The Recession and God: Where do we go from here?
A Public Talk by
Fr. Gerry O’Hanlon, S.J., (Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice)
and
Dr. Nat O'Connor (TASC)
Chairperson: Ms. Dearbhail McDonald (Irish Independent)
Thursday, 11 March, 2010 - Manresa
The Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising…it counts the destruction of the redwood…it does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials…it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile’ - Robert Kennedy, 1968.
Working Notes:Who Will Pay for the Reccession?
In a recent interview, the writer Iain Banks, expressing strong criticism of senior British politicians, said that they were ‘very good at standing up to the weak and poor, and utterly pathetic at standing up against the rich and powerful; they roll over every single time’ (The Guardian, 8 September 2009). As we in Ireland watch measures being unfolded to deal with the banking crisis and the deficit in the public finances, we too may have cause to wonder if our decision-makers, and those who influence them, favour an approach of being ‘strong with the weak’ and ‘weak with the strong’.
Read more...
