Hard not to be smug about the UK today just a smidgeon

Dudess wrote: »

What EXACTLY is wrong with it? It's true, no?
Patriotism/nationalism should be a choice, not forced on people. I don't feel an urge to love this place I happen to have been born in - by a twist of fate I could have been born in Senegal. What should I do? Force myself to feel an urge to love my country?
If you want to love your country, more power to you, but expecting everyone to feel the same way as you is not reasonable.

Presume you're taking that quote completely out of context?

I never thought of it that way, the thought of not loving your country is alien to me, but i take you point. thats not to say its right though!:D

There has been a campaign by certain elements in the UK media to use the current economic situation in Ireland to take a swipe at the Eurozone. These are the same idiots who appeared in the European Parliament in leprecaun hats to "support" and "congratulate" Ireland on our no vote to the Lisbon Treaty. They have no love or understanding of Ireland and will either "praise" or ridicule us depending on where our actions stand in their agenda. It is also interesting how the UK papers with an "Irish" edition, the Mail springs to mind, tone down their anti-Irish sentiments in the Irish editions.

As for John Arlidge's article, where do I start?

The manner in which he reported Patrick Rocca's funeral was nothing short of disgusting. Let him write his nonsense but what sort of individual uses the private grief of a family in this manner.

I have every sympathy for Ciaran Costello and everyone else who has lost their homes and jobs. However, a review of the repossessions ordered by the Courts tells an interesting story. The numbers remain low, most cases being taken by the sub-prime lender, a very high percentage of homes are unoccupied and/or have had few or no repayments paid since the loans were drawn down.

"He fed and rode the Celtic tiger. He got the job, accounts manager for a luxury housing developer; the house, a three-bedroom semi in Longford, west of Dublin; and the car, a Mercedes. "

A 3 bed semi in Longford, with apologies in advance to all who live in Longford, this is hardly the stuff of "living the dream" nor is a Merc on the "never, never". As for the Beijing story, more of John Arlidge's fantasies I should think.

The editor of Irish Entrepreneur, dear god, where does he get these people from. O'Keeffe obviously took to the new Ireland like a duck to water. I left in 1979 and came back in 2001 and I agree with him about the vulgarity, ill manners and conspicuous consumption, the rise of the "socialite" and "celebrity", who in reality are just ignorant bogtrotters who have managed to throw off their rural accents and acquire a bizzare manner of speech that they think marks them out as some sort of new aristrocracy. It does not, it simply shows them up for what they are the heirs of their gombeen ancestors. These are the people who were buying off plan in places they could not spell or pronunce much less find on a map. However, O'Keeffe and his ilk are part of the problem not the solution. I certainly never had any dealing with potatos while they were still in the soil nor worshiped either Versace or the Virgin Mary, nor did any member of my family or social circle.


When the Doheny & Nesbitt school of economics was founded the Euro was many years away and played no part in the policies that emanated from that venue. As for GMT wtf has that go to do with anything?. 100+% mortgages where did our bankers import that idea from? Gosh it was the UK, we really should show more gratitude and respect to John Bull.

The Irish economy is in deep trouble and we are still at the mercy of Cowan and his gang. The majority of our elected representatives have never worked in the real world, most are failed school teachers, country solicitors, publicans, farmers and refugees from other parts of the public sector. I shudder every time I read a report of the failed social worker from Donegal visiting places like the Middle East and the United States to promote Ireland. The woman is an incompetent fool and her performance in the UAE was embarrassing in the extreme, she is doing the country the type of damage that the likes of John Arlidge could only dream of.

If we are to get out of this mess we need to build credibilty for our economy and in order to do this we will have to have root and branch clear out of the banks, the so-called regulators and the fools who are running the country into the ground. We could start by sending the CAB into the banks and taking the Sean Fitzs and the Fingletons out in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs.

The toxic loans that are going to put you and I into debt for decades to come belong to approximately 90 individuals and they should be made accountable. When we start taking care of business we will be in a much better position to expose John Arlidge and his fellow travellers for what they are: ignorant, petty minded, little Britons.

Dudess wrote: »

You're the one who appears to have their head in the sand in relation to the economy.

Not this computer - another one I have though. I'll check out the link when I'm using it next.

Links please.

I wouldn't think it was all right for any publication to publish anti Irish hate... but that's not happening. You're just being super sensitive about any negativity at all from the British, even when this negativity is based in fact.

Do what? Can you please give links to the horror? British people are always being slagged off and they're expected to take it because of their past - and plenty of them do. I have always considered there to be a major sense of self deprecation among the British - if more so the younger generations.

"Take" what? If there is some really horrible anti Irish sentiment, fine, but I see absolutely no evidence of it. I see reporting of the facts - occasional gentle slagging... and then some major sensitivity from the Irish. The usual. You know, being able to laugh at yourself is actually a sign of self confidence.

But WHAT?! What are they saying that's so hurtful? Ireland's in big trouble financially? How awful of them.

Get over yourself. Seriously.

Dudess I remember discussing this with you about the john aldridge article a few weeks ago.I despise sinn fein/the splinter republican movements.I know that Ireland is screwed economically and we are the author of our own misfortune-due in no small part to our habit of continously electing gombeen men no vision chancers.

I have absolutely no problem with British people.But there is a long and well documented history of certain british media establishments having an anti-irish agenda.The daily telegraph,the mail and the financial times have always belonged to the tory establishment which still has close links to the unionists ,the british army and the anti EU nutjobs.They do not just poke fun at us "gently".They mock us (when they disagree with us) and they condescend to us when they agree with us(on our low corporate tax).

I recently read Max hastings autobiography about his tenure as editor at the Daily Telegraph between 1986 and 1995.He quite candidly spoke about the anti-irish opinions held by a number of his senior staff especially his northern ireland correspondent who was an out and out bigot.He removed some but others were too powerful.Max Hastings is a highly respected journalist and was at that time a conservative supporter-he had no reason to lie.This was relatively recently.Not everyone who holds the view that there are elements of the british media that are not our friends are some sort of "paranoid brit-hater".

A number of serious irish journalists have covered this recent rise of paddywhackery-maybe they are all paranoid too.I remember pointing out numerous insults or stereotypes in the aldridge article which you dismissed as poor research -however I was insulted and view it as deliberate paddywhackery which is basically were views about Ireland become ridculously poorly researched to the point of farce.

But why is it always the same papers that get Irish peoples backs up-the right wing tory ones.I,m sure the guardian,The observer and the Independent have also had some articles that covered the irish economys collapse.There has been no uproar over them because they did it in a fair evenhanded manner.

RATM wrote: »

I'm smelling schadenfreude from the OP:pac:

The way I heard it today is that the IMF said Ireland will need €25bn to pull itself out of this hole and the UK €125bn. Considering we've only got a tenth of their population yet a fifth of their debt I'd say we're the ones truly in the soup.

You can laugh away OP but at least politicians in the UK are forced to resign when they are found guilty of corruption or incompetence, unlike here where they tend to become poll toppers as a result.

Nail on head.

120_Minutes wrote: »

we are alcoholics who found money. immature greedy ones at that.

its not whackery when its true.....

Nail on head. Doesn't have to be alcoholics though, just the "I deserve" mentality.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

the only quotes I heard about the irish, drink and greed were from the irish themselves.

The IMF has actually downgraded the amount of debt they originally expected the UK to require to bail out the banks, but their report today on the world economy was pretty gloomy. the one that surprised me was that the German economy is expected to shrink by 5.6%, the highest of the large EU economies

Germany is exposed to Eastern Europe. Thing is, Germany is used to very low growth and recessions in recent times. This isn't that out of synch for them.

mac_iomhair wrote: »

the only people that hate the Irish are the Irish themselves, some of you guys think you are smart to be pro- british, "oh im bigger than that" catch a grip. If the french started saying that about us this would be a whole thread of "bloody frogs" etc. The media here in Ireland is controlled so much by Britian that most of ya are a bunch of West Brits. I hate this self hating Irish attitude, whats wrong with a bit of pride in your country, I think some of you have identity problems. When did taking pride in your country become such a sin,:mad:

In your head. There was a thread last summer about a "bloody frogs" letter in a paper and it got similar replies. Some criticising it, some seeing truth in it.I take a bit of glee in the "ould enemy" getting it too, but they are our second biggest market. It isn't 60% anymore, but it's still big.

darkman2 wrote: »

The poor old anti Euro Sunday Times needs Ireland to collapse to prove it's points about the Euro.....hence the attention.

In fairness, there was a lot of truth in it too. I accept your point about the Euro. The Times, Telegraph etc. will print anything that will link in any tenious way whatsoever to the Euro.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I can just imagine the last meeting of the Fianna Fail spin doctors "oh dear we've ****ed up the economy and the populace are starting to see us for the fools we are, what shall we do?"
"I know, let's blame the Brits, its always worked in the past"
"Great idea, I'll give Charlie a ring, he can start the ball rolling".

Don't think anybody is "blaming the brits" for the state of the economy, after all the goods days had nothing to do with them nor to the bad, fair respectful reporting is that too much class for the brits to show particularly from media outlets that support the Tory party

120_Minutes wrote: »

we are alcoholics who found money. immature greedy ones at that.

its not whackery when its true.....

Your point is - Any more generalations that you can come up with or is that your lot