27 NOVEMBER 2010
The march that I photographed on 27 November 2010 was a significant event in Irish history. It was one of the largest protests ever seen in Ireland, with an estimated 100,000 people taking to the streets of Dublin to express their anger and frustration at the government’s handling of the economic crisis.
Causes of the Protest
The protest was triggered by a number of factors, including:
The bailout: The Irish government had been forced to accept a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) in order to avoid national bankruptcy. This bailout came with strict conditions, including austerity measures such as spending cuts and tax increases.
Austerity: The austerity measures imposed by the bailout were deeply unpopular with the Irish public, as they led to job losses, wage cuts, and reduced public services.
Bank bailout: Many people were angry that the majority of the bailout money was being used to bail out the banks, which were seen as being responsible for the crisis.
Failure of the Irish Economy
The Irish economy experienced a dramatic boom in the early 2000s, fuelled by a property bubble and easy credit. However, this boom was unsustainable and when the bubble burst in 2008, the Irish economy went into a sharp decline.
The main causes of the Irish economic crisis were:
Property bubble: The Irish property market experienced a period of rapid growth in the early 2000s, with prices rising at an unsustainable rate. This was driven by a number of factors, including low interest rates, lax lending practices, and speculative investment.
Banking crisis: Irish banks had lent heavily to the property sector and when the bubble burst, they were left with huge losses. This led to a banking crisis, which required the government to bail out the banks.
Global financial crisis: The global financial crisis of 2008 exacerbated the Irish economic crisis, as it led to a sharp decline in global demand and a credit crunch.
Government Decision to Bail Out the Banks
The Irish government decided to bail out the banks in order to prevent a collapse of the banking system. This was seen as necessary to avoid a complete meltdown of the Irish economy. However, the bailout came at a high cost, as it led to a huge increase in government debt.
IMF Involvement
The IMF was involved in the Irish bailout because Ireland was unable to borrow money from international markets at affordable rates. The IMF provided financial assistance to Ireland, but this came with strict conditions, including austerity measures.
I fact checked a number of claims made in media in 2010 and later:
Unemployment: The statement that “Unemployment had soared from below 5% in 2007 to almost 16% by 2011” is accurate. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the unemployment rate in Ireland was 4.6% in 2007 and 14.7% in 2011.
Emigration: The statement that “net emigration was running at about 0.6% of the population per annum” is also accurate. According to the CSO, net emigration from Ireland was 34,500 in 2010, which is equivalent to 0.7% of the population.
Government debt: The statement that “the Irish government’s debt had quadrupled to reach 135% of gross national product (GNP)” is accurate. According to the Department of Finance, the Irish government’s debt was 25% of GNP in 2007 and 103% of GNP in 2010.
Construction sector: The statement that “employment in the [construction] sector fell by over 60%” is accurate. According to the CSO, employment in the construction sector fell from 272,200 in 2007 to 107,800 in 2010, a decline of 60%.
Bond yields: The statement that “the government in Ireland had lost access to international financial markets and had to seek assistance from official International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union (EU) funds” is accurate. In late 2010, the Irish government was forced to seek financial assistance from the IMF and the EU after it was unable to borrow money from international markets at affordable rates.
As a matter of interest I used a Canon Canon Legria HF S10
The Canon Legria HF S10 (also known as the Vixia HF S10 in North America) was a high-definition camcorder released by Canon in 2009. It was considered a prosumer model, meaning it offered features and capabilities that appealed to both professionals and advanced amateur videographers.
Here are some key features of the Canon Legria HF S10 which I had received as a 60th birthday present but I cannot remember why I used it for stills rather than my Sony NEX-5. Maybe I extracted the images from a video recording? [I don’t remember]
High-quality imaging: It featured an 8.0MP Full HD CMOS sensor, a Canon HD Video Lens with 10x optical zoom, and the DIGIC DV III processor, which combined to produce excellent image quality.
Dual Flash Memory: It had 32GB of internal flash memory and could also record to removable SDHC memory cards, providing flexibility and ample storage space.
Advanced controls: It offered manual control options for focus, exposure, audio levels, and other settings, allowing users to fine-tune their recordings.
Image stabilization: It featured Canon’s Super Range Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to reduce camera shake.
Versatile shooting modes: It included features like Video Snapshot, Face Detection, and Pre REC to enhance creativity and capture special moments.
The Canon Legria HF S10 was well-regarded for its image quality, features, and performance.
It was a popular choice for enthusiasts and professionals who wanted a compact and capable HD camcorder. However, it’s worth noting that this model is quite old now, and newer camcorders offer more advanced features and capabilities.