They still don’t get it, do they?
They say that if you’re not a socialist in your twenties you have no heart and if you’re not a capitalist in your forties you have no brain, but it appears that Ireland’s liberal elite will stay forever fixed in their metaphorical twenties.
Of course, given the mess the country is in, taking the Left turn can seem a reasonable alternative to the system which caused said mess.
But some people seem absolutely determined to ignore the old truism that you just cannot tax your way out of a recession.
After all, the only way we’re going to get off our knees and back on our feet is if we start to spend some money again and try to get the economy moving. But according to Richard Boyd Barrett, we need to increase the rates of tax — especially for the rich.
The idea of burning the rich is always an attractive one, but I was particularly interested in the assertion that Michael O’leary wasn’t paying enough tax.
This seems to ignore the fact that the Ryanair boss has always stressed the point that he resides in this country and pays up to all his tax obligations but that’s obviously not enough for Richie.
Now, I have always had a huge sense of regard for O’leary — sure, I don’t particularly want to fly on his airline any time soon, but he has completely revolutionised travel, not just here but around the world.
And reading Boyd Barrett’s comments, one thing hit me: I would be far more confident in the future of this country if O’leary was in the Dáil than I am with any of our current representatives.