History Watch - eg. Shelley versus Lenihan

[Bostonorberlin]

I thought a history thread might be interesting for discussion, and enlightenment. I will get the ball rolling with this one.
Percy Bysshe Shelley June 29th 1822 speaking

*England appears to be in a despearate conditions, Ireland still worse; and no class of those who subsist on the public labour will be persuaded that their claims on it must be diminished.
**But the government must content itself less in taxes, the landholder must submit to recieve less rent, and the fundholder a dimished interest, or they will all get nothing. ***
I once thought to study these affairs, or write or act in them. I am glad that my good genius said refrain.
I see little public virtue, and I forsee that the contest will be one of blood and gold.

I found that interesting, timeless and currently relevant quote in Shelleys ‘A Philosophical View of Refrom’ , he wasn’t just one of the greatest romantic poets but it also seems he knew more about economics then our last two Finance ministers, Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan. And also he was far more eloqent than the clowns we have in the Dail.
History is repeating and exceeding itself, for instance at no time in history have so many country and stately homes been built in the UK, the cost of labour relative to the wealth of the lords of the manor has never been so low.

Its obvious that Linehan and Cowen know fuck all about managing our the countrys finances, and probably paid little if any attention during their econmics clases, even if theyd paid some attention during Eng. Lit they might have learned something.

The current petty ways of men less and less interest me each day and im more and more drawn towards the historical precedents for all of this. I think thats been lost in the heat of the debate, this is nothing new, peopel are scrambling over eachother for a fix for ther immediate woes but unless we make fundamental changes in society I see this occuring again and history shows it will, in fact the wheels are in motion for the next asset bubble, but maybe its always goign to be the way, maybe Shelley is right after all “I see little public virtue, and I forsee that the contest will be one of blood and gold.”

[yoganmahew]

I think Mr. Lenihan has rather been taking lessons from Mary Shelley with his creation of NAMA…

[Open_Window]

*The Shelly Banks

*warning you may have to be from Dublin to get this

[Bostonorberlin]

Another flashback in the history timemachine…

“The de Valera Government has shown itself not a government of resolute national struggle against Britain, but a government of national compromise and the custodian of the interest of Irish capitalism in its class offesnsive against Irish workers(denying unemployment insurance to the unemployed, cutting wages on relief work, reducing teachers and lower Civil Servants salaries).
The de Valera Government is revealing itself as an enemy of the poor farmers in the struggle against the annuities, mortgages and taxes. It has conciliated with the imperialist exporting interest in agricuture by a policy of subsidies at the expense of the masses of the people.
Its policy of tariffs and industrialisation is directed to the strengthening of the Irish capitalists at the expense of the Irish workers.”

sound familiar…

Irelands Path to Freedon - Manifesto of the Communist Party of Ireland - Inaugural Congress june 3 1933.