Tough times, but it’s not all bad news

It is true that we are seeing sad stories in the media, in the midst of our difficult economic recession, almost on a daily basis. As well as murders, suicides and gang killings theere are stories of businesses that have closed down under the pressure of less ‘footfall’ in stores and upward only rent reviews (still not changed by legislation as promised with a sense of urgency before the February 2011 General Election by this new government, who are 18 months in office).

We are witnessing waves of emigration to Canada and Australia and new expected taxes and charges in 2013 will put more people under severe pressures, primarily because of the 2009/10 IMF/ECB bailout for our banks.

But, I can’t agree with the very negative views of the letter-writer of ‘The criminal and the corrupt are the norm’ (Irish Examiner, Oct 10, 2012) “that the line between honest business and criminal activity is as thin as a hair” and how “Dear old Ireland is very much a country that has resigned, given up, and couldn’t give a damn one way or the other”.