Prepare to welcome your new IMF overlords

Sinne Fianna Fáil
Atá Fá gheall ag Éirinn
Buidhean dár sluagh tar rúinn do ráinig chughainn
Fámhoídh bheírh saor
Sean-tír ár sinnsear feasta
Ní fágfar fá’n tíorán ná fa’n tráil
Anocht a theigeamh sa bhearna baoghail
Le gean ar Gaedhí chun báis nó saoghail
Le gunna sgréach: Fá lamhach na piléar
Seo Libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann

I will let ye decide which Brian is which

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N-4zrk390

These are the defining moments of the two Brians Leadership. Any capitulation on our corporate tax rate is a defeat.

http://blogcod3sun.com/wp-content/uploads/no_retreat_no_surrender.jpg

This is like a fourballs match in the Ryder Cup with Harrington’s ball in the water. Don’t worry - Martin Kaymer can still dig us out of a hole.

Still, it’s far from ideal. 7 Eurovision titles and we’re resigned to being bailed out by others. What next? Some Germans writing our Eurovision entry next year instead of Karl Broderick or Marc Roberts.

FFS.

Lenihan is stuck in traffic…

Runt once victory is declared I want Lenihans head photo shopped on that picture there

Anyone hearing the budget has been moved forward to Thursday?

I have contacted my impeccable sources to confirm or deny.

I’ll confirm that. At least it’s still a Thursday, good night for going out.

COWEN SAYS [size=“6”]NO[/size]

Scenario ii) it very definitely was.

Untrue.

He heard what he heard.

Hmmmm.

Ireland will fight and Ireland will be right!*

*maybe, we’ll wait and see what happens

The Guardian is running a live blog:

Ah I like being harsh. It’s to help people learn.

The Euro certainly makes things more complicated but economic integration is part of the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. Obviously the mess we got the banks in was a failure in Ireland but it was supported by the rest of Europe who encouraged the low interest rates etc. And the assistance to the banks has to be seen in a European context. I don’t agree with th protection for bondholders and I think that’s a ridiculous price we’re paying but I don’t believe it was a purely Irish decision. There are vast amounts of German and French money invested in Irish banks from corporate bondholders and from pension schemes.

It’s not a problem unique to Ireland or a reflection solely on Irish incompetence. It was incompetence, negligence and naivety that is paying a higher price because of European interests.

Press conference at European Commission:

A joint EU-ECB-IMF team is coming to Dublin to ‘intensify talks to prepare for’ a situation where Ireland might ask for assistance. Ireland have not asked for assistance yet.

“Ireland is our most pressing challenge of today. We expect the four year fiscal plan to be presented soon and next year’s budget to be convincing.”

So it’s fairly clear at this stage, as it was all along, that the government effectively lied to us. Even RTÉ felt a bit aggrieved at this.

David Murphy from Six One News:

“In many cases you could say the Irish public were misled over the past few days. Essentially Ireland is on the brink of making one of the biggest decisions in the history of the state and Irish tax payers could be saddled with a lot more debt, potentially €80bn, simply to fix the banks.”

“That will have to be paid back plus interest. …there hasn’t been full and frank information given to the citizens of this country about the communication between Europe and Ireland. Indeed the government may have exacerbated things by suggesting nothing was happening, when clearly the ECB - which has €90bn tied up in banks here - is not one bit happy.”

Minister Roche on Prime Time: “The bank guarantee has worked and the EU have recognised it as a good thing.”
O’Callaghan: “But a lot of people would say we’re in the trouble we’re in because of the guarantee.”
Roche: “It’s easy to say that with hindsight.”

Of course it’s fucking easy with hindsight. That’s not a fucking reasonable argument to:
a) defend the guarantee or
B) persist in protecting it or
c) renewing it.

This sort of clown makes my blood boil.