Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

donkey rhubarb

the life and opinions of g4rg4ntu4, gentleman

Fox Newstalk

Newstalk is an Irish talk radio station. It diseminates propaganda. It's key attributes;

  1. conservatism / stupidity
  2. deference for elites / tradition
  3. lack of imagination / ability

For example; on yesterday's breakfast show, Ivan Yates asked how we can restore Ireland's reputation. He had a studio full of people, each describing how we should implement this propaganda exercise. All of them addressed the symptoms, not a one of them discussed the main cause of Ireland's declining reputation - rampant criminality, and a complete absence of accountability,in the business / political / banking sector.

Another example; Ruari Quinn, the Minister for Education, recently made a comment regarding the Irish education system - he quite correctly pointed out that standards are slipping, and that it (the Irish education system) generally isn't as good as people believe, etc. Newstalk felt it was inapropriate for the Minister for Education to make such pronouncements - that he should have taken the opportunity to deliver some inspirational propaganda rather than speaking honestly.

Newstalk actively eschews reporting facts - if deemed too negative - in favour of interpretations that put a positive slant on events - "We are emerging from this depression!", "Our reputation has never been better!", "We did nothing wrong!", "I can't believe we are still in power!", "I can't believe the fools voted us back in again!", etc.

They favour the hysterical voices of vulgar capitalists over reasoned debate - vulgar capitalists who denounce those who favour a more equal society as lefties, vulgar capitalists who seek to exclude you if you interfere in their plans to make obscene profits, vulgar capitalists who think it is right and proper that the failures of the banks should be shouldered by those least capable of doing so, vulgar capitalists who cling to their vulgar wealth like the vulgarnouveau riche that they are. Newstalk and the era vulgaris.

Anything that actively distracts from the real issues is an impediment to change - as such Newstalk is part of the problem.

J.K.

Thoughts on a kitten

It is night - storm clouds have imposed themselves upon the sky, obscuring the moon. A beautiful young kitty, pulling a mechanical fish on wheels, is standing by a vase placed atop a table - the legs of which resemble skeletal paws - the flowers in the vase look dead or dying.

In the background a bespectacled cat looks on - possibly malevolently, certainly intelligently. It is unclear whether his gaze is concerned or voyeuristic, paternal or perverted - perhaps a controlling guardian who cannot let go of his charge.

The beautiful kitty looks startled as if surprised by something unexpected - perhaps ashamed. Is this kitty on her way home? Is she on her way to a litter tray? Has she soiled her beautiful frock and is afraid of the consequences? Perhaps she is running away so as not to incur the wrath of a domineering and demanding custodian.

The menacing tone is accentuated by the composition - to the left of our beloved kitty is the moon, obscured by clouds, to the right the obsessed patron - our set upon heroine seems about to collapse under the weight of symbols at once portentous and weighty.

We are compelled to see ourselves in this kitty - we all find ourselves between the moon and a mendacious cat from time to time - perhaps what we should learn from this wondeful picture is that our problems will persist till we learn to spend more time at the litter tray.

J.K.

Fox News Ireland!

Bertieaherngeorgehook

Newstalk disgusts me for so many reasons;

  • It purports to be an alternative to the 'state-run spin' but in truth is little more than a conservative windbag.
  • It is nowhere close to an unbiassed news source - it's sympathies are clear from the news items it passes over.
  • It is a source of blatant propoganda.
  • It regurgitates all the same inane points that have clogged up the Irish political process for so many years, and in the process obfuscates the real issues - namely that Ireland is a criminally unequal society run by a few for the benefit of the wealthy few.

The three main culprits, the ministers of information if you will, are;

  • Gruppenführer Ivan Yates - failed bussiness man with Dickensian views on almost everything, with little or no imagination, little or no empathy, utterly vulgar - the quintessential businessman, the quintessential Irish man.
  • Oberführer Damien Kiberd - conservative champion of the elites, who is never more comfortable than when he's kneeling before the symbols of traditional authority.
  • Brigadeführer George Hook - another failed businessman, a dangerous conservative, a clueless buffoon.

The Irish political system is made up of tweedle right and tweedle far right passing the reigns of government back and forth, cheered on by the state and independent news sources. it is akin to a rapist putting on a puppet show in order distract his victim.

Where is the anger? Where is the righteous indignation? Where is the creative passion / destructive urge? Where are the Irish while all this is happening? Are they too busy working hard, at least those who still have jobs, paying off the debts of the bankers, to notice what's going on?

The time for civility is over. It's time to get angry!

J.K.

How Did Any Of This Happen?

...Yet when I arrived, in early November 2010, Irish politics had a frozen-in-time quality to it. In Iceland, the business-friendly conservative party had been quickly tossed out of power, and the women booted the alpha males out of the banks and government. (Iceland’s new prime minister is a lesbian.) In Greece the business-friendly conservative party was also given the heave-ho, and the new government is attempting to create a sense of collective purpose, or at any rate persuade the citizens to quit cheating on their taxes. (The new Greek prime minister is not merely upstanding, but barely Greek.) Ireland was the first European country to watch its entire banking system fail, and yet its business-friendly conservative party, Fianna Fáil (pronounced “Feena Foil”), would remain in office into 2011.

J.K.

Thugs!

So who are these people? In support of the president, they throw Molotov bottles and plant pots from the tops of buildings onto the heads of women and children. To establish stability and order, they break heads with rocks and legs with bicycle chains. To have their say in the debate they slash faces with knives. Who are they? Well, every time one of them is captured his ID says he's a member of the security forces.

J.K.

Wrong Things

Unlike other nations, including the U.S. and Ireland, which injected billions of dollars of capital into their financial institutions to keep them afloat, Iceland placed its biggest lenders in receivership. It chose not to protect creditors of the country’s banks, whose assets had ballooned to $209 billion, 11 times gross domestic product.

“Iceland did the right thing by making sure its payment systems continued to function while creditors, not the taxpayers, shouldered the losses of banks,” says Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, an economics professor at Columbia University in New York. “Ireland’s done all the wrong things, on the other hand. That’s probably the worst model.” Ireland guaranteed all the liabilities of its banks when they ran into trouble and has been injecting capital -- 46 billion euros ($64 billion) so far -- to prop them up. That brought the country to the brink of ruin, forcing it to accept a rescue package from the European Union in December.

Iceland Shows Ireland Did ‘Wrong Things’ Saving Banks

J.K.

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