Hey Lord, don’t ask me questions…

Vincent Browne in cracking form, taking on Klaus Masuch of the ECB.

Notice Masuch’s reaction, it starts with a sort of sneer as if he could just ignore the irritating insect in front of him but then he gets more and more uncomfortable as Browne presses his point. Its just a shame that not one of the other journalists pushed any member of the Troika over Browne’s claims that we don’t owe need to pay unsecured bond holders and that the reason for paying them back is just to keep other European banks from getting into financial difficulties. Not to mention the fact that we shouldn’t be shoring up a now defunct bank.

The telling point from the past couple of years is the lack of any serious investigative journalism into what happened to our financial institutions and into why we have to accept what the Troika tell us to do. We have been told that we have to pay back a debt, most of which the Irish public did not incur, without any good reason. Our major media organisations have fallen in behind our political leaders in telling us that we have pay back money that we don’t have. Our journalists have been silenced, apart from Browne and Fintan O’Toole, and they have been marginalised as being eccentric or too left-wing to be listened to. There is a major story to be written about the ties that bind journalism with politics in this country, unfortunately that story will not be written by any of our journalists. If it is written at all, it will be written by the historians looking back at this gombeen nation.

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Bloggers Book Club – Northern Lights

Northern Lights, or what do we do with problem called, em, Lyra, was a last minute substitute  for Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon, which proved hard to get (mainly due to the paperback only being release this month, I think). While I can’t compare the two books, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by Northern Lights as I’m not a huge fan of fantasy fiction (Tolkein being an exception).

This is a world a bit like ours, university lecturers who think they know everything (hello to Moore McDowell), a church that insists on a monopoly of “truth”, downtrodden gypsies and, of course, talking polar bears. But bears aren’t the only animals that talk, Lyra, like all humans is born with a daemon. Some kind of furry creature that can change shape at will, can talk and feel everything its human feels – a bit like a politician at election time. There is an invisible bond between humans and daemons (think Fianna Fail and property developers) and when one dies so does the other (unlike Fianna Fail who are obviously some abomination of nature).

Pullman’s fantasy world is just as difficult for young children to navigate as our own. Adults that are supposed to protect children end up damaging them or worse. The official world seems to help or turn a blind eye to the Gobblers – child catchers intent on trying to separate children from their daemons – a bit like official Ireland and child-abusing clergy.

And like our world, some parents are not averse to using their children to gain positions of power. Poor Lyra, along with her daemon Pantalaimon, has to contend with both a mother and a father who wish to do her harm in order to further their own ambitions. Not only that but she was abandoned in a stuffy university (Oxford) to be brought up by the dons. But Lyra possesses her own qualities and she sees off many adversities in her quest (all fantasy fiction has to have a quest) to free the children taken by the Gobblers and also to, as she thinks, rescue her father from a frozen prison near the North Pole.

Pullman is a consumate writer, his characters may not have much depth but they allow the story to move at a pace and the reader’s attention doesn’t flag. He also has the skill in persuading us to suspend our disbelief (Bears that make armour from the sky, witches, a talking grey goose) and buy into the story. And he doesn’t think much of organised religion, whats not to like? All in all a pleasant read and if I see the other two books knocking around a bookstore (its just a shame Waterstones has closed its covers) I may just have my daemon (a half-bee called Eric) pick them up.

Check out the other members of the BBC for their views: Lily, Marian, Marie, Lorna, Val, Jenn, Edie, Catherine, Jenny, SusanC, Winifred, Ann, Susan, Dee and Tommy who suggest the book.

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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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Bogey Men

So, we have an ex-Finance Minister and current Taoiseach (that’s Irish for incompetent buffoon) who claims that in accompanying Sean Fitzpatrick in 18 holes of golf and an 18 course dinner he never once discussed the malaise at Anglo-Irish bank. If you accept that barely believable premise then the question is – why the fuck didn’t he discuss the situation? Or more importantly, why didn’t he wrap a five-iron round Fitzy’s neck for breaking our whole economy? And nice to see Fitzy’s old friend Drumm backing him up.

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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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Slackbladder

Copyright Irish Examiner

General Melchett is at it again. The braying minister for Flooding, Inappropriate Building Schemes (FIBS) and taking Willie O’Dea’s place as government lackey doesn’t think we need an independent inquiry into last November’s floods that decimated large parts of Cork, Carlow and Kilkenny. He’s not convinced that “pointing the finger” is the best way to go even though an Oireachtas Committee report found a complete lack of leadership when it came to reacting to the floods.

Here’s a finger that can be pointed at the pretentious prat and the rest of his World War I type generals -

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Your Cheatin’ Heart

If you were in hospital, really sick, maybe terminal who would you trust to comfort you, perhaps help cure you or at least make things more bearable? How about these fine people, carrying round a 500 year old, desiccated heart?

Although I’m not sure if they’re coming to help or to hurry you on your way.

Now ordinarily the daily goings on of the superstitious would not bother me or cause me too much concern unless they were breaking the law or waking me up early on a Sunday. However, these scary looking oddbods have been getting getting a police escort since the non-beating heart arrived in Ireland.

Why is the state paying good money to guard a piece of Catholic mythology? Surely the church has enough funds to pay for a couple of bouncers for a few weeks? I’m assuming that the police were just guarding the relic and not affording it full blown diplomatic status cos that would be just plain silly. After all, its not as if the ex-organ can actually do anything, what with its previous owner being dead for half a millenium. For those of you who, however misguidedly, think that there is something to this mumbo-jumbo you can do a google search to find where the lifeless, bloodless husk will be making its next appearance. For those of you with a more realistic view of the world you might want to check this out tomorrow – Atheist Ireland AGM.

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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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Real, Real Gone…

It was probably Harold Wilson, well known pipe-smoker and adulterer, that said, “a week is a long time in politics”. But even ‘Arold would have choked on his Kendal Dark Shag at the goings on in Irish politics in the last while.

First we had George ‘Glee’ Lee deciding that his all-singing, all-dancing skills were being wasted in the chorus line of Enda’s Entertainment Troop. George is currently appearing at a church near you in the lead role of Jesus Christ, I’m a Celebrity Economist, Count Me the Fuck Out of Here.

Then we had Deirdre de Niqab Burca, with an uncanny inability to connect with an electorate, posting one of the most poisonous resignations since Roy Keane deserted in Saipan. Poor old Deirdre, can’t even be recycled to Europe.

Next was the armour-plated moustache that underwent a very close shave because of Boyle’s law tweet. Willie just couldn’t keep it up anymore and went off quietly into the night. Yeah, right, he did more moaning than a Trinity graduate on Frontline.

Finally, it was Trevor Sargent, busted down to private. The former ex-leader of the Greens proved that the Minister for Horticulture was the biggest cabbage of the lot.

And what would Wilson have made of this sorry lot? He probably would have asked Captain Mainwaring, “do you think thats wise?”…

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Blind Justice?

What happens to people in this country when they get to a position of power? Do they just subscribe to the adage that power corrupts? Or maybe its as simple as living in a culture where there is no responsibility and it doesn’t really matter what you do as you will not be answerable. Even the language of power doesn’t acknowledge that doing wrong must lead to some sort of punishment. Dáil deputies cannot be called liars in the Dáil, no they tell untruths or omit to tell the truth. If we did the same we would be liars and quite rightly so. Power is facilitated in this by the lack of action by the police and the courts.

Limerick Gangster (from http://www.independent.ie)

Willie O’Dea told ‘untruths’ to the High Court. According to himself he forgot what he had said in a taped interview three weeks prior to the signed affidavit to the High Court. Actually what he did was perjure himself. Perjury is a criminal offence yet O’Dea has not been charged with the crime, let alone arrested for it. O’Dea doesn’t even recognise that he is further diminishing the standing of politics in this country.

The Catholic bishops of Dublin colluded with and facilitated the abuse of children in Dublin. This is another criminal act. Yet, as with O’Dea, the authorities have been silent on the issue. The bishops went off to Rome to kiss the pope’s ring (insert your own appropriate gag). They got a bit of a telling off and then listened as the weasel-faced bastard tried to blame a lack of faith for preponderance of paedophiles in the Irish institution. These bishops should be in handcuffs and chains and not colluding in writing a pastoral letter that will absolve them and put the blame back on the victims.

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