Slugger O'Toole

Seen elsewhere

• An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Voter in denial.
  Jason: "The funny thing is that he is, as a rule, deeply cynical about politics and politicians. He doesn’t normally believe any of them. But when Gerry Adams or Richard Boyd Barrett or Joe Higgins promise him on the telly that a vote for them means the reversal of cutbacks and a painless future for all, his ears prick up. That’s what he wants! Along with his promised public sector pay increase and his pension contribution restored and above all, someone else picking up the tab. They are saying exactly what he wants! It’s incredible."
• Localism: When localism really does mean local
  Bagehot: "David Cameron's Big Society drive to increase civic activism and localism is often dismissed as a wheeze most suitable for affluent communities, such as his own constituency in Oxfordshire. Yet the Isle of Wight is not especially affluent: local wages are below mainland levels, though the island does have a fair number of wealthy retirees or sailing-enthusiasts with second homes. What does set it apart is a lifestyle that offers unusual amounts of time (only 15% of islanders commute by ferry to the mainland for work). I suspect that explains quite a lot. Localism works, when everything really is local."
• Ireland's crash: After the race
  The Economist: "Between 1993 and 2000 average annual GDP growth approached 10%. But then someone put speed in the tiger’s water. Over the last decade the boom turned bubbly, as low interest rates and reckless lending, abetted by dozy regulation, pushed up land values and caused Ireland to turn into a nation of property developers. In County Leitrim, in the Irish Midlands, housing construction outstripped demand (based on population growth) by 401% between 2006 and 2009, according to one estimate."
• US lobbyists exaggerate oil shock on economy...
  Boston Globe: ...the fear of Middle Eastern oil shocks is now politically useful to a whole spectrum of powerful interest groups. “This argument is like the familiar old jeans of American politics,” he said. “They are nice and cozy and comfortable and everyone can wear them."
• State-owned forests live another day
  Strategy is soooo New Labour. Bagehot: "TIMBER! So shouted the wags on the opposition benches of the House of Commons yesterday, as David Cameron said he was not happy with how his government's plan to privatise English forests was going."
• No time for complacency
  Paschal takes a break from the campaign in Dublin Central: "Once upon a time, Fianna Fail thought that no matter what they did, they would win elections. Complacency led them to think that Ireland was Fianna Fail and, regardless of their performance, the electorate would return them as the biggest party."
• (title unknown)
  Keith on the reporting of the Cork crash: "When BBC News and UTV were very careful in the reporting of this tragic event, it almost seemed like RTE were happy to go with whatever facts and figures they could get their hands on."
• Who benefits?
  Michael Burke: "Market yields reflect an underlying truth. Ireland is becoming less creditworthy as its resources are depleted. This economy is no being bailed out- if it were yields would be falling as the outlook improved. Irish taxpayers are bailing out EU banks – and the outlook is deteriorating because of it."