Morning Blog - 08 December 2010
Criticism, analysis, response: The BudgetJam live blog. Email your comments here or comment below.
13.13 I'm a bit behind on the Dail debate, mainly because the budgetjam analysis monkeys have done a spontaneous version of See No Evil Hear No Evil (that's all, they don't speak) as I switched on the TV. But thanks to Hugh Green for pointing out how Cowan has essentially argued that we should ask people in Border counties about how tis we've never had it so good in social welfare terms. Right, I guess the Donegal by-election doesn't count as asking, but stumbling onto the breaking news on The Irish Times, I see that Cowan has proudly defended his 'progressive policies'.
This is fabulous stuff, on two accounts. Firstly, the totem of confidence (opposite of the taboo of negativity) now involves Cowan hollering the same stuff he has always said, as opposed to mumbling or slurring it. This isn't an insult, just communications analysis. Given the almost total consensus on the failure of these policies and the overlaid near-consensus that you can't declare their failure, their 'success' can only be judged in relation to how they are performed. This is Makeover politics, and it is not an Irish failing, but a symptom of post-democracy.
Further, Cowan's riff on 'progressiveness' is instructive. Regressive, hopeless and reactionary policies require the beard of a liberal and progressive language. Spot, for example, FF and the Greens pouncing on Cameron's 'fairness' meme. And this presents a deeply ambivalent situation. Neoliberalism always looks to inhabit and piggyback on established languages and 'good things'. For all the comparisons with Thatcherite political-economy made yesterday, the difference is that Thatcher thrived by carving out a distinct - if also strategic and coopting - political language. The very fact that FF need to rely on a progressive vocabulary to justify regressive measures means that they feel the need to operate with the bounds of what it is acceptable, politically, to say. But of course, that is not the same as what it is acceptable, politically to do. And this is the ambivalence: we cannot oppose them through these terms, as they are too contaminated and vulnerable. Or are they? I'm just musing here and happy to be debated on this one.
13.10 Blogs, comments, ideas and personal stories coming in today, this passionate piece from The Inner Gay blog
13.04 Response in from Harry to my question earlier about the soakage of debates in assumptions about rationality:
"Far be it from me to initiate a split a la Behan (that's Brendan rather than Joe) in our ranks. But while I'm all in favour of getting our facts lined up, and straight, in assembling our arguments, it depresses me to see the sort of appeal to technocratic rationality that appears in Niall Crowley's Budgetjam article yesterday, summed up by:
"It is an irrational policy choice to pursue income inequality."
For an official working within the system -- as Niall was for many years -- to make that argument as a means of advancing certain progressive policy goals is one thing, fair enough. But if we're busting myths I think we should stay away from lines like this, first cousin to 'We're all in this together'. Income inequality may be bad for societies as a whole, but it is far from irrational for the minority of people enjoying great wealth and privilege. To pretend that choices that lead to greater inequality were made stupidly/irrationally rather than deliberately on behalf of that minority -- perhaps even with the help of 'evidence-based research' -- is to avert our eyes from the reality of the state under capitalism."
12.58 From Ailbhe Smyth: Feminist Open Forum is appalled by the cut to the minimum wage. Women are more likely to be employed in low-paid, part-time and hourly-paid work and are therefore particularly at risk with any cuts to the minimum wage. One the groups at highest risk of poverty in Ireland - Lone Parents - will take a catastrophic hit if this cut is allowed to go ahead, alongside the disgraceful cuts to Child Benefit. Sign the petitions to SAVE THE MINIMUM WAGE!
Thanks Ailbhe, the petitions are linked in this blog, and equally as importantly will be the protests outside the Dail tomorrow. For anyone in doubt as to how gender intersects with the general, masterful indifference to poverty displayed in this budget, listen back to Lenihan's discussion with Sarah discussed here at 10.27.
12.49 A brief budgetjammed interlude there.
Very little coverage of the walkout by students in Moyle Park College, Deansrath Community College and Colaiste Brid to protest at the offices of Local FF TD John Curran. And contrary to interesting proposals on the flexibilization of protest last night in our Vincent Browne Show discussion, they didn’t do it on their lunch break. First of all, we need to recognize that this is an immensely courageous action by young people not only facing political-economic precariousness and active state indifference (at best), but also still in school, and subject to its formal and informal discipline. But on a night when the Unions didn’t really feel the need to protest at a budget that amounts to a wet dream for domestic neoliberals and EU and IMF cosmocrats, they are showing the way. A clear statement of refusal, a clear action and show of collective purpose, and no musical interlude from Enya necessary to sugar the bitter pill.
Moreover, their actions link with the increased resistance of secondary and third level students across Europe. In Greece, university students have been out for days, opposing the education reforms directly legitimated by the (failing) IMF ‘bailout’. Making sure to also protest in solidarity outside the British embassy, they made an explicit link to the rolling protests in the UK, where Thursday marks Day X (the commons vote on the education cuts). As Lenin’s Tomb has pointed out, the student movement in Britain has confounded the right-wing media and the aggressive quietude of the NUS:
“This movement is already leading, forcing others to adapt, and leaving those who don't adapt eating the dust trails - and in its present form it's only a few weeks old. Imagine what it can do if it keeps growing, and keeps going. Imagine what it can do in coalition with the organised labour movement. And that's something to think about, by the way, if you're a public sector worker facing the sack. These students can shake things up this much in such a short space of time. They've shown that militancy, commitment, imagination and tactical flexibility can do wonders. Trade unions have operated cautiously, conservatively for some time, based on a pessimistic meta-induction from the outcome of the miners' strike, which says that the militancy never wins. But the workers have the power to bring this country to a standstill. The workers have the power to break this government if they want to. The workers have the power to put an end to a system that rewards bankers and spivs, and punishes the people that keep this country going.”
There is a danger, given the 'caution' of Irish unions, to overburden actions such as the ones in Clondalkin with unfair expectations, or to grind them through a doctrinaire lens and find a proto form of something. What they need is our congratulations and solidarity. But the sheer contrast between this form of action and the significant absences of last night should move us to speculate as to what kinds of protest and civil disobedience are necessary and can emerge? After all, if the students could have written some rcommendations for Lenihan, I'm sure they would have.
11.56 Trips get trippier, and all that. Here's a video of Jackie Healy Rae's restoration in 2007, where the MC introduces him by bellowing 'Sugar Daddy is back!!' and the response from the crowd is 'Siucra, siucra'..I found this as I went looking for a prize artefact that somebody sent me yesterday, but with the daze that's in it it will take a while to find. It was JHR's sugar document from 2007, including seeking a promise of 'no cuts to social welfare' for government support. Let's say this is Ireland's definitive post-Father Ted moment (much needed; have you noticed how protests with signs saying 'down with this sort of thing' and 'easy now' have morphed into a code for neoliberal disorientation, ie we know we are against all this but what, and whom, are we precisely opposing?). This post-Father Ted moment involves no more patronising, complicit laughter with 'gombeenism'. It involves recognising instead how avant-garde and ruthless JHR is, capitalising on the new feudalism. He is also 'tech savvy' (he probably knows how many characters there are in a tweet) having claimed to have faxed in a withdrawal of support for the government before John Gormley's faithful press conference (a fax??).
Events have moved so fast over the last days that we didn't have time to have a properly reflective puke at the spectacle of Michael Lowry and JHR wrapping themselves in the selfless flag of national interest and gurning about their consciences. For those who dismiss protest as spectacle - not that spectacle should be dismissed - they should have a think about just how zeitgeistlich Lowry and JHR are. In a country where power is thus distributed, anyone can mediate themselves through claims to 'fairness', 'national interest', and 'good of the people'. Reactionary spectacle is what we have been treated to now for days. And of course, this coordinated spectacle let FG off the hook over the budget, with speculation that it allowed them to oppose it while ensuring it was passed.
11.53 One of our regular South Dublin roving correspondents has been asking for sightings of John Gormley. He had a quiet budget, in other words. Though after the green triumph of the car scrappage scheme, hard to blame him. Some times you have to give a little, and all that.
11.45 A succint summary from FreeJournalism on Twitter:' FF/Greens engaging in lots of verbal gymnastics & whitewashing with regard to cuts and min wage.A cut is a cut even if renamed'
11.36 From the Community Platform: Community Platform rejects Minister’s claim that ‘there are clear signs of hope’ in the current crisis.
In a statement issued this evening, the Community Platform* argues that the Budget failed to provide any hope for families on low and middle income who were disproportionately penalised in the Budget measures.
According to Anne Costello, spokesperson for the Community Platform ‘ Cutting social welfare, the minimum wage and child benefit will not only have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable it will also have a damaging impact on consumer spending, resulting in even more job losses and a further shrinking of the economy’.
She continued ‘The Budget blatantly ignores a range of policy and taxation options that would have a far more equitable distribution impact. For example how can it be justified that grants to private schools will continue while the teaching supports to some of the most vulnerable children in Ireland are being cut? How can continued public investment in private health be justified?’
There are alternative choices open to the current government to both generate income and cut public expenditure. 4Steps2Recovery, the Community Platform’s campaign for Progressive Tax Reform, clearly outlines four revenue gathering proposals that could raise approximately €3bn.
For example, one of those proposals, the introduction of a Wealth Tax, has recently received overwhelming support (82%)in an MRBI OmniPoll opinion poll conducted on behalf of the Community Platform. The introduction of a Wealth Tax which would target unproductive wealth and could raise between €500 and €1bn depending on the model used.
Budget 2011 provided a critical opportunity to bring new hope and new vision to Ireland – unfortunately, the Government’s choices in to-days Budget will result in persistent unemployment, economic stagnation and a further assault on the weakest in society.
11.34 From The Children's Rights Alliance: The ABCs that today’s children are learning – Anglo, Banks and Cuts
The Children’s Rights Alliance is deeply disappointed by the announcement in today’s Budget that the Child Benefit payment is to be cut for each child by €10, with a double cut of €20 on families with three children. These cuts will have an immediate and a long term negative impact on children. Every family in the country will be affected; with those from low income families worst hit. Child Benefit is the only universal payment to children in this country. It is a significant support to families in covering the costs associated with raising their children.
Today’s €10 – and in some cases €20 – cut per child to Child Benefit is on top of last year’s cut of €16 and will push more children into poverty. In 2009, 1 child in every 11 was living in poverty, this marked an increase of 38% on 2008. Unfortunately, it is now certain that child poverty will rise again in the coming year. Of particular concern is that the Budget failed to protect the poorest children (those families receive QCI or FIS) by not introducing a compensating measure to offset the cuts in Child Benefit. The additional cut of €20 to families with 3 children will impact on one in four (101,454) families across the country. According to the ESRI large families are more likely to experience poverty and are more likely to find it difficult to move out of poverty.
Jillian van Turnhout, Chief Executive, Children’s Rights Alliance said “The Alliance acknowledges that we are country in crisis and we must all pay the price for past mistakes. However, children will pay the biggest price with cuts to Child Benefit, social welfare, education and health. Cuts in today’s budget coupled with those outlined in the Four Year Plan will have a long term effect on children as they grow up. Many families, through no fault of their own, will be faced with the stark reality of living in poverty and the knock on effects that this has on the household will be harshly felt by children. Children deserve to be protected, nourished and educated and as we look to the future it will be the duty of today’s children to rebuild our nation.”
The Alliance warmly welcomes the allocation of €3 million to hold a referendum on the rights of the child in 2011. In addition, we welcome the retention of the free pre-school year; and the allocation of €9 million to the HSE to support the continued delivery of the Ryan Report Implementation Plan.
The Minister for Finance’s speech today only gave a snapshot of the Budget’s impact on our children’s futures. To ensure additional budgetary measures affecting children are not lost in the debate on banks and billions, the Alliance will tomorrow (Wednesday 8 December) issue a comprehensive analysis of the impact of Budget 2011 on children. This analysis will include a thorough examination of the Budget’s ‘small print’ and will incorporate all measures in the supplementary departmental budgets (to be released this evening), affecting children and their welfare. This analysis will be issued to all media and will be available for download from www.childrensrights.ie
11.17 Several groups and AITT folk are organising resistance to the cuts in the minimum wage and in social welfare. But we have to act fast. Siobhan O Donoghue of the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland has a post here on Irish left Review. As Siobhan points out:
"It appears that the government, in what can only be considered as a deeply undemocratic and unjust move, will attempt to legislate for a €1 cut to the minimum wage over the coming days. This will most likely happen in the form of an amendment tacked on to legislation such as the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill, the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No.2) Bill or other legislation to be rushed through in the coming days.
The manner in which the cut to the minimum wage is apparently to be legislated for is seriously flawed and undermines democratic principles of accountability and process. Rushing a decision by including this in other legislation will deny TDs the right to properly consider and debate this critical issue.There is no rationale for this draconian move other than the obvious intent of this government to embed a low-waged labour market strategy, and to ensure that the ‘race to the bottom’ is actively facilitated."
11.07 From Eoin O Broin: The Poor Can't Pay are running an on-line lobby campaign asking people to e-mail their TD's calling on them not to support cut to minimumn wage and social welfare. If you oppose these these cuts then tell your TD that you are watching how they vote by clicking here
There is also a petition from Claiming Our Future here. And remember, Lenihan told us this morning that recommendations really matter.
11.02 Lenihan speeds off to resolutely not play golf and Kenny reminds him that this is probably his last budget. Lenihan slips into one of those pat reflections that you get in the final limo shot on The Apprentice, where he talked about the challenges, thanked the Irish people for their patience, mused wryly on how he was a bit unlucky to be the MfF that had to perform a few adjustments, and not help people, as is the wont.
A couple of times Lenihan mentioned policy options that incentivise, or don't incentivise. Now, and I write this with full prejudice, I tend to assume that anyone with a pulse recognises the pernicious stupidity of rational actor/rational-choice models in discussions of the society we actually live in. Anyone out there got some good examples of how this discourse is at play, and useful resources to stick up here?
The news features 'angry scenes in the Dáil'. Kenny appears to read haltingly from an inspirational, steely-eyed statement about the despair people are feeling. Cowan roars some 'don't hold me back' riposte. One for the Gazette, gentlemen.
10.42 No bonuses for the bankers until the banks are in good health again! (I'm doing that fist swirling thing that US college students do at sports events). Great question that has been floating around since yesterday, as to whether the civil service salary cap applies to bank executives. Stay with the programme caller! They are capped at 500,000. Now, as Lenihan said, that is hard to swallow, especially, as he pointed out with his faux-egalitarian sigh, 'for a Minister for Finance who takes home a fifth of that'. But here's the thing. Lenihan commissioned a report from banking consultants who recommended the cap at 500,000, to ensure the talent, don't you know. Now, the specific inversion of the notion of talent at play in the world of chief executives and CEOs is well-known (bankrupted a business? Shafted a small country? Come sit on our board). But the key point here is that Lenihan was provided with a recommendation. In the same way that a whole host of interest groups present him with recommendations. Such as the well-researched and reasoned recommendations on the impact of welfare cuts and the minimum wage that he has been presented with in the run-up to the budget. And ignored. Is there a point at which the blatant becomes mystical?
The last caller was about to tell about having to turn to Vincent De Paul, and PK said ok, ok in that brushing you off my shoe tone, and cut him off. A frisson across generations, as we all recall Lenihan senior's 'get me the fuck out of here' observation on a trip to an industrial school in Artane..
10.27 Astute tweet from TheCount of Six: 'the only way Pat Kenny could have less of a clue and give less of a shit about welfare cuts would be if he were Brian Lenihan'. Lenihan is already falling back on the Tony Soprano defence; do you think I want to take your cash? I'm a Nice Guy. He just listened to Sarah, a single parent discussing the difficulties of finding child care without any family support to help with collecting, and sounded like he was flicking through his diary to offer a lift every second Tuesday.
The general dynamic of these exchanges is as follows. Two callers, asked to 'explain their circumstances', have presented clear and angry accounts of daily struggles now amplified, and Lenihan rattles off the massive sacrifices made by TDs 'who earn less than middle ranking civil servants'.When asked will he struggle to look after his family, the answer that emerges after some industrial fudge production is that we all have to adjust as 'our standard of living was one of the highest in the world and wealth didn't justify it'. Oh Lordy. What makes this so powerful is that discourse would collapse if you stopped them every time to say that 'our standard is living' is an impossible concept, and that's before we start on 'wealth'. We have plenty of research on this floating around the site, I'll stick in links soon. But to get a sense of what we're up against, just listen to how seamlessly an elite bungler can listen to experiences from that 'real world' he so fetishises and still insist to them that he and they are a 'we' in a material world.
Stung by being smacked with updated versions of the Mohair Suit brigade, Lenihan assured us that he 'doesn't play golf'. He just plays dice, With us.
10.18 Kenny and Lenny going at it breathlessly, Kenny has asked a variety of useful questions but lacing through them. Lenihan's evasiveness is far more polished that then standard FF gobshite deflectionism, as he tends to partially answer the question and subsequently collapse the implications of the question into what he actually wants to say. Hence, we just found out, after some sombre slickness on how the banks just got too big, that the real problem has been the 'erosion of trust' through the incessant 'public debate on dishonouring our obligations'. In other words, the long, painful constantly stymied process of trying to piece together what has happened in the banks is the problem, not what the banks actually did. I can go with that. If we stop talking about the deficit, will it just go away? Enjoy the silence, and don't hear the trees falling in the wood.
10.04 Right, after that some Culture. Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 4: Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last, A falcon, towering in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd./ And Duncan's horses - a thing most strange and certain -Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make War with mankind.
Hmm, On Tuesday last, tis said the banks, things most strange and uncertain, turn'd wild in nature, spewed the bailout contending against our obedience...and the water was turned off.
A most strange day, and more reflection to come. A special focus on those who broke their stalls in Dublin schools yesterday and showed everybody how, to go with Macbeth again, to 'pin their courage to the sticking place'.
But now Lenihan is on Pat Kenny, being confident, imbuing confidence. I'll focus on this for a while and get back to the other reflections later.
09.50 Good morning, thanks Eoin for that super set up. Now I had hoped to make a stirring and dignified entrance this morning, but I started to listen to John Murray as a gentle limber up for Brian Lenihan's appearance on Pat Kenny. But Murray is serving up a perfect storm of weirdness, as if the budgetjam cliches have been put in a top hat and coated with LSD. And then the contributors pull them out, lick them and start speaking. You can imagine this has kickback for those listening, so all I can do is reproduce some giddy fragments. The attendance at Leinster matches and Arcade Fire gigs shows that people have stopped building decks, buying second houses in Moldova, and started to fix their priorities for the new era of austerity. It seems that a key dimension of that trip is recalling whole chapters from The Pope's Children. But it gets trippier. Now I didn't get the speaker, but I did get this quote more or less down.."We're a race with certain characteristics..I remember when I was young, town folk used to come and help and work with country folk'. And we should get to back to that, or whatever, now, damn, John Murray in exclusive interview with the Khmer Rouge? No it seems the programme is going live from Cork, and in deference to, em, the remarkable self-confidence of people of that city, they headed off for a voxpop as to what Cork folk would do to fix the 'problem'. Well, with a rebel yell, one fine burgher proposed having the unemployed sweeping the streets of Tallaght for their dole. Is this when the city is empty after collectivization? Or just a strange continuation of the whole racial buzz? (unemployed = lazy = mainly in Dublin = probably in Tallaght = streets filthy with dole-bought batter burger wrappers = positive solution).
And just as booms get boomier, trips get trippier, and they hauled on Bill Yao (apologies if name spelling is wrong). Bill is a professional CanDo!!!! merchant who told us that - in an impressive assembly of budgetjam classics - Ireland has a branding problem, that crises are the best time for innovation because wages are down and people are desperate, that this is no time for 'resolute ideologies', and that, if you went on fiverr.com, and did stuff like wear sandwich boards with personalised messages sent to you by folks, you'd make back 'what the government took from your pockets' in a couple of months.
Right, new competition, because, as you know, we need to do some fluffy stuff to combat the gloom. What would you like to see Bill do on ffiver.com for a fiver?
08:55 Busily redefining "reality" here on Newstalk but here's Gavan to tell us about his experience over on TV3 last night. He was once stopped by a Garda for fiddling with his iPod in public you know. Prof Murphy is looking for stability for 2011 but the problem is that 6bn "is being taken out" (gun to the head) in cuts and taxes but the actual figures don't match, but they do when you add them up. Someone get this guy a suite of researchers. Confidence is a key factor - by which he means we are not buying enough crap in Hector Grey's and Itsa Bagel. Good morning.
08:50 After the break some Professor Antoine Murphy (TCD?) "to see if the budget will work" were his actual words. No wonder Claire Byrne left for the RTE afternoon show. Renault is scrapping twice as hard for Irish motorists which means that they're able to continue to bring in the readies until about 6 months time. Like the Irish state before the IMF came then.
08:43 Hugh Green tweets "Eyes popping out at 2% in stamp duty on that million euro gaff I was eyeing up. May have to go for downmarket 950K six-bed instead." But then again, he has to wash his face in Carlsberg this morning. We're all in this together I believe.
08:39 This is terrible interviewing: Cowen is given a free hand to spout any old stuff he wants as if it is all just neutral 'facts'. Patronising twaddle about the ordinary people, wandering the land looking for hope and how lessons have to be learned. The Taoiseach knows people who have been affected by this recession. These "trials of life come to us all". "We all want to get this country where we want to see it" because international investors are looking in. He's back in 2005 already, there's no need for this budget. "If we implement this plan, get this job done...we live in a very cynical time...the party's important, the nation's paramount...." Tears to a glass eye.
That's a solid interview apparently. Chris says: Newstalk get great interviews and we'll dine out on this all day.
Handing over soon to Gavan Titley.
08:30 Yates is relying now on his self-perception as an important ex-politician. Brian 1 is lapping this kind of crap up. On Morning Ireland, Bank of Ireland spokesperson saying that those who were allowed to withdraw more money than was in their account because of the bank's "technical difficulty' will be pursued. Deleverage much?
08:25 Sweet Jesus, we're buying a bookies in Tullamore! These are "purely political questions" shouts Yates. And what were we listening to this last 15 minutes?
08:22 In the absence of actual knowledge of economics and policy, Yates is falling back on communications and their strategy in the "portrayal' of the ECB/IMF austerity discussions. "The facts are..." means he's not giving a good interview. Brian 1 can just keep talking.
08:20 Is Brian 1 shouting back answers because he spends his work day in such large rooms? The anger at being asked anything other than a script is back, and so is TINA. Yates is asking questions of Brian 1 but I am not sure the Taoiseach is answering these questions. Are they in the same room?
08:10 The Guardian's Business Blog leads with "Ireland budget: Cowen to cut salary by €14,000. And his point is?"
This is not the "be all and end all of this correction" according to Brian 1, in a recorded interview with Yates righ now. He's asking the leader of the government to cut wages and welfare, the day after the budget.
08:03 Okkaaayyy. Newstalk are leading with Yates saying that "we are all in this together" like some kind of rallying call for a new fascist Ireland. And they're emphasising rifts between the Brians as a hook for their later interviews. Yea, because we are all concerned about the leadership of a party that has the support of 10% of the electorate. It's going to be a long hour.
08:00 I'm switching across to Newstalk for the next hour but as a bridge there, how about some Gerard Cunningham:
Next year, with the paycut and a lower minimum wage, the taoiseach will earn 14 times the minimum wage. [Source: TASC] Now who do you think who will hurt more from a 1% increase in income tax, the taoiseach or a taxpayer on the minimum wage?
Thanks Gerard, that's some good number crunching right there. Oh, and some commentary on the inwquality of this budget.
07:53 Some tweets from last night as we wait again for Emma McNamara to tell us all about some taxation practitioners having breakfast. Croissants apparently.
Eadaoin O'Sullivan: James O'Reilly seems to think public sector wage bill is 6 billion. Vote FG! A steady hand on the tiller.
Eoin O'Broin: Worse than that he thinks that public sector reform means sacking staff and spending less money.
Why does 'business' get its own news anyway? Opportunity, talent and competitiveness. It's all important. I've started the liveblog drinking game again, I'm on my thirrrd shot.
07:42 Hugh Green emails to ask us to remember that 'everyone' is taking a hit:
The water supply may be throttled, but the universal wisdom of D'Olier St flows like a river:
At least there is some certainty about the expectations we can have about our living standards now.
The Irish Times 'we' emerges from amid the wreckage, clasping a bottle of gin triumphantly aloft. Never mind the fact that the key feature of this budget for hundreds of thousands will be uncertainty - whether they will be able to put food on the table in the next week, whether they will hang on to their job in the puppet government's internal devaluation rampage- there are some signs that the soul of the Irish Times 'we' is unconquerable, even when 'everybody' takes a hit. Hurrah.
07:35 The National Interest: beyond parody at this stage but here's this cracjer from Joe Behan, a TD asked his opinion very early yesterday for some reason and again when he resigned the party whip in 2008:
Wicklow TD Joe Behan, who resigned from Fianna Fail in 2008 over the first austerity Budget, yesterday said he voted "in the national interest".
FORMER Fianna Fail TD Joe Behan will vote "according to the national interest" following his shock resignation from Fianna Fail.
That's a lot of interest there deputy. Stephanie Rains emails in her observations from last night's Dail demo:
I've just had a moment of clarity - at last - about someone I saw at last night's protest outside the Dail. From very early on, I saw a man I recognised, but couldn't quite place. Kept seeing him, moving through the crowds, on his own, watching very intently. Still couldn't place him.
This morning, I recalled his face again, and suddenly realised that it was Paul Reynolds of RTE. So to get this straight - the only RTE journalist who appeared to be on the ground paying any real attention to the protest last night was their crime correspondent.
Ursula Hannigan of TV3 had earlier chateracterised it as a "war zone'. It's clear what the main TV stations think of legitimare and necessary protest. By the way, it's Eoin here until 9, Gavan after that.
07:28 If the Wall Street Journal is looking in, it must be important, according to Postcolonial Radio Services, I mean RTE. Stephen Collins' column opens with this this morning:
With the eyes of Europe and the financial world on Ireland, it was imperative the Budget was not defeated
07:15 Among the few highlights of yesterday's TV and radio coverage was last night's Tonight with Vincent Browne. It was late and noisy outside the Dail but Vincent got some interviews with MEP Joe Higgins, John McGuirk and the hapless junior Lenihan brother. Joe Higgins called for mobilisation in communities and workplaces; John McGuirk for more capitalism please, and; Conor just smiled blithely and gave VinB the usual FF lines about there being no choices. Later on we got to see Alison O'Connor, Sarah McInereny and Gavan Titley review the papers in an extended studio discussion. This was perhaps one of the most instructive 30 minutes of TV all day. Gavan said that not only is twitter giving people access to new ways of political expression, he reiterated Higgins' call for a one day strike and mobilisation. Alison took exception to both, believing that twitter is the refuge of a certain political grouping who look inward. Furthermore, Sarah said later that calling for a one day strike should be done not on work time but on our own.
Not only are these misunderstandings about the relationship between work and striking (a "leisure pursuit"?), to think that you can protect 'traditional' journalism by slagging off twitter at this stage is daft. This kind of Canute like behaviour misunderstands what newspapers do already: create audiences. Gavan's on twitter about a week and among his followers are politically-savvy, educated, smart people. These are not cranks with no other outlet than the online. Gavan replied to both with rigour and patience and they managed a laugh about the whole thing at one stage. One thing was clear: VinB was exhausted. Conor Lenihan's flapping took it out of him no doubt. I'll post a link to that discussion later today if I can.
As I type, Emma McNamara is talking about some business people having their breakfast. How nice. Apparently yesterday's budget was the "most widely anticipated" in the history of the State. By whom?