Like every political post I write, these are my views and are strictly not those of my employer. I write this as an individual with specific personal political views and opinions. This post should thus be read as such.
I genuinely don’t know where to start with this.
I remember sitting in school learning about the plantations. The History teacher said very bluntly that the Irish were always a divided people so when the English enforced this during the plantations it became ingrained. It was his opinion that this lack of solidarity was why it was so easy for England to cement their rule. After all, in his opinion, the Irish were so busy fighting themselves they didn’t have anything left to fight anything else!
There are a lot of things in Irish society that are hidden left over’s from the 16th and 17th century. I think it is obvious that this division is one of them.
Ok. Getting to a specific example. Look at the way the entire country fights against the government. No matter what they do we have a problem with it. WE complain that the health service has too many managerial staff. They announce cuts of four thousand to the current number of seventeen thousand managerial staff, all be it in a slightly badly organized way, but cuts none the Less. In response, we give out that their not the right kind of cuts. There’s nothing they can do that we’ll agree with.
We have fallen into the same old trap. But you know what is even worse? I don’t think we realise it. If you stopped reading, watching and listening the news do you except that your outlook on the entire situation would be more optimistic? If the opposition parties in the government were more constructive do you agree you would feel a little better about the situation we’re in?
I blogged over a year ago about how the financial situation was going to get much worse mainly because of negativity and public perception. A small number of visitors thought my view was unrealistic but I continue to stick by it. It’s hard not to be negative when even the people who know more about the economy are negative and provide no positive options. The more people become uncertain about where their next euro will come from the more spending will fall. The more spending will fall the less income businesses will have. The less income businesses have the less taxes are paid. It’s a vicious circle. It doesn’t start with people but it certainly isn’t helped by them. I think it is our negativity and our over acceptance of doom and gloom that has prolonged this entire situation. There are thousands of positive thinkers in this country but there’s no public platform for them. As I said in previous posts, the system doesn’t allow for it. It relies on the jeering from the background from those whose sole purpose is to get into power to balance things out. Think about it. How can that ever work? I’ve explained why I don’t think the Irish parliament doesn’t work so you can read that again if you like.
Hundreds of years after social division was our downfall we still haven’t learned. Instead of tackling this problem head on as one nation, we scuttle around it as organized as an army of mice on ecstasy.
Let’s face it, not one opposition party nor Fianna Fáil has a hope of fixing this problem. I firmly believe that not one member of any political party be it Sinn Féin, Labour, the Greens, Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil have one member in government who has the potential to get us out of this. The only people we can rely on are ourselves.
You know what, that alone scares the crap out of me. How is a country so disjointed ever going to help themselves? Everyone is looking to the government. The same government who have failed so many in the past. I’m no expert. I don’t consider myself as being particularly great when it comes to politics but to me that seems a little stupid.
I think a change is needed but I think we don’t have time to wait for it. Politics is not the answer. Waiting for the government is not the answer. Fighting among ourselves is not the answer.
Exactly when are we all going to grow up and take responsibility for our own country?
It’s not their fault. It’s ours!
Deal with it!
Stop complaining. Get up and actually do what you can.
Positivity is just as contagious as negativity.
If you want proof look at the economy at the start of this year when the leading news report on every station was “Ireland is officially out of recession”. That posative story directly resulted in an increase in spending did it not?
At the very least, it can’t hurt.