Public Discontent and Civil Unrest

[Factorem]

The way things are going, I think things are very bleak for the future of the country.

On the broad spectrum of things, I think we're moving closer and closer to major trouble.

- Public anger and public outcry on issues (e.g. incinerators, bus service cut-backs, bin charges, etc.) These can all be dealt with media implants and maybe by firing some middle manager somewhere. Nothing usually comes of these outcries, except maybe the loss of a few votes (especially in a lethargic country like Ireland).
- Serious dissatisfaction with more serious problems (e.g. health cut-backs, school buildings, taxi regulation, etc.) These problems cannot be dealt with by spin: people take to the streets in protest and demand changes are made. After a while, they get sick of standing out in the cold and some patch-up job is offered which quells the disquiet.
- Public outrage (e.g. corrupt politicians, ineptitude, serious business corruption, political disconnect with the people, high unemployment, massive wasting of public monies, etc.) These issues cause people to take to the streets and, in some cases, riot. The police need to be deployed to sort out the gurriers and prevent them from infecting the wider population.
- Public outrage over a sustained period. This eventually leads to full-scale civil unrest, rioting and, if left to fester, full-scale civil war. All you can do to counteract this is to deploy army to the streets to quell the violence and change the government.

Now I'm not predicting a Republican Revolution II, but I think we're definitely entering a phase of mass public outrage due to unemployment and the way the economy has been managed. The people will not accept any more cut-backs in health, education and the introduction of more and more tax (bins, motorway tolls, university fees, public transport costs, gas and electricity, levy after levy and having to pay for the most trivial interaction with a government agency).

I think Ireland is at a very dangerous time in her history. We need to sort ourselves out NOW before it's too late. Those in power are spending all their time fire-fighting and jumping from crisis to crisis. They've no time to see the big picture: the huge social, economic and political changes that are happening in Ireland RIGHT NOW.

I would like to see some serious protesting and arm-folding (i.e. strikes) in 2009. The democratic system is failing the people and it's our only alternative. We need to re-organise society. Not just the economy, but the whole of society. If we don't, and there's nothing but cronyism, gombeen men in power and corruption, anyone with half a brain will simply leave. And they probably should too. The bitter masses that remain will be self-breeding parasites in society and if they aren't controlled (i.e. supressed) or kept busy in gainful employment (enough to get pissed at the weekends and watch reality TV on their plasma screens during the week), they'll get bored, team up with a bunch of anarchists (or, even worse: paramilitary republicans) and cause absolute chaos.

We need a top-down overhaul of the Rebuplic of Ireland. We need to look at our history and provide a new vision for the future of the country and how we are going to contribute to the world. We need to abolish the corrupt organisations and quangoism, promote Irish culture and the arts, re-instate the national identity, build inspirational public buildings, provide state-of-the-art infrastructure to our citizens (i.e. build a focking decent rail/motorway network), provide opportunities for our young people and prioritise economic areas where Ireland can trade internationally. The attempts so far have been half-assed and these efforts are crumbling away as we speak. We get nothing but silence from our so-called "leaders" and the Government are currently on holidays.

Once the masses get the Xmas fantasy out of their blood-stream, any remnants of Celtic-Tiger-think is going to get smashed to pieces with a sledgehammer in the new year.

And there's nothing but a shallow, empty void left to replace it. We have no culture, no nationalistic idealism, we've abolished our rich Christian heritage, have forgotten our great literary and artistic figures, and we're standing naked with not a fig leaf in sight.

Everyone's pointing and laughing at a fat naked paddy who's just woken up from his cocaine party.

'Greek Syndrome' is catching as youth take to streets - Europe, World - The Independent

edit: Mind you, the trade union movement in Ireland has been bought and paid for, so things may not be so bad after all.

[Big Bobo]

I'm content with being able to tick a piece of paper every 5 years that will make no difference one way or the other. That's real democracy in action!

[Thac0man]

edit: Mind you, the trade union movement in Ireland has been bought and paid for, so things may not be so bad after all.

Yes, Unions, enemy number one of the so called socialist revolutionaries!

[Middleaged]

Oh dear..................

[Factorem]

Yes, Unions, enemy number one of the so called socialist revolutionaries!

I'm sure I saw a couple of bearded union leaders over in Brussels when Biffo was announcing the Lisbon II referendum to the EU there 2 weeks ago.

I wonder did he get a trip on the gubberment jet and stay in a nice hotel room?

[Big Bobo]

Yes, Unions, enemy number one of the so called socialist revolutionaries!

The bourgeois trade union leaders are collaborators with the bosses and the rich against the workers. What do you think social partnership was all about? It was about doing secret deals with trade union leaders where they would line their own pockets at the expense of workers.

[Factorem]

I didn't want really this thread to be a discussion on socialism

I'm really worried though about what's going to happen to the country if people start refusing to work and the social/economic structures begin tumbling down for all to see.

This is not the preserve of the anarchists/socialist workers movement. This is about real people with massive mortgages, young people unable to find work, the 10,000s of apartment dwellers who get shafted by their management companies, the sick and the elderly who suffer in substandard hospitals, the crap teachers who "educate" the dumbed-down masses in prefabs, government corruption, a banking crisis, corrupt business dealings, no sense of any kind of national/cultural identity (apart from drinking), decline in moral standards (TV and rock concerts are the new religion), serious drug problems that are ravaging our towns and cities (particularly cocaine and heroine), etc.

The country is a cesspit of trouble and it's all bobbling to the surface creating an awful stink. The indebted businessmen, bitter boardroom members and disenfranchised party faithful won't be keeping quiet for much longer.