My earnings are in the top 5% of people in Ireland
That’s very impressive Purple, although quite how this nugget of information is relevant here I’m not sure. But please God/Allah you’ll make the top 4% soon.
Personal wealth, of course, far from guarantees having a generous outlook on the fortunes of others, indeed I would guess that some in the top 5% might have overwhelming feelings of begrudgery towards, say, those in the top 4%.
So, no, being rich doesn’t ensure someone isn’t a begrudger, it’s a character flaw that afflicts a fair old percentage of our population, regardless of their personal circumstances. So your own wealth – hard-earned, I’m sure – is inconsequential in this argument.
Believe it or not, I actually have mixed feelings about Fintan O’Toole’s writings. There are times I think he is so far removed from ‘real’ life that he belongs with the birds, but there are other times when I think he provides a refreshing blast of decency in a country filled with folk who rate themselves according to where they stand in our highest earners’ list.
No offence.
I laugh out loud when I hear people complain that our media is packed with “self-righteous pseudo-liberal pinkos” – I’d guess the three most prominent columnists in Ireland are Eoghan Harris, Kevin Myers and John Waters. Pseudo-liberal pinkos? What do
you think?
But O’Toole has many flaws, a bit like you and me Purple, but I have yet to hear/read him claim to be a “man of/for the people”. Since when does stating you are a socialist imply that you believe you are a man of the people? It doesn’t. By all means attack O’Toole’s arguments, but don’t misrepresent him in an effort to boost your own argument and attempts to ridicule him.
(“A self professed socialist”…you make it sound like it’s on a par with “a self-professed paedophile”
).
Your efforts to explain why you repeatedly referred to O’Toole’s own “earnings” are puzzling. Indeed, you said that his bank balance is healthier than yours – so he’d be in the top 4%, at least?
“He is the one who draws the connection between wealth and the lack of a social conscience.”
Does he? I thought he made a connection between
‘irresponsible’ wealth and a lack of a social conscience? I don’t recall him ever claiming that being wealthy automatically makes you a nasty person – can you provide a link to him making such a claim?
Similarly, can you provide a link to where he claims that all those who generate employment “are corrupt, greedy...and....less interested in social justice than Mr. O’Toole”? I would guess that he accused those employers who
are corrupt and greedy of not having much interest in social justice (you would too, right?), but every employer?
“He….writes about the “normal people” frequently.” Does he? The “normal people”? Again, any chance of a link? I read him most weeks, I must have missed the columns where he talked about the “normal people”.
I’m glad that you “respect and admire” your ‘workers’, I apologise for this but I detected a certain exasperation with them when you said “I cut my income in order to keep the workers whom I employ in a job”.
‘Keeping’ them in a job suggested to me that they were really rather lucky to have jobs at all, but clearly I misunderstood your meaning. Again, apologies.
“The notion that there are “workers” and “managers/Bosses” is ridiculous. Everybody that works is a worker; it doesn’t matter if they are an owner, shareholder or just an employee.”
I agree. Perhaps it was a slip of the keyboard when you referred to your employees as
“workers” and your efforts to "keep" them in a job?
“Your notion of “us” and “them” (employers) is outdates, outmoded and quite frankly offensive to all concerned.”
I agree again. Perhaps that’s why I was a bit taken aback by your statement: “I cut my income in order to keep the workers whom I employ in a job”.
“Take of your pink tinted glasses and have another go…
You’re struggling now, aren’t you?
“If you do your homework you will find that the National Art gallery and Trinity College have received, and continue to receive, massive funding from one of the richest capitalist employers in Ireland.”
Your point is?
Do you need to paint me as a “self-righteous pseudo-liberal pinko” to win the argument here? Is that the best that you can do?
Fintan writes frequently about planning issues and has strong opinions on preserving the countryside but he had a bit of bother when he wanted to put a large extention on his own holiday home. I suspect that if a government minister (particularly a FF one) did the same Mr. O’Toole would not be long voicing his opinion on the topic.
So you assume Fintan’s extension, so to speak, would have obliterated the Irish countryside? Like Michael McDowell’s Roscommon extension? Or do you just have a problem with a self-righteous pseudo-liberal pinko owning a second home?