The euro: breaking up isn’t hard to do | John G. Fitzgerald
Good article here on the strong argument to be made for Ireland leaving the euro.
It is an article of faith among almost all political parties in Ireland that the country’s future is inseparable from that of the euro. It is widely considered to be [...]

Less healthcare, but Greece is still buying guns
“Despite its dire financial straits, the country’s military expenditure has risen during the global financial crisis. It spent €7.1bn in 2010, compared with €6.24bn in 2007.
Some 58 per cent of Greece’s military expenditure in 2010 went to Germany, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
The US [...]

John Cassidy in the  New Yorker Blog | Wall Street Protests: Commissioner Kelly Outdoes Himself
Was the NYPD crackdown on OccupyWallStreet protesters, who occupied Brooklyn Bridge at the weekend leading to over 700 arrests, part of the increased militarisation and heavy-handedness of the force since 9/11, or are the authorities feeling vulnerable?
So why are the police behaving [...]

Bondwatch | The Dirty Dozen w/e Sep 4th
From Diarmuid O’Flynn of Bondwatch….follow link to see the table.
It’s getting kind of frightening now. Look at the next six bonds, look at the sub-total at the bottom of the link. €18bn we pumped into the banks in July, recapitalisation, but if you’re wondering why the money isn’t [...]

Hara Kouki of Critical Legal Thinking on Greece’s Doomed Generation…..

“Young people in Greece can no longer make ordinary life choices: they cannot plan for the present, let alone for the future. But they are told – and many of them feel – that they can’t complain. They belong, after all, to a doomed [...]

EAPN Ireland | Workfare Won’t Work for the Unemployed
Excellent blog post from Aiden Lloyd, on EAPN’s On the Line blog. This pretty much nails the governments ‘thinking’ behind the workfare scheme. It wants to be seen to be doing something, while doing absolutely nothing. The economic structure of the country is based on attracting foreign [...]

Hugh Green | Anglo Grinder
Hugh Green, on foot of the largest profit loss in Irish history - the 8.2 bn lost by Anglo Irish Bank in six months - has started to look at the figures and its eye watering.

Grants to Enterprise was ticking over nicely all the way through the boom, making [...]

Tony Judt Interview on BBC4’s No Triumph, No Tragedy about his disability
Only available for the next 7 days.

WSM Launch The Irish Anarchist Review
The Workers Solidarity Movement have set up a new political magazine called The Irish Anarchist Review, which aims to pursue “a non-sectarian approach, taking ideas from various left currents, mainstream discourse, and reflections on experiences of life and struggle. We will take, print, and discuss, anything that we find useful [...]

Birkbeck Debate The Greek Crisis: Politics, Economics, Ethics
A very interesting discussion held last week (before UK election and EU bailout), on the Greek Crisis in Birkbeck College, London.
Speakers’ Comments
order of speakers:
* Costas Lapavitsas, Economics SOAS
* Kevin Featherstone,Director, Hellenic Observatory, LSE
* Peter Bratsis, (Politics) Salford University
* Stathis Kouvelakis, King’s College London
* Etienne Balibar
* Costas Douzinas, (Chair) [...]