1. Our political system breeds apathy

A lot of Irish people are just apathetic. But apathy is not some kind of innate attitude we’re born with, rather it gets drilled into us by a political system that not only encourages bad behaviour from politicians but one that also discourages the rest of us from getting involved. With a political system as dysfunctional as ours of course people become apathetic. But it’s not because people don’t care; it’s just that people come to expect the worst because that’s what we’re used to.

2. Our religious history

There’s been much talk lately about promissory notes, the Anglo promissory notes particularly. Having been involved in Ballyhea in protesting the bank bondholder bailout for 45 weeks (and counting), I felt it my duty to do some research on this topic. Here is the result, in layman’s terms and with massive thanks to the Namawinelake blog.

The history

Ben English, of UCC's Government and Politics society writes in the Irish Times that the society has extended an invitation to Mr. Nick Griffin MEP, of the British National Party (BNP), to speak at the university in the new year. This invitation has been accepted.

Mr. English opines that this is in response to the withdrawal of an invitation to Griffin to speak in Trinity College, and that issues relating to free speech will be teased out during Griffin's appearance. Honest!

Darren Scully, the now disgraced former Fine Gael Mayor of Naas, will be forever remembered as the local councillor that took to the radio waves of Kildare FM to denounce his “black African” constituents. But his comments have sparked a long overdue national debate on racism and legislative reform in Ireland.

It is an article of faith among almost all political parties in Ireland that the country’s future is inseparable from that of the euro. It is widely considered to be insane even to think of the alternative. If Ireland left the euro the economy would collapse, the country would have to default on its debts, and it would be frozen out of international markets, or so the story goes. There are too many practical difficulties in re-issuing an Irish currency and the national debt would still be denominated in euros, leaving a heavy burden for future generations.

I have no choice but to be agitated. And I have to agitate. I am troubled. My dad often used to say that we (his children) would have much more leisure time then people of his generation. He believed that technological developments would take the strain, so to speak. He also had the reasonable expectation that the life chances of working class people would continue to flourish, as he had noted from the end of the Second World War.

The Labour Party in Ireland has sold out – or at least its parliamentary party has. They have been sucked into the gaping maw of neoliberalism in all its guises. The recent decisions made by the coalition - from the closure of army barracks to the proposed cuts in the public service to the forthcoming increase on VAT rates by 2% - these actions and the party’s complicity with paying unsecured bondholders have left Labour bereft of any credibility as a party of the Left.

Here's a hunch - Ruairi Quinn is bluffing big time and we're all falling for it. Reintroduce student fees? His slipperiness and generally non-committal tone when speaking about them this week is calculated. He's raising hackles, but that will ensure that a €500 top up of the student registration charge passes in the Budget with only sighs of relief at what could have been (worse.)

We've been here before. Precisely twelve months ago. With a motley Fianna Fáil-Green coalition.

A concerted effort is being made to close down the various Occupations in the US. No doubt this will give to reactionary forces the green light to start the same process wherever they can. Expect more stories of local businesses' trade being adversely affected or random criminal acts. After the initial first few weeks, when there was little media attention, the growth in understanding and support for this overt challenge to neoliberalism has made an impact. This is the reaction.

Even though our rights are being stripped at every level, and our resources have been sold off, and we are enslaved to an avaricious financial system which cares nothing for our future, we are still a sovereign people. It is still our right to direct the affairs of our state, and it is the right of the citizens to decide our policies.