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What you want to say – 17 April 2019 April 17, 2019

Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.
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As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

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1. GW - April 17, 2019

Emma Clancy at Irish Broad Left has a good summary of the manifold idiocies of the current structure of the Eurozone here.

The slow growth and grinding recovery in the eurozone can be partially explained by the post-crisis austerity shock treatment applied to the periphery by the Troika, but the architecture of the common currency has acted as a brake on sustainable growth and convergence since day one. The euro has been built on an enduring effort to constitutionalise austerity, an effort that continues today despite all of the evidence demonstrating that it causes economic contraction.

Emma Clancy is an economics advisor for the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament for whom you could vote in the coming EP elections.

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CL - April 17, 2019

Clancy’s piece is an excellent account of how the EU has constitutionalised neobliberalism,-Hayek rather than Keynes has won the ideological battle.

Ireland’s ‘recovery’ is sometimes attributed to the imposed austerity. Not so; it has more to do with ROI being more economically integrated with the UK/US, than with the EU.

“The current expansion in the euro area, however, has lasted just 22 quarters and GDP is only around 10 per cent above the trough. In contrast, the expansion in the United States has lasted 37 quarters, and GDP has risen by 21 per cent.”E.Clancy

Massive deficits under Trump are continuing the expansion began under Obama. If the expansion continues it will be interesting to see if helps Trump’s re-election campaign.
Marxist economist, Michal Kalecki, spoke of the ‘political business cycle’, with expansionary policies being implemented leading up to an election. Trump has attacked the very modest increases in the rate of interest by the Fed. The Fed, however, unlike the ECB, has responsibility for employment as well as inflation. As November 2020 approaches it will be interesting to see how these political and economic pressures play out.

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GW - April 17, 2019

“The Fed, however, unlike the ECB, has responsibility for employment as well as inflation.”

You’ve put your finger in one of the suppurating sores of the Eurozone.

The myth that central banks can or should be politically neutral was blown out of the water when they were the only political-economic force that could plug the holes of the sinking ship of finance capital during the crisis; starting in 2008 up to, well, the present really.

In fact the Fed did the heavy lifting to save European banks before the ECB would step in, because the ECB isn’t set up to be a lender of last resort – : see Adam Tooze’s ‘Crashed’ on this. How it did this was intensely political:

Or see here from Tooze’s blog:

In these terms, it is undeniable that the Fed’s lender of last resort role that saved the global banking system was policy. It was grand geoeconomic policy at the global level. The Fed knew what dangerous territory it was entering. It coordinated every move with the state department. Several countries were denied swaps. India, Russia and China still have no swap lines. It is as much foreign economic policy as Bretton woods or the Marshall Plan ever were.

There’s no reason why the ECB should not also be tasked, along with the European Investment Bank with, say, reducing carbon emissions and inequality. It is a purely political decision of the EPP/S&D political duopoly that is not, and nothing to do with supposed immutable laws of political economy.

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2. Joe - April 17, 2019

“the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament for whom you could vote in the coming EP elections.”

Ha ha. Nice one GW.

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3. GW - April 17, 2019

Every second corporate scam in the EU seems to lead back to one member state.

In Berlin the die Linke housing minister is trying to prosecute those who illegally keep flats empty half the year to use them as AirBnBollix earners. So she takes legal action against AirBollix Germany. Who say, no the data is held by AirBollix Ireland. Who won’t give up the data. So now she must take a case in Ireland.

Why did AirBollix choose Ireland to store its EU data? Because it knows the RoI has the lightest regulatory enforcement.

This egoistic national cute-hoorism has to stop and I hope that it will be the price of the EU defending the GFA against Brexit.

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Joe - April 18, 2019

“This egoistic national cute-hoorism has to stop”

Couldn’t agree with you more GW.
However I have been asked (unofficially) by the Dept of Foreign Affairs to draft unofficial official Ireland’s response:
Ah now. We’re an island economy on the far western fringes of Europe with historic diasporic cultural ties with the United States, leader and protector of the free world. We’re a small open economy and the best little country in the world to do business in. And shure everyone is doin’ it, so why are ye pickin’ on us? And finally, please don’t hit me and me with the peace process in my arms.

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4. Joe - April 17, 2019
WorldbyStorm - April 17, 2019

I guess it’s a slight comfort to see the Brexit Party taking votes from UKIP. Slight. Not much comfort.

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5. Paddy Healy - April 17, 2019

Song: The Limerick Soviet By Alun Parry
Full Text of Song https://wp.me/pKzXa-LN
“We are the Limerick Soviet ,
We answer only to the People’s Plea;
We care no More for their Martial Law ,
Than the British Army cares for you and me”

Sung by Members of visiting Liverpool Choir At Commemoration of Limerick Soviet in Limerick, Sat April 6,
“Author Alun Parry was also the founder and organiser of the Liverpool Working Class Music Festival, supported by the TUC, which took place annually 2008-2011 with the aim of bringing the very best radical musicians to Liverpool for a celebration of working class life through music and song. It grew to be the largest festival of its kind in the world.”

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6. Logan - April 17, 2019

Just been looking at Channel Four News. They were covering the protest by the people who glued themselves outside Jeremy Corbyn’s house.

Was struck by how it was treated pretty much as a banal event.Jeremy came out, and refused to speak to the reporters because, as he said “I dont do interviews outside my house”.

The reaction of the Channel Four reporter was to say “But these people are protesting outside your house ..Why wont you talk to them?” and then they did the whole ‘chase a politician up a street with a microphone’ thing.

Nothing at all about a posse of police coming to “evacuate” Jeremy or arrest the protesters!

I know it is a different situation to recent events here (I dont think any young children live in Jeremy’s house, for one thing), but the lack of an “OMG, they are protesting outside the poor man’s house” reaction struck me.

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CL - April 18, 2019
7. Paul Culloty - April 17, 2019

George Galloway endorses Farage:

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The Stormy Petrel - April 17, 2019

Not the first or last time Galloway has abased himself

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WorldbyStorm - April 17, 2019

Very very true, though arguably a new low.

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GW - April 18, 2019

Why an abasement? Galloway is just taking Lexiteerism to it’s logical and only end-point.

A alliance with the nationalist right.

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8. GW - April 18, 2019

Hahahaha: the Chocolate Oligarch is going to be ousted in Ukraine.

The CIA will not be pleased.

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yourcousin - April 18, 2019

I’m sure they’ll make do with his opponent who supports European integration (including the EU and NATO), and the Ukrainian army in the Donbas.

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GW - April 19, 2019

Well we’ll see what he does, or can do.

But in the transparently nervous analysis of the numerous US-funded ‘thinktanks’ I think they would rather have the predictably corrupt oligarch in charge than a loose cannon.

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yourcousin - April 20, 2019

I believe most folks would argue that being a head of state would ideally come with some experience in that craft.

That he doesn’t and is headed towards a victory is a statement that many Ukrainians feel that the business of the Maidan is unfinished. And not in the “Azov” sense, but the desire to turn towards Europe and away from the rampant corruption that has stemmed from the Oligarchs.

Whether Zelenskiy is his own man or a tool of Kolomoisky also remains to be seen.

But if this election shows us anything, it may be that while Zelenskiy is no one with no real platform his very presence shows that Ukraine has made progress however small or dubious.

And finally so far as potentially problematic aspects of Zelenskiy go I’d mention his support for the decommunization of Ukraine and his ambivalent support of Bandera.

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Jim Monaghan - April 21, 2019

The likely winner is of Jewsish extraction. We have been told by the various Putinistas that Ukraine was a Nazi dictatorship. Flawed an all, it seems to have had a relatively free election.

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yourcousin - April 21, 2019

Agreed. Would that count as, “a sign of hope”?

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9. Paddy Healy - April 18, 2019

“As world economy is slowing, foot to the floor printing of currency by all central banks everywhere
This has inflated fixed asset values (buildings, land, gold) everywhere including in Ireland (as a hedge against future currency losses). There is nothing left in the tank to rescue the world from a new recession-and we’re discussing John Delaney”
Paul Sommerville, Marketing Consultant, on Marian Finucane Sunday April 14, 2019
Italy could be focus for new European Crisis
New World Economic Recession on the Way https://wp.me/pKzXa-ua

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10. CL - April 19, 2019

“A 29-year-old woman has been killed after shots were fired and petrol bombs thrown amid rioting in Londonderry on Thursday night, with police treating it as a “terrorist incident”. ”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/18/londonderry-riots-woman-dies-shots-fired-petrol-bombs-thrown/

“Her work included examining the fallout of decades of violence in Northern Ireland, and she was described as a rising star of investigative journalism in an announcement of a publishing deal last year….
A journalist at the scene said she was standing next to the woman when she was struck by gunfire.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/journalist-lyra-mckee-killed-derry-ireland-riots

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GW - April 19, 2019

Idiots open fire at a crowd and kill an NUJ official, among her many other contributions to humanity, which have now been snuffed out.

If it turns out, as claimed, that those responsible were dissident ‘republicans’ then they can go fuck themselves, and they’ve proven once again just how irrelevant they are for these times.

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WorldbyStorm - April 19, 2019

+1 the very definition of a futile action that resulted in an utter waste of a human life for no reason. Narcissistic bullshit on the part of those who carried it out.

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GearóidGaillimh - April 19, 2019

She seems to have been a very talented writer with a bright career ahead of her, writing about the conflict and about LGBT issues in particular. Tragic and enraging.

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11. Joe - April 20, 2019

So we’re all united against the dissos.
Can I ask, in all seriousness, how do we stop them?

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Joe - April 20, 2019

Actually, this is good.
The statement today was released by Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Féin), Arlene Foster (DUP), Robin Swan (UUP), Colum Eastwood (SDLP), Naomi Long (Alliance) and Clare Bailey (Green Party).

“We want to express our condemnation in the strongest terms possible at the murder of journalist Lyra McKee,” the leaders said.

“The murder of Lyra McKee is first and foremost a devastating loss for her grieving partner, family and friends, and our thoughts are with them at this awful time.

“Lyra’s murder was also an attack on all the people of this community, an attack on the peace and democratic processes.

“It was a pointless and futile act to destroy the progress made over the last 20 years, which has the overwhelming support of people everywhere.

“We are united in rejecting those responsible for this heinous crime. They have no support in the community, must be brought to justice and should disband immediately.

We reiterate our support for the PSNI, who while carrying out their duties were also the target of last night’s attack. We call on anyone with any information to bring that forward to the police and assist their inquiries.

“This is a time for calm heads.”

And the rallies and vigils and Books of Condolence are good.

Yesterday, I got water and a potscrub and cleared off the Derry IRA slogan that some asshole put on the wall near my gaff a few weeks ago. He goes around scrawling slogans like that all around my part of the northside – I’m gonna try and be diligent and clean up after him as quickly as possible from now on.

I know it’s not easy when knucklehead armed gangsters are your neighbours, but I’d put it to the communities in Derry and the few other places that they have to stand up to these people and put the pressure on them to stop.
We all have to.

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Joe - April 20, 2019

Anyway, walking the dog there today and he’s back. This time with a white spray can. And his slogan today is PSNI scum. So I went up with a tin of white paint. But actually the water and the postscrub did the job. But a little too well. It took the black paint off too so his slogan is still readable if you try real hard. Anyway a passing painter, Kevin originally from Mauritius, told me I can get a can of black matt spray paint from a shop up the road for 2 euro. So I’ll add that to my arsenal.
We’ll outlast the bastards. Againne a bheidh an bua!

On the short walk home from my political clean-up, who did I see but Cllr Gary Gannon. All on his owneeo and looking a little lonesome, going door to door with leaflets. During the referendums he had twenty and thirty bright young things with him on his leafletting. Hopefully they’ve all veered left and left the SDs behind them!
And to end the story, I also met a neighbour, a member of BICO or whatever they are called now, believe it or not. He had a red lapel ribbon commemorating the Limerick soviet and a metal Easter lily badge. I told him what I was doing – we converse in Irish – and he smiled. Just in case he thought I was being too sticky, I reminded him that SF had issued a statement which included the line “We reiterate our support for the PSNI”.

Leanaimís leis an strachailt!

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EWI - April 21, 2019

So we’re all united against the dissos.
Can I ask, in all seriousness, how do we stop them?

Make them irrelevant, by showing real gains from political alternatives, i.e. the Peace Process. Unfortunately though, I believe that the DUP still haven’t actually signed to the GFA (which really should be a prerequisite of getting Assembly seats).

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WorldbyStorm - April 22, 2019

+1 EWI

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Joe - April 22, 2019

Ok. Youse work on the big picture – make them irrelevant by showing real gains from political alteratives i.e. the Peace Process.
I’ll keep going with blacking out their graffiti around my area.

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Joe - April 22, 2019

Ok. Youse go ahead with the big picture – working on making them irrelevant.
I’ll keep on trying to black out their graffiti round my area.

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CL - April 22, 2019

“Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have protested outside the Derry headquarters of a dissident republican group today by putting red handprints on the walls.”
https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2019/0422/1044997-lyra-mckee/

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Joe - April 22, 2019

Good for them. People of Derry, stand up. People of Ireland, stand up!

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CL - April 22, 2019

“We were the Good Friday Agreement generation, spared from the horrors of war. But still, the aftereffects of those horrors seemed to follow us….
out of the 28 countries that participated in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative—including Israel and Lebanon, places with ongoing, bloody conflicts—Northern Ireland was the one whose population had the highest rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)….
Epigenetic changes—alteration of genes in terms of their activity, rather than their DNA sequence—can be inherited, and it’s thought these may explain how intergenerational transmission of trauma occurs. ..
The tragic irony of life in Northern Ireland today is that peace seems to have claimed more lives than war ever did.”-Lyra McKee
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/conflict-mental-health-northern-ireland-suicide/424683/

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EWI - April 22, 2019

“Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have protested outside the Derry headquarters of a dissident republican group today by putting red handprints on the walls.”

I see quite a number of southern Twitter users retweeting and liking posts by northern loyalist accounts (attacking their republican foes). That’s… not helpful.

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WorldbyStorm - April 22, 2019

Yes. I’ve no problem at all with people expressing their outrage at the murder or getting the message across to dissident groups directly but dragging loyalists in to the equation in the way you describe is missing the point entirely – indeed making a mockery of the very real criticism directed against the dissident groups.

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Joe - April 23, 2019

Vigil tonight Tuesday 6pm Garden of Remembrance.
“With music, song and words of Lyra we will celebrate her and declare that Lyra should be the last victim of senseless violence in Northern Ireland. Assemble: 6pm, Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Sq.” @morningireland @irishcongress @NUJofficial @thejournal_ie

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0423/1045082-lyra-mckee-funeral/

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12. Paul Culloty - April 20, 2019

If Red C is accurate, Peadar Tóibín’s recent remarks have lifted Aontú to the dizzy heights of 1%:

https://www.businesspost.ie/politics/fine-gael-rise-despite-national-childrens-hospital-overspend-441845

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Paddy Healy - April 21, 2019

But Red C is totally inaccurate see my analysis https://wp.me/pKzXa-jh

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13. CL - April 20, 2019

““The man who, in return for the promise of a thing which is not merely less than Separation, but which denies Separation and makes the Union perpetual, the man who, in return for this declares peace between Ireland and England… is guilty of so immense a crime against the Irish nation, that one can only say of him that it were better for the man (as it were certainly better for his country) that he had not been born.”
That was Patrick Pearse, first signatory of the Proclamation which was solemnly read from Easter Commemoration platforms all over Ireland in the days following Lyra’s death.
Of course, we are not meant to take that sort of stuff seriously or literally these days. But some do, most angrily and enthusiastically young men who can otherwise be found standing around corners adorned by huge murals, fists dug deep into pockets, giving out about fuckers who have made comfortable lives from their involvement in the struggle and now proclaim their successors epitomes of evil.”
-Eamonn McCann
https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/wake-lyra-mckees-senseless-death-eamonn-mccann-reflects-worrying-emergence-new-ira-22771534

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EWI - April 21, 2019

Counterpoint: Eamonn McCann.

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14. Paddy Healy - April 21, 2019

Both Polls Can’t be Right as Margin of Error Claimed is 3% in Both But Difference Between Polls is FF 6, FG 5, Sinn Fein 7 https://wp.me/pKzXa-jh -Red C Final Prediction was also way out 2014 European Election
B&A Sunday Times Poll, April 21 (%)
FF 29 (+4), FG 28(-3), SF 21(+2) Labour 4(-1), Others 18 Margin of Error 3%
Red C S, Business Post Poll April 21 (%)
FF 23(-2), FG 33(+2), Sinn Féin 14(+1), Labour 5(NC), Others 25 Margin of Error 3%
RED C Was Way Out in Euro Election 2014
Sinnn Féin won 3 seats in the 26-counties heading the poll in Dublin
Euro Dublin Constituency Outcome SF 23.6% Lab 7.4%; Final Red C Prediction SF 15% Lab 13%

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15. Tomboktu - April 22, 2019

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16. Paul Culloty - April 23, 2019

A Revolutionary Communist is running for Europe with the Brexit Party:

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17. Joe - April 23, 2019

Cabra Glasnevin local election latest!
The posters are going up. Went down the shop for milk this evening. Mícheal Kelliher, inds4change, has a poster at the bottom of my road. He is asking for number 2s for Cllr Cieran Perry. Marie Sherlock is one of three Labour party candidates – her poster makes no mention whatsoever of the other two. The other poster up a pole at the shop is for Cormac Newton of the Workers’ Party – fair play.

In Euro election news, the two posters up are for Éilis Ryan WP and Gary Gannon SDs.

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