Unfortunately it's not going away soon as it's the only thing keeping Ireland afloat right now and the only way the economy is going to grow and the only way IMF money will get paid back, so there's no will to change the status quo.
I hear you. But, that status quo might be getting an update... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/11/08/... IMHO it seems very likely that the IMF's needs will far outpace it's ability to get paid.
* The country is planning an additional 12.4 billion euros ($17.1 billion) of austerity measures over the next four years* Or why I won't be working in Ireland…
Is the Euro that beneficial? Maybe not, but the EU is for Ireland, and staying in the EU is worth it in the eyes of a lot of people. Ireland was (and in a lot ways still is) a bit of a backwater and it was EU membership that really bucked that trend. And I don't think anyone sees us getting out of this on our own either, so we're doing what we're told. We do make our best art in times like these, so there is that… Ireland's in a weird place right now, the economy grew last quarter ahead of expectations but so did unemployment. What'll happen next, who knows?
:) I saw Martin McDonagh's play The Cripple of Inishmaan not too long ago here in Ann Arbor, (near Detroit, Michigan), and it was fantastic. A week ago I saw Beckett's Watt and Endgame at the same theater, back to back. Watt was pretty good, but I couldn't take Endgame. Being from Detroit, I can empathize with the feeling that a bit of hard times makes for great art. The city is pretty awful to live in, but it's very creative. Ireland's in a weird place right now, the economy grew last quarter ahead of expectations but so did unemployment. What'll happen next, who knows? That seems to be a theme. The US economy seems like some guy that just stood up after getting hit in the head. It looks like he might be ok, then he wobbles, then he steadies himself, then he wobbles again...