Seamus Sherlock ESB Protestor Standing in Limerick County

[IrishJobsForIrishWorkers]

To who, to some Chinese billionaire? And the next time there is a Seamus Sherlock about to be disconnected they'll have to cycle to Beijing to chain themselves to a fence to grab the attention of the company, because they won't give a flying sh1te about a few people thousands of miles away having to stock up on candles. They might be difficult to deal with but as long as they are under the ownership of the state and so the people, the likes of the ESB can be got through to.

Irish Jobs for Irish Workers but Irish Assets for Foreign Ownership...noble stance there.

I didnt say to sell it to the Chinese. You did.

The power stations should be sold on the irish stock exchange to irish people, so they can invest their capital in something productive rather than mickey-mouse bank shares. We should keep the transmission lines in state ownership and charge the private power companies for access to them.

Oh and Mr Sherlock didnt "cycle" to the protest. He said he drove. He obviously had a spare €30 for the petrol to get there and back despite saying he only had €12 in his pocket.

[Fraxinus]

I didnt say to sell it to the Chinese. You did.

The power stations should be sold on the irish stock exchange to irish people, so they can invest their capital in something productive rather than mickey-mouse bank shares. We should keep the transmission lines in state ownership and charge the private power companies for access to them.

Oh and Mr Sherlock didnt "cycle" to the protest. He said he drove. He obviously had a spare €30 for the petrol to get there and back despite saying he only had €12 in his pocket.

You're talking tripe or else very naive. You know as well as I do that one way or another bigger external conglomerates will buy up those shares. Even if they were all bought by Michael O'Leary...he has absolutely no reason to be kind to struggling bill payers...he isn't answerable to the Irish people. ESB are.

I didn't say he cycled. I was being facetious.

[IrishJobsForIrishWorkers]

You're talking tripe or else very naive. You know as well as I do that one way or another bigger external conglomerates will buy up those shares. Even if they were all bought by Michael O'Leary...he has absolutely no reason to be kind to struggling bill payers...he isn't answerable to the Irish people. ESB are.

They could only be bought up if irish shareholders accepted a buyout offer. If irish people sold out to foreigners then they can hardly complain when decisions about charging are made overseas. Alternatively if they didnt like the "big external conglomerate" that youre so frightened of, they could switch to an irish supplier.

In any case, it would be easy to regulate private companies to stop them charging people for disconnecting them, as mr sherlock was protesting against. Its harder to regulate the ESB, because they have so much political influence, through their unions.

[Fraxinus]

They could only be bought up if irish shareholders accepted a buyout offer. If irish people sold out to foreigners then they can hardly complain when decisions about charging are made overseas. Alternatively if they didnt like the "big external conglomerate" that youre so frightened of, they could switch to an irish supplier.

In any case, it would be easy to regulate private companies to stop them charging people for disconnecting them, as mr sherlock was protesting against. Its harder to regulate the ESB, because they have so much political influence, through their unions.

Many Irish people can't afford shares automatically leaving them without any say who owns it. Obviously only those with money have influence now. Obviously Mr. Sherlock, an ordinary Irish citizen, was able to gain enough political influence to change ESB policy...didn't see the unions calling a strike for not cutting him off.

We are also derailing the thread now.

[SSherlockESBProtestor]

Oh and Mr Sherlock didnt "cycle" to the protest. He said he drove. He obviously had a spare €30 for the petrol to get there and back despite saying he only had €12 in his pocket.

In addition to the fuel I used to get from my home in Limerick to Dublin for my protest, other extravagances I exhibited on the day included the breakfast I ate before I left my house, the clothes on my back, and some credit in my phone.

Your cynicism and that of a small minority will not detract from the result my protest achieved.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

[SSherlockESBProtestor]

Congratulations, Seamus. If one person can make a real difference, how much more could we be doing if a few thousand even were active ?

Do you have an election manifesto ? What would you do if you were elected ?

I will post later this evening in relation to my manifesto.

Thanks.

[C. Flower]

Seamus Sherlock is resisting eviction from his house and farm over a debt to the BoI

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...nt-205270.html

[PaddyJoe]

Seamus Sherlock is resisting eviction from his house and farm over a debt to the BoI

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...nt-205270.html

A site member. See post 5 in this thread.

[C. Flower]

A site member. See post 5 in this thread.

And post 21 in this thread

[PaddyJoe]

And post 21 in this thread

I'm a strictly chronological guy meself. Top down

[Baron von Biffo]

Seamus Sherlock is resisting eviction from his house and farm over a debt to the BoI

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...nt-205270.html

Can you see any down side at all to people being able to decide what they'll repay and when they'll repay it to a bailed out bank?

[C. Flower]

Can you see any down side at all to people being able to decide what they'll repay and when they'll repay it to a bailed out bank?

Just like Bill Clinton, I can. But it's a question of can't pay, in all but a tiny number of cases.

[PaddyJoe]

Can you see any down side at all to people being able to decide what they'll repay and when they'll repay it to a bailed out bank?

The moral hazard argument is pretty thread worn at this stage. We decided that we were going to socialise private debt. A bankrupt farmer is as entitled to negotiate his case as anybody else.

[Baron von Biffo]

Just like Bill Clinton, I can. But it's a question of can't pay, in all but a tiny number of cases.

The moral hazard argument is pretty thread worn at this stage. We decided that we were going to socialise private debt. A bankrupt farmer is as entitled to negotiate his case as anybody else.

Tom McFeely couldn't pay either so where was the Legion of the Good to stop his eviction?

Can no-one else see any potential at all for corruption in a system where the repayment of debt is only required of social pariahs?

[PaddyJoe]

Tom McFeely couldn't pay either so where was the Legion of the Good to stop his eviction?

Can no-one else see any potential at all for corruption in a system where the repayment of debt is only required of social pariahs?

You've hit it exactly it there. Who is the repayment of debt demanded of and why?
In the last couple of months it has been reported that neither Michael Lowry nor FG fundraiser Arthur French are repaying their debts to NAMA.
No sign of the Sheriff knocking on their doors.