Facing up to the grave reality of our situation

Slí Eile: Writing in today's Irish Times, Arthur Beesley says that it is 'Time the Unions faced up to the grave reality of our situation'. The unions get a scolding for being party to the current malaise (high pay increases, tax cuts etc.) The unions, we are told, need to accept the need for 'big Government cuts..' (by the way, the tax credit on union contributions is capped at €70 per annum - not much compared to tax relief at the margin on a lot of other things)

Oddly, on the very same page, the same journalist recounts that the Bailey brothers (last seen in public at the late Charlie Haughey's funeral) are in a spot of financial trouble and are engaged in 'ongoing discussions' with .... Anglo-Irish Bank. (Recall the said brothers had a record-breaking tax settlement in 2006). Their Irish company - Bovale Development - described as one of the 'largest landowners in the State' is an unlimited company so, according to this piece in the Irish Times, 'information on its financial position is not available' (yes, Beesely does refer, also, to 'Fianna Fáil's sickening alliance with the property sector' in the union bash piece).

Now has the grave reality of increasing class size, lengthening hospital surgery waiting lists, cut-backs in rural transport and tax levies on the lower paid anything to do with the grave reality facing bankers, land developers and such like? Had the 1974 Kenny Report (on land rezoning and pricing) ever been acted on I wonder how less grave the current situation might be?