We don’t need any more ‘leeches’ on our backs

EXACTLY 100 years ago my grandfather, Callaghan McCarthy, wrote a little book (118 pages) published by Kings of London and Gills of Dublin, entitled The Causes of Poverty.

Cal’s thesis was that poverty was not necessarily the lack of income but rather the high cost of goods.

Despite the fact that he was a civil servant, he argued that one of the greatest problems was the number of people who add to the cost of goods without adding to their value.

Today, we have the inevitable proof of his theory.

We had the Celtic Tiger and what did we do? Form commissions of inquiry, the HSE and other governmental bodies that managed only to waste time and wealth.

Now the economy is in decline. Poverty approaches and, if we vote for Lisbon, we add a bunch of leeches in Strasbourg and Brussels, draining our economic life-blood.

As the actor/comedian Rochester put it, “enough’s enough, and that’s what we have had a sufficiency of”.

Cal Hyland

4 Closheen Lane

Rosscarbery

Co CorK