illusional Realities.

It's been one of those days when you wish one had not bothered getting out of bed, but that's enough about that!

Micháel Martin was today elected the eighth leader of Fianna Fáil. Will he be their last?
It's an old saying, but a week certainly can be a long time in politics. Just over a week ago Mr. Martin was defeated by Brian Cowen in a motion of confidence the Clown had put on himself. Relegated to the back benches, he took it like a man and resigned.
I predicted on that day that he probably had secured the future leadership by taking the stance he did, but even I did not think that just eight days later that particular 'honour' would be his.

Every man deserves a chance, so good luck to him. One feels he has his work cut out for himself. He is tonight calling for a series of cross party debates and well, I certainly would have no problem with that. I just wish I had some say in setting the agenda because all these people are blind to the reality on the ground for both the unemployed and those savaged with debt. It's hard to figure out, one tries every avenue to find a way out of unemployment, but you'd be better thought of if you lay in bed all day watching TV. I'll buy into it when i see it, but i ain't buying any more political waffle.

We now have a taoiseach who's not the leader of a political party. Explain that to the world. I wonder how Tunisians and Egyptians would react to that?
The Finance Bill passed it's second stage in the Dáil today with Lowry and Healy-Rae up to their old tricks and securing 'concessions in return for fast tracking this Bill through the house and into law. The final nail in the austerity coffin...until the next budget that is, where mortgage arrears will set us off into another tailspin. It's scary times if you're Irish and trapped, because there are no opportunities and emigration is a visa away, but near impossible to get given the circumstances. There really should be an emigration fund all things considered.

I remember way back in the day a guy going to welfare and saying he wanted to give London a go. They wrote him a cheque for the plane ticket. I think he was back in a week.

With leadership battles to be won and concessions to be sought, the serious lack of debate in order to get this passed is worrying. Side tracked by the promise of a vote that is not going to make any lasting difference anytime soon, this bill not only impacts on the margins of society, but will have some poor families grieving for a lifetime. That is the true price of this sham, the true price of the decisions taken in power. Why anyone would want to be part of that is beyond me, because if it is to induce change in this country, at this time, under what's on offer, YOU WON'T!

'Gettin' loud Booker, gettin' loud.' Never loud enough, though.
I wonder how me old mate Leon would have thought as he hunted for outlets to create the illusion that took him away from his reality. The reality that now seems like an illusion to so many. Makes one wonder what is real sometimes, doesn't it? The madness that is modern day Ireland. The world looking in. No where to go.