Ullick McEvaddey and Joe Higgins - Opening Salvoes of A Big Debate

Ullick McEvaddey's interview on the Pat Kenny show today seems to have flabbergasted people. The Anglo Irish Bank is an icon, that created the Celtic Tiger, the ten who made the loans to Anglo Irish are Heroes: we should all invest our money in bank shares and take out 100 per cent mortgages. He told a sob story, of how someone lost 15 million on the banks, and poor Tony O'Reilly who lost 40 million "of his families money" on Waterford Glass.

A listener said McEvaddey was "in a bubble". I think it was the first chance to hear what is being said behind the closed doors of the rich.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/player_av.html?0,null,200,http://dynamic.rte.ie/quickaxs/209-rte-todaywithpatkenny-Friday.smil

People have queried why on earth did McEvaddey go and blurt this out? He was roasted by hundreds of listener calls and texts.
I think we will be hearing more of this rubbish. It may be that we are hearing the stirrings of a backlash coming from the temporarily cowed and shocked ultra-wealthy. Auditor#9 posted an Americal youtube today in which traders roar their contempt for people who don't want their houses foreclosed on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geubj3Ukugo&eurl=https://machinenation.forumakers.com/portal.htm

Joe Higgins replied to McEvaddey - and was not really able to say how to stop the "race to the bottom" - beyond saying that we could not be asked to work for Chinese wages, and suggesting nationalisation of banks and industry, he seemed unable to deal with the issue of globalisation.

McEvaddey was insulting, but if he is going to be put back in his box, we'll have to do better than Higgins.

McEvaddy and Higgins? Right wing isolationism versus anti capitalism?

I hope they both lose.

Ronald Binge wrote:

McEvaddy and Higgins? Right wing isolationism versus anti capitalism?

I hope they both lose.

Do you think McEvaddey is an isolationist? He was singing the praises of globalism and cheaper labour elsewhere.

cactus flower wrote:

Ullick McEvaddey's interview on the Pat Kenny show today seems to have flabbergasted people. The Anglo Irish Bank is an icon, that created the Celtic Tiger, the ten who made the loans to Anglo Irish are Heroes: we should all invest our money in bank shares and take out 100 per cent mortgages. He told a sob story, of how someone lost 15 million on the banks, and poor Tony O'Reilly who lost 40 million "of his families money" on Waterford Glass.

A listener said McEvaddey was "in a bubble". I think it was the first chance to hear what is being said behind the closed doors of the rich.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geubj3Ukugo&eurl=https://machinenation.forumakers.com/portal.htm

People have queried why on earth did McEvaddey go and blurt this out? He was roasted by hundreds of listener calls and texts.
I think we will be hearing more of this rubbish. It may be that we are hearing the stirrings of a backlash coming from the temporarily cowed and shocked ultra-wealthy. Auditor#9 posted an Americal youtube today in which traders roar their contempt for people who don't want their houses foreclosed on.

Joe Higgins replied to McEvaddey - and was not really able to say how to stop the "race to the bottom" - beyond saying that we could not be asked to work for Chinese wages, and suggesting nationalisation of banks and industry, he seemed unable to deal with the issue of globalisation.

McEvaddey was insulting, but if he is going to be put back in his box, we'll have to do better than Higgins.

McEvaddey was doing a great job of shooting himself in the foot and then along came the only man in Ireland who could make him sound sane, enter Joe, the man who has stage one of every two stage plan taped down.

Ronald Binge wrote:

McEvaddy and Higgins? Right wing isolationism versus anti capitalism?

I hope they both lose.

There is reason to suspect, however, that we are nearing a paradigm shift, and it would appear to be a time for getting off the fence, taking sides and making your real priorities and loyalties known, if only to yourself. Cactus's post is interesting as it sets the debate in the broader context of where to go from here (or as Higgins might like to put it, What Is To Be Done). I don't doubt that there is a middle ground between McEvaddy and Higgins. But it's not enough to say that the middle ground is not either of the extremes; it needs to actually be something as well as just not being something, if you get me.

I heard Joe on Radio One last week demolishing whats left of capitalism and you could sense that he had the judged the mood of the country to perfection ... and then he went and spoiled it by saying something stupid like "we should nationalise Waterford Glass". FFS. It was like he couldn't help himself!

Still, if Ulick and Joe both show up in Dublin tomorrow I know which of them is more likely to be strung up from a lamppost.

coc wrote:

I heard Joe on Radio One last week demolishing whats left of capitalism and you could sense that he had the judged the mood of the country to perfection ... and then he went and spoiled it by saying something stupid like "we should nationalise Waterford Glass". FFS. It was like he couldn't help himself!

Still, if Ulick and Joe both show up in Dublin tomorrow I know which of them is more likely to be strung up from a lamppost.

From what was said by listeners to the programme, that is dead right. The left needs to raise the bar. Joe sounds like a TU official: he doesn't seem to get the fact that the whole thing is imploding - McEvaddey does, and was clear that no one has an answer (in which case, might as well try to carry on fleecing us as long as possible).

I thought McEvaddy was like someone out of Dallas and I was looking forward to Joe's defence of anti-capitalism but he just came out with a caricature of the 'market' as a bunch of global corporations setting the price of everything and he disappointed me a bit although he is great to listen to as a spirit.

The left and right need to talk to each other (as youngdan says) and I don't think these lads epitomise the left and the right for me.

Auditor #9 wrote:

I thought McEvaddy was like someone out of Dallas and I was looking forward to Joe's defence of anti-capitalism but he just came out with a caricature of the 'market' as a bunch of global corporations setting the price of everything and he disappointed me a bit although he is great to listen to as a spirit.

The left and right need to talk to each other (as youngdan says) and I don't think these lads epitomise the left and the right for me.

Ye've gone past him Auditor#9. He should listen to more of these youtubes on Capital.

Yeah

I think Evercloserunion is hitting at it there - there has to be some way in the middle now or some fusion of the two and there has to be, for me, a Green element. It's a pity Joe wouldn't know more about Constant Capital i.e. Machines and Tools - he should listen to brendanmcooney alright.

Is he a Marxist ? There has to be a good fusion picture of it out there as I think the market has plenty of role as has socialism and greenism...

It's like in a proton - the same colours exist if you believe in Quarks that is.

coc wrote:

I heard Joe on Radio One last week demolishing whats left of capitalism and you could sense that he had the judged the mood of the country to perfection ... and then he went and spoiled it by saying something stupid like "we should nationalise Waterford Glass". FFS. It was like he couldn't help himself!

Still, if Ulick and Joe both show up in Dublin tomorrow I know which of them is more likely to be strung up from a lamppost.

It is a pity McEvaddy did not turn up at the march in Dublin and take his Cabinet representative Harney with him. If only to remind people of the enemy within.