Lenihan’s Budget "A Call To Patriotic Action"
Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2008Did you know that the taxpayer puts up half of all horseracing prizes in Ireland?
That’s a fact, and you can check it out if you don’t believe me. Your taxes and mine subvent the sleek, tanned, smug leeches who chopper in and out of Galway races every year, yet today, Mini-Brian exhorted the poor to take patriotic action by giving up a little more of what they don’t have.
Patriotic action, by Jesus. Have these guys no shame? Did you hear Mini-Brian announcing the abolition of tax breaks for the super rich of the bloodstock industry?
Did you hear him calling his multi-millionaire buddies in the horseracing industry to patriotic action?
Ah now, come on.
Of course you didn’t.
Brian, you see, wanted to save a couple of billion euros, but hey, he needn’t have worried. I know where he could find all he’s looking for and more, if only he’d bothered to call me.
He could, for instance, have imposed a levy on the tax exiles who sucked Ireland dry. People like Tony O Reilly, an asset stripper who was given our telecom network by this government, in the process robbing thousands of small first-time investors. By an ugly irony, I believe it was the finance minister’s aunt who presided over that theft, as minister for communications at the time.
Did you hear him demanding some tax money from Denis O Brien, who gained control of a cell-phone licence under highly-questionable circumstances, going on to become a billionaire on the strength of it. Did you hear Mini-Brian announce a special tax on hiding billionaires?
No. You didn’t. Instead, you heard Mini-Brian declare that everyone, even those on minimum wage, would have to chip in to save an economy destroyed by his government’s crookery and cronyism and back-room deals.
Did you hear Mini-Brian announce a new dispensation for the Catholic church who so far have sucked 1.5 Billion out of the exchequer in recompense for their sexual abuse of young children? That’s how much the government has paid on their behalf so far, in claims arising from the Residential Institutions Redress Board. €1.5 Billion, while the churches will never pay a penny more than the initial €128 million they put up, no matter how high the cost rises.
Did you hear him say, Right. Enough is enough. We’re taking all your land, you child-abusing bastards?
No. You didn’t. Instead you heard him tell old people they’ll have to pay for their medical treatment to make up the money.
Shell Oil are currently engaged in taking Irish gas for nothing, while our police force beats protesters off the road. He could have levied them, instead of people on the minumum wage, but did he? Did you hear Mini-Brian telling Shell the game was up? Did he tell them we had a new economic reality and they were going to be paying for the gas instead?
Well, what do you think he told them?
A call to patriotic action, is how Mini-Brian Lenihan described today’s budget in which he taxed the old, the poor and the infirm, in an effort to bail us out of the mess caused by his crooked pals over the last ten years.
And here’s what’s even more amazing to me: he managed to say it with a straight face, just like old Charlie Haughey did years ago when he told us to tighten our belts.
_____________________
Also on Bock:
Corrib Pipeline Protests
The Oil Company, The Crooked Politician and the Theft of Ireland’s Energy Resources
The Feast of the Blessed Condescension
Fuck the government
Haughey
Stumble it!
October 14th, 2008
Taxpayers footing half the bill for gambling, WTF? Let those friggers pay their own tab.
October 14th, 2008
Holy fuck..that 1.5 billion to pay off the Catholic Church’s abuses is truly shocking.
October 14th, 2008
Jannie — be angry.
Roosta — It’s likely to be significantly more. I’m being conservative.
October 14th, 2008
Why the fuck are we not burning ministerial cars in front of Leinster House tonight? Why the hell aren’t we outraged?
I sure as shit am!
There is some shit I won’t eat.
If I can find a way to get the company who pay my wages to NOT pay their fuckin’ levy I will.
We should be paying our fair share.
Instead we pay for their fucking gee gee’s, we HAVE to pay for health insurance, we HAVE to have a pension to survive later in life, we pay for their suits, we pay for a fucking toll bridge over and over and over and over and over, we pay for their fucking buddy’s, WE pay for everything and THEY PAY NOTHING!
CNUTS!
Tightening my belt would be made sooooo much easier if I could tighten it round their FAT FUCKING GREASY NECKS!
And there isn’t a journalist in the country that will report on the fiscal realities of this hole of a country tomorrow.
October 14th, 2008
This government has not demonstrated any imagination, foresight or courage in running the country for the last 11 years and have walked us into this mess. Is it any surprise that today they couldn’t show us a way out of it.
October 15th, 2008
Well written and well said.
The working class will always pay the price of the foolishness of the government.
Pearl
October 15th, 2008
Not unjustified, but sweeping. Plenty of small scale horse breeders wouldn’t exist but for the tax breakss, perhaps tax them once they are above a certain limit, perhaps the same for artists, after all we want to encourage them, but letting U2 swan around without contributing is a bit much.
I went to a school run by monks and never got abused (perhaps it’s cos I’m ugly?). I am as knee jerk kill ‘em and hide the bodies pro-vigilanti as the next chap when it comes to paedos but contrary to popular belief not all priests are kiddie fiddlers.
In any case, fundamentally I wonder why we now have a left wing tax system with right wing infrastructure. Bit fucking schizophenic I reckon, guess that’s FF socialism for you, take from everyone and then rape you in the wilderness.
October 15th, 2008
And we act surprised. Who would have expected anything more from such a gang of crooked, self serving criminals.
Now all that’s left now is to wait to hear the media cronies and the psuedo analysists justify the government’s decision by saying they had no choice, and they did what needed to be done. No-one will mention that it’s them who put us in the situation in the first place.
And the most amazing thing is, it’ll all be forgotten come election day.
October 15th, 2008
As one commentator said on Matt Cooper yesterday “This years Budget is the equivalent of the government rooting around the back of the couch hoping to find a few coins”. Total lack of imagination and of course their buddy builders will come out unscathed.
October 15th, 2008
I feel strangley disappointed by yesterdays budget. Perhaps its because I am not a developer or a tax exempt billionaire that the budget seems very one sided. Perhaps FF missed the opportunity to look at public spending and tackle this beast. Perhaps they missed the chance to tackle some of the abuses highlighted by Bock in his post. FF have again shown their inability to lead this country out of the crisis their policies have created. Biffo and his mates have lost touch with reality. It would have been a fitting end to the the budget speech with Brian L closing with “”qu’ils mangent de la brioche”.
October 15th, 2008
decentralisation has been put off until just before the next general election. Then all types of promises will yet again be made ,depending on which TD’s are in most trouble.
We will still have the e voting machines, by that time. having cost millions and still wont be used.
one and a half billion to build affordable houses, not to buy houses already built, but to build more.
A bunch of cowards who’s only concern is elections, elections, elections.
the same bankrupt ideas that got us into the shit the last time.
look around we’re back to 1984
October 15th, 2008
Well said, all. Glad to see the country is not comprised exclusively of mugs.
Be very afraid of anyone presenting anything as a call to patriotism.
Bear in mind Samuel Johnsons famous quote on the issue:
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.
Gombeen Nation - sure it’s a great little country!
October 15th, 2008
@Gombeen Man
re: Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
I thought the exact same thing! Last refuge indeed.
October 15th, 2008
Great article Bock, when will people finally have enough of these mobsters, or are we becoming so immune to being shafted at this stage ?
He could have put a 100% tax increase on fuckin’ hair dye and we’d be loaded in no time.
Just listened to him waffle through a call-in radio show. Talk about déja vu…I lost count of the number of times Brian v.2 repeated the mantra he learned by heart on Poppa’s knee.. “I’m glad you asked me that…”. A real chip of the old Bollock.
October 15th, 2008
Its a total joke, we are getting rode up the hole
October 15th, 2008
i’m getting out of the country, this service was launched yesterday to “beat the budget”, http://www.quoteclub.ie/flights.php will find the best flight apparently, even if i have to pay an extra tenner i dont care
October 15th, 2008
@Hoof: Elections are their only concern because that is the only incentive we the people use. Start some civil disobedience and a couple of protests/riots and see what happens.
October 15th, 2008
i been away from ireland a long time— do me a favour– keep those bastards honest— goodman yerself bock
October 15th, 2008
@thriftcriminal
I doubt if they’ve cut back on stocks of batons and rubber bullets. The inevitable overflow of anger that will spill out on the streets one of these days will be as predictable as the “shocked” reaction of the inbreds who masquerade as a nations leaders to it.
October 15th, 2008
-Hoof
The use of police violence to protect Shell in Galway should illustrate the compassion the government and Gadrai have for the average citizen. I’m sure any mass protests would be met with hard, “fuck you” police tactics. It might be worth finding out if the gardai have any tasers on order!
One only has to look at the US. If any of the numerous shit-storms over there were to hit, and the people mobilised, it would be exactly the excuse needed to declare a state of emergency and martial law, and suspend elections.
Already, here in France, some papers are talking about how Ireland might be more inclined to revote for Lisbon now that we’re (supposedly) in the shit and Cowen is in Paris to get orders from dictator in the making Nicolas Sarkozy, as what he will do.
Smoke and mirrors, thrown voices and puppet string, and the sordid stench of corruption and greed.
October 15th, 2008
It’s all very well to say we should stand up to them with civil disobedience etc. but when push comes to shove how many of us would take to the streets? It would be like it was down through history, there would be some who would be the ‘martyrs’ and the rest would sit back and watch. What are our brave journalists doing but siding with the FFers. We need journalists with a bit of spunk to tell it how it is. Maybe they need to read some of the posts on this site..
October 15th, 2008
-kings bard
You’re probably right. But one thing I have to say about the french is that they have no problem going out on the street or striking. Of course it’s done too much and so it looses it’s impact and the public ends up ignoring them. They say here that striking is the national sport.
As regards journalists, how long do you think an honest journalist would last if he rocked the boat too much. The papers are owned by business men and corporations.
As Orwell said; “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”
I can’t wait to see how they try to resell Lisbon to us as the answer to all of our financial worries. I suppose that if we’ll buy this load of rotten shit, we’ll buy anything.
October 15th, 2008
I agreed with Lisbon.
October 15th, 2008
I am in total agreement with 99.9% of the above comments but I am afraid that despair is starting to overtake my rage.Once we have got rid of(pensioned off)the fat, ignorant , dishonest cunts who have landed us in this bottomless pit through incompetency,theft,lies
and any other manner of bullshit you care to mention,what’s next?the next wave of vultures are waiting in the wings and we all get to bend over again.I can no longer feel any kind of optimism in these times.
Patriotism my arse Lenihan.You fuckwit.
October 15th, 2008
-Bock
I’m sure you have your reasons. But for me the Lisbon Treaty represents the legal creation of the European Federal State, with Ireland as one of it’s smallest, most insignificant (in their eyes) regions. A province once again.
Mr. Sarozy (the man chosen to push the treaty through) said of the Irish “those ingrates have been stuffing their faces at Europes table for years, and now they drop us in the shit”. This from the same man who did not let his own people vote on a large loss of national sovereignity, when they had already voted no to what the architect the European Constitution, former french president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, said … was the same as the
rejected constitution. Only the format has
been changed to avoid referendums. The same man who is now informing our …leader… Brian Cowen of what he’s allowed to do.
The Irish are being made out to be ingrates, but most people in europe were delighted we voted no. It’s basicaly the constitution that was already voted down by two other sovereign nations. But the EU high ups (for the majority appointed, not elected) kept on pushing it, and will continue to do so. The will of the people seems to be of no interest to them.
Ireland is a microcosm for what is happening to the institution of the EU. The cronyism, the corruption, the lies. The Euro-berties are moving towards a goal, and no matter how much frill or goodies they promise us, I want to know what’s in it for them.
But this is getting off the point of the post and taking up room on the page. Sorry
October 15th, 2008
We’ll come back to it when the story wakes up again.
October 15th, 2008
So much anger, and rage. Rightly so! But guess what folks if Brian Ard Ri were to call an election in the morning who would be back in the House? Yep! The good and great FF.
When will we ever learn? The answer is regrettably I fear never.
So what if the old, young and those on low income suffer in the budget? We must all suffer to protect our lords and masters the Bankers. The Ministers gave up 10% of their modest salaries. A whopping €25,000. I wonder how many of us have that as an annual salary?
October 15th, 2008
The ministers did indeed give up 10% of their wages but they weren’t so quick to mention that their pensions are to be calculated at the old rate of pay. Another line of bullshit. And to have the cheek to tell people to tighten thier belts while they’re stealing the shirt off the peoples backs.
October 16th, 2008
If I tighten my belt further it will cut me in half . The good point being I shall no longer be a drain on the state.
October 16th, 2008
I see there may be a row back on the medical cards for the over 70’s
First the blame went onto Mary Harney because of the deal done with the doctors.
It seems the backbenchers pointed out that most of the over 70’s vote.
October 17th, 2008
Time to load and shoot
October 17th, 2008
I was pro-lisbon too, perhaps because I went and found out what it was all about. But as Bock said, a discussion for if the situation arises again.
What really flabbergasted me about the budget was this - there was no attempt to rein in spending to match incomes. Instead it was try to increase income to match the (mostly crazy) levels of spending that are planned.
Rein in spending and reduce taxes - the result is an increase in spending because things are cheaper, which results in an increase in tax revenue. At the very least, marginal increases in tax and cutbacks on spending, right?
WRONG!! Lets means test for the medical card even though those people have bloody well paid for it already. Impose a 1% levy on GROSS earnings for EVERYONE! And put ridiculous increases on fuel (we can call it a carbon tax, ’tis ok lads). I’m quite angry just thinking about it.
But the public sector…. (and not the useful bits, like nurses and doctors and teachers and people who actually work)
We’re told 41 agencies are being “shut down” - by which they mean re-absorbed into the Department of Social and Family Affairs. No layoffs expected. There’s nearly 400,000 public employees in the country. That’s 10% of the population. The bill is enormous. If we’re to tighten our belts, then public service has to be taken on. And trimmed back. It’s been growing like a weed in the good times, but it has to stop. Unfortunately, it won’t.
October 17th, 2008
I thought it was interesting what happened after the budget. In particular Fianna Fail. Who did they send on Prime Time to debate the budget with Joan Burton of Labour? Senator Dan Boyle of the Green Party. Who did they send to debate the budget next morning on Radio 1? Mary Harney of the PDs. I fell to wondering as to where the 78 or so FF TDs were…..
October 21st, 2008
it seems that the 8 cent per litre increase in petrol will yield 150million euros. its a nice figure. however it is estimated that because of the price difference between the north and the south, fuel tourists from the north contribute over 200million euros to our economy. i wonder how will the fuel increase affect this figure?