Home is where the expenses are

So a High Court Judge has ruled that Ivor should be awarded €17,000 in lost earnings. I wonder is that based on his Cork or Dublin homes? And how did the protesters who delivered a snake to his house know which one to go to?

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Get Up, Stand Up

Watching the hubris coming from the Peter Griffin press conference this evening has made me angrier than an All Black hooker accused of a headbutt. Its bad enough that he, Bertie and the previous inept idiots as Ministers for Finance ran a coach and four through our economy but now he has the audacity to say that his budget and his four-year plan must be passed before he will even think about seeking a mandate from the people.We should be the ones to decide what sort of budget we are going to suffer. Nothing that Griffin has done or said has been in the “national interest”, it’s all just to keep him and his party of nepotistic crooks in office.

Fianna Fail have treated us like dirt for too long now and its time we stood up and gave them a good kicking. They should be forced to go if they won’t do it voluntarily. As we seem to be heading back to the bad old days of the 80s, lets at least bring back the anger and energy that was evident in Toxteth and Notting Hill when Thatcher was destroying her country. For too long the citizens of this state have been passive victims of a Progressive Democrat/Fianna Fail philosophy that has just about destroyed everything good about our society. We need new political thinking in this country but that means we, as citizens, have to play an active part. Its time to reclaim what we’ve lost and if they won’t go gently into the good night maybe its time for an old fashioned riot…

If anyone can be bothered, Morgan Jones, is having a silent and peaceful protest outside the Dail at 12 noon on Thursday 25th. Personally, I would be inclined to bring a big stick and a bag of rocks but maybe we start silent and build up to something a bit stronger. As Shane Hegarty put it: Brian Cowen appears to be playing a political game of chicken. And we’re all passengers in the car.

Time to get moving folks…

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Out of Control

I'm off to New Zealand...

The latest health service fiasco just highlights the lack of leadership and responsibility in this country. The Minister for Health has abdicated any responsibility to the HSE, while enjoying a two-week break in New Zealand at our expense. The HSE say that it only found out about the x-ray problem last week (while also landing Fat Harney right in it by implying she knew about it in December). Professor Brendan Drumm, the very same person that received a big performance related bonus last year, has shifted responsibility for the debacle onto Tallaght Hospital. 

The Tallaght Hospital currently has a board of 22 members, almost as many as the Cabinet that supposedly runs the country. This is despite a recommendation from Price Waterhouse Coopers that the board be cut drastically. Oh, and the HSE has never taken up its seat on the board – how can they possibly hope to know what is going on there or have any influence on the proper governance of the hospital? The former chairman, Alan Gillis refuses to take any responsibility for what went on under his watch and is desperately clinging to his seat on the board. The current chairman designate, Lyndon McCann, claims he didn’t know about the extent of the problem, which should be enough to disqualify him from stepping up to the chair. 

While all this was breaking where was the Taoiseach, the supposed leader of the country? Carrying a bowl of wilted greenery to give to Obama. He is keeping abreast of everything he claims and he has utmost confidence in Fat Harney and thinks she’s doing a splendid job. Well, she’s certainly following Clowen’s example of being responsible for nothing and leading us nowhere. 

Further evidence of the complete lack of leadership and responsibility is Clowen’s inability to deal with the problem of Sweary Mary. Coughlin’s cock-ups are proving to be an embarrassment to the government (if that is possible). It seems that the IDA are reluctant to ask for her to go on further trade missions such is her inability to behave appropriately. Joining Sweary in showing themselves, and us, up is Conor Lenihan - a junior minister in Sweary’s Department. The Irish Daily Mail claims that he was on a “Drink till you drop junket” in Vietnam. There must be something in the water in that Department.

Clowen has a chance to act decisively this week when he reshuffles the cabinet but all indications are theat he will prefer to split up Government Departments rather than address the problem of under-performing Ministers. So, expect to see Sweary remain as Tánaiste but with a much reduced Department that should give her less opportunity to fuck things up. 

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