THEIR BANKING system is the envy of the world, their unemployment rate is half that of Ireland’s, and their economy is set to grow by more than 2 per cent this year, yet even the Canadians are protesting more than us.
The reopening of the Dáil tomorrow will no doubt spark searing debates over key issues – such as whether or not TDs have sharpened up their dress sense over the summer. In Canada, the end of parliament’s summer recess will be marked by members of the Occupy activist group and other malcontents descending on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The (ambitious) aim of the event, officially titled “Take Canada Back – Holding Hands across Canada”, is to pressure controversial prime minister Stephen Harper into resigning.
The organisers of the rally claim that Harper came to power through election fraud, and therefore doesn’t have a mandate to implement austerity cuts, slash tens of thousands of public sector jobs, and, inevitably, “spy on our internet activity”.
The group organising the rally has taken to Facebook to promote the event, and is posting rousing messages on its wall, such as “Bring signs!”
They may be showing backbone in standing up to the establishment, but there’s a whiff of Fr Ted’s “down with this sort of thing” protest to it all. One wonders if the Ottawa rally will actually have any more impact than the Irish approach of slagging TDs for swanning around the Dáil in Oscar the Grouch T-shirts.
