Slowly but surely the Troika is beginning to realise that the Irish political/administrative system operates in a parallel universe when it comes to honesty, efficiency and accountability (Irish Independent).
Brendan Keenan lists the following failures. (Failure, by the way, is one area where Irish politicians/administrators are leaders in the world).
Failed to sell off Permanent TSB.
Failed to take on the professions.
Failed to reduce the bill for public sector pay and pensions.
Failed to introduce a property tax.
Missed the deadline for personal insolvency legislation.
Accepted we won’t reach the deadline for the introduction of water charges.
Ignored repeated Troika warnings about protecting the elderly from cuts and placing an unfair burden on children.
Now the reason for all this failure is simple, the corrupt Irish political system is concentrating all its energies and all the people’s resources in protecting its privileged position.
Keenan goes on:
The Troika itself is getting antsy about the failure to meet almost any deadline that does not have a number attached to it and has repeatedly told the Government in private that more needs to be done to meet those targets to modernise the economy and break the power of the many vested interest groups that brought Ireland to the brink.
The Troika is getting antsy because the corrupt system that destroyed the country is still in power and still looking after the many vested groups at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Sooner rather than later I believe the Troika will realise just how rotten the system really is and begin to do some serious screw turning.
I’m unsure the Troika will have answers to the underlying problem – the inherent self destructiveness of capitalism. Don’t ask me what the alternative is but we (humanity) better find it soon. Its the 1930s all over again and we know how they ended.
As someone who has toiled ceaselessly over the past 25 years it saddens me to have to agree that very little has been done post Fianna Fail to rectify the rampant corruption that has been the way of Irish life over many years. None of those responsible for landing us in the mess have been brought before the Courts.The criminal waste in the local Govt. system has not been tackled.No one in FAS was made amenable for massave misspending of public monies.The VECs have not been brought to buck. The cost of our Parliament has not been curtailed.I could go on with the sorrowful litany. Unless these problems are tackled with alacrity we could be heading intothe abyss.