07.05.07
Is something better than nothing?
Sometimes I go through this teenage existential “what’s the bloody point?” phase usually inspired by the phenomenal negativity of others!
Like, with the recycling, well what’s the bloody point if the REAL solution is reduction or the glass ends up as roadfill instead of glass?
Or with the third world, what’s the bloody point giving a few quid to Concern if EU trade barriers keep Africa doomed to dependency?
Or what’s the bloody point supporting FG even if I don’t agree with lots of their policies because they are the only solution to getting FF out of office?
But surely doing something is better than doing nothing? Isn’t roadfill better than landfill? Isn’t a child sponsoring scheme better than nothing? Wouldn’t a change of personnel keep us going while we await the revolution?
Tom N said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:00 am
Totally disagree with the point there Sarah.
There are no philosophical champions in FF. There are in FG.
Barry Andrews sent us material saying that he virtually shits green these days. Pardon my French. The whole Green agenda was an issue but there was a miraculous conversion within FF.
By contrast FG have always strived for a better Ireland. Everything from social reform in the 80′s to not standing for corruption, to just wanting to provide better government.
FF haven’t had a single idea other than stay in power since De Valera. He had vision, albeith a demented and scary one of cumly maidens dancing at the crossroads.
FG is made up of people who are not hungry for power simply for the sake of it. Maybe that’s why they have been in opposition. Their principles keep getting in the way.
Gerry said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:20 am
Ah Sarah, sounds like you need a hug.
I would be more depressed by the relentless stupidity on this blog in recent weeks (not yours Sarah). Endless repetition of the same point, incoherent postings, random capitalisation, appalling grammar rendering posts meaningless, an inability to synthesise or sympathise, self-indulgent prattling on about some idiotic hobby horse…
It’s as if someone is going around handing out pub bores all over the land a laptop and internet access and throwing in a few free drinks to get the debate going. Monomaniacs, bores and idiots. I would say that you know who you are but the sad thing is like every pub bore, you have no idea just how dull you really are.
Brendan said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:29 am
You’re right, Sarah. There is no point voting FG !
Tom N said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:34 am
I am quite amused by these demented posters.
I am not that good looking, don’t drive a flash car, not a legend with the ladies, didn’t make millions in property……but without these bores I would have no one to whom to feel superior.
Sarah said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:47 am
lol…ok I am cured
Gerry said,
July 5, 2007 at 12:11 pm
to be fair Tom I was including you in there.
ZING!!
I thank you
Tom N said,
July 5, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Ouch Gerry… that hurt.
But by the very fact that you are having a go at me, doesn’t that include you also?
And yes I appreciate the irony having to put this into a post! However if you reply again we will both look like a couple of prats.
The Crewser said,
July 5, 2007 at 12:59 pm
What a load of old horse manure from Tom N. FG Philosophical champions indeed.
Its easy to be a champion of philosophy if you are very rarely given the opportunity by the people to govern (FG I mean) as the Greens (the greatest Philosophical champions of the lot) have been finding out over the last few weeks. When you are obliged to make decisions for the good of the Country there is no scope for sitting on the fence Phisosophising.
Gerry said,
July 5, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I wasn’t talking about you Tom. A joke. There are other Phisosophisers around the place who might better meet the category.,
Leon said,
July 5, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Thank you Fine Gael.
Thank you for the Tallaght strategy which guaranteed that at a time of systemic tax evasion and corruption the poor would be shafted in the national interest.
Thank you for keeping the Jews out.
Thanks for Oliver J Flanagan.
Thanks Garret for having that debt wiped out by the AIB and proving that they ARE all the same.
Thanks for John Bruton who aspires to be Prince Charles.
Tom N said,
July 5, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Sorry Gerry, feelin a little think skinned today. Now the irony makes sense!
Sarah said,
July 5, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Leon, you are so mean
Anyway, didn’t Dev keep the Jews out?
Leon said,
July 5, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Ah no sure Dev was a jew himself.
V said,
July 5, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Oh come on now, all these things help us to feel less guilty about the fact that if you live in Sierra Leone you won’t make it past your 35th birthday. How else could we live with all our little contradictions.
Sarah said,
July 5, 2007 at 4:50 pm
but is that the ONLY reason for doing them? to make us feel better? isn’t there any inherent value in the act itself? V you are terribly bleak
P O'Neill said,
July 5, 2007 at 7:22 pm
No no no Sara, you need to embrace the full Nader-Lenin view that “the worse, the better” — only by totally embracing the harshness of the old order will its true fascistic nature become visible to the masses, who will therefore act more decisively to produce Utopia for all. As the management consultants say (after receipt of large cheque) the Chinese word for crisis is the same as the word for opportunity, so we need exploding landfills, an African migration crisis and 5 more years of rampant Bertie-ism before any change will happen.
Sarah said,
July 5, 2007 at 7:39 pm
hmmm. Worse being better means that things are on the up then, rather than the down. Well that’s optimistic I suppose
Joe Drumgoole said,
July 5, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Add your light to the sum of light. Despair is just escape from responsibility.
Leon said,
July 6, 2007 at 8:44 am
That’s Fine Gael’s role deepen the contrdiction by showing the bourgeois to be not merely self interested and corrupt but openly treasonous.
Thanks John Bruton. (Worst Taoiseach we ever had. We had the worst ever finance minister at that time too Quinn)
sarah said,
July 6, 2007 at 9:48 am
hey, I like Joe’s too. What a productive post. Leon, how exactly are bourgeois treasonous? Do tell…
Leon said,
July 6, 2007 at 10:21 am
John Bruton ‘s lack of interest in achieving peace and his fawning over a foreign aristocrat help show that Fine Gael represents those who are unhappy to be Irish and fawn after some bogwog version of Keeping Up Appearances.
There is another darker strand which rejoices in dead Arab babies and dreams of new colonialism where the Fine Gaellers will be the master race.
That said looks like they’ll be around for a while unlike labour whose TDs are all ancient.
Tom N said,
July 6, 2007 at 10:34 am
“There is another darker strand which rejoices in dead Arab babies and dreams of new colonialism where the Fine Gaellers will be the master race.”
Take your medication Leon!
Ricky The Saint said,
July 6, 2007 at 11:29 am
Just to add to the gloom, I have read that this generation, under 35s, will be the first generation to be poor than their parents. We could look at the social situation of the USA and UK to see where we will be in 10 years, time to buy that house on the gated estate. And then theres global warming, so not a gated estate in sandymount because of sea level rsie, the holiday home in spain will be in a desert where water is a luxury resource and here the weather will be more like northwest Canada. Oh and the housing markets about to collapse, but Berties will put a brave face on it and hope they will all commit suicide. Some people think I’m a bit gul, I can’t see it my self.
Paul Newton said,
July 6, 2007 at 11:32 am
ah open youtube and type in “tommy cooper” followed by his heir “peter kay” I guarantee it will still all look pointless but you’ll be laughing at it rather than worrying about it
Leon said,
July 6, 2007 at 11:54 am
The Irish under 35s definitely won’t be poorer than their parents. Hopefully lots of individuals will be poorer than their parents because that is indicative of classs mobility.
The USA and the UK are totally different.
You are a tool.
Ricky The Saint said,
July 6, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Oh no an Ireland is a special case merchant, the same attitude which makes us ignored excellent ways of running, managing and improving our country, e.g. the germany health insurance system will never work in ireland,
an historical example, around 1930 the irish government saying that industrial schools were the best way of dealing with awkward kids, when at the same time the British government was dropping the whole scheme because of the damage it did to the family.
sorry, ireland is special and unique, Dev rises again,
Ricky The Saint said,
July 6, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I meant to include the people who say there will be a soft landing in the property maket, when no example of similar can be found in other western economies in recent years.
I wonder if they included class mobility study that put the UK and Ireland at the bottom and Sweden at the top where ireland would come, seems to me the lads that were loaded under Albert are the same ones but more loaded under Bertie (generalisation)
Tom N said,
July 6, 2007 at 12:51 pm
“…
Hopefully lots of individuals will be poorer than their parents because that is indicative of classs mobility.
The USA and the UK are totally different.
You are a tool.”
So Leon, you want people to get progressively poorer?
Leon, come on now, take your meds. There’s a good boy!
Ricky The Saint said,
July 6, 2007 at 12:52 pm
get out of it you bloody ballooba!!
This is the Seanin FG lickspittle attitude that caused the Famine!!!
WEST BRIT
Tom N said,
July 6, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Not sure I follow you there RtS!
Darren Mac an PhrÃora said,
July 6, 2007 at 3:23 pm
What FG policies do you not agree with Sarah?
The couple of West-Brit comments on this thread demonstrate that there is an elephant in the room when it comes to FG. A lot of people see the party as West-Brits and thats a fact.
We need occupational therapy to demonstrate how good the AIA was and how John Bruton was misinterpreted on the North.
The Crewser said,
July 6, 2007 at 5:36 pm
John Bruton was not misintrepreted on Northern Ireland and neither was he misintrepreted on the taxation of childrens shoes. The Irish voters gave him his answer.
Darren Mac an PhrÃora said,
July 6, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Fine Gael won 54 seats in 1997. How many West-Brits do you think voted for the party then- or were they all West-Brits?
In relation to the taxation of childrens shoes it has to be said that that was… over 20 years ago… and he didn’t have much room to manoevre with the econonmy. And, come on, he was only about 23 anyway.
Seriously, FG need occupational therapy- I say this as a member.
Maybe most of the members are more thick-skinned than I am, but I equate think-skindness with thick-headedness.
The Crewser said,
July 6, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Darren, there is a band of voters in all countries called “the floating vote” They will vote for just about anybody at any given time for very fickle reasons. 54 seats in 1997 is made up of FG core vote plus a share of that floating vote. The floating voter has no idea what a West Brit as you describe him is. Now that we have a hard won and timely peace in the Northern part of our country that term may soon be consigned to history. Whether this will have a pronounced affect on FG’s electoral performance remains to be seen.
Tom N said,
July 9, 2007 at 8:15 am
“Darren, there is a band of voters in all countries called “the floating vote” They will vote for just about anybody at any given time for very fickle reasons. ”
Yes Crewser, we all agree that anybody who does not agree with your opinion must be fickle!
The Crewser said,
July 9, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Just telling it like it is Tom N, warts and all.
Tom N said,
July 9, 2007 at 3:05 pm
On the contrary, you are lying, just like you did in your debacle with RTE!