Madam, – Am I the only one who believes there was method in the Government’s dithering with regard to the bailout? After all, it was in a very strong position. If Ireland had gone down, next would be Portugal, then Spain, then the euro and the whole EU project. Is it any wonder the situation was discussed at the G7, Nato, etc?
Nations would not be greatly concerned about Ireland, but would be about their own situation. If the second most powerful currency on the planet had crashed, it would have brought down the whole house of cards that is the international capitalist “free market”.
This State is now able to draw all the funding it needs at a greatly reduced cost compared with the bond market. The IMF can be the ideal scapegoat when there is dirty work to be done. Perhaps Messrs Cowen and Lenihan are not as stupid as the media would have us believe. Or is my theory too Machiavellian? If it’s not, Fianna Fáil might be worth a small wager, at long odds, for the four-in-a-row. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Although Minister for the Environment John Gormley has admitted that the EU forced the Government to bend the knee on the minimum wage, it would be grossly unfair to accuse Brian Cowen of surrendering our independence to outside forces.
We are still allowed to pay for the hugely-expensive ministerial limousines that purr though our streets every day. Furthermore, we retain the privilege of subsidising the Dáil bar to the tune of a couple of million per annum. Above all, our former taoiseach continues to be spared the need for driving lessons.
Clearly, the Government retains control of the important decisions. – Yours, etc,