First, the role of the trade union leadership in deflating anger. The unions have called demonstrations, but have failed to mobilise membership so that attendance at said demonstrations has been pitiful. They have called strikes and then, without consulting members, cancelled them at the last minute. They have negotiated outrageous deals for public sector workers with the government and then subjected members to all kinds of threats and 'lesser evil' arguments to get them ratified. At present the umbrella union group, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, is intimating that it will do nothing if the government attacks those unions, such as the education unions, which failed to accept the terms of the deal. In the private sector, particularly within those multinationals that are unionised, there is a tacit agreement with employers not to aggressively persue worker's interests. Unions, for instance, will, without exception, fight for better redundancy terms for workers losing their jobs, rather than fighting to keep the jobs in the first place. Union leaders have averted their eyes while the courts and police have struck with clinical efficiency to break up sit-ins, pickets and workplace occupations. As a consequence hundreds of thousands of union members are truly bewildered here. Workers are calling into question the whole point of trade unions, just at the juncture where a properly functioning trade union movement is needed. That bewilderment might turn to apathy or into anger but while the far-right has had no traction here for decades there are fascist antecedents which might re-emerge. Whatever left-wing resistance emerges will have to be outside of the formal trade union system and will, consequently, require a serious willingness to engage in unlawful action that many workers might not be prepared to contemplate.
Secondly, the deep psychological pull of Irish self-congratulation has served to undermine resistance. During the 'Celtic Tiger' our politicians, and certain well-to-do social strata, made a habit of lecturing Europeans about the wonders of our economic 'model' (if you could call it that). Our neo-liberals in government, media, academia and, yes, the trade unions scoffed at Social Democratic Europe and its 'rigidities' and inflexible labour markets. It was 'Boston v. Berlin'; we were going to emulate Boston and 'Berlin' could go f**k itself. This notwithstanding, Social Democratic Europe was transferring billions into the Irish economy every year for most of the 1990's. That contempt percolated through Irish society to the extent that verminous scumbags like Ryanair's Michael O'Leary acquired iconic status among some workers as exemplars of the new deregulated, go-getting, non-nosense Irish capitalism.
The flip side of this self-congratulation can be seen by the contempt with which the Irish establishment, and not a few workers, hold the striking Greeks and French and their resistance. We now congratulate ourselves for not being 'childish', 'emotional' and 'irresponsible' in our response to austerity. We're more 'mature' and open to 'compromise'. This has led our Minister of Finance to boast that measures can be implemented in Ireland that would inconceivable in France or other European countries.That we're on the cusp of a catastrophic debt default matters not a whit for the time being. I dislike the term 'false consciousness' but it seems apt in this context.
There's a sense here of Europe in August 1939 or even Ireland in July 1969, radical economic, social and political change is on it's way but most people are unaware, or are putting it out of their minds until the inevitable happens.
My final point: the recently formed United Left Alliance which consists of the Socialist Workers Party front group 'People Before Profit', the CWI Socialist Party, and various left independents and community networks could conceivably benefit from the fallout. Even with a few seats in parliament it will offer some small alternative the hitherto hegemonic austerity discourse. That might, or might not, be the start of a viable socialist movement here.
Apologies for the longwindedness of this reply.