance from which it stems (YOUR ignorance).
I first became aware of this campaign this morning when I went into Dublin City Council’s offices to pay my rent. Having passed the ample evidence of homelessness on our city street I arrived at the council offices only to be confronted by a whole display of literature on integration but nothing of course on homelessness…in fact the council are , by selling off our housing stock , not only making the homeless situation much worse but of course making things rather difficult for immigrants as many of them need social housing as they cannot afford private rented accommodation. (which is not surprising as many have to work for the minimum wage).
As I say , I saw all this literature and took the trouble to read it but it was all a bit vague ( except the bits about ignorance ,YOURs of course). Is all this to mean that those middle class journalits/politicians who engaged in ‘white flight’ are to be sent back to where they came from? Are the middle classes going to be forced into integrating ? No , of course not. It’s YOU , the ignorant , racist , bigoted working class who must integrate.
But the real question that needs to be asked is what is behind all of this. Why this constant bombardment , why this endless insistence that we must be ever vigilant against racism when the vast majority of immigrants make a point of saying that they have never been subjected to any kind of racism ?. In spite of the propaganda to the contrary the fact is that racism is not common in Ireland nor is it likely to ever be a problem . The working class of Britain , many of whom have been marginalised , who have seen their jobs disappearing , their wages cut , who have often been subjected to the worst kind of racism themselves have never voted in any significant numbers for the National Front. This however can not be said for the middle classes who will vote extreme right wing at the drop of a hat if they feel they are loosing out. It is interesting to note in passing there are very few convictions for racism in Britain where a white indigenous British person is the victim in spite of the fact that there are now many ‘no go’ areas for white people where if for example you are not a Muslim you will not get accommodation or employment and where in many cases you will be asked to leave the neighbourhood….. This is not some racist chant but a serious question that is constantly asked but never answered. Why this constant , endless , relentless attack on working class ‘racism’ and ignorance’ in spite of any real evidence to back it up and much evidence that contradict all this ?. Why this atavistic compulsion to shout “racist’. Indeed , as I have often remarked , the attitude in the media and elsewhere towards the working class is becoming more and more racist itself…
I am not a racist. I say this not as some kind of defence but simple as a statement of fact. It’s just a fact quite independant of what anyone might or might not think. I have never had a racist thought in my head. And no one had ever suggested that I might be one untill quite recently. And most important of all , no one has ever called me a racist to my face. It’s not that I might hit them but more the fact that it would make no sense for anyone who knows or has met me to think , even for a second , that I might be racist. I am not offended by those who call me a racist. Why should I feel offended by someone else’s ignorance ? But if such a person has political power and sets about depriving me of my right to free speech then I have a problem with that. And when such people come togeather and pass right wing laws in the name of ‘human right’ but laws which have more to do with the ‘free movement of labour’ than anything else then I have an even greater problem.
When these same people demand that I respect anti semites I have an even greater problem.
I am called a racist and a fool as I have said by people I’ve never met. Journalist and politician who would not dare to say it to my face. And this has to do with power. They are powerful , strong , while I am weak. Bullies always act from a position of strengtht. Bullies , who let fall from their lips the foulest insults against a whole class , who constantly parade themselves as ‘liberal’ while building an economy on cheap labour and landlord-ism , bullies who condemn a class because they don’t feel assured enough to argue their case face to face , bullies who presume to pass laws to protect you against your own supposed ignorance !!! ……..what can one say of such people ?.
In the USA torture is now legal. The implications of ‘waterboarding‘ go far beyond the activities of the individuals involved in this dreadful practice. America has inflicted upon itself a moral blow from which it may never recover. When we in Ireland , for whatever reason accept the practice of anti sematism in mosques or cultural centres (out of fear perhaps at being labeled racist) we loose the moral high ground. Words are important. And certain words (racist/homophobic) should not be devalued through misuse or downright abuse. When we devalue words in this way we run the very real risk of devaluing humanity. Recent history has some dreadful examples of this.
IRISH E.U. TREATY REFERENDUM
June 20, 2008
No sooner have the people of Ireland given their verdict on the EU Treaty than they are being told how stupid they are. All day long as the results came in politicians and commentators here in Ireland have been competing with each other in a rush to condemn the ignorance of the Irish voters. We can dress it up any way we like but the bottom line is that if you are one of those who voted “No” then you are being called stupid…..and either way your vote doesn’t count as there will be another referendum in the near future and yet another after that until you eventually manage to get it ‘right’.
But one thing needs to be made clear at this point and that is the reason why exactly people voted “No”. People voted no because they are concerned with the level of immigration and the possible consequences of ‘human rights’ legislation emanating from Europe. They did not of course say this when asked in a recent Irish Times poll but this is not at all surprising as the only response would have been that they were all racists…This is not as fanciful as it might seem….. In fact just today we were being warned that we should not be happy to on the same side as M. Le Pen. And in this great tradition yet another Irish politician in between warning us of the dangers of racism just cannot resist having a go at the British. ….and all of this get more like something from Faulty Towers or Father Ted but there is little to laugh at here. Avril Doyle and those like her have only one concern and that is for their own wallets and purses…Her recent outburst had all the vehemence of a farmer’s land deal gone sour…..Gombeenism as an art form….and memories of the famine in the psyche and a deep insecurity….Gangsters and their mad bitches….like Eichmann demanding more efficiency …..and all for a new Europe. Whole populations on the move like wilderbeast (work will make you free) and an arsenal of words to silence those who dare to protest. All together and one for all. Everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. A united front. History on the march.
As a poet once wrote , “all this might be happening underwater”. Or perhaps Hitler did in fact escape from the bunker and is orchestrating all this from some Argentinian hideaway. But whatever the explanation all I keep thinking of are those old B movies I used to go to as a child. But science fiction has now become reality and the Brave New World is here to stay. Language has been hijacked in it’s service and now words can mean anything. Those who wish to build a new Europe on the labour of millions of the earths poorest inhabitants now call anyone who protests a racist…..
We are told that we do not understand the issues but we understand all too well. We’ve seen it all before…..the corporate state, propaganda and chicken farmers. The political elite were wrong in 1930’s Europe and they are wrong now. Peace , they tell us is the great winner. No wars in today’s new Europe. But why would any modern day land grabber or drug pusher want to start a war when they are getting it all on a plate as it is. We are warned about Le Pen while the white slavers take advantage of open borders under the beneficent eyes of the new Europeans…..Lunatics and asylums and a flexible language , cultural diversity without the culture. Rodge and Podge , vulgarity parading as art with no one to tell the difference. Cultural Centres erected by murders…..Tweedle dum and tweedle dee. All together now , “We’re on the one road , maybe the wrong road , we’re together now who cares”. Jew hating Islamic fanatics made welcome and all in the name of fighting racism…..Gobbles was right , you can tell them anything and it doesn’t even have to make any sense , just keep repeating it over and over. Wear them down…..we’re nearly there….just one more push. “Peace in our time” and “You never had it so good”. An old story and we all know how it ends.
Another referendum?. No means no? What is it that they don’t understand. As thick necked as any Hess and twice as dangerous. A new breed creating a new Europe. Oh yes , and the bankers pulling the strings just as they did in the old days. “What did you do in the war daddy?”. Daddy did nothing you fool , he was too busy fighting for same sex marriage and gay rights. He left you a property portfolio in place of a country. He was a man of his time. He was well though of in his day…..’a good European by all accounts. A YES man and proud of it.
Vincent Browne Cathal O’Searcaigh The Three Card Trick
March 22, 2008
Vincent Browne , writing in the Irish Times has entered the O’Searcaigh debate. He writes of the general exploitation of those who live on the minimum wage , those who are marginalised in our society. He also raises the question of the movie itself and wonders if that was exploitative. In short , in spite his liberal credentials he repeats what most other journalist have said on the matter. His interpretation is the classic liberal one and it’s hard to fault it. He presses all the right buttons and is , I would imagine quite sincere in his argument. And yet it has all left me cold. I feel an immense tiredness. It’s hard to put it into words. ……But I’ve been here before …..And I suppose that most of all I am conscious of the fact that I cannot win , that I will be proved wrong in the long run….As I say , I’ve been here before. And the truth is of course that I’m not going to win this argument. I never was going to win. ….And less someone say that this is not about who wins or who loses let me make it quite clear here and now that that is exactly what it IS all about. That , boys and girls is what it’s always about. And there are winners and losers. There always are. And the winner of course gets to write the final chapter.
And the truth? Well , that doesn’t matter either. He who wins gets to dictate what was or was not true in the first place. You may say , in fact I’m sure you will say that all this is very cynical. But no , it’s not cynical it’s just the truth. But wait …..at this point the liberal will be heard insisting that there is indeed a thing called truth. He’ll say it loud and clear. He will declaim it from the rooftops. …..If he’s a journalist he will use all his skill and eloquence ….he may well bring a tear to our eyes and a lump to our throats.
In the movie , “In Cold Blood” there is a scene in which one of the killers is being interrogated by the police and is asked if he feels guilty. His answer is simple. “Guilty , that just a word the man (judge) say’s when your luck runs out.” And of course he’s right (from his point of view). Which only helps to underline the fact that words can and often do mean different things to different people. And that there is always a winner and a loser. In fact it’s all about who wins and who loses.
Vincent Browne would have us believe that it might have been better (more just) if the movie “Fairytale of Kathmandu” had not been made. And you have to stop here or at least pause a moment because this is where it gets …….well , confused. The movie , he feels was unfair , unbalance even hypocritical ……Like I say , this is where you have to go very slow. This is where you have to start thinking. As they used to say in the old war movies , “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”. And in this instance , forget what I said about truth or anything else , just keep watching….because this is how the trick is done. Now , watch closely and don’t let yourself be distracted by anything ….And remember that Browne is a journalist and words are his tools …..
Vincent Browne would , as I’ve said have preferred the film was never made. He would rather we were not having this debate. He may try to square that circle by telling you that it’s the manner of the debate , the way in which it came into the public realm that he’s got a problem with but the bottom line remains that he didn’t want this film made. Now keep watching and remember what I said , “Don’t let yourself be distracted!” And in case you didn’t hear me the first time let me say it a little louder , “DON’T LET YOURSELF BE DISTRACTED!”.
Browne would have liked it better if we were not having this conversation. He feels that O’Searcaigh was used by the director of the movie , that we were all used , exploited by Ni Chainain. That the whole thing is in a sense a sham. He makes the point that we live in an unfair society where the poor and underprivileged are exploited daily , he expresses concern …..He puts forward as I’ve said a classic argument. …..He would have liked this whole issue to be debated in a proper manner and in the absence of that he would rather there was no debate. Or at least not this one. He has a perception of what a fair and honest debate is and this is not it. He aims for an ideal and this debate does not meet his rigid standard……that the issue should be presented and examined through the medium of popular television makes him very unhappy. The medium that is , with which the great mass of underprivileged feel most comfortable with , this popular media is the last place he wants the issue discussed. And yet this very media is used every other day in this manner. It is the norm for investigative journalism and has been for years without Browne having any problem with it.
He is a bit like the Socialist Worker Party who demand revolution but usually end up critical of anyone who starts one on the basis that it’s not quite pure enough. And like the SWP he has a fundamental distrust if not fear of the great unwashed especially when they start making demands of any sort. He (and all the rest) feel that they know best and they don’t like loosing control. They , the artists , poets and journalist stand shoulder to shoulder protecting their ground. From their privileged position (their near total control of the media) they lecture us on ethics and even philosophy. But they also judge us. And they judge us to be unlearned , unsophisticated in thought and intellect , little short of drones. They look at us and see the mob…..a howling mass of unthinking humanity that must be protected from itself. Trial by media they shout in disgust …..like magistrates of old they set their faces against the very people they would claim to be serving. They pride themselves on their liberalism but in a different age might have been writing for The Catholic Herald.
As I keep repeating over and over again all this has little to do with O’Searcaigh and it has even less to do with any concept of truth. This is about power. And power is not an abstract concept. Power is covetous. It is the powerful who dictate the terms of debate or if indeed there is to be a debate in the first place. But once in a very blue moon something goes wrong…..somone somewhere breaks rank….this is the ultimate sin against power. This way lies anarchy. But anarchy of course is one of those words which can mean different things to different people. It’s largely a matter of geography and politics and of course who exactly is telling the story.
For 20 years the working class have been subjected to trial by media/conviction without due process without as much as blink from the Brownes of this world. Daily , weekly and monthly they are and have been slandered as racists or homophobes if they dare to raise their heads above the parapet. Entire communities damned as ignorant or just plain stupid and worse still if they have the temerity to express an opinion. And this is never done to our faces but from the safe refuge of their ivory towers , their insulated fortresses. Whole communities marginalised and disfranchised and slandered and not so much as twitch from our modern liberals. Gombeens and hypocrites putting the boot in……and always from that safe distance. Like Mandelstam and his Lutherans, they mourn the fate of their poet (he’s no Mandlestam -and they known it) but they are really mourning an attack on one of their own class. Like intellectual schizophrenics they will stand by O’Searcaigh before lunch and after a hearty meal will be just as eager to stand by some mad mullah who would be more than happy to castrate him. Happy to praise the banality of Bowling for Columbine , delighted to raise it to the level of art ………but that was yesterday…..and a long way from home.
No , this has nothing to do with truth. This is war , class war and it’s vicious. Remember the first rule of war ; know your enemy. And this enemy all have one thing in common , none of them work for the minimum wage. They take a salary that most can only dream of and often supplement that with an Arts Council grant. They would try to convince you that this is about Truth or Justice and other such abstractions but there’s nothing at all abstract about an Arts Council grant or a journalist’s wage. Privilege always attempts to dress itself in fine clothes. And privilege can afford them.
Free speech is dead and it died on their watch , with their collusion but they didn’t even have the integrity to write it’s obituary. Browne’s article is both subtle and devious parading as he does his concern for the masses but we must not loose sight of what he is really saying. And he’s telling us to ‘look at the big picture’ ( he assumes , in his arrogance that we have not already done this). He asks us to consider the greater injustice ( but we’ve been saying just that for years ). He would like to divert our attention. Browne is the ‘reasonable man’ but as I’ve said elsewhere and often the reasonable man is always the one with the full belly. The more property/wealth a man acquires the more reasonable he becomes. Empires (once established and consolidated ) demand reason and order. Before we know it these words themselves have acquired an almost mystical quality , a pseudo- religious quality which may not even be questioned. It happens in the blink of an eye. As Dylan wrote , “It’s done with the flick of a wrist” and we never see it coming. “Words are power” and it’s the powerful who controll the media…..and the words.
To read my other posts on the O’Searcaigh affair click here and scroll down.
Cathal O’Searcaigh Mark O’Halloran The Moral Vacuum
March 16, 2008
I have written quite a bit in the last couple of weeks about Cathal O’Searcaigh and the movie , ”Fairytale of Kathmandu“. I have not seen the film and to be honest I have no interest in seeing it. O’Searcaigh is not important to me , nor are the opinions of those who choose to justify him in their various and pathetic ways. So this is my final word on the matter , for what it’s worth….
On Wednesday morning last I got up and had my two cups of coffee , flicked on my laptop and checked my emails. I had my little Sony radio sitting beside the laptop and , as is my habit , I switched it on without any real intention of listening to it…..I like a little ‘background noise’ , I’m one of those people who cannot concentrate without something at least murmuring in the background. The Tubridy Show was on and he , Brian Tubridy was talking to the Irish screen writer Mark O’Halloran but I wasn’t really paying much attention….at least that is , not to begin with.
O’Halloran had been involved in the Irish movie , “ Adam and Paul“, I think he may have acted in it but I have not seen the movie , he may have also written the script , I’m really not sure. The film is about two drug addicts . It’s a ‘day in the life ‘ kind of thing and we are invited to watch as they wander around the streets of Dublin looking for their next fix……It’s a comedy…… Before making the movie O’Halloran had followed drug addicts ( Junkies , as he called them) around the streets and he found it all a great laugh… We know this because he tells us so and he was having a good laugh while recounting the story.
He told a story about two young women , obviously stoned out of their minds , in the middle of O’Connell Street fighting over a choc-ice. He mimicked their voices ……he laughed as he recounted how these women (we can imagine them ) fought in the street like two zombies…..and this was just one of his stories…. He had lots of them , he went to great pains to explain to us how you could have great fun following human derelicts on the streets of Dublin… For , what seemed to me like an eternity , this man laughed and invited us to laugh at the spectacle of those ghost like figures we see wandering the streets of our capital city…..He went on and on ……while still laughing he told us about the young man trying to hold a cigarette in his hand while a needle was hanging from his hand at the same time…..and he laughed and laughed yet again. It was relentless….I sat in my room horrified and sickened hardly believing what I was hearing…..and still it went on …..and on… At one point there was a reference to Beckett and the absurd….but that didn’t diminish the horror of what I was hearing…..
- And O’Searcaigh ? …People keep referring to the fact that he did not feel that he was actually doing anything wrong. …How he was , in his own way , rather innocent….even vulnerable. They wonder why he seemed only too willing to hang himself in front of the camera……We all know the story by now.
But the truth of all of this is really quite simple. O’Searcaigh , like O’Halloran is a moral degenerate. These men have no moral compass to guide them. They are not even aware of the sin they commit. They are , in their own way , truly innocent….but in the wrong way….They do not understand , indeed are incapable of understanding that it is wrong , yes wrong to laugh at , or exploit those who are less fortunate than ourselves. And those who feel the need to say we must not judge in this way (they’ll judges us as ‘racist’ or ‘homophobic’ at the drop of a hat themselves) are no less morally compromised. These media hacks , the paid minions of their media bosses attempt to impose a new morality. Far from being independent they are the lumpen proletaritat in the service of the New European Corporate State. Their morality is ‘modern’ and , when necessary , flexible…….and you need a new morality when trying to justify the ‘free movement of labour’ itself the harbinger of the New European Corporate State. These , the paid servants of their press baron bosses warn of the dangers of racism while our most fundamental rights are being negated by the day…..without as much as a whisper from them. The right to strike abolished for all practical purposes as is the right to free speech….the homeless litter the streets , the sick and aged are treated with contempt , Ireland becomes an economy in place of a country and they have nothing to say…….nothing that is apart from the stock phrases , ‘HOMOPHOBIC’ and ‘RACIST’………….and like O’Searcaight and O’Halloran they are well paid…….and they know how to get an Arts Council grant….in the past we had a name for people like this ……They are the New Ireland……and they have the confidence (arrogance) that goes with new wealth……alongside their masters they have their heads in the trough and are feeding with a frenzy…..
As I said many times , O’Searcaigh is not the real issue and never was. The real issue is both simple and complex at the same time and has to do with the society we inhabit. It has to do with our values , our morality if you want to call it that. But it also has a lot to do with power and how it is exercised. It has to do with a new morality for a New Ireland and how to sell that morality……
The moral relativism of O’Searcaigh did not come from nowhere. He , and the many , the very many who stand by him are a product of the society they live in. Our education system educated these people. And none of this is an accident. It hasn’t just happened. There is , as indeed there always is , a very real logic behind all of this……there is an inevitability about it all….
………..’and we have seen it all before. We’ve seen how , in Hitler’s Germany , millions of good decent people voted into power one of the most evil men in history……and we have asked ourselves how these people could not only let it happen but be willing participants in the affair…and even while we ponder the question our poor , sick and vulnerable lie for days in hospital corridors….with every passing minute our society becomes more uncaring….the rich get even richer while the poor are marginalised…..there is a new brutality in the air…..we have become selfish…..We have become both liberal and intolerant at the same time… we are , if we but knew if , the new barbarians…
No , O’Searcaigh is not important….and his poetry even less so. He is the product of a new Ireland but more importantly the product of a new Europe…..Had he been born twenty years earlier he might have been a Christian Brother. O’Halloran will continue with his movie career….no one will condemn him , no one will point to the obscene racism behind his warped sense of humour…..The journalists of Ireland will continue to prostitute themselves in the pursuit of advancement in their trade…..Tubridy will , no doubt , continue with his radio programme……he will I imagine ,warn us of the danger of racism from time to time…..and he’ll be well paid for it too…
…………………and the landlords of Ireland will smile……..
”Sure isn’t it a great little country”.
You can find a podcast of The Tubridy Show HERE. It may take a few minutes to download depending on the speed of you internet connnection.
Mel Gibson Shelbourne Hotel Dublin Celebrity
February 18, 2008
I bumped into Mel Gibson this morning outside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. He’s in Dublin to pick up some kind of lifetime achievement award at the Jameson Film Festival. To be honest I didn’t notice him until I had passed by and then only because people were stopping in the street to look around. I heard them talking about him ( “did you see him , he’s just got into a taxi”). I wouldn’t have given it another thought but made a mental note to mention it in my blog as there are people out there who have an interest in such things.
Why do people behave like this ? Why do adults , grown men and women stop in the street and stare like that? I would like to be able to tell you that something exciting happened after that but it didn’t. I could have turned around and dragged him out of his taxi , or even just shouted some pro Israeli slogans at him but I just kept walking. I went into Dunnes Stores on Stephens Green and bought my groceries and walked home in the morning sunlight. I suppose I should have stopped and said something to him , anything that would get a reaction …….it would have been good for my blog. But like I say , I just walked on. Another golden opportunity lost. Ah well , that’s the way it goes.
Ian Brady Moors Murder Yet Another Suicide Bid
February 12, 2008
Ian Brady , the moors murderer is reported to have been storing up pills with a view to killing himself. Suicide , we are told is what he has in mind but as this is the second time he has been found with these pills we have to wonder what it’s all about. After all , he must know from the last time that he could not hide such medicines for any long period of time and besides he could have killed himself several time with the number he had stored in his room.
There are those who claim that it’s all about him looking for attention. That may be true but personally I doubt it’s quite as simple as that. But if that’s all that’s left to a person , if that the only public way they can in some way validate themselves then what’s so wrong about that ? And many would say let him rot in his own private hell , but torture , and that’s what his living death has become , is never justified. Ultimately we have a duty of care to everyone. And especially to those who we call our enemy. None of this is ‘liberal’ hogwash. Showing respect for another’s humanity does not weaken us in any way.
But Brady will die soon. We will see more hate headlines such as greeted the death of Myra Hindley. In time Brady will be forgotten as indeed we will be also. Nothing will have been achieved. No dead children will rise from the grave and no mother’s tears will be magically undone.
Cathal O’Searcaigh Eoghan Harris Fairytale of Kathmandu Debate
February 11, 2008
Writing about the issues raised by the movie , “Fairytale of Kathmandu” and the poet Cathal O’Searchaigh , Eoghan Harris in the Independent’s anyalsis page treats us to a few pearls of wisdom or what passes for wisdom with those like Harris.
Speaking of the poet Maira Mhac an tSaoi’s comments on the Joe Duffy Show he refers to her “forensic tour de force ” !! And what was her contribution to the debate ? Well ,she suggested that O’Chainnin’s had betrayed a friend and acted for mercenary reasons …You can read the whole thing yourself but that’s what it all comes down to. Harris is obviously a man who is easily impressed.
He then goes on to tell us that Eamon Delaney has let the cat out of the bag about the Rape Crisis Centre and that …..wait for it …….(drum roll ) …the Rape Crisis Centre has a feminist agenda…. not only is this man easily impressed but he’s also a bit behind on what the dogs in the street have been yelping about for years.
Now in case you think I’m being unfair to Harris here’s that link again (LINK) and oh , by the way Mr. Harris did manage to overlook one thing that Maira Mhac an sTaoi said on the radio , ie that young oriental boys were not as sexually innocent as they might seem. (and we all know what she really means , don’t we ). But if you feel that I might be misrepresenting her then just listen for yourself. RTE Liveline Podcasts .But the wonderful Harris is not a man to do things by half. In for a penny in for a pound. And so in true Irish fashion he drags up old history…….he opens his mouth but forgets to engage the grey matter first and thus comes out with this bit of insight …..(another drumroll ….)…
He tells us that Roger Casement ’s reputation would have been ruined if a camera crew had been around in his day. He tells us that Casement had ’sordid’ sex with boys and then goes on to say that he (Casement ) went on to show dauntless courage fighting colonial power. Now it’s difficult to ruin someones reputation if they never had a good reputation in the first place. And perhaps Harris was a very stupid little boy and swallowed all the propaganda he was exposed to in his childhood history classes but he should not assume that we were all as stupid as him. I can only speak for myself but I cannot remember , even as a very young child , believing that Casement or Collins were anything more than thugs and psychopaths. True , the Christian Brother of Westland Row tried to convince me that these were Great Men but I didn’t believe it then and certainly don’t believe it now. Now don’t get me wrong , I’m not saying that I was particularly clever or anything like that , it’s just that I never was a complete ’thick’. Casement’s speech in the dock was a fine speech no doubt but he was talking about himself….and he’s not the first to use this world of ours as his own plaything …as a platform upon which to carve out his own destiny. History ,as we all know is written by the victor. …..and the fact that it was a Catholic school system that tried to impress upon us the virtues of Casement ( while beating , humiliating and abusing vulnerable children ) should be enough to make us wary of accepting THEIR heroes uncritically.
Unfortunatly people like Harris control the media and so dictate the level of debate. Have you notice how all these people keep referring to the fact that O’Searcaigh is a poet ? We all know he’s a poet so why do they keep mentioning it. Just last night on the radio I heard some media people refer to him almost as a tortured soul. You all know what I mean. Why this assumption of an almost spiritual nature to the man ?. Did anyone feel the need to ascribe these characteristics to Michael Jackson. No they didn’t , in spite of the fact that they both have presented themselves to the world in much the same manner. Jackson like O’Searcaigh is seen as ’naive’ almost childlike in his openness …even the body language is simular…and then there’s Garry Glitter. Has anyone tried to defend Glitter? Or look beyond the headlines to consider the man himself ? Or his predicament ?
When Eoghan Harris writes about O’Searcaigh he is of course really trying to tell us something about himself. He is telling us to look at him. To take notice of the ‘liberal’ man who understands the issues. He has his own agenda and it’s quite transparent…. But like O’Searcaigh , he has misjudged the mood of the nation. He has also misjudged the intelligence of it’s people. …..
I have just found this quote from Pauline Bewick , one of O’Sharkey’s defenders , and well know artist. “ Rapists and paedophiles should be castrated “. She would no doubt say that O’Sharkey is none of these but the tone of this remark , the uncompromising nature of it is very different from that which she uses when speaking of O’Sharkey. This extreme right wing sentiment is in sharp contrast to her liberal attitude when speaking of exploitation in Nepal.
Fairytale of Kathmandu . Neasa Ni Chainain. Maira Mhac an tSaoi. Cathal O’Searcaigh. Child Abuse Ireland . Denial and the Poet.
February 5, 2008
The film Fairytale of Kathmandu by the young Irish director Neasa Ni Chainain , which is due to be shown as part of the Irish Film Festival this month and later to be broadcast by RTE television has opened a new chapter in the history of child abuse in Ireland.
The film was originally planned as a tribute to the poet Cathal O’Searcaigh but the director (who is a neighbour and friend of O’Searcaigh ) found herself witnessing the grooming of young men and boys by O’Searcaigh for sexual purposes and so it ended up a very different movie than what she had planned for.
For the full story behind this you should go to the web site for the film at Fairytale of Kathmandu and click on the ‘press’ tab. Sharkey (his english name ) admits in the movie to having sex with many young men and boys (he uses the term ‘boys’ himself ) and claims that as he puts it , his ‘door is open to everyone’ .
But my reason for writing this post is not so much Sharkey himself or the movie but more about the reaction , or rather one particular reaction to it in Ireland. The film was being discussed today on RTE radio’s ‘Liveline’ otherwise known as ‘The Joe Duffy Show’. While discussing the issues involved Fiona Neary of the Rape Crisis Centre was making a general point about the innocence in sexual matters of young people in Nepal and how we in Ireland really could not fully comprehend just how innocent young boys are in that society etc. A friend of Sharkey’s and a fellow poet Maira Mhac an tSaoiwho was one of Duffeys’ guests took issue with this. She had been defending Sharkey and had accused the director of the movie of betraying a friend etc but at one point she said ” I find it difficult to believe (ie Asian boys being innocent) . ” LITTLE Asian boys are brought up to know about sex. ” The very clear and indeed only possible implication of this remark was that the victims were to blame.
We have all heard this kind of thing before. There are certain people (and not a few of them women ) in Ireland who , when paedophile priests were first exposed denied that such a thing was true and when that became untenable turned their attention to the child victims and questioned the ‘innocence’ of these same victims. It’s an old trick and a dirty one at that.
The Irish Gardai are now investigatingthe matters raised by the movie and no doubt we will hear more about all this in the near future. It’s by no means clear that Sharkey will end up where he belongs….there are issues here that go way beyond the case of Sharkey himself and there are many in the Irish media who will be running to Sharkey’s aid….!!!!!. But what must be said , and stated clearly is that shifting the blame to the victim is never acceptable. The moral bankrupcy which is represented by people like Maira Mhac an tSaoi is something that has been inflicted on children , vulnerable children in Ireland for far too long. Those like Mhac an tSaoi have no role or place in a civilised society. If she had honor she might do the honorable thing……but that would require courage…..and a conscience.
For a fuller understanding of the situation in Nepal see ….”A Situational Anyalsis of Child Sex Tourism in Nepal “.
UPDATE: Since I posted this story the supporters (and there are many ) of Sharkey have been rushing to defend him. Fellow poets and neighbours have been telling us what a wonderful man he is and making much of the fact that what he is involved in may not be illegal in Nepal. It’s quite frightening to hear such people ……they speak of him as a good neighbour , a pillar of the artistic community…..in short we are hearing the same mantra that was put forward while Christian Brothers and Catholic priests were destroying the lives of children in schools and orphanages throughout Ireland. If ever there was an instance of moral relativism then surely this is it. Thousands of Irish men travel to places such as Nepal and Thailand on a regular basis and do so for the sole purpose of having sex with vulnerable young people. The issue here is not only a matter of legality but also one of morality. But it seems that if you a famous poet or a good neighbour these thing just don’t matter.
17 February 08. Just now on the Joe Duffey Show the Irish artist Pauline Bewick has come to the defense of O’Sharkey. She is at the moment working to illustrate a book of his. The entire artistic community of Ireland seems to be falling over itself to protect Sharkey with a total disregard for the victims. She claims her support for him is based on the merit of his poetry and her ‘gut feeling’. She has also described him (as many have) as a very innocent man. She then brought up the age of the victims and the fact that it may not have been illegal. I find myself lost for words. How many more Irish people are going to come forward trying to justify a 50 plus year old man having sex with young boys. It must be stressed here that a sixteen year old boy in Nepal is about as mature in sexual matters as a ten year old Irish boy. Paula Bewick like many others uses the logic that as O’Sharkey is a friend of hers then he cannot be a bad person. In short they and she are using the same argument used by those who stood by as Irish priests and Christian Brother abused vulnerable children here in Ireland. As I said when I first put this post up on my blog , there is more going on here than concerns Cathal O’Scearchaigh…..there’s a hell of a lot more going on and it doesn’t reflect at all well on our Irish society. If the movie ‘Fairytale of Kathmandu’ was about an unemployed man or someone like that none of this would be happening. And the fact that O’Sharkey has been outed by , so to speak , a fellow member of the artistic community is not without significance. And in Ireland the arts and media often overlap which might explain the relative quietness of most of the media in Ireland on this whole matter. Hot Press is due to publish something next week about this business and the author is ‘very angry’ at how Sharkey has been treated while Gay Community News is claiming that it’s O’Sharkey who is being exploited….But I predicted as much when I first posted this in my blog……and I’m not physic or anything like that. Modern Ireland , and the self proclaimed ‘liberal’ elite does not like having what it see’s as one of it’s own being put in the spotlight like this. And the reason is of course that they feel , consciously or otherwise that it’s they who are being judged. Indeed , indeed and as I also said earlier, this story is about a lot more than Cathal O’Searcaigh.
