Slugger O'Toole

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Latest comments from consul (see all)

consul has commented 54 times (0 in the last month).

1. Comment on Ireland and the Anglo debt: “Would the ECB like to have even one success?”
   on 24 January 2012 at 1:39 pm

   Then where did Anglo’s problem come from? I think you will find that it was loan defaults.

   Oh you’re damn right it was loan defaults but not from the likes of Joe Bloggs. It was high net worth individuals who took out loans of 10s of millions at a time, such as the likes of the Golden Circle, who took Quinn’s stake after he’d gambled and lost. If he would have come up trumps with the CFDs, do you think he would have been minded to share the proceeds out with the people, on principal like, or would he have taken the view that he borrowed the money, he took the risks, so he alone should reap the benefits. Which do you think? Personally I have no problem with with people making astronomical sums, if they have the talent fair play to them. But if it all blows up in your face don’t come crying to me like I owe you.

   You keep coming out with this rubbish about because these people created some jobs in the process of making themselves extremely wealthy, that somehow ordinary people, because they got some of the crumbs that fell from the big player’s tables, are now morally obliged to cover their arses. Many of these people were perpetually in debt, by hundreds of millions, in some cases into the billions, rolling over loans with the next big deal. And then the music stopped, they were caught with their pants down. They were not regular Joe Soaps because Anglo didn’t deal with any ordinary Joe Soap, certainly not in the latter years.

   Also the thing you miss in your analogy is that Wee Bun’s name is printed on the bank notes.

   Didn’t miss it at all. I’m aware that we’re living in the German Union. Check back and you will see that I noted we may eventually have to consider leaving the union if they take the position that screwing the likes of Ireland is going to be permanent policy.

   Everyone was happy with the consequences of cheap credit as it become available. I think they should have to pay it back.

   One of the reasons they didn’t ask too many questions was that they hadn’t actually borrowed it and therefore came to the crazy conclusion that they would not have to pay it back.

   I think a country is like a business. If the Union keeps voting for pay rises and shorter hours (analogy for better wages and services) all paid for by the Banks money sooner or later it should be paid back.

   Actually, although there are certainly some issues on day to day spending in Ireland that need to be talked about, they wouldn’t have, on their own, threatened the solvency of the state. It’s only when we find ourselves saddled with other people’s astronomical debts that it becomes hard to pay for a functioning society.

   If you think that, on principle, there are any conceivable circumstances where it is morally right that a loan should be covered by anyone other than the individual or entity that took out the loan, then maybe you should reassess your principles. They certainly don’t coincide with mine.

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2. Comment on Ireland and the Anglo debt: “Would the ECB like to have even one success?”
   on 23 January 2012 at 9:52 pm

   Now because Joe blogs can no-longer meet his repayments Anglo cannot repay it’s debts and goes bankrupt.

   You’ve got it backwards I’m afraid. The reason Joe can’t pay his loan is he’s roped into paying Anglo’s. The billions of euro of charitable donations, taken out of the economy to save to defunct banks is the reason half a million Joes now find themselves in trouble. They are finding it difficult to pay their loans because it has been decided that first they must pay someone elses. The banking crisis was not caused by the economy tanking, the economy tanked when the banks started receiving charity.

   I may be wrong but as I Understand it.Anglo borrowed the money from Germany and lent it to Joe Blogs who in turn gave it to P’Oniel.

   P ONiel then Bought a €40,000 car from Bill Cullen which paid a salesmans salary for 2 years. (money goes into real economy) … and the rest

   That like me saying well Wee Buns lent me €100, I lent you on €50 and you used that to make a bit of money. Then I lose me shirt at the bookies, I can’t pay WB back, but never mind, I can always rope you into paying back the €100 with interest, first and foremost, and if that interferes with your prospects of paying me back the €50 you owe me, that’s your problem. But just don’t be complaining about it , you wouldn’t have got your loan and made money without me, so you’re obliged to pay off my debts as well as yours. On principle you owe the money so shut up and pay it. All of it.

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3. Comment on Ireland and the Anglo debt: “Would the ECB like to have even one success?”
   on 23 January 2012 at 3:35 pm

   The politicians will continue as they are until people on the ground decide they’ve had enough of the status quo. This will take a couple of years. At the moment people don’t want to, as they see it, jump from the frying pan into the fire. Another year or two and they may recognise that they’re in the fire and need to hop back into the frying pan. Default, possibly leaving the Euro or even the EU are all stuff of the unknown. No one can say how difficult some or all of those options would be. Eventually, as we continue on this current path, we’ll likely find ourselves in a spot where these choices may start looking like the lesser evil.

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4. Comment on Ireland and the Anglo debt: “Would the ECB like to have even one success?”
   on 23 January 2012 at 2:59 pm

   All this money eventually found it’s way into the Irish Economy. When Anglo lent Joe Blogs €400,000 to buy a two up two down in Ranelagh from P O’niell. That money went into P’Oniel’s Bank account. That is real money that went into the Real Economy.

   On principle it should be paid back.

   Joe Bloggs should be accountable for the €400,000 he borrowed from Anglo, but expecting him, and everyone else, to cover Anglo’s borrowings from banks in France, Germany and elsewhere is a bit much. How many times should you be expected to pay back the same money. Of course you can point to the Bail-out Deal signed between the Banker’s puppets in Ireland and the continent and say well it’s all legal and above board. So legally as we stand it must be paid back, shame the task isn’t remotely possible. On principle however, I’m not so sure.

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5. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
   on 2 October 2011 at 3:59 pm

   ‘MunsterView’
   All the ‘bitching’ is coming from your end.Incredible delusion. You don’t seem to have much else.

   
   as the good book says “Empty vessels make the most noise” and some things do not change.
   

   Finally some sense.

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6. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
   on 2 October 2011 at 2:34 pm

   MV
   I’m loath to respond to you at all, but you insist. You’ve got this thing about FG and you want to link me to them. You are determined to style me as some kind of FG head as you did before. You attempt to suggest that Gay Mitchell is some kind of hero of mine, laughable. I set you straight once already but I might as well have been talking to the cat. I distinctly recall informing you on a previous occasion that I don’t have any truck with any party. I couldn’t have been clearer about it. There is one of two possibilities. Either a) you’re incapable of processing basic information, or b) you are deliberately misrepresenting me so you can have a pop. Either ways you’re a lightweight.

   You think I’m obliged to tell you all about me in some profile. You want me to tell you what you’re dealing with. You want to play the man but I will not facilitate you. Generally speaking you should deal with the posts, the author does not concern you.

   You want me to answer for the “Builders, Bankers and assorted Wankers , the white collar, corrupt criminals…” who left the place in a hoop, working hand in hand with parochial parish pump politicians. If you are waiting for me to defend that scum, I’m afraid it’s waiting you’ll be. I don’t want to discuss anything with you. I’m sorry I just cant take you seriously. You live in a world of make believe and frankly I don’t care for the tone of your posts.

   You’ve been described as a Walter Mitty type character by others here before. I’m going to be honest with you, that’s exactly what I thought before I ever read it. All of this talk about Security Forces watching you, laughable.

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7. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
   on 1 October 2011 at 9:52 pm

   So that’s everyone working for the state and we’re keeping the parish pump which has always been ingrained in Ireland, sometimes I wonder if you’ve ever been here. I understand what your vision for this country is. It’s just that it makes my blood run cold. I thank whatever’s out there that we’ll never see it.

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8. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
   on 1 October 2011 at 8:07 pm

   The parish pump. Yes very good.

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9. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
   on 1 October 2011 at 11:56 am

   
   If public sector workers (including admin) in NI were to get the wages that RoI ones do, you’d be looking at a sea change in attitude. Add the RoI rates of social welfare and you’re well on the way to Unity.
   I’d just do some sums first though.
   

   I am saying that the Irish Government and the British Government can both benefit by merging the Public Services in Ireland. We are facing into a period of major reforms on how Public Services are delivered in Ireland. This is an opportunity to design the optimum model to do the job. If an organization is properly designed, everyone has a purpose and a job to do, targets to reach etc. There are no systems failures because every mistake can be traced back to source. And people should be accountable when they don’t measure up.

   The Irish Government pay the workers in the Republic, the British Government pay the workers in the UK. Non-critical staff aren’t replaced as they leave and eventually PS numbers in NI reach normal levels, typical of any other part of Ireland. You seem to suggesting that it makes far more sense to continue wasting resources on pretend jobs. I’m not sure why you think I’m the one who needs to do my sums.

   
   ‘replacing teachers’? We have a surplus of graduate teachers to the sum of 5000+. Per annum.
   And we have the demographics of Moldova. Young educated people are leaving. The constitutional situation at present is of no relevance to many young people.
   Health and Education already co-operate on a ‘British Isles’ level.
   The logical outcome of your post is a British Isles state, which is actually happening de facto, if not de jure.
   Are you a Man Utd or Liverpool fan? I’m assuming Celtic as a given.
   

   My point is that you keep the people you need, as for the rest, when their period of service ends, the position is retired with them. If you believe that there is a surplus of teachers exceeding 5,000, then that’s 5,000 staff that don’t need to be replaced. This is what I’m talking about. This is how you reduce the cost of subvention over a period of years. You differentiate between critical posts and non-critical posts. You keep the critical posts filled and the non-critical posts evaporate over time. I’m not discussing the constitutional situation at all. You’re the one who is fretting about it. We have the PoC to deal with that, I think this is satisfactory. For me this is an adminastrative issue. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want to call it co-operation on a British Isles level, no problem. Whatever gets a chap through the week I’m all for it. The fact that you seem to be anxious to keep the massive subvention levels in place is instructive to me. It’s like you don’t believe that the Unionist argument can stand up without it. If you don’t believe in your own position how do you credibly expect others to?

   By the way I supported Liverpool as a kid. The reason for this is very simple. They were winning all round them when I started watching football. Most people I knew supported them. I wasn’t very original. I’m not naive enough to think that if I would been born about six or seven years later that I wouldn’t have ended up as a Man Utd fan for the very same reason. I like to think of it as a lucky escape. Like most people though I find that sport gradually becomes slightly less important as you move through life and other things take over.

   I’m assuming you’re strange attempt to decide that I’m a Celtic fan is down to the fact that since you are unable to deal with the contents of the post, you’re concentrating on the poster instead. You don’t like what I have to say so you attempt to attribute a certain mentality to me. I find it amusing. FYI I’ve never been remotely interested in the Old Firm one way or the other.

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10. Comment on Some serious Unionist thinking required…
    on 30 September 2011 at 8:31 pm

    BluesJazz
    Well you’re safe as houses then as long as London decides to keep spending billions every year for all eternity on a massively out of proportion public sector. If they decide that it would make more sense to just keep replacing frontline staff such as nurses, teachers and police and to not replace non-productive admin staff things would look very different after about 10 or 15 years.

    If both governments were to decide for instance to merge all public service over a period of years by leaving admin in the Republic to run the services and cease replacing admin staff in NI, then eventually it becomes quite affordable.

    The difficult period that the entire Western World is facing into is actually a compelling reason to look for ways to use resources in a wiser fashion. It’s hard to justify two public sectors in Ireland when one would do. The old subvention excuse could no longer be used to find reasons not to recognise everyone equally in the region.

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