Left, right, left, right...

Well, your Recession Fairy had to pull on her fluffy marching boots at the weekend.

Not something I've had to do since I was a tax dodger/sponger/layabout or as it is commonly known, a Student. And I wasn't a particularly militant one of them because I just didn't feel very strongly about anything much. Now, however....

Saturday saw the streets of Dublin covered in ICTU trade union members, their families and supporters. Estimates were at between 100,000 and 120,000 people depending on where you read it. No matter where you read it, that's a lot of angry people, angry enough to give up their Saturday afternoon. Angry enough to travel to Dublin from all over the country. Angry enough to miss Premiership matches even. Trust me, that's angry. Angry and hurt and feeling punished in a climate where a lot of others seem to be getting away daylight robbery.

So "people power" in action. It's a bit disheartening when it gets average coverage in the press, small corners of Sunday's front pages, 3 minute sections on the evening news, even a touch of sarcasm on national radio when a journalist doing a vox popli glibly asks 'Do you think some people just like marching?'

Well I didn't see too many ardent marchophiles, getting their kicks from trudging up O'Connell Street mingling with people who've lost their jobs or suffered pay cuts on wages that hardly let them amass fortunes under the mattress for a rainy day.

This country is hurting, little by little, the recession is sneaking up on unsuspecting families and nibbling away at them, so they're cutting back, and the domino effect is starting. A car purchase put on hold, a holiday cancelled, shopping curtailed, subscriptions cancelled - it all adds up to a tightening choke hold on businesses.

Sure, people can argue that some of the march's members, civil servants, have 'safe' jobs and should pay for the privilege - but where on earth do they think these people spend their money?

In the private sector, that's where. These levies will curtail a portion of the nation's spenders and take enough little losses in a business and it'll come tumbling down like a Jenga tower.

So, "What do we want?"
"Solutions."
"When do we want them?"
"Now."

Before this snowballs into a total disaster. We know there's hard decisions to be made, but how about a few creative ones - put a bit of your spinning creativity into problem solving!

I'll keep my marching boots ready for action, I'm sure this isn't over.