Summary of GAN’s panel of experts views

We are on the last lap of this great debate. Here is a short reminder of the arguments presented in our videos.

GAN speaks with Constantin Gurdgiev

Constantin has been a great supporter of GAN, even from before there was a ‘GAN’, and has contributed to Green Party seminars and meetings repeatedly. Here, he gives a summary of his trenchant views on the gravest error ever propospe by Fianna Fail.

Why is an EU Commissioner pushing NAMA?

By Constantin Gurdgiev:

Per RTE report earlier today, “the European Commissioner for Economic
& Monetary Affairs has said he wants to see the Dáil pass legislation
to establish the National Asset Management Agency as fast as
possible.”

The media reports on Mr Almunia’s statement does not explain what form
of Nama legislation (ammended or not)  does the Commissioner support.
Thus it can be interpreted in several possible ways.

If the Commissioner statement means that he prefers simply to see a
speedy solution to the Irish banking crisis, accepted by the Dail, his
statement cann be seen as a support for Nama legislation as published
by the Government, but for a package of measures aimed at addressing
the crisis in the Irish banking that will emerge from the democratic
vote in the Dail.

However, if Mr Almunia did inted his statement to be an unequivocal
support for Nama legislation as it currently stands, his statement
represents an unprecedented form of interference in the internal
affairs of the sovereign State. It is the Irish Dail, not the EU
Commission or any other international body that bears full
responsibility for passing Nama legislation. It is the Dail that bears
the final responsibility for weighing the merits and costs of Nama and
issuing the final decision on it. It is the Irish people who will in
the end bear the costs and benefits of Nama. Any attempt to influence
it from the EU Commission or from Mr Almunia in his official capacity
would be contrary to the spirit of the EU itself.

Given the confusion generated by the media reports, I would hope that
our opposition leaders will demand a direct and unconditional
explanation from Mr Almunia as to the exact nature of his statement.

—
Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev

GAN hears from Ronan Lyons

Ronan Lyons, whose IrTimes article  so neatly exposed the flaws underpinning the financing of NAMA, gave us a preview of that analysis here.

Independent Irish banker offers damning assessment of NAMA

Peter Mathews explains in detail how we got into our current banking crisis, the reckless bank boards that got us there, and a pragmatic plan to get us out at a fraction of the cost of NAMA:

The full 5 part set of videos is now online. Why has this man not been on our national airwaves debating publicly with Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan?

GAN hears from Emer O’Siochru

Feasta director O’Siochru gives her views on the problems that NAMA will bring to our environment and infrastructure.

‘Sardonic take’ on NAMA

This NAMA stuff has got very heavy and boring and repetitive – even for us ‘politico’s’. So for a bit of variety, here is a different take on the NAMA debate. Enjoy!

Peter Mathews outlines his plan

Peter Mathews explains in detail how we got into our current banking crisis, the reckless bank boards that got us there, and a pragmatic plan to get us out at a fraction of the cost of NAMA:

The full 5 part set of videos is now online. Why has this man not been on our national airwaves debating publicly with Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan?

Green Town Councillor Pat Kavanagh explains why she’s voting No to NAMA at Saturday’s Convention

Wicklow Town Councillor and Green Party member, Pat Kavanagh, explains why she will be voting against NAMA (Motion A) at next Saturday’s convention in the RDS:

Stiglitz describes overpaying for loans as ‘really criminal’

Nobel Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, who was in Dublin this week, spoke with RTE’s Mark Little for Prime Time.

“This is a pattern I used to see while working at the World Bank, you’d have these crises, bankers come in, say you have to do something very quickly, and basically they rob the taxpayer.”

His damning indictment of NAMA should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind:

Who would you trust? Our minister for finance or a nobel prize winning economist.

According to our Finance Minister, the architect of the NAMA plan, Stiglitz is wrong!

What’s that old saying about pride before a fall?