“The only security men can have for their political liberty, consists in keeping their money in their own pockets.”

or the still sublime…

“The fact is that the government, like a highwayman, says to a man: ‘Your money, or your life.’ And many, if not most, taxes are paid under the compulsion of that threat. The government does not, indeed, waylay a man in a lonely place, spring upon him from the roadside, and, holding a pistol to his head, proceed to rifle his pockets. But the robbery is none the less a robbery on that account; and it is far more dastardly and shameful. The highwayman takes solely upon himself the responsibility, danger, and crime of his own act. He does not pretend that he has any rightful claim to your money, or that he intends to use it for your own benefit. He does not pretend to be anything but a robber. He has not acquired impudence enough to profess to be merely a ‘protector,’ and that he takes men’s money against their will, merely to enable him to ‘protect’ those infatuated travellers, who feel perfectly able to protect themselves, or do not appreciate his peculiar system of protection. He is too sensible a man to make such professions as these. Furthermore, having taken your money, he leaves you, as you wish him to do. He does not persist in following you on the road, against your will; assuming to be your rightful ‘sovereign,’ on account of the ‘protection’ he affords you. He does not keep ‘protecting’ you, by commanding you to bow down and serve him; by requiring you to do this, and forbidding you to do that; by robbing you of more money as often as he finds it for his interest or pleasure to do so; and by branding you as a rebel, a traitor, and an enemy to your country, and shooting you down without mercy, if you dispute his authority, or resist his demands. He is too much of a gentleman to be guilty of such impostures, and insults, and villanies as these. In short, he does not, in addition to robbing you, attempt to make you either his dupe or his slave.”

Governments serve banks well in enslaving us, our own to be especially applauded.

From today’s Business Post 9th December 2012.

Budget 2013: Positive forecast tempered by reality

00:52, 9 December 2012 by Neil Gibson

“Ireland has, to coin an unfortunate phrase, so much credit in the bank with the international community that its ability to ringfence monies for stimulus will be greater than it will be for many other economies.”

“Neil Gibson is an economic adviser to Ernst & Young”

Is that the same Ernst & Young which TI quoted in their report?

So what else has happened on planet Ireland,

Well the recent NTMA bond issue was over subscribed..
The recent Bank of Ireland bond issue was over subscribed.
Almost on a weekly basis more job announcements are made by international companies setting up / expanding shop here.

It would appear that there is a disconnect between perceptions inside planet Ireland and those outside.

http://pngexposed.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/transparency-international-is-part-of-the-corruption-problem/

In it criticism is raised about Transparency International PNG.

In addition there are also a number of other articles on the www which are critical about TI methodology of perceived corruption.

Before all you NamaWineLakers run off to build a gallows for Mr O’Brien.. have a read of this..

http://www.gibsondunn.com/publications/pages/TransparencyInternational-2010CorruptionPerceptionsIndex.aspx

h/t FT Alphaville. I have no connection with the performers, producers, promoters or anyone else involved.

bjg