Death Of The Republic

A tiny paragraph in the Metro reports that a homeless man died from cold last night. This the very same day the government delivered a budget punishing the people for the mistakes and greed of bankers and developers and the very same budget that contains more incentives for more rich developers.

That's modern Ireland for you.

Who's your Paddy now?

Are the Irish people all blind, deaf and dumb, or just plain stupid? For that what must be our European counterparts are thinking. One of the worst budgets in the history of the Irish state is about to brought in and the Irish people are arguing over who should pay most instead of pointing the figure at the people to blame - bankers, bondholders, speculators and politicians.

Instead, it's all about begrudgery - one parent families, dole 'scroungers', people who have children 'they can't afford' are all set to feel the brunt and those still working think that's okay. Everyone seems to be neglecting the fact that none of these cuts or new taxes are happening because there are massive problems in the existing systems. Sure, the systems aren't perfect, but these cuts are happening for one reason, and one reason only' to pay back the loan sharks in the EU and the IMF. And, by doing so, we are making these people from foreign lands our new policy makers.

Let's look at what's on the table:

VAT cat.
An increase of 2% in VAT. The incumbent government doesn't want to renege on what must be the only unbroken election promise they have left - not to raise income tax, so they're going to hit VAT instead. The result will be disastrous for business, employment, the economy and struggling households everywhere. Add either minimum pricing for alcohol, or what is more likely, a big increase on excise on wine and beer and thousands, me for one, will be doing a lot more shopping up north, taking more money and jobs out of the economy. VAT affects everyone regardless of income. The sensible thing here would be to raise income tax with a emphasis on the higher paid. I'm sure the new chief of AIB who has just been appointed on a salary of €500,000 can afford a bigger contribution than a family of four struggling on one minimum wage salary.

A decrease of €10 in child allowance. 
On forums such as Boards.ie, the debate is all about whether or not we should have child allowance at all. Typically, those against, have no children, claiming: 'Don't have children if you can't afford them.' They seem to ignore the fact that every society needs children. These children become the citizens, workers, employees and politicians of the future. Like every element of society that can't look after themselves, we must all contribute for their benefit for the good of society.

Sure, get rid of child allowance, in it's place put tax credits for parents and introduce free childcare/creches for all and take a few thousand people off the dole in the process. Okay, that might take some time to implement, so in the meantime, means test; eligibility for child allowance is lost when the income of the family unit exceeds €100,000.

€8 off the dole. 
There is no doubt that dole payments in Ireland, at €188, are too high, certainly compared the UK's £65 per week. But not for all. That same family of four will struggle on the dole. One of the inequalities in the existing system is that a couple living together with children receive one and half dole payments, while two people sharing an apartment with no children to look after earn two dole payments. No wonder the one parent family allowance system is abused. As for the self-employed, it's best not go there. The country's entrepreneurs and employers are penalised for initiative - they're entitled to nothing. Cut the dole for single people each year they remain unemployed. Abolish one parent family allowance. Add an increment for each child. There are no jobs out there, self-employment has to be incentivised.

€50 medical card.
We should be moving closer to UK NHS system not further away. Without free healthcare, people die.
Private health insurance is overpriced and you get little for what you pay. No wonder so many are foregoing it. Members of our society need to be able to afford to visit a GP when required as this will take some of the burden off the health service. Free medical care has to be provided for those that can't afford it and at a reasonable cost for those who can. There is only one way to provide for this in a small country like ours and that is higher income tax. Not another stealth tax.

Higher 3rd level fees.
Third level education shouldn't be for the rich only. Everyone in society deserves a chance to be the best they can. Introducing fees simply stops people getting those chances. Why not adopt a Australian system where students pay through a higher rate of tax after university.

Household charge.
The government admits that the £100 household will increase substantially next year. It too is levied across the board just like the infamous UK poll tax hitting the poorest hardest, the rich won't even feel it. Will bin charges go? Or the TV licence? No. What do we get in return? Nothing. And we still have water charges to come next year for which there will be no improvement to the water system either.

These are just a few of the measures being considered for this horrific budget. We'll see them all in one form or another along with many other poorly thought out, ill-conceived plans, all to cut the nation's debt. And therein, lies the rub, none of these measures are there to improve things, to rectify the mistakes of the past, nothing for the people, nothing for the country. Stealth taxes, such as the medical card fee, won't go towards a better health service; increased carbon tax doesn't go towards improving our environment; the proposed fat tax doesn't go towards health initiatives; the household charge won't go towards improved services. Instead, everything goes to paying faceless bondholders because our new rulers in the EU/IMF says so. In the case of child allowance that means taking money used to feed, clothe and care for our children and giving it to rich people who don't even live here!

The honeymoon is over. Let's get a divorce.
All this from a government that supposedly includes a labour element. As for Fianna Gael, they blatantly lied their way into power. Their electoral promises lie broken the length and breadth of the country. And this budget will, without doubt, be their downfall. All we got was more of the same, a government with no balls, no talent and no insight. This budget could have had so many positive measures. Unsecured bondholders could have paid their folly, the banks could have paid for their mistakes, the rich could have paid their way.

Is the government so thick that they think the Irish people will stand by and do nothing? Do they think they are so different from the oppressive governments in the Middle East because we are a western democracy? Apparently so. And you could forgive them for that that considering our apathy to date. But, mistakes of this enormity after what has gone before are sure to elicit a more vehement response from people that have been pushed to the very edge without consultation and who have been blatantly misled for their vote.

Now we need a government that will take action on behalf of its people. One that will honour its promises, rectify the mistakes of the past and fight for us - the people who elect them. This government is not it. Enda Kenny was not given a mandate to imprison the Irish people to poverty on the orders of our European overlords. And blaming the past government just won't cut the mustard any longer.

'And I say to my people's masters: beware, beware of the thing that is coming.
Beware of the risen people, who shall take what ye shall not give.
Did you think to conquer the people, or that law is stronger than life,
and than man's desire to be free.
We will try it out with you, ye that have harried and held,
ye that have bullied and bribed: tyrants, hypocrites, liars!'

- The Rebel - Patrick Pearse

Bankers At It Again.

So the AIB, Bank Of Ireland and Ulster Bank are refusing to pass on the interest rate cut, despite being told to by the government. It's time to see who's really running this country, the government or the bankers?

Action, not words, Enda.

Or would you like the people to do it for you? After all, we paid for those banks. They belong to us now.

Fangs For Coming!

As everyone knows, Christopher Lee is to Dracula what Sean Connery is to James Bond. However, what many people won't know is that when Manowar re-recorded their debut album, 'Battle Hymns' last year, Lee was chosen to redo the narration, originally performed by Orson Welles in the epic track 'Dark Avenger'. Tonight Manowar are due to play 'Battle Hymns' in its glorious entirety in Dublin, so I found it to be a great coincidence to see Lee on the national news last night over being honoured by the Law Society of University College Dublin.

Does this mean we will see an appearance by Christopher Lee at tonight's show? Judging by his fraility on the 9 O'Clock News, I'm not so sure the 89 year old would survive the 'Black Wind' created by the loudest band in the world, but Joey DeMaio isn't one to look at gift horse in the mouth.

Incidentally, he was also due to perform 'Defender' a few years back at one of the Earthshaker fests but pulled out. Now that would be something to see. Fingers crossed!

We're The Kings Of Metal And We're Coming To Town...der ner ner ner ner ner ner ner

This is my Manowar ticket for tomorrow night. Check out the price - €51.65! Last time I was in the Academy (September), the ticket price was €25.

Joey DeMaio clearly isn't aware that I, like many others, have a tax bill to pay by next Tuesday. As a result, this is the first time I've ever had to borrow money to buy a gig ticket. I got rid of my credit card a couple of years back cos I didn't want to end up in the same nasty indebted place as the economy. These days, I never spend more than I have. But I'm making an exception this once. I expect to get my money's worth.

 Right now, I'm trying to source some beer money for drinks in the pre-party in Fibbers (the one on Ormonde Quay). Plenty of Manowar and €4 pints to get the show on the road from 3pm onwards! See ya there!

Understanding Manowar

Every quarter a century or so, a American heavy Metal band called Manowar make an appearance on this emerald isle and it just happens that it's this week. Despite absolutely ridiculous ticket prices in excess of €50 for a venue (The Academy) where €25 is the norm, the Dublin date is sold out. It's caused a huge furore in the Metal community. But that's nothing new because, for metallers everywhere, Manowar has always been a real bone of contention. You either love them or you hate them. There really is no middle ground when it comes to Manowar.

In the case of Manowar's detractors, it's not enough to simply dislike their music or image. They must be ridiculed. Most of the time there is little explanation. These are Metal fans ridiculing Manowar for being, well, Metal. There are accusations of 'gayness' referring, I suppose, to their physique and a stage attire that, many years ago, included loin cloths. The lyrics, composed around themes of glory, sword fights, steel, death, the greatness of Metal and Odin are deemed ridiculous. Ironically, a lot of the time these accusations will come from fans of Scandinavian death metal fans with a penchant for 'corpsepaint', equally ridiculous attire and a need to sing about how grim it is up north.

The lovers of the band, a group in which I include myself, see it differently.

You see, for me, the answer to the question: 'How can you like Manowar?' is: 'If you like Metal, how can you not like Manowar?' After all, the band is the physical embodiment of everything that is Metal about heavy Metal. Take a look at the evidence.

Manowar are Metal.
They are the loudest band in the world. Not only that, they've actually broken the record they hold for being the loudest band in the world - several times. Heavy Metal fans like 'loud'.

They refuse point-blank to compromise. Ever. On anything. Even if they're wrong. Heavy Metal is not about compromise.

They sing about loving Metal. How Metal is that? Joey DeMaio has gone as far as admitting that he would 'die for Metal' in an interview and, then, to prove the point, wrote a song called Die For Metal.

As for the ridiculous lyrics, look closer and you'll see that the lyrics are all about dealing with the issues everyone has to deal with in everyday life. Fighting the World, Gods of War, Into Glory Ride - the titles of the albums alone are battle cries of revolt and independence in the daily fight against adversity, discrimination and small mindedness. Whatever life throws at you, the message of Manowar is you can take it. At it's most basic, 'fighting the world' is simply a euphemism for tackling the human condition.

A religion.
Manowarriors know that in their most difficult moments, Manowar is there with songs to uplift, inspire and revitalize. Songs of hope, fraternity and of better times to come. Honour, integrity and valour are the keywords in Manowar's message, because these are the things that give us value in life. These are the qualities that make us good human beings. That's why, when you meet a fellow Manowarrior, there's that instant connection. You both know something that the rest don't. And, if it sounds like there's something religious in that, you're right! There is.

True Metal is more than music. It's a way of life - a religion.

The 'battered wives of Manowar'.
Sure, the band is exasperating, to say the least. A friend of mine who worked for the band likened the fans to 'the battered wives of Manowar'. Because every time you try to explain to someone what it is that makes Manowar the greatest heavy Metal band in the history of music, you can bet your broadsword that Joey DeMaio will turn round and do something to mindnumbingly idiotic to prove you wrong, whether that's bringing out Manowar confectionery, spending more time preaching than playing songs at a gig or, as is the issue at the moment, massively overcharging for tickets and telling complainants that it's great value for money.

But despite all that, when Manowar play on the Academy on Wednesday, they'll play to a sold-out house, consisting of diehard fans, as well as the curious. They'll play to people that weren't even born the last time they played in Ireland. For longtime fans, it'll be an affirmation of faith. And, for some doubters, it will be a revelation. Others will never get it. But that's okay too. The fact remains, if you took everything you know about Metal and rolled it up into a big steel ball, that ball would have Manowar etched into it.

Cheesy? Sure! But like everything the band stands for, true.

Viva El Presidente!

The mugs will never learn!

The Irish presidential elections are coming up and, unlike previous years, there's a huge focus on this one, despite the fact that many people see it as just a 'token' role. The fact is the country is in the shit and representing Ireland at this time could have a real impact on how the country is seen abroad. Moreover, it's not inconceivable that, considering the position Ireland has found itself in with ever-decreasing sovereignty, the role of the president could prove pivotal during the new president's next term. Of course, this entirely depends on who is elected.

The usual suspects.
So far the campaign has been intensely negative. The media are tearing every candidate apart in every way possible. There has been no focus on the positive attributes that any of the candidates can bring.

Having said that, there are very few stand out candidates. As usual, the Dail seems intent on putting forward the usual suspects, a rag-tag bunch of teachers and farmers, much like those already happily interned in the Dail that have done so much damage to the country and so little to do to rectify any of it.

More FF puppetry.
Mary Davis, for example, is a prime example having chaired quangos set up by Fianna Fail, the party responsible for bringing the country to its knees. These are the same pointless, yet expensive, quangos Fianna Gael promised to reduce when it came to power and like many of its pre-election promises failed to deliver on. So, I hope she hasn't started packing for Phoenix Park yet, because the people ain't going vote for a puppet.

Dana may have won the Eurovision Song Contest a few thousand years ago, but she will struggle to get anywhere near enough votes to win this particular contest. It really will be a case of Dana - nil points.

The big elephant in the room is Sean Gallagher. He's currently leading the polls but I have no idea why. A former farmer and a panellist on a reality TV programme, Dragon's Den, a show, that in my opinion, like the government, has done nothing for start-ups and entrepreneurs. On the contrary, the 'dragons' appear to take advantage of the hopeful 'contestants' on the show. Add to this that he's played a key role in Fianna Fail for 30 years; the party that has sold Ireland's sovereignty and brought the country to its knees. And if all that wasn't enough it now appears that he has taken a €5000 brown envelope from a convicted criminal - just like so many of his FF buddies during the the good ol' days of the celtic tiger. How the Irish people could vote for someone so tied into the FF culture of cronyism that led to Ireland's spectacular fall from grace is beyond me? Yet, he has a good chance of winning and, in the process, make us look like 'stupid paddys' on the world stage, reinforcing the message of the Greek austerity protesters when they cried: 'We're not Ireland'. Meanwhile Greece will be laughing all the way to the bank with as much as 50% wiped off their debt.

Then there's Michael D. Higgins, one of the people's favorites, a 'politician' and an OAP. The big question is will he survive the term of office? Probably not!

Gay Mitchel who started as one of the favourites doomed himself through a series of TV appearances proving that FG are no different that FF. He really reminds me of a demented Dalek politician in the way that he's stolen Enda Kenny's arm gestures, which in turn were nicked from Tony Blair.

Now, if the presidential position is a 'token' showy role, then gay rights campaigner David Norris is ideal. I hear he makes a great cup of tea and will be a spiffing entertainer for the heads of world governments. But he's already left the race once due to pressure from the scandal resulting from the time he appealed for clemency for a partner who was found guilty of statutory rape and that portrays him as a man that doesn't stand by his convictions when things get rough.

One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.
That leaves Michael Mc Guinness. When it comes to CVs, his out-trumps everyone else's on the list by a mind-boggling margin. A former leader of the Irish Republican Army, he helped cement the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and, against all odds, brought peace to the north. He's now Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and has been responsible for bringing in hundreds of new jobs to the island. Stauncher-than-staunch arch enemies such as Ian Paisley get on with him and even confess to liking this charismatic man, yet it appears that most of the Republic of Ireland think that appointing a former 'terrorist' is a bridge too far. It seems that former president Eamon DeValera was the right sort of 'terrorist', despite being sentenced to death for his 'crimes against the state'.

You take your choice; you live with the consequences.
Well, that's a pity, because when Fianna Gael give the rest of our sovereignty away, the president will be the only one left who can speak out on behalf of the suffering of the Irish people. And when the Irish people are raped by the Irish government on the orders of our IMF/EU overlords in the December budget, effectively ending Fianna Gael's honeymoon period, the people of Ireland will desperately look to the Aras for someone with the balls to speak out for them. Unless Martin McGuinness is there, the silence will be deafening.