Tralee talk ''Class and the Celtic Tiger''

kerry | anti-capitalism | event notice Monday August 27, 2007 18:49 by sean moraghan - tralee swp earthsoulrocknroll at gmail dot com

an informal talk by sociologist Kieran Allen

Instead of a greedy Thatcherite-style capitalism, there was supposed to be a more caring society, with fewer class divisions.

But it was always a myth. The Celtic tiger produced the second highest level of poverty in the developed world and fell down on the Human Development Index complied by a United Nations agency.

The real model for the Celtic tiger was the deregulated gung-ho capitalism of the United States, where few taxes are demanded of the rich and workers are asked to put up with low wages and run-down public services.

Come along to an informal talk on "Class and the Celtic Tiger" by sociologist Kieran Allen.

All Welcome to the basement bar of the Imperial Hotel, Tralee!

This Thursday 30 August at 7.30

Hosted by Tralee Socialist Workers Party

"Has Ireland's economy created a fair society?
We have embraced the low taxes, low wages and run-down public services ethos of the US.

Many people are asking why they cannot buy a house, even though the Celtic tiger economy was supposed to be a rip-roaring success. They want to know why it takes hours to travel to work through gridlocked streets. They wonder why their lives have become more stressful as they face constant demands for more 'flexibility' and productivity at work.

Instead of a greedy Thatcherite-style capitalism, there was supposed to be a more caring society, with fewer class divisions.

But it was always a myth. The Celtic tiger produced the second highest level of poverty in the developed world and fell down on the Human Development Index complied by a United Nations agency.

The real model for the Celtic tiger was the deregulated gung-ho capitalism of the United States, where few taxes are demanded of the rich and workers are asked to put up with low wages and run-down public services.

Instead of sharing the fruits of the boom, the partnership programmes have facilitated a transfer of wealth to the super-rich. Instead of a trickle-down effect, there has been a steady stream upwards. Instead of inclusion, there has been a growing class polarisation. And far from producing a kinder, more regulated form of capitalism, there has been Thatcherism by stealth."

--Kieran Allen
Kieran lectures in the Department of Sociology in UCD. He is the author of The Corporate Takeover of Ireland.
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