Is austerity working? NO

THE austerity policies first inflicted by Fianna Fáil, and now continued by Fine Gael, Labour, and the EU-IMF troika, have been a disaster for ordinary citizens and the economy.

At 13.7%, unemployment remains at crisis levels, with 426,000 people on the live register. This figure would be far worse except that 200,000, mostly young and educated people, have fled the country since 2008 — a tragic return to dark decades of the past.

Poverty is also at crisis levels with 900,000 people living in poverty, including 200,000 children. Many more are hovering just above the poverty line, with 33% of the population unable to pay all their bills at the end of the month.