Yes, many things aired today, out in the cold. Amongst those stories of note we recognise the sad passing of Leslie Nielsen (legendary comedic actor, including Airplane! and the Naked Gun movies) and Ivrin Kershner (legendary director, including The Empire Strikes Back). It seems fitting that in such a day, where the world has lost contributors to escapism, laughter, and good humour, that we are also freshly and harshly reminded of the current economic/political situation in Ireland.
Journalist Fintan O’Toole has ignited the bitpipe by launching his website and online petition for “radical political reform” and even moreso by the observation that his Twitter account (@fotoole) is only following broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan (@MiriamOCal) and nobody else. The Twitter world went crazy off the back of this news – really, you’d think there was nothing better to talk about.
Bank shares climbed high this morning, the final days of Anglo Irish Bank are finally predicted, bonds shoot through the roof after the fluff regarding our so-called bailout (moreso crippling, inextinguishable loan facility) hits the business world. News that senior bond holders will escape all pain from their gamble angers the public, while the common man sees pension reserves trundled into keeping the fires burning at the state’s most reckless lenders. Performance artist Will St Ledger serves notice of eviction on the Dáil and hands out fake bank notes featuring Bertie Ahern’s face. That’s more paper than I would personally have wasted on anything that wasn’t a warrant for his arrest.
The freezing weather conditions continue to hamper the country; treacherous driving conditions all over, icy footpaths, schools, workers and daily practices, all disrupted. A slight thaw around midday quickly subsides into biting cold, as the slush starts to freeze once more. The psyche of the public turns to log fires and Dickensian walks home in the snowy pasture of Ireland’s once tarmacadam’ed streets. A news report at lunchtime aired advice from senior citizens to senior citizens: The simple things one can do to keep warm, like maintaining the heat on all day and using the old Super-Ser to boost temperatures. Simple things indeed, to stave off hypothermia in the advent of the next coronary inducing gas bill.
To summarise, I think a trio of verses from that lyrical poet Bek David Campbell (otherwise known as Beck), says it perfectly. I leave you with:
tonight the city is full of morgues
and all the toilets are overflowing
there’s shopping malls coming out of the walls
as we walk out among the manure
—
give the finger to the rock ‘n’ roll singer
as he’s dancing upon your paycheck
the sales climb high through the garbage-pail sky
like a giant dildo crushing the sun
—
so get out your lead-pipe pipe dreams
get out your ten-foot flags
the insects are huge and the poison’s all been used
and the drugs won’t kill your day job…honey