• History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by  controlling money and its issuance - James Madison

The standing protest #BookTheBankers took place yesterday in Dublin for the second consecutive week. In sweltering heat the group, much smaller in number, assembled as it did last week outside the Dail just around mid afternoon. It was largely overshadowed by the protests around the equally important Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. At one point the movers behind it posted a cancellation on the internet in order to avoid a clash of events which probably inadvertently contributed to a diminution in size.

The protest achieved little of the coverage of last week, but then the virgin event tends to be titillating for the media. Nevertheless, it does underscore the strategic imperative of innovation in order to capture public imagination and sustain media interest.

That said, the action can hardly be described as a failure, it being one more straw on the bankster’s back to paraphrase an old idiom, just as yesterday’s separate Jail the Bankers protest in Gorey was. No one believes that the Dail is going to cave in on itself and legislate for jailing the shysters responsible for bleeding society dry as a result of people standing silently outside parliament reading books. The people on vigil – because this is what it is, people letting government know that they are being vigilant about the relationship between politicians and the rapacious bankers – standing there are the last to think that. The value of their protest rests in it keeping the issue of the banks live while serving as a public checkpoint where someone can shout ‘halt’ before the thieves in Mercs freewheel into the night, booty bonus intact.

The progress of #BookTheBankers is not to be assessed on the false criterion of whether it manages in Bastille week to storm the walls or not. A few days ago the following comment on the very informative Cedar Lounge Revolution site made a lot of sense.

Given the week that has been in it it’s easy to forget the Anglo issue. Indeed given the thoughts many of us had last week about how that might impact on political activity in the last three weeks before the Dáil recess it is interesting how the passage of the abortion legislation wiped it off the front pages.

Fact is, it was not expunged from the media. While the author put its return down to an interview in the Daily Mail, it also featured in news items, talk shows and across the internet because of the standing protest. And as so often happens when a campaign is going forward it is beginning to weave its way into a wider tapestry of protest.

Debt Justice Action - http://www.NotOurDebt.ie

Easy to do, hard to ignore, Booking The Bankers for their book cooking is a statement that some are not prepared to be slaves to the money masters.

Standing up to the Money Masters

  • History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by  controlling money and its issuance - James Madison

The standing protest #BookTheBankers took place yesterday in Dublin for the second consecutive week. In sweltering heat the group, much smaller in number, assembled as it did last week outside the Dail just around mid afternoon. It was largely overshadowed by the protests around the equally important Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. At one point the movers behind it posted a cancellation on the internet in order to avoid a clash of events which probably inadvertently contributed to a diminution in size.

The protest achieved little of the coverage of last week, but then the virgin event tends to be titillating for the media. Nevertheless, it does underscore the strategic imperative of innovation in order to capture public imagination and sustain media interest.

That said, the action can hardly be described as a failure, it being one more straw on the bankster’s back to paraphrase an old idiom, just as yesterday’s separate Jail the Bankers protest in Gorey was. No one believes that the Dail is going to cave in on itself and legislate for jailing the shysters responsible for bleeding society dry as a result of people standing silently outside parliament reading books. The people on vigil – because this is what it is, people letting government know that they are being vigilant about the relationship between politicians and the rapacious bankers – standing there are the last to think that. The value of their protest rests in it keeping the issue of the banks live while serving as a public checkpoint where someone can shout ‘halt’ before the thieves in Mercs freewheel into the night, booty bonus intact.

The progress of #BookTheBankers is not to be assessed on the false criterion of whether it manages in Bastille week to storm the walls or not. A few days ago the following comment on the very informative Cedar Lounge Revolution site made a lot of sense.

Given the week that has been in it it’s easy to forget the Anglo issue. Indeed given the thoughts many of us had last week about how that might impact on political activity in the last three weeks before the Dáil recess it is interesting how the passage of the abortion legislation wiped it off the front pages.

Fact is, it was not expunged from the media. While the author put its return down to an interview in the Daily Mail, it also featured in news items, talk shows and across the internet because of the standing protest. And as so often happens when a campaign is going forward it is beginning to weave its way into a wider tapestry of protest.

Debt Justice Action - http://www.NotOurDebt.ie

Easy to do, hard to ignore, Booking The Bankers for their book cooking is a statement that some are not prepared to be slaves to the money masters.

6 comments:

  1. AM-

    Again well done to all those that took part in those protests-

    Heard on the radio that the National womens council of Ireland as described the Dáil and Irish politics as a woman-unfriendly place following the incident in which a Fine Gael TD grabbed a female TD in the Dáil-that anti woman TD would
    also go past protesters outside the
    Dáil as well so that area could also now be described as woman-unfriendly-

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michaelhenry,

    irony is that the Dail is now proving much more women-friendly than the Church!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AM-

    I wouldn't be too hasty on heaping praise on the Dáil! TD Tom Barry let himself down slightly on camera by playfully grabbing & pulling a female colleague on too his knee after the debate!

    Only in Ireland! lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. AM-

    " more women-friendly than the Church "-

    That's what I always found odd about the Catholic way of life or most other religions-how anti women they are-yet it seems like women have the most faith-[generally]

    Tony Rochford has ended his fast after 25 days-I could not last a few hours without food yet this hero starved for 25 days outside the Dáil-

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michael,

    apparently he came off it after hearing Danny Morrison was negotiating a resolution: all he needed to do was stay on it another 170 days and victory was his.

    Fair play to him. No easy thing. The old hunger pangs are not too agreeable. I was scribbling together a few thoughts on it. Suppose I will still publish.

    You are right about the religions - they tend to be very misogynistic. Look at that lot in the Catholic hierarchy proclaiming 'not a woman about the place and here are the rules we men lay down for you and which you must obey.

    Bishops of Ireland - GO FUCK YOURSELVES

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fenian,

    had he done it in a pub little would have been said. They know each other, she appeared not to see it in a bad light. Bad time and place to be frivolous. But a lot worse has been done by the Dail over the years on Irish women than this.

    ReplyDelete