Well in Ireland the Government is focused on cutting back public services to reduce the public sector deficit at a time when last Quarter GDP declined by 7.5%.

They say they have to do this to balance the budget and restore competitiveness, but the balance of payments deficit has just hit a four year low with a rising merchandise surplus, so competitiveness doesn't seem to be our biggest problem right now.

So we appear to be applying classic neo-liberal remedies at a time when neo-liberalism has caused many of our problems in the first place and has been discredited internationally...

notes from no w here