Ireland Voters Oust Ruling Coalition In Rejection Of Austerity

[noretreatnosurrender]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by petronius (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Reuters

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's ruling coalition was ousted by voters angry at the country's uneven recovery, results indicated on Saturday, leaving Prime Minister Enda Kenny facing the unpalatable prospect of trying to secure a deal with his biggest rival.

His government appeared to be the latest victim of European voters' growing antipathy to mainstream politics, hit by a backlash against years of austerity and a perception that Ireland's poor are not benefiting from the fastest economic growth in Europe.

Exit polls suggested the only viable option may be a problematic alliance of old rivals Fianna Fail and Kenny's Fine Gael - although even their combined support was set to fall below 50 percent of the vote for the first time.

If neither side is able to form a government, however, fresh elections would have to be called.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ireland-voters-oust-ruling-coalition-in-rejection-of-austerity_us_56d24099e4b0bf0dab32673b

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Establishment politics under attack across the globe.

[Bigmack]

1. Ah sure, doncha know that

the auld sod is a FINE place! Ms Bigmack

[CountAllVotes]

2. So Mr. Enda is OUT

Grim.

Lots of damage to be cleaned up is a very nice way of saying it.

'Alas time for a new start and time to stop the spreading of this contagion if possible.

[Hydra]

3. Massive fails all around the globe by the establishment

Their goal are not workable in the real world...but it's not like they are noble goals anyway.

[houston16revival]

4. People are tired of being exploited

the impulse to freedom is written large in our psyche

I was thinking of this the other day

You get your car repaired. You know what it costs. Parts $30 plus a markup on them,
labor at $85 an hour, standard mechanic project time at 3.7 hours (allowed by state law,
regulated sort of, perfectly legal), the mechanic does the work in 35-50 minutes, you get
the bill for $517

Or

You buy the parts online for $20-30, do the work yourself as a novice in 2.4 hours

People all over the world are tired of getting fleeced

[Igel]

5. They don't need to be fleeced

What they often want is the convenience of paying $100 or $200 (or less) for something that the garage charges $500 for.

They deserve it. And they're being robbed of what's theirs by right by what they're charged. Doesn't matter that they can do the work themselves. Or that they agree to the estimate. They're owed and they're angry, dammit.

(This only works one way. They deserve not just every cent they earn, but they're also being ripped off by their employer who should pay them more. Because they're owed and they're angry, dammit.)

[houston16revival]

7. You make valid points

people want to pay less, business wants costs plus a profit

my post being really how the system is set up that way to ensure
profits

No one denies a business is entitled to operate in the black, they do
provide a convenience

I think the fixed hours per job is what irks me. The mechanic isn't paid
a lot, and the costs of wages, taxes, overhead, the service manager
must also be added.

Sometimes though, it seems the bills are quite high for the hours and
costs involved. Some national chains still can't make much money this way.

[noretreatnosurrender]

6. Just Like in The U.S>

"There's total disillusionment with party politics. The independents and the smaller parties seem to be almost like the last hope for the country," said John McKeever, a voter in Dublin. "It's not a recovery for a good 30-40 percent of the country. It's a rich man's recovery."

[petronius]

8. Locking. Sorry, but this is a dupe of an earlier topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141361915

Please continue to post comments, updates, and additional sources in the older thread. Thanks!