(Photo @kierfoley via twitter)
Feb 10, 2013
Over 100,000 Irish citizens took to the streets Saturday in protest of six years of severe austerity cuts and rocketing costs of living since the financial crisis plunged the country's banking system into an endless debt spiral.
Organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), 'Lift the Burden' demonstrations were held across the island country in cities including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford, with some 60,000 marching in the capital alone.
Speaking at the Dublin rally, ICTU General Secretary David Begg said that it was "hugely unfair that Irish people had paid 42 percent of the European banking debt burden."
"Campaign against the debt burden will continue until the European authorities fully honours the agreement reached last July to separate bank debt from sovereign debt," he added.
According to financial adviser Marco Pietropoli, Ireland "ended up with a far bigger bill" than most countries who've had a bailout, causing their citizens "a great deal more" suffering.
"They want us to pay all their bills and we're getting tired of it now," said Patrick Healey, a teacher who has seen his wages cut by about 20 percent in the last five years.
Reuters reports that the demonstrations were held despite a recent bank debt deal with the European Central Bank, "which allows Ireland to stretch out the cost of bailing out Anglo Irish Bank." They write:
For protesters struggling with cuts in living standards, mortgage arrears or unemployment, the deal is scant consolation.
"I've no confidence at all in the deal, it won't make any difference to ordinary people," said Alfie Murray, marching in Dublin with his 8-year-old grandson.
"It's the next generation that'll shoulder the cost," he said.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Over 100,000 Irish citizens took to the streets Saturday in protest of six years of severe austerity cuts and rocketing costs of living since the financial crisis plunged the country's banking system into an endless debt spiral.
Organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), 'Lift the Burden' demonstrations were held across the island country in cities including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford, with some 60,000 marching in the capital alone.
Speaking at the Dublin rally, ICTU General Secretary David Begg said that it was "hugely unfair that Irish people had paid 42 percent of the European banking debt burden."
"Campaign against the debt burden will continue until the European authorities fully honours the agreement reached last July to separate bank debt from sovereign debt," he added.
According to financial adviser Marco Pietropoli, Ireland "ended up with a far bigger bill" than most countries who've had a bailout, causing their citizens "a great deal more" suffering.
"They want us to pay all their bills and we're getting tired of it now," said Patrick Healey, a teacher who has seen his wages cut by about 20 percent in the last five years.
Reuters reports that the demonstrations were held despite a recent bank debt deal with the European Central Bank, "which allows Ireland to stretch out the cost of bailing out Anglo Irish Bank." They write:
For protesters struggling with cuts in living standards, mortgage arrears or unemployment, the deal is scant consolation.
"I've no confidence at all in the deal, it won't make any difference to ordinary people," said Alfie Murray, marching in Dublin with his 8-year-old grandson.
"It's the next generation that'll shoulder the cost," he said.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Over 100,000 Irish citizens took to the streets Saturday in protest of six years of severe austerity cuts and rocketing costs of living since the financial crisis plunged the country's banking system into an endless debt spiral.
Organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), 'Lift the Burden' demonstrations were held across the island country in cities including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford, with some 60,000 marching in the capital alone.
Speaking at the Dublin rally, ICTU General Secretary David Begg said that it was "hugely unfair that Irish people had paid 42 percent of the European banking debt burden."
"Campaign against the debt burden will continue until the European authorities fully honours the agreement reached last July to separate bank debt from sovereign debt," he added.
According to financial adviser Marco Pietropoli, Ireland "ended up with a far bigger bill" than most countries who've had a bailout, causing their citizens "a great deal more" suffering.
"They want us to pay all their bills and we're getting tired of it now," said Patrick Healey, a teacher who has seen his wages cut by about 20 percent in the last five years.
Reuters reports that the demonstrations were held despite a recent bank debt deal with the European Central Bank, "which allows Ireland to stretch out the cost of bailing out Anglo Irish Bank." They write:
For protesters struggling with cuts in living standards, mortgage arrears or unemployment, the deal is scant consolation.
"I've no confidence at all in the deal, it won't make any difference to ordinary people," said Alfie Murray, marching in Dublin with his 8-year-old grandson.
"It's the next generation that'll shoulder the cost," he said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.