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Political World Dot Org
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Some good ideas from Fine Gael.
Credit where it is due. FG’s proposals for political reform should be given consideration. They aren’t perfect, and in particular their proposals for electoral reform are too vague and limited, in that 15 seats is not enough and could, if...
Proof that FG will NOT abolish the Seanad.
Enda Kenny’s inability to get his parliamentary party to carry out his wishes with regard to female candidates (see here) is a telling portent of his future ability to bring about radical political change as Taoiseach. If he can’t get hi...
Irish National Party exposed by Sunday World
David Barrett self styled leader of the far right in IrelandBrian Whelan of the Sunday World has an expose of the Nazi leaning leader of the Irish National Party who is named as being David Barrett (29), from Crumlin. Whelan reports that "It is...
An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Useless Revolutionary.
You see him outside the GPO, denouncing the right-wing government and their paycuts and tax increases and their betrayal of the people. “Tell the banks to f**k off!” “Back the Greeks!” “Take to the streets now!” an...
An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Professional NGOer.
It’s all about hedgehogs. If you don’t care about the welfare of hedghogs, and want to spend whatever it takes to ensure hedgehog utopia, you’re a bastard. Never mind the old, and the sick, and poor children, and the third world, th...
FT video: Ireland’s gamble on R&D
The Crann nanotechnology research centre in Dublin is an example of the EU’s Lisbon agenda, which 10 years ago set out to make Europe the world’s most dynamic knowledge-based economy. But how well have those ambitions been met? Can Europe...
The irrelevence of Irish political parties.
Having attended two political public events in the last week, one common feature which struck me was how irrelevent the current political parties are to the debate. They have the power, there’s no question of that, but what was striking was tha...
The Blueshirts’s Law and Order policy.
Saw this, and thought this is how FG would really like to do it.
A weekly message from Enda!
Image via Wikipedia So Enda seems to be trying to catch up with the rest of the digital world and has started to send a weekly message to supporters on a Friday. I think this is a good idea, and the message seems to include lots of information. I...
Right wing methods to deliver left wing aims.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund is one of Mary Harney’s successes as minister for health, and yet here is an example of a hospital refusing to work with it to reduce the suffering of patients. Why? Many opponents of the NTPF are opposed...
Will European bonds translate into Eurobonds?
There are, we are told, no plans to bail out Greece, which has come under a lot of pressure and scrutiny for its government debt. However there seems to be a general feeling that if it came to it, Greece would be bailed out: see the Irish Times and A...
Abolishing NUI
Image via Wikipedia When I heard the news that Batt O’Keeffe was suggesting that that National University of Ireland be abolished, I initially thought it was a good idea. Then I stopped and thought about it and realised he must be reading fr...
Greece ought to borrow a leaf from recession-savaged Ireland
How can Greece dig itself out of crisis? From the sunny shores of south-eastern Europe, it could do worse than take a look at the windswept, north-western corner of the continent and study what the Irish government is doing. As I noted last week, G...
Perpetual Peace Process
Northern Ireland is back in the news, and this time it's not because of sex and money. The more familiar peace process crisis has returned (though, technically, it never really went away), with the devolution of police and justice powers to the regio...
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD: 18 months later…
It’s been 18 months since FG and Labour won the general election. Can anyone tell me what will be different? And please, no remarks about Fianna Fail. Actual differences in policy being implemented. I know I have a fair few FG readers, so let...
A little bit of fiction: Auto-Taoiseach.
A short story penned over the Christmas. A multinational proposes a deal with a cash-strapped Irish government, to run Ireland with a supercomputer. You can read it here.
Auto-Taoiseach: A short story.
Another bit of political fantasy, penned over the Christmas. A multinational proposes a deal to the cash-strapped Irish Government. €10 billion in return for running the country for three years, with a giant artificial intelligence system called Ai...
Outrage as Irish refuse to over-drink.
DIPSO, the Drinks Industry and Pub Services Organisation, has lashed out at recent figures showing that Irish people have started drinking less. ” It’s a disgrace!” A spokesperson said. “There are Irish people over 35 years ol...
Other people’s money.
” When the people find that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury, that will be the end of the republic.” Benjamin Franklin. If you wanted to identify a statement that summed up the problem at the heart of Irish society,...
Donegal South West By-Election: FG in the starting blocks.
Image via Wikipedia Fine Gael is set to hold its Convention for the Donegal South West By-election on February 15th. Joe McHugh TD (Donegal North East) has been appointed Director of Elections for the bye-election for Fine Gael. This will be a ver...
Ireland for Europe still in the Red!
Image via Wikipedia I got an email today from Ireland for Europe. I really wasn’t expecting to be getting an email from them. It turns out that Ireland for Europe are still in existence as they are in a debt of about €150,000. They are bla...
Cork South Central YFG being launched
Image via Wikipedia A Cork South Central Branch of Young Fine Gael is being launched on Friday 15th of January is Soho Bar on Grand Parade at 7:30pm. This is one of the new branches being set up by the Munster Regional Council of Young Fine Gael.
Not There Yet
Image via Wikipedia I saw this short animation about transport in Ireland and I had to put it up. Its great. Anyone who has experience rush hour traffic in Dublin will get this t0tally. Enjoy! Hat-tip: Padraig Share this Post[?] ...
The two Sinn Feins.
Sinn Fein are demanding that Cllr. Killian Forde, who has joined Labour, resign his seat, as it is a “Sinn Fein seat”. Hmm. Curiously, they didn’t do the same thing here. Yet again, SF saying one thing on one side of the border, a...
If there was one value…
If there was one value that would define your politics, what would it be? Sure, it’s easy to say something like “Look after the weak” but that’s a vague cop-out, and most people who say that don’t believe it really. If t...
The Great Party Machine?
” In this ‘Republic’ candidates who stand on a particular party ticket are also happy to use the dedicated membership, the party’s media machine, the party’s finances and support network to get elected with an acute understanding of the...
Sinn Fein’s Killian Forde to join Labour?
One of SF’s rising stars, Cllr Killian Forde, has quit SF over the Dublin City budget (He voted in favour) and may be about to join Labour, according to David Cochrane over at Politics.ie I’ve seen Killian speak once, in Trinity, and he w...
Fine Gael calls on government to shoot down snow before it reaches ground.
Fine Gael has called on the government to use all military means at the disposal of the state to prevent snow from reaching the country. “It’s a disgrace, and typical of Fianna Fail.” A spokesperson said earlier today. ” We ha...
Politics.ie editor/owner David Cochrane bars discussion in the Irish language?
Interesting thread in Irish on politics.ie has been stifled by David Cochrane who says that such dicussion should take place IN ENGLISH!!!!!http://www.politics.ie/gaeilge/121766-ca-bhfuil-baill-politics-ie-imithe.htmlCá bhfuil baill politics.ie imi...
It’s snow, Goddammit!
Yesterday, the Labour party called for a “National Weather Emergency” to be declared. WTF? But what was more annoying was listening to an RTE presenter on Morning Ireland browbeat a poor (And reasonable sounding) public official for not...
An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Nationalist Nutjob.
Everything, everything, is an imperialist conspiracy. God love him, but it would break his heart if he learnt the truth: That the Brits probably regret ever getting mixed up with Ireland, and would pull out in a heartbeat if they could figure out a ...
When airport security is part of the problem
A bizarre story from Dublin. Short version: A Slovak agency was running a covert security check at an airport, which is presumably Bratislava. The test involves planting explosive materials in the bags of unsuspecting passengers. 8 packages in...
An Explosive Security Test
Airport security has had one of its regular revivals as a news topic since the attempted bombing in the US, and there's always questions of liberty versus security. But a airport security has reared its head in Europe is far stranger circumstances to...
It’s 2010, and “Blasphemy” returns to Europe
When I was a kid going to Catholic school in Pennsylvania, we used to tell puerile religion jokes: Knock, knock. Who’s there? John. John who? John the Baptist. At which point you’d get a squirt from a real or imaginary water pistol. Get...
The Greens need to learn the O’Malley doctrine.
Unlike many, I haven’t given up on the Greens yet. I still think that Gormley and Ryan are men of honour and duty, who want to do the best they can for the country. However, they need to watch that Fianna Fail “reasonable” thing. Wh...
Politics.ie active users fall by 1/3 since David Cochrane's politically inspired culling of active members
Though Politics.ie boasts 21,798 members most of these are inactive on the site . Since David Cochrane started banning posters en masse just before Christmas 09 , because they are not right wing Libertas followers, the active members on the site ha...
For an Atheist Ireland!
Let’s enter the New Year on an optimistic note: the vile Catholic bigotry of that old clerical fascist Eamon de Valera is being challenged. The Irish constitution of 1936 contained a blasphemy law that protected Christians from the awful ordea...
Death Star blocked by An Bord Plenala.
Construction of an new imperial Death Star has been blocked by the Irish planning board, it was revealed today. Opponents of the proposed development welcomed the decision, confirming their fears that it was inappropriate to locate a weapon of mass g...
Road Deaths: 240
Image by Getty Images via Daylife 2009 saw 240 people killed on Irish Roads. This is down (a record!!) 39 on last year. It is still a high figure. Among those killed were: 40 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 128 were drivers 38 passengers 27 bikers. Roa...
Blasphemy Illegal from Today
I got this recently on facebook. Defamation Act 2009 (Commencement) Order 2009 (SI No 517 of 2009) I, Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 1(2) of the Defamation Act 2009 (N...
A new Political Party in 2010?
Image via Wikipedia 2009 saw the end of the Progressive Democrats as they were wound up in November of this year, but word as reached me of the beginnings of a new party. It’s not surprising that this is happening. While small parties come a...
Dublin Mayor: The next big fight.
It looks like June 2010 will be the next big bunfight between the parties, when the people of Dublin, if John Gormley is to be believed, will be electing a mayor for Dublin. So, who are to be the contenders? Labour’s Dermot Lacey, former lord m...
Recession beating recipes People Korps's Authentic Irish Stew
Available now in my new cooking column on TOKhttp://www.hostingphpbb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=73&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&mforum=tok...
Where’s the other guy?
Just a quick question: Frank Dunlop, who I see has been let out for Christmas, was convicted of bribing a fella. If he has been found guilty of bribing, how come we have not convicted the guy he bribed?
Please! Not another f**king tribunal!
There is talk of an “inquiry” into the banking crisis. Why? What will be the benefit, other than to spend another quarter of a billion, which we haven’t got, on a report? Will it help jail anyone? Did the Beef Tribunal? Would it not...
People Korps' Greetings
Well it has been an active year and yes we did destroy the Libertas party. However 2010 will see the cadre water themselves down and adhere to the extreme fringes of more main stream groups while they hone their skills. Expect many fronts emerging th...
"Is Nuclear in Ireland's Energy Future?"
Here's my latest post over at Th!nk About It:Yesterday the Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET) at Queen's University Belfast held what will be their first annual Christmas Lecture. Christmas Lectures have quite a history, and are a part...
SIPO report on Irish European election Libertas spend c.500k, Shelbourne/ Legatus's Garrett Kellegher's wife Meave donates to Libertas
Sipo have published their report into the European elections which is an interesting read. Those of you who followed the Legatus Libertas saga on this blog(use google seasrch box on right of screen to search for all posts) will note that Garret Kel...
The Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Ogra Fianna Failer.
It’s the twitchiness you notice first. The same sort of shiftiness you see with a guy meeting Tony Sporano, and wearing an FBI wire. Put him in a room with a half a dozen other Ogra FFers, and watch the glint of fear in his eyes, as they a...
Banned from Politics.ie?
Lots of people have been getting banned in a counterrevolution by the former Libertas cadre and their former founder David Cochrane.Cochrane spent lat night banning anti Libertas posters across the political spectrum from politics.ie the site he owns...
Politics.ie, Gardai and privacy
In the last week Politics.ie site owner David Cochrane, (of Libertas fame) has had to issue warnings that the Garadi were being called in re various issues on his site. David has blocked all new sign ups to his web site. He said he would have the Gar...
Have any ex Libertas cadre been employed in Ireland?
I have noted that politics.ie's David Cochrane has been severely disadvantaged for future employment by his Libertas connections but what of other Libertas employees and their fellow travllers?Alan Kennedy and John McGuirk ran the last Libertas campa...
The Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The “Very Good” Public Person.
” Oh, she’s very good!” The cry goes up at the south Dublin dinner party. The subject is normally one of those elegently dressed, usually female talking heads that constantly appeared on the old Questions and Answers and now does Ma...
Paul Gogarty
I first heard of Paul Gogarty before he was even elected a county councillor. A guy I worked with was raving about the work this Green party activist was doing in the area, and predicted that he would easily get elected in the locals, and then the ge...
A very Irish observation.
I was listening to some DJs discussing the new Samuel Beckett bridge last night, and one commented that it had cost €8 million, after which another gasped and made a remark about how the money could have been spent on the health service. What? It&#...
Budget 2010: The Good and the Bad
Image via Wikipedia If you are looking for indepth stuff on the budget, you wont find it here! Vists Suzy and Irish Election if you are looking for that sort of stuff! This is my reaction to the budget, which I mostly missed due to college. Hence...
Why are Fianna Fail so easy on the opposition?
The budget was hard, and will hurt a lot of people. That’s what recessions do. What surprises me about this budget, and FF’s communication of it, is FF’s inability to take FG and Labour to task over their alternatives. Rather than s...
Why is the budget secret? It’s our money!
RTE News is reporting that the Cabinet is being briefed this morning on the budget. €50 billion in spending, and they only discuss the entire package now? The argument given is that if people know in advance, they may make different decisions, and...
Irish Labour MEPs the best Bloggers in Europe
I was very pleased to see a Labour woman MEP elected from Ireland in June. Nessa Childers is also a blogger. Nessa’s blog is more of a news feed and she notes that most of the posts are done by others but this does not in my view diminish i...
Missing: Damian O’Brien
Have been asked to post this damian-obrien, about a chap who is missing.
The Green Party’s latest litmus test.
I see that some in the FF parliamentary party are looking for a “freedom of conscience” clause for, I think, public officials who for religious reasons do not agree with civil partnership. I’m sorry? Aside from the fact that these a...
Is it intolerant or politically incorrect to call these people morons?
Apparently, staring directly at the sun causes damage to the eyes! Who would have thought?From today’s Irish Times.
The (Revised) Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: Fianna Fail
The Tesco “Whatever you’re buying, we’re selling” Party. Fianna Fail were doing the middle way when Tony Blair was a member of CND. Political Acrobats to a man. Founded by Dev in 1927 with a vision of a barefoot, pregnant maiden danci...
The Lisbon Treaty comes into effect today
The Lisbon Treaty comes into effect today however it would be wise to moniter and protect against the disparate groups of loony right wingers who came out of the woodwork to protest against it.Groups such as COIR and off shoots like Renew must be gua...
“The Government took the finger off the pulse by managing treatment rather than risk”
The above is a quite from Dr Fiona Mulcahy, consultant at St James’s department of genito-urinary medicine and infectious diseases. It is her view on how the Government is tackling the HIV/AIDS issue in Ireland. This year will see Ireland’...
An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Scandal.
Given the moral failings of the Irish as a race, it is hardly surprising that there is a clear and tested timeline to every scandal which besets Irish society, whether it is moral, political, social or financial. The timeline is as such: 1. Issue eme...
Raising Cork
I got this via email. Check it out and its for a good cause. We were all completely shocked at the devastation so many people in Cork suffered during the recent floods. We couldn’t just stand around doing nothing, so colleagues at H+A Marketing+PR...
Christmas Lights Turned on Tonight in Cork
Come and celebrate the Switch-on of Cork City’s Christmas lights at the launch of ‘A Christmas Celebration on the Grand Parade’ by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Dara Murphy On the Grand Parade on Friday 27th November 2009 Speeches at...
We should expel the Papal Nuncio, and withdraw our ambassador from the Vatican.
Apparently, the Vatican has refused to cooperate with the commission into child abuse. In other words, the Vatican, a sovereign state, has refused to cooperate with the investigation into a criminal conspiracy against children in this country. Fair e...
How come Ireland's public finances are so bad?
Something I don't understand: we're constantly told here that our public finances are unsustainable, while...
Ireland: The Reign of the Salaryman
There is something very traditional about the Irish economic crisis. If you consider the staples of 1980s economics, they were the ideas that nominal wages adjust very slowly downwards and that labour markets segment strongly into insiders who are...
Europol to aid hunt for 859,000 Irish who thrashed country.
Europol announced that they would join in the international hunt for 859,000 people who partook in a criminal conspiracy to defraud Ireland of billions in state revenues. The gang, known as Fianna Fail Voters, engaged in a plot to steal billions from...
Should ICTU run candidates?
Consider this: An organisation with branches in every county and industry in the country, well organised and funded by its members, and with a clear ideological agenda. That’s ICTU. Imagine the effect of them deciding to take the final step. S...
Alan Kennedy aka CookieMonster on Politics.ie
Spends all his time online now attacking the poor and complaining to moderators on politics.is. For those who have been abused by the scumbag neo con fascist on that site this is a funny turn of events and indicitive of the general role reversal that...
The Birmingham pub bombings, 35 years on
Birmingham UK, November 21 1974: Thirty five years ago tonight, two bombs exploded inside busy pubs in the centre of Birmingham, killing 21 people and injuring another 182. It was a traumatic moment - we in mainland Britain had not experienced s...
The stuff that stops me joining Fine Gael.
From today’s Irish Times: ” Fine Gael spokeswoman on European Affairs Lucinda Creighton congratulated the new commissioner but said her relationship with Declan Ganley would have to be clarified. “The Taoiseach needs to come out immedia...
Maire Geoghegan-Quinn: The Right Woman in the Right Place?
MGQ would not have been my first choice for commissioner, but I can understand the logic of appointing her, especially given the gender issue in the commission. She was a courageous justice minister too. What’s interesting though is the specula...
The 7 Great Myths of Irish Society.
They keep turning up, those little statements of “conventional wisdom” by which we are supposed to run our society. You hear them everywhere, in pubs, on the telly, and most of all, from the mouths of people wanting to protect whatever v...
The Picket Dilemma: I’ve decided
Image by Getty Images via Daylife I know the blog seems to be obsessed with Strikes at the moment, but they are a big part of whats going on with me at the moment! Between asking you what you think of crossing pickets to my teachers going on strik...
Argh Strikes!!!
So we were informed today in Class that our teachers are going on Strike next Tuesday. It turns out that teachers in Further Education Colleges, like Cork College of Commerce, are represented by the Teachers Union of Ireland, so they are going on str...
Declan Ganley sighting
Just strolled along Grafton Street beside Declan Ganley and a bearded guy. Ganley was wearing a tan trenchcoat and was smoking a rather huge cigar. As Declan was deep in furroughed brow conversation I decided it was not the time to take him up on an...
ICTU, lobby groups demand magic fairies solve economic crisis.
NGOs, lobby groups and Congress have all demanded that the government use little magic people to address the issue of possible cuts in public spending in the upcoming budget. ICTU spokesperson Sean Beard told us: “If the government really cared...
Taoiseach to Attend COP15
Image via Wikipedia During the week I got confirmation that the Brian Cowen will be attending the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change in December. Does this mean that Ireland is placing a large amount of importance on the conference or is Brian ju...
The (Revised) Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The Inoffensive Dynasty TD.
Handsome in a bland kind of way, he resembles a male model wearing drip dry shirts in a safety wear catalogue. He was never interested in politics, but everyone knew the old man and it was just assumed, and sure enough, when the father moved on, the...
An Occasional (Revised) Guide to Irish Politics: The Trades Union Spokesperson.
There was once a time when Irish trades union officials were fire and brimstone men, ready to take to the pickets at the drop of a differential payment. Then along came Social Partnership, and they went from being fellas standing outside a factory hu...
The (Revisited) Occasional Guide to Irish politics: The Inoffensive Dynasty TD.
Handsome in a bland kind of way, he resembles a male model wearing drip dry shirts in a safety wear catalogue. He was never interested in politics, but everyone knew the old man and it was just assumed, and sure enough, when the father moved on, the...
Ireland’s slow motion fiscal crisis
There’s a “normal” path for a fiscal crisis. Some vulnerabilities build up. An external shock tips things over the edge. The country struggles along for a while but eventually refinancing or rollover risk forces the issue: new...
Did Europe Give Too Much to Ireland?
Was the Council wrong to agree to maintain one commissioner per member state in order to buy Ireland's "Yes" vote?
1,214,268
Many eurosceptics expected on Friday the 2nd of October that the referendum would be passed. They expected it to be passed with a whimper of submission, a reluctant approval by an electorate that had been "bullied" by Brussels bureaucrats into voting...
Resounding Irish ‘yes’ to EU’s Lisbon Treaty
Source: Euractiv [edited] Irish voters have approved the EU’s reform treaty by a margin of two to one, lifting the EU out of institutional limbo after years of democratic setbacks and blockage. All eyes now turn to Eurosceptic Czech President V...
Coming to the End of the Line
A great result - what a relief. I will leave this blog open for maybe a week just to capture any last-minute or after-the-event comments and will then end with a final message or messages. As you know, I started the blog for the referendum so it will...
After the Irish yes – what will now happen?
This afternoon, MEP’s will be gathering for a mini-session in Brussels. The issue dominating the agenda is a debate on the Irish referendum and the next steps to be taken for the Lisbon Treaty to enter into force. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt w...
Coir are not Catholics and should be excommunicated
I found this tonight on Politic.ie and it is clear that as I have often said that COIR are not adherents of the Catholic faith but are a heretical sect and should be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. It is time real Catholics made a stand and...
Chasing Brussels Ep. 3 – Irish Lisbon Referendum
In this episode, Jan Seifert, Conor Slowey and I discuss the results of the Irish Lisbon treaty referendum.
Irish vote launches the Lisbon end-game
It looks like end-game for the Lisbon Treaty at last. Ireland’s two-to-one majority in favour of ratification on October 2 was a convincing reversal of the 2007 “no” vote, especially given the increased turnout, which at 58 per cent of the el...
