The Irish Times has been having a bit of a nostalgia-fest lately, what with drawing parallels with the grim days of the 80s and early 90s.And who can blame it? It's easy copy after all.
The picture left, taken in April 1992, shows a small selection of the thousands of school leavers and graduates who queued for jobs as car-park attendants, waiting staff and all the rest, at Disney's new European branch in Paris back in the day.
Your very own Gombeen Man had already fled the old sod by six lovely years at this stage so missed it all, thankfully.
But bloody hell - it's always a stampede one way or another here in Ireland, isn't it?
Either they are up at 5am to queue for Mickey Mouse jobs, or Mickey Mouse apartments off the plans - there's always a spectacle. The snappers must love it.
Anyway.
You could spout a lot of cliches about how things were then and how things are now, and all the rest. For me, what adds delicious irony to the pic above is that it was taken in the grounds of the old New Jurys Hotel, Ballsbridge.
A site bought by developer Sean Dunne for the record price of €380 million in 2005.
Had you predicted that to one of the hopeful interviewees, they might have laughed in your face.
Had you predicted that to one of the hopeful interviewees, they might have laughed in your face.
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5 comments:
Hi GM, got this quote from the IT of 17/09/201. "A leading commercial property valuer yesterday said the entire site could now be worth €50 million, if indeed such a sale could be achieved. The permission granted by An Bord Pleanála includes the demolition of the old hotels, operating as D4Hotels, and the construction of 490 apartments in 11 blocks ranging in height from six to 12 storeys"
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0917/1224304267437.html
Some investment... it's probably "worth about 1/8 of what was paid for it" - that is assuming a buyer could be found. Oh and this was one of "our leading business people" --
Have to say I thought it was downtown Tirana there GM.
I wonder what all those latent career snobs would have thought if someone told them, grown men and women would be buying bottles of water from the supermarket, at great expense, when perfectly good water was available through their taps? Groupthinking and the Irish? No, whatever next?
Also wonder what all these geniuses would have thought if someone told them, they would, after being taxed to the hilt, have to fork out another wad of cash to get a bloody water meter installed that would require more money than one of the (estimated, LOL) 50% leaky pipes require water. The routine gets even more bizzare GM (even by Irish standards) what would they have said, when told, they would have to pay a TAX for the roof over their head and then sit on a trolley for 2 days (if lucky) if they happen to become unwell? All after one of the biggest property bubbles in human history. Played out in a sureal Irish atmosphere (the people are there, but strangely not there) whereby the the cute hoor politicians said nothing when in opposition during the bubble, promised like it was going out of fashion pre-election, then do a full 360 when in power and continually unchallenged about this latter fact 24/7, 360.
If it was the UK, satire and accountability would have brought many to book years ago, but because it's Ireland, traditional tribalistic stupidity, misdirection and thick Irish BOG antics will require the blockage to be removed at great expense and/or with traditional inopportune timing.
Ella. Thanks for that. Yes, you'd have to wonder if 50 million is still a delusional expectation. Bankrupt country - but for the bailouts - and all that? Ah yes, the Irish idea of capitalism and entrepreneurship (until quite recently) was opening a pub. Maybe they should have left well enough alone?
@ Dakota. The only things certain in Ireland are death and taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes, and more taxes. Unless you're Bono or one of our many pillars of industry who are in exile or have imaginative accountants or continue to use the property based tax shelters which still exist depite it all. Yes, oxymoron I know, but I hear they do exist.
We're being shafted red-raw by our own gombeen class, as ever. Have been since '22. But all Paddy and Mary have to hear are the words "Cromwell", "The 800 Years" or "The Famine" and they forget it all.
The f**king eejits.
Cannot wait for 2016 and see what excuse of a Nationalist fest, that they will put on. We will still be in the mire of the IMF and EU bailouts. I suggest that the slogan be "1916- 2016, 100 YEARS OF A FAILED STATE".
Yep... what a sickfest it promises to be.
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