Ourselves

I've been absent here as of late. Apologies. I was busy visiting the O'Shea origins in Sligo, Ireland. I don't care what Yeats, Joyce, or Behan may tell you, binge drinking leaves little time for writing.

In case you haven't heard, Ireland, their economy, and their government are in a spot of bother. That's putting it nicely. More appropriately stated, 'God says he can get America's economy out of this mess, but he's pretty sure, you're fu**ed.'

The situation, in a nutshell: Ireland's economy went nuts for a decade. Referred to as the 'Celtic Tiger', everyone borrowed and built like crazy bastards. Banks like Anglo Irish and Bank of Ireland loaned money in ways that would make Bank of America cringe. Then, uh, you know, that thing happened, with the poop, and the fan. Ireland's guv'mint said, 'It's ok bank investors, we guarantee the loans.' Yaaaaaay. Then they found out there was more poop hitting the fans then they could handle. The guv'mint is now running a 32% deficit and is on the line for over $100 billion in bank loans. They're been forced to accept a loan from the IMF/ECB at awful rates, almost 6%. The IMF/ECB are then...buying up guv'mint bonds at close to 9%, because they're making Ireland finance a huge chunk of it themselves and they might as well make money off them, right? Public sector cuts are going through the roof. New taxes are imposing about $7,000 in new taxes on each citizen, virtually regardless of pay. You make $35,000/yr? Enjoy that hit.

Whenever the topic of current events came up in a pub, things either got lively, or everyone was told, 'GET THAT DOOM AND GLOOM S**T OUT OF MY PUB.' (That happened. Old guy of about 70 walked out.) Everyone under 40 talks about trying to move to the U.K., Canada, Australia, the U.S. Paulie absolutely could have gotten hitched to women of questionable attractiveness for immigrative purposes, but he doesn't want to give up on the hope that your mother leaves your father just yet. When Neil Diamond came on the radio in one pub at about 11am on Friday, the depressed look on the face of a man drinking at a rate of about 1 pint/10 min was awful. 'They're commmmin to America...' No s**t, Neil. Back off.

Which brings me to the title. 'Ourselves'. That's what Sinn Fein means. Sinn Fein, for those ignorant in the politics of Ireland, is the political wing of the now disarmed Provisional IRA. The Troubles, and all that, yeah, they were shooting it out with the British Military and Paramilitary groups who had British backing. Well, guess who polled 3rd of major parties, with 16 %, in a recent tally, when the current ruling party polled 13%? Guess who won a by-election for a seat in the Dail (Irish Parliamant) 2 weeks ago, upping their represntation to the point where they can join with the opposition to conceivably bring about a no-confidence vote and take down the current guv'mint?

Sinn Fein.

Now, I'd say their policies, unification aside, are on the liberal, leftist side of things. They yearn for an egalitarian Ireland. Commendable, but laissez faire Paulie doesn't like that. Not in America. But Ireland has bungled free market so badly...it might not be such a bad thing. And Ireland loving Paulie says that a little leftist change might not be so bad for the Emerald Isle.

I'm just saying. Ireland is going to be a bit crazy for the next few years, regardless. Also, it will be cheap and teeming with women looking for a Green Card, women who can hold thier liqour and have been sexual repressed just enough by the Catholic Church to be wild in the sack when you finally break through.

That should be their tourism slogan.