Bah Humbug

Christmas decorating requires lights, lots of lights, twinkling and sparkling and brilliant. However, certain people don't seem all that interested in making the effort. Not everyone, mind you, only a few along Grafton Street and Henry Street are being most Scrooge-like these days.

The Dublin Business Association is going to name them. Put their humbugging names in the newspaper for all the world to see who is too cheap to pay up for the cost of all the lights in the major shopping areas. A thankless task, it's up to some volunteers to organize the whole project, from putting the lights up to taking them down, and it costs money to do that sort of thing. The whole street gets done up for the holidays, one of the local merchants takes care of collecting the donations to cover costs, and the shoppers are treated to a festive scene. Except some people aren't paying their fair share.

And who is it that isn't helping out in Dublin this holiday season? It's the British corporations, the English chain stores who take advantage of the holiday shopping season and feast on Irish euro, but don't donate anything to the decorating. Isn't that just like them, after all they did in Ireland, and they're still at it, the leeches...the parasites. Won't help to promote Irish Christmas culture, will they?

A vendor with a shop on Wicklow Street has become concerned about the lack of financing. According to David Brennan, there were no lights on South Great George's Street or Exchequer Street this year, and we must assume it's because there wasn't enough money donated to pay for them. It's England's fault, clearly. They robbed the nation, stripped it of its resources for hundreds of years, and now they're trying to steal away Christmas.

Name them and shame them, organize a boycott in the Irish tradition. No lights, no custom, let that be the battle cry. And if all else fails, go straight to Dail Eireann and demand a law, a tax on foreign vendors, and maybe then they'll see the light.