The Dáil is getting over the shock of the defeat on the Lisbon referendum. Today, an almighty row broke out when justice minister Dermot Ahern didn’t show up to a debate on the renewal of the Offences Against the State Act. The row broke out for a second time when Fine Gael learned he was …
Monthly Archive: June 2008
Jun 19
Less Is More?
I spent the Whit weekend bank holiday in Gleann Cholm Cille, enjoying both time with my family and Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta – the Gaeltacht football championships. Photos from the latter can be seen elsewhere on this site. One of the things that struck me over the weekend was the Lisbon treaty electioneering. In the …
Jun 18
Cold Feet
Over one thousand people stripped and stood around in the nip at Blarney castle earlier today. The stunt was the latest piece of art from the ironically named Spencer Tunick, an ‘installation’ by the performance artist who specialises in photographing the nude from. To date, Tunick has taken photographs of massed nudes at over seventy-five …
Jun 16
Call Waiting
I had to phone the government this morning. I tried several times to get through to the relevant number. Each time, I got a recorded message telling me the holder of the number had not set up a voicemail account, the automatic forwarding service was not able to forward me to an operator, and could …
Jun 15
Dead Planet Sketch
Poor old Pluto just can’t get a break. First it’s demoted from a plant to a dwarf planet. That’s not too bad. It’s no longer the Premiership, but at least it’s still a planet. Then the International Astronomical Union announced that dwarf plants will in future be known as plutoids. Pluto wasn’t easy to find. …
Jun 14
Free Trade
Neelie Kroes is my new hero. I’ve been moving away from microsoft for years. I browse the web with Firefox. I design publications with Scribus. And I dropped MS Office in favour of OpenOffice two years ago. I’m writing this article using OpenOffice writer, and have over the years written countless articles and two books …
Jun 13
And In Other News
A lot of people got a scare last Halloween, when the government told second provisional licence holders they would no longer be allowed to drive on their own. Panic ensued as thousands of provisional drivers scrambled to arrange tests. The government relented, and said there would be an eight month holiday before the rule change. …
Jun 13
Why So Many Don’t Know
Sometimes, the vision thing is important. In the first European referendum in 1973, the benefits were clear. Europe meant access to new markets, and an incredible deal for farmers. The Single European Act sold itself in the title alone. One Europe, no borders, no customs, free movement for people as well as companies and their …
Jun 11
Who Pays The Piper
I was educated by the State. The State paid for to build the schools I was taught in, designed the curriculum, paid my teachers’ salaries. But the first school I went to wasn’t a State school. It was owned and operated by the Catholic church. We’re so used to ‘national schools’ which aren’t owned by …
Jun 11
24
One more day to go. I’m looking forward to it already. No more news programmes filled with ‘I didn’t interrupt you’ and ‘Who is funding your campaign?’ No more claims that the Lisbon treaty will sanction euthanasia, legalise abortion, and make homosexuality compulsory on Tuesdays. No more ministers pleading for a Yes vote because they …