Biffo plans to cut back on junior ministers. So who’s for the chop? Barry Andrews, minister for Having a Famous Grandfather Billy Kelleher, minister for Getting Two Points on His Driving License Tony Killeen, minister for Putting Criminals on the Streets Seán Haughey, minister for Having a Famous Daddy Trevor Sargent, minister for Parsnips and …
Tag Archive: Biffo
Mar 31
Careful Now!
New Media doesn’t get Old Media. Bloggers don’t get why Old Media is wary of two way communication, and become irked when they can’t respond with their opinions on news websites. After all, information wants to be free. Information may be free, but libel is expensive, Old Media replies. New Media knows this in its …
Mar 26
Eyes Only
Gardai question artist under caution: The Irish Times. Police quiz man over naked images of Irish PM in national gallery: The Belfast Telegraph. Cowen artist ‘could be charged’: BBC News. Artist Conor Casby faces jail after Brian Cowen made unwitting model for toilet humour: Times Online (Entertainment section). Irish PM bogged down by nude painting …
Mar 25
Bare Faced Cheek
‘The visit by a Garda detective today to the offices of Today FM radio station, demanding that staff from the Ray Darcy Show hand over information they might have had about the artist of these pieces was astounding,’ Labour party Senator Alan Kelly said. ‘Does this investigation really represent the best use of scarce Garda …
Mar 25
The Emperor’s New Clothes
FG Justice Spokesperson Charlie Flanagan criticised the decision by Gardaí to demand emails relating to the artist who painted nude portraits of Brian Cowen hung in two Dublin galleries. ‘At a time when the majority of gangland murders remain unsolved, to have Gardaí spending their time investigating what amounted to a practical joke that offended …
Mar 25
The Naked Taoiseach
Yesterday, I wrote about RTÉ removing a film report on caricatures of Brian Cowen smuggled into two Dublin galleries. [Kudos at this point to Maman Poulet, who's blog tipped me off to the story.] Since them, things have grown more serious. The images on the RTÉ website were removed, copy has been edited, and the …
Mar 24
Bare Arse Biffo
You can tell a lot about the powerful by how they react to satire. In Ireland, the powerful tend to react badly. Older politicians still smart at the memory of Hall’s Pictorial Weekly, and can barely bring themselves to smile through gritted teeth when Scrap Saturday is mentioned. The result is a pale imitation of …
Mar 02
300
Today is Brian Cowan’s 300th day as Taoiseach. It’s symptomatic of his reign that today, the door fell off a minister’s helicopter as it left a tourism conference. Brian Cowen’s reign just can’t seem to achieve takeoff. He was elected, as far as I can tell, because he was great crack altogether. He became the …
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 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 …