G'Day From Downunder

I am absolutely furious this week! I'm afraid if I put the kettle on for the usual cup'pa tea I will scald someone as the Irish nation has been scalded with last week's news.

Finally it's now official; though every politician in Ireland didn't have the gumption to utter the words: "Ireland is Insolvent".

It was the worst kept secret of all time. It seems everyone in Ireland and everywhere else around the world knew that the country was on its knees, except the politicians that is. No! No! Let me correct that, they knew alright they were just stalling for time to figure out ways to save their asses.

I am absolutely distraught with anger that this dire situation was allowed to happen.

You know us Irish are a forgiving lot; we come up with every excuse to forgive the wrong doers, but this time its time to take off the gloves and put away the feather dusters. It's time to put on the Jack Boots and start cracking the whip! No more of this softly, softly forgiving stuff... this is judgement day!

This current disaster is not as simple a situation as someone being caught with their hand in the till. It is about making people responsible for what they did wrong to this wonderful nation of ours.

Ireland's economy was the envy of the world for over twenty years until corruption and greed was allowed to flourish when the politicians and the bankers got into bed with one another and the consummation produced some crony mates as evil offspring who sucked the life out of that land that is so close to all our hearts.

No matter how long ago it is since we migrated from Ireland we love the place no less. As emigrants it is impossible to distance yourself from the pain the Irish are going through now.

I must have said mentioned a million times in my writings my mistrust of banks and politicians. You have to always be aware of how stupid they can be.

Do you remember my writing some time back? You will find more crooks in suits than in dark alleys! I don't want to hear of words of forgiveness, I want to hear words like justice and restitution and punishment.

Australia was populated many years ago by the Irish who as punishment for stealing bread to feed themselves they were banished for life never to see their families again.

So let's equate that to a bunch of greedy ratbags that brought our homeland to its knees. You can thank God I am not going to be the judge when they have to stand in front of the dock, for you can be certain that I would make the punishment fit the crime.

There's not a paper on this earth that would print what I would really like to say and do about you greedy bastards.

Tell me what is the penalty or what should it be for robbing and killing a nation? The Irish people deserve better! We were a nation that was plundered by foreigners over our long history and now we are plundered by our very own. Just as Ireland was getting all its boxes ticked and the world was looking at it as a shining example of how to do things right the greedy termites were chewing away at its foundations.

Those culprits had no consideration for anyone other than themselves and filling their own pockets with as much loot as they could get into them.

There was no consideration as to what would happen when the banks would be left empty and the hard earned savings of the working class Irish now nicely stuffed in the pockets of their Armani suits.

Those inconsiderate nincompoops, who you all know and for whom I have no regard or respect, should be hunted down like the vermin that they are and have their asses roasted.

But alas, here comes the bad news! It's not going to happen; yes, that's what I said "it's not going to happen"! They will more than likely all walk away scot-free-and-laughing or as we say in Ireland "scoffing all the way to another bank" a long way from Irish jurisdiction.

Yes they will use the legal system to delay and drag out the process for as long as is necessary. The public purse doesn't have enough money in it to fight a long process.

For God's sake Ireland is broke!

For too long Ireland has allowed corruption to flourish, be it the politicians, the bankers, the shonky developers to say nothing of the prostitution and drug problems. Cocaine is more popular than Guinness and how sad is that? As I said earlier us Irish are a forgiving lot and a soft touch.

Sadly, maybe it's our own fault for trusting too much; we always voted for the same political party it was tradition in our families. The parish prist was the representative of God and we respected that. The bank manager was always going to look after our hard earned money. The local Garda would always protect us and never take bribe money to look the other way. Really, all we ever wanted was what we were promised.

Here comes the 'but'. But we trusted all the wrong people! Politicians are masters at lying, the clergy took advantage of our trust and respect, the bankers emptied the tills for their cronies and the Garda have no way of making up for turning a blind eye to the now flourishing sex and drug industry that continues to grow by the day in the Emerald Isle.

We have been led up the garden path, and we have been led like sheep to the slaughter by the people we trusted to look after this most precious of nations on earth.

This land of ours has weathered many a storm over our chequered history and we have proved to be a resilient and stubborn race.

We are survivors, we have proven many times when we are on our knees we are at our best as there is only one way and that's up.

Let's collectively now call on that fighting tenacity that we inherited from our forefathers and put it to good use! "If you think you can you will" I love that statement, to me it's everything Irish.

Let's look at Ireland before the Celtic Tiger arrived and its journey up to about seven years ago. Before the Tiger arrived we were an agricultural nation. When the Tiger arrived we became a technological nation.

You see how we changed, we did it before and now with much more experience and a much smarter educated workforce we can do it again.

What did I say earlier? If you think you can you will? Of course it would help if some of our young bright sparks stood for office. Ireland badly needs a transfusion of new blood in politics.

The old blood is contaminated and there are too many anaemic with nothing in their veins. So come on you young lads and lassies your country is calling out to you.

The only way out of this crisis is from all of us to be pulling together to rebuild this great country or ours and restoring it to the glory it deserves.

As for those who brought my country of birth to its knees, remember you might have fooled all of us here and you will no doubt escape punishment and here comes the 'but' again... but you still have to face the man above. Oh, and just another reminder: you can't take the money with you because there aren't any banks in hell... long may you rot there!

Until I talk to you again be good to those who love you and Slainte from Downunder. C

You can still catch me on mike@globefins.com.au