NAMALAND
Frank Connolly
Gill books
Not that I would know but have you ever told a story where you’re not sure of the whole picture? When people start asked big questions confusion kicks in and you wish you’d never started? Well I felt a bit like that when reading this book. There’s so much in it, so much detail to take in if you want to tell people what’s contained in these 290 pages.
It’s a web of entanglement. A full on spiders web with so many bits and pieces binding together and crossing. Like a patchwork quilt of different designs all coming together. The story reminds me more of la la land rather than the real world. In the real world we hear of homelessness, food poverty and people working to make ends meet. I’m in the comfortable position that most people I know can pay their mortgage and even get a holiday once a year. In Nama land the sums of money are in millions, sometimes billions. There is a golden circle of which we hear much about. The establishment isn’t just politicians, solicitors and lawmakers. In Nama land developers and property speculators gamble with millions and many times they are successful. When this gambling started causing problems for them their loans which were absolutely massive were written down. Many people ended up making money from them and those who borrowed wrecklessly are finding their feet and ready to go again. Dusted down but not battered.
I’ve read many theories that people are only ever 5 steps of separation away from anyone, anywhere. In Nama land that becomes 1, maybe 2 at a push as people create and join companies in a fashion we felt was only done in the movies.
I love the word Conjecture. You can state almost anything to be a fact regardless of whether it’s based on reality or not. Put two and two together and chances are it will make 4 but sometimes it’s not that straight forward. Well in Nama land it doesn’t always make 4. Fact can be confused with fiction and it’s only absolute facts that can be takes as truth. When this is the case it is hard to state anything as reality. There can always be doubt planted. We all know the facts, people borrowed too much as cash was made too readily available. Repayments became difficult as things slowed down. The Irish government gave a guarantee that all money in banks could be guaranteed. Nama was created to look at all the large bad debt going round. And then sold it off.
It is still doing that but in order to make the sale the debt is sold at a reduction. After that the waters are muddied, very muddied. Frank Connolly’s book on what’s good by on is big in facts and long sentences. The real question is where did it all start and can it ever end?? I’m not sure as long as this Monopoly money is at stake but people like Connolly will keep pressing for the truth.
niallhope
