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WHY YOU SHOULD MARCH ON 9TH FEBRUARY 2013
WHY YOU SHOULD MARCH ON 9TH FEBRUARY 2013
The banking collapse has left the average EU citizen with a bill of €192. Bad enough you might think until you consider that the average Irish citizen will have to cough up €9,000 to rescue the banks. That’s right; it’s not a misprint; there’s not an extra zero in there.
That’s what makes Ireland the “special case” we so often hear about.
That’s why there are protest marches on 9th February.
That’s why you should be there.
Because despite pious platitudes that Ireland is a special case the EU has decided that the European banking crisis must be dealt with by each individual country regardless of size or ability to pay. So much for the idea of a community!
As a result of this, so far Ireland has paid €41 billion, a billion more than Germany. But €41bn is 25% of our economic output (GDP) while in Germany €40bn is just 3% of GDP.
Ireland makes up just 0.9% of the EU population, and the Irish economy makes up 1.2% of the EU’s GDP. But even though we are a tiny part of the EU we have to cough up 42% of the European banking crisis.
All in all the banking bailout is set to cost us €64bn.
Trying to pay this €64bn bank debt is behind five years of austerity.
Trying to pay this bill is costing jobs and driving thousands to emigrate.
Trying to pay this bill is behind increased taxation and more threatened wage cuts.
After five years of austerity we all know that without a bank deal there is no hope of recovery and that continuing with this failed policy will cripple Ireland for generations to come.
We must send a clear message across Europe that we need a deal on debt.
The ICTU Rallies on February 9th 2013 are your chance to send that message and to protest against the cause of our economic crisis – bank debt. A large turnout will show the EU leadership the depth of feeling in Ireland about the issue.
Marches on the afternoon of 9th February are planned in:
