So we were fools ...

So we were fools, were we?

According to an opinion piece I read in a national newspaper at the weekend, the hollowness of the “anti-austerity” campaign was exposed by the failure of the Greeks to overturn the harsh measures which were imposed upon their country.

The Greeks were fools for voting for Syriza, it seems, and we were fools for supporting them in their hopes that a democratically elected Government might just stand up for ordinary people.

But the newspaper columnist, who might as well be paid by the Irish Government to spout pro-Government propaganda every week, believes that we fell for the “seductive slogans” of populist politicians.

He didn’t write a word about the injustice of ordinary, poor people in Greece, Ireland, or Spain “bailing out” a tiny elite of bankers, politicians, and developers who plunged their countries into a mess which was not of their doing.

Instead, he almost revelled in the failure of Syriza to take on the powers that be in the European Union.

So the Irish politicians who flew out to Greece to campaign for Syriza last January should now be eating humble pie.

Those of us who thought there might be another, better way have been forced to concede that austerity is the only option for societies which were riddled with debt by bad right-wing Governments and tiny, smug elites. Or so it seems.

Yes, we’re fools. Fools to think there might be an alternative. Fools to think that people who are struggling to put food on the table should not have to pay for the crimes of the few.

Fools to think that elderly patients should not be lying on hospital trolleys, while our Government slashes and burns – implementing a harsh ‘bailout’ programme – with such a relish.

Or that we shouldn’t have to pay twice for our water while lucrative contracts are handed out to the cronies of the people who happen to be in power.

A street meeting to oppose the installation of Irish Water meters in Galway

The same columnist warns us that our choice is between “stability” and “chaos” in the next election.

In a country in which 54% of the wealth is in the hands of 10% of the population, it could be argued that what he means by stability is really maintaining the inequality of the status quo.

The views of the jobless, the homeless, the patients on trolleys or the couples struggling in negative equity are not taken into account, just as Stephen Collins' cynical dismissal of Syriza's "populism" fails to acknowledge the fact that ordinary Greeks have suffered considerably under austerity in recent years.

His nightmare scenario is that a host of Independents and left wing types will be returned to the next Dail, as opposed to the wonderful people who have led us out of the chaos over the past four years.

When commentators view Irish political life through the exact same prism as our leaders, you wonder about the future of Irish journalism. Surely we need people to question the cozy consensus, to show that there are thousands upon thousands who are still struggling to survive in the Emerald Isle.

When people keep telling you that the Government is doing a mighty job, that the “recovery” is well under way, you wonder if you are even living in the same country.

This remarkable recovery is not evident in the thousands who are still choosing to emigrate, to seek new lives in Canada, Austraila, or Britain.

It’s not evident in the protests against Irish Water which were evident in housing estates all across Galway City over the past few weeks. People in the Westside, Shantalla, and Mervue demonstrated in numbers because they knew they were being asked to pay for a scam.

Who owns the meters? How much are the people at the top getting paid? Is the plan to privatise?

The recovery is not evident in the overcrowded Accident and Emergency Department where I’ve witnessed dozens of people lying on trolleys overnight in recent weeks.

It’s not evident in the Department of Social Protection Office, where people are being constantly urged to join JobBridge schemes – to get their social welfare plus €50 – in order to “massage” the true jobless figures.

Hell, someone was even looking for an experienced solicitor to undertake one of these nine month internships a few weeks ago.

It’s not evident in the homelessness crisis across our cities, or the way in which students are finding it impossible to find affordable places to live.

Homelessness only became an issue last winter when a poor man from Co Kilkenny died within metres of the Dail. Yet charities like the Peter McVerry Trust tell us that we are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.

It's not evident in the thousands of people with crippling mortgages, legacies from the "boom" days. People who work hard all week but can barely afford a night out on the town because they've been trapped into crippling property debts.

But, according to the newspaper article I read on Saturday, the “recovery” is well underway and the only alternative to the “stability” of our current Government is “chaos”.

It must be great for the Government to know they have such well-paid cheerleaders, urging them on with scare stories about the lack of alternatives every week.

Even if it leaves you feeling that some people inhabit a parallel universe, a long way from the working class housing estates where people have maintained a four week vigil to ensure the Irish Water meters have not been installed.

The article on Saturday might just leave you with a feeling of dread, that we don’t really live in a democracy; and that efforts by parties like Syriza are futile – because the interests of big business and a small elite take precedence over the rights of ordinary people all the time. 

Syriza’s failure to get better terms for the Greek people did not expose the party as “populists” with seductive slogans, it rather underlined the futility of seeking democratic change within the confines of a far from democratic European Union.

But, of course, we are fools for believing that any alternative is possible.

Thank you, Mr Tubridy

Dear Ryan Tubridy,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know you don’t know me, and you probably don’t want to know me, but I am writing this letter in solidarity as it was brought to my attention this week that austerity has hit you more than most over the past few years.

As a person who took voluntary redundancy late last year, I have some idea of the pain you must be going through. But to hear that the ‘powers that be’ did such damage to your pay-packet . . . I’m truly astounded.

In recent weeks I’ve met old people who spent 24 hours lying on trolleys in an overcrowded Emergency Department and young people on a JobBridge scheme embarrassed because they can’t afford to go for lunch with their co-workers. But, cripes, none of them have suffered like you have.

It’s been brought to my attention that you get paid €495,000 per year. This seems reasonable, you might claim, given all the work you do interviewing “celebrities” and “stars”. But few people understand the impact of cuts quite as much as you do, given that you were earning €723,000 just a few short years ago. That kind of savage cut must be a terrible burden on you and your family.

I guess that’s why you decided to take a trip into the unknown by inviting Paul Murphy TD of the Socialist Party onto the ‘Late Late Show’ last Friday night. You have so much in common. The cruel ‘powers that be’ have slashed your wages by almost 50%, since 2011, while they stripped him to the waist when he sat down in front of a car last November.

The Gardai even dragged him out of his bed before dawn on a Monday morning, for daring to take part in a protest. Austerity truly is a bitch these days.

I thought it was great that you could invite him onto your programme and share tales about the injustice of it all.

It’s not often that representatives of the working class get much airtime on the national broadcaster and, when they do, they are often seen standing in dole queues or running from courthouses with their faces hidden. Or, even worse, making fools of themselves on one of those wannabe “celebrity” shows.

So it was great that you invited this representative of the “underclass” onto your show, even if you were keen to point out his Fine Gael "heritage". At last viewers could get a chance to understand what drives people to sit down in front of a Minister’s car or march through the streets of our cities, protesting against Irish Water, on bitterly cold winter afternoons.

It was truly magnanimous of you to give Deputy Murphy a chance to explain why so many people are angry, why he believes so many have been excluded from the “economic recovery” we hear so much about on our national media these days.

I would not be Deputy Murphy’s biggest fan, but I want to thank you for giving him a platform last Friday night.

More importantly, however, I want to thank you for giving us all a glimpse into the mindset of the privileged few at the very top of Irish society.

I know he came onto your show to talk about the water charges protests, just a day after four protesters were sent to prison. The fifth, the lucky sod, happened to be sunning himself in the Canaries when a Judge decided to send him to jail.

So I want to thank you for interrupting Deputy Murphy at every opportunity, grilling him about protests which had nothing to do with him, and exposing him for the vile threat to life as we know it that he poses.

I want to thank you on behalf of all the people for exposing him for the “sinister” element he represents. He seems to be the kind of man who supports the kind of savage cuts which have affected your pay packet so dearly. The man's virtually a Communist. He'd probably want to see you on the minimum wage.

Your performance was brilliant. Instead of asking him about water charges, you made it so clear that the pesky underclass he represents pose a sinister threat to the status quo in Irish society. You had a right to be indignant. He says he's from the AAA, but we all know he's a member of the Anti-Everything Alliance.

What was the point in questioning him about the damage which seven years of austerity have done to the people he represents in Dublin South West? Not while you and your production team had a lovely video of idiots hurling abuse at President Michael D. Higgins out in Finglas.

I know, I know. Deputy Murphy had no hand, act, or part in that particular protest. But you were so right to interrogate him about it, because it shows that he and his movement truly are part of this “sinister fringe” who undermine everything RTE stands for.

If these loud protesters dare to sit on the ground in front of Ministers' cars, what next? Heck, they might even start trying to let members of the "underclass" inside the RTE studios on a regular basis. And, sure, as D'Unbelievables might say, "we can't have that ... "

These vile revolutionaries have a dangerous influence on people, especially the people of “Middle Ireland” who sit on their couches every Friday night cursing your programme because they can no longer afford to go to the pub.

Thank goodness you didn’t show a video of 100,000 people marching in peace and good humour against Irish Water on the streets of Dublin last October. Sure, that would only have annoyed the Government – and we all know who pays your wages, even if they have been slashed to shreds over the past four years.

God forbid that people like Deputy Murphy would ever get into power. Heck, he would probably even try to slash your wages even further, forcing you to live on the breadline.

Heaven forbid he would ever try to get the message across that ordinary people should not be in jail for protesting while corrupt bankers and developers will never step inside an Irish prison.

So, thanks again. I didn’t learn much about the water charges protesters on Friday night, but I learned an awful lot about you and the people you represent. It’s not often the “establishment” (a word Deputy Murphy seems to love) lets the mask slip to expose such contempt for those who dare to protest.

In a strange way, you have probably done a hell of a lot to revitalise the campaign against the water charges.

Thanks Ryan,
Ciaran Tierney.

Mods and rockers in 2014

It might seem strange that a person who wrote his own music column for 15 years might need to be reminded of the power of music, but two gigs over consecutive nights did wonders to lift my spirits this week.

My life, post-redundancy, has not exactly gone to plan. I’m still seeing the Public Health Nurse every second day after undergoing surgery on my shoulder six weeks ago. Dreams of travelling the world or finding the perfect new job have had to be put on hold. It’s not easy to be virtually laid-up, unable to swim in the pool or go to the gym, in Galway at this time of year.

The cancellation of my former work-mates’ Christmas party allowed me to join a couple of old friends at a wonderful gig at the Roisin Dubh, before I hopped on a bus to Dublin for a show which brought me way back in time to my teenage years.

Ah yes, mods and rockers. In my teenage years, the two tribes did not get on. But, as you get older, you realise that good music is good music no matter what the genre. It pains me to recall that I didn’t appreciate The Who, The Specials, or The Jam when I was a kid, just because I was a ‘rocker’ and they were ‘mods’.

Back then, before I discovered the joy of punk at about 16, I used to go around in a denim jacket, with badges and long hair. Bands like Thin Lizzy, Metallica, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden provided the soundtrack to my life.

Sleaford Mods at the Roisin Dubh

When you are in your 40s, you don’t care about labels any more. And I have to admit I got a great thrill out of seeing a ‘mod’ band I knew very little about at the Roisin Dubh.

On a wintry Thursday night in December, it was great to see Sleaford Mods attract such an eclectic crowd. The audience reminded me of what a vibrant place Galway is for a city of just 75,000 souls, even in the depths of winter.

My friends, Hugo and Brian, were already enthusiastic fans of the two piece from Nottingham. And so were many others, by the look of things, judging by how warmly the audience greeted the duo from the moment they took to the stage. Many seemed to recognise each and every catchy, minimalist track, and some even sang along with the words.

After six years of austerity, it was refreshing to see a band rant about dole queues, corruption, and all the trials and tribulations of modern life. Singer Jason Williamson had the spleen of a Johnny Rotten or Mark E Smith, while his partner in crime, Andrew Fearn, conjured up some pretty hypnotic, if minimalist, beats.

Williamson’s lyrics address issues which few artists seem to touch these days. At a time when there is so much anger about the place, it was startling to see a lead singer with the courage to take on political issues on tracks such as ‘Jobseeker’ and ‘Black Monday’.

Sleaford Mods have seen their career take off over the past year and yet they remain a small, cottage industry. After the show, the band members sold their CDs and merchandise themselves. They mix punk, mod, and hip-hop influences, and travel light. I met them in Dublin with just two small cases on Saturday.

They got me thinking that Ireland needs a lot more artists who are willing to take on controversial, topical issues, at a time when people are up in arms over water charges, bailouts, property taxes, and bankers.

On the following day, given the all-clear by the nurse, I boarded a bus to Dublin for a nostalgic trip to see a band I worshipped at the age of 14. People can laugh all they want, but veteran metal act Saxon put on a phenomenal live show.

Sleaford Mods were in Dublin the same night but, given that they slag off rockers in one of their songs, they would not have been welcomed at this particular show.

Saxon will always have a place in my heart, because I used to headbang to their music with my two little sisters in the 1980s. Their music signified rebellion and freedom in the midst of a strict, Irish Catholic childhood.

When my sister Cliona died at 16, one of the songs took on a significance which has stayed with me for a quarter of a century. I still treasure how we used to rock out to ‘Strong Arm of the Law’, playing the track at full blast when my parents were out of the house.

I saw Saxon live in Dublin a year and a half ago, just before a trip to Spain, and was blown away by the power and melodies in their show.

On Friday night, they didn’t disappoint. They rocked the Academy with songs like ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, ‘Wheels of Steel’, ‘Frozen Rainbow’ and ‘Motorcycle Man’. 

Saxon live at the Academy, Dublin

It was truly uplifting to look around and see rockers aged from 20 to 60 going wild for a band who have been on the road now for 35 years.

Looking up at the stage, it was amazing to see the joy the band members themselves were getting from the gig. Rarely have I ever seen anyone who loves their jobs as much as the members of Saxon, still rocking after all these years. If only everyone could get such fulfilment from their careers.

Seeing the smiles on their faces, while a jubilant 60-year old metal head bounced up and down beside me, reminded me of the importance of just having fun.

Afterwards I met a couple from Milan who travelled to Dublin especially for the gig. There was a joyous atmosphere in the hall and the powerful, loud music seemed to banish my anxieties about the future.

Sometimes just shaking your head to loud music is the perfect tonic when too many of us are overcome by financial concerns or worries about what lies ahead.

(Just don’t tell the cynical Sleaford Mods that I went to see a bunch of old metal dinosaurs!)