The Theory of Moral Sentiments

The social cost of this budget in terms of massive unemployment, a definite sharp rise of those in serious poverty, a likely strong rise in emigration, cuts in community services, and its certain effect of increasing housing repossessions will be enormous. Hundreds or even thousands of young unemployed people living in rent allowance accommodation will almost certainly be driven to homelessness.

The reason for this unthinkable harshness has been the government’s pandering to those in the high echelons of international financial markets and large business groups in Ireland.

The reaction from Goldman Sachs (PDF):

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the Swiss psychiatrist, set out five stages in the process of dealing with loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In the process of coping with its economic loss, Ireland appears to be somewhere between Stage 4 (depression) and Stage 5 (acceptance). By contrast, a number of other Euro-zone economies, in similar positions to Ireland, appear to be stuck somewhere between Stage 1 (denial) and Stage 2 (anger).

Open Letters from Birkbeck are Surely Imminent

Savonettes

In 1958, then-foreign minister Golda Meir raised the possibility of preventing handicapped and sick Polish Jews from immigrating to Israel, a recently discovered Foreign Ministry document has revealed.

"A proposal was raised in the coordination committee to inform the Polish government that we want to institute selection in aliyah, because we cannot continue accepting sick and handicapped people. Please give your opinion as to whether this can be explained to the Poles without hurting immigration," read the document, written by Meir to Israel's ambassador to Poland, Katriel Katz.

What Is This Thing....