It was always about politics and how to impose the worse possible excesses of hard neo liberal nonsense economics BUT with added tax burdens to destroy the middle classes and reduce everyone to pulp. So full fontal attack on everything to do with social security , welfare and healthcare. Slashing wages, abolishing pensions and so on. Ok. That was the plan and they have done very well in achieving their aims.
So just what sneaky underhand politics are going on right now? Firstly, Greece whose economy has been destroyed, who is projected to remain in recession for several years, though to a diminishing extent (hah!) is now being praised! Yes, they have done what was demanded. Yes, signs of success are showing. Like little green shoots in spring. Unemployment? Oh that’s all right! It is still rising but at a lower rate.
And other such complete humbug when all they have managed to do (in addition to achieving a total collapse) is increase debt, increase recession and increase unemployment. So you wonder, could it be they have taken pity on us? But no. It’s not that. After all, taxes are to be hiked even further up, next winter no one will be able to keep warm again, oh! and pensions must also be slashed further.
So what’s the devious, dirty, sneaky, cynical underhand political maneuvering going on here? Especially when you contrast what they have to say about Ireland! Ireland the poster boy! Ireland who always did everything right! Ireland who was teacher’s pet, as opposed to Greece the unruly dunce of the class.
“Ireland’s international lenders have warned that the country needs to do more to stimulate employment.” “the labour market still has significant structural problems,” and “While a pick-up in growth is needed to meaningfully reduce high unemployment, further policy efforts are important to address its increasingly structural nature.”
So what does that mean? Quite simply, that although Ireland’ unemployment is not nearly as bad as Greece’s…. they must do more to reach Greek and Spanish standards! They must slash wages to below subsistence levels, they must abolish all and every law, decree, regulation that might protect workers in any way. Just like Greece.
Of course Greece’s unemployment is continuing to rise, despite some mendacious declarations to the contrary yesterday by the pathetic so called Minister of Labour. Today Elstat corrected his erroneous statements of yesterday. Completely/
But that’s just it. Unemployment must be high, very high, to make damn sure no one gets paid any more.
Ireland has a long way to go before she reaches Greece! So she better be snappy about it before we cut off their oxygen pipes!