I’m getting better at dealing with the Dáil meltdowns. I was already prepared for the latest Anglo Irish debacle this morning, since the news of the ‘exceptional support‘ loans emerged yesterday. Even so, it took some time for me to absorb the news that Brian Lenihan never bothered to read the auditor’s report. The man’s …
Monthly Archive: February 2009
Feb 10
Equity
Junior labour minister Billy Kelleher thinks the minimum wage needs a review. Apparently, €8.65 an hour could be a ‘barrier to employment’. Billy’s boss, enterprise and employment minister Mary Coughlan, sets the minimum wage in orders and regulations laid before the Oireachtas. Maybe the government hopes the latest kite will distract from the fact that …
Feb 09
Passion
Wondering what I might write about today I clicked on the Irish Times, hoping to find an upbeat story somewhere. Anything at all, except the banks, the recession, the revolting civil servants. There’s a picture of the Glorious Leader on the Irish Times website. Walking in front of a tram, head down, hands stuffed in …
Feb 08
Ireland 30 France 21
Thanks to a last minute call from a friend of a friend, I found myself in Croke Park today for the Ireland France game, and brought along the camera. I snapped away happily, but I definitely need to invest in a new lens.
Feb 07
Lend Me Your Ears
I suppose I should say something about that speech. Brian Cowen’s address to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, fortuitously recorded after most journalists had left, got quite a bit of play today, and no doubt cheered many Fianna Fáil supporters around the country. Extracts were played on several radio stations, commentators were asked for their …
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Feb 06
News Management
Remember back when when all those junior ministers lined up to declare they were willing to lose their positions, and we really didn’t need twenty of them? It was all part of the Share The Pain the government has been spreading in order to condition the rest of us for pay cuts. After all, if …
Feb 05
Legacy
Dermot Gallagher, former secretary general at the department of foreign affairs, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Garda Síochána Ombuudsman Commission. Gallagher replaces Justice Kevin Haugh, who died unexpectedly last week. The government does not usually react with such speed when high positions fall vacant, but in this case, it was prepared. …
Feb 03
FUD
Brian Cowen can’t even rely on the weather these days. Since the talks with unions and employers broke down this morning, it was clear he would have to go it alone, announcing cutbacks without the protective cover of the social partners. At 4pm, he stood to address the Dáil, announcing two billion in cutbacks, including …
Feb 02
Anois Teacht an Earraigh
‘Anois teacht an Earraigh…’ The first words of an Irish poem, written by the blind poet Raifteiri and memorised by every schoolchild in Ireland. ‘Now that Spring is coming…’ According to the traditional Irish calendar, Spring begins on 1 February, Brigit’s Day. So naturally, Brigit being contrary at times, what with the confusion over whether …