Harney and HSE ignore Dublin Protest

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has announced that it will "review a small number of cases" following reports about possible cancer mis-diagnosis at hospitals in the northeast of the country.

In its statement the HSE calls media reports "exaggerated and speculative" and says that the media "were likely to cause unnecessary anxiety for some patients and their families".
It says that the tests under consideration were carried out "over the last number of years" and were "not related to breast services, mammograms, ultrasounds, CT scans or MRI scans".

So here we go again. All is fine in HSE land, no one has anything to worry about, and the only ones who get things wrong are the media. One really wonders if those people inside the HSE live entirely on a different planet, or if they have the same attitude towards the common people as Robert Mugabe. As long as they deny problems, they don't exist. And if there is something not right, it is always only "a small number of cases".

Everyone in this country knows that our Health Service is shambolic and worse than equivalent services in many much poorer countries.
The government and the HSE waste huge amounts of money, but most of it ends in the pockets of bureaucrats and consultants, while Irish patients are condemned to more and more suffering and third world medical standards.

This country is now awash with money, and even though there is certainly a slowdown of the economy in sight, the government's coffers are still full. What is missing is not money, but people who are able to spend it well, manage budgets properly and put the emphasis on what the Health Service is supposed to do: to care for the sick, disabled and needy.

On Saturday thousands of angry and concerned people from all over Ireland met in Dublin and joined a protest march, which was organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, medical and nursing organisations and families affected by the superbug MRSA. They made it very clear how they feel about the HSE and the state of medical services on the Emerald Isle.
They also vented loudly their anger with Health Minister Mary Harney and her permanent incompetence.

But did it make one bit of a difference? Probably not. For that the number of demonstrators for a decent health service and against the shambolic HSE and incompetent and cynical government would have to be much larger. 100,000 demonstrators on the streets could have caused a real stir in the warm and safe offices of ministers and TDs. But this is Ireland, and no matter how bad things are, few people are bothered to stand up and be counted.

If this were France, there would have been at least 100,000 people demonstrating in Dublin on Saturday, and thousands would gather outside Leinster House and various hospitals around the country in protest every day, until something real is done and conditions improve. So, sadly, the Dublin rally will not change anything. As good and proper as it was, and as much one has to salute everyone who turned out despite the weather, one march alone is not enough. There need to be many more, in Dublin and other places, and they have to convey the message that we are not going away until we get a proper Health Service.

Mary Harney was not even in Dublin on Saturday. She went instead to the Irish Medical Organisaton's annual conference in Killarney.
There she did not have a very friendly reception either, but with her usual habit to ignore facts and public opinion, she just rambled on with her old mantra that "everything is going to be better soon".
And reacting to Saturday's protest march in Dublin, one of Harney's ministerial PR people said that "€ 1 billion of extra money will be spent on the Health Service this year".

Is that all she has to say? Money does not cure people, and it does not reduce waiting lists. Only if it is spent properly and managed well it will have a positive impact. Going by the experience of previous years, there is no chance for that. We still have the same under-staffed hospitals with a shortage of beds, the same people running the over-staffed HSE, and the same incompetent and arrogant Minister for Health who can and will not accept the facts. So if we want to see a change, we will need to have a lot more protest marches, with a lot more people taking part. I am waiting already for the next one, but somehow I am not too optimistic.

The Emerald Islander

Apologies for my Absence

Earlier today a friend and regular reader of this weblog called and told me she was missing my entries here. And I also had two e-mails asking me if I am alright.

I very much appreciate the interest in my writing, and I just want to take this opportunity to tell everyone who might have missed entries for the past three days that I have not given up blogging.
However, I am currently battling with a very bad cold and had to spend some time in bed. I also did not have much concentration, which explains that I did not write an entry since last Thursday.

My apologies for this absence to all who care and missed me. And thank you for your concern. I am feeling a little better now and will resume normal service shortly.

The Emerald Islander

HSE Cutbacks dominate IMO Conference

The imposition of cutbacks by the Health Service Executive (HSE) is expected to dominate the three-day-long annual conference of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which is held in Killarney, Co Kerry.

More than 200 motions will be debated, including a call for 1200 more hospital beds to be put in place.
Delegates will of course also address the delay in agreeing new contracts for hospital consultants, but the IMO says that no document has been finalised for consultants to ballot on.

There is growing unrest over plans by the HSE to save € 300 million this year, despite constant gaps in the service and ever longer waiting lists for out-patients. And there are fears that severe cuts will be implemented as the year progresses, since the HSE gives hospitals a fixed budget instead of letting the money follow the patient, as it is the practice in most other countries. This could lead to the bizarre situation that a hospital might run out of money by - let's say - November, and then be no longer able to function or accept any new patients until January.

Doctors will also have an opportunity to let the Minister for Health know of their frustration over service cutbacks, as Mary Harney will attend the conference on Saturday evening.

It might not be a complete coincidence that Ms. Harney is away from Dublin on Saturday, as in the afternoon a demonstration against her - and for a decent health service - will take place in the capital, leaving Parnell Square at 3 p.m. for Molesworth Street. (For details see my entry from yesterday)

The Emerald Islander

A Poet in Hiding and in Denial

For the past two weeks, ever since RTÉ television showed the documentary film "Fairytale of Kathmandu" (on March 11th), many people on the Emerald Isle are loudly discussing the life - and especially the sex life - of Cathal Ó Searcaigh (photo), a 51-year-old poet from County Donegal who writes exclusively in the Irish language.

From what I hear and read about him, he appears to be a quite gifted wordsmith, probably even following in the footsteps of the ancient bards of this island. But since I am not a great enthusiast of Us Gaelge (the Irish language), I had never before even heard of the man. (I should mention that I am an avid reader of all sorts of books, including poetry.)

But here lays the problem. Since Cathal Ó Searcaigh only writes in Irish, access to his work is very limited. Of the ca. four million people living in the Republic of Ireland, perhaps 1% are fluent speakers and readers of Irish, and the number of those among them who read poetry must be minimal.

All this despite the fact that every child in the Republic is forced to learn the language in school. That means for most pupils 13 long years of compulsory Irish, from the begin of infant school to the leaving certificate at the end of secondary education.
Very few speak Irish at home or with their peers, so the whole exercise - which began as a purely political gesture in 1922 - is pretty useless and futile, costing millions of taxpayers' money every year with hardly anything to show for.

To make things even worse, there is not just "Irish". Each of our four provinces (Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster) has its own version of the language with differences in spelling and pronunciation. As Cathal Ó Searcaigh comes from County Donegal, his Irish is of the Ulster variety, the least common version in today's Ireland. This explains why he was completely unknown to me, and to many others as well, I am sure.

The sudden prominence he has achieved throughout the country has however nothing to do with his poetry. Cathal Ó Searcaigh is the subject of discussion because he is homosexual and strongly attracted to "young men" (some would call them boys).
As this might not be anyone else's business, it entered the public realm when the now well-known documentary "Fairytale of Kathmandu" revealed a side of Cathal that was previously known only to very few people.

Besides being a poet who won several prices and is a member of Aosdána (an elite group of artists - limited to 250 members - which is Ireland's version of the Académie française) Cathal Ó Searcaigh organised a private foreign aid programme in Nepal, a country "he fell in love with" and visited many times. He spent some of his own money on the project, but received also large sums of money from public funds and private donations in support of his work in Nepal.

The documentary "Fairytale of Kathmandu" began as a film that was to show how one man could make a difference in this world, a homage to an Irish poet who went half around the world to help poor people in an Asian third-world country. But during the filming, which happened with Cathal's full knowledge and agreement, the female director discovered a different angle to the poet's activity. It appears that the Nepali people receiving help from the Irish bard were mostly very young men (some say boys), who also spent regularly the night with him.

Given the fact that Nepal, a predominantly Hindu country high in the Himalayas, has a very traditional society in which sex is an extremely private matter between married people (and open homosexuality is unknown), this shed an entirely new light on the frequent visits Cathal Ó Searcaigh made to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.

Since the film was shown on television, Cathal Ó Searcaigh has gone into hiding and no one seems to know his whereabouts. There are many people in Ireland who are absolutely appalled by his actions and call him a sexual predator who used his position and money for his own personal sexual gratification. But there are also some voices - mostly from fellow artists - who say that he was "set up" and has apparently done nothing wrong.

This position was taken yesterday by the man himself, in an hour-long interview he gave to Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ's Irish language station. I did not hear it, but even if I had, I would not have been able to follow the conversation. Raidió na Gaeltachta is a minority programme exclusively in Irish, with - at best - perhaps 20,000 listeners a day. However, excerpts of the interview were also broadcast with English translation on RTÉ Radio 1.

The argument for speaking only in Irish was that he wanted to talk "to his people" in particular. Never mind what the remaining 99% of the nation think. As long as the few plain Irish speakers know what Cathal Ó Searcaigh has to say, that's alright then. This alone shows the enormous arrogance of a man who seems to think very highly of himself, and thus believes he can do as he pleases and can do no wrong.

But he did not leave it at that. He felt it necessary to invoke the spirit of Oscar Wilde, implying that all the criticism he faces for his predatory behaviour in Nepal was more or less nothing than "homophobia". But, as Wilde wrote, "some of us look up to the stars" even though we are all in the gutter... And he, of course, is one of those few stargazers, he believes.

Now, I am a very tolerant man and try to live without prejudice. For the past two weeks I have refrained from saying or writing anything about Cathal Ó Searcaigh, because I neither know him nor his work, and there are much more important things and people in this country to analyse and write about.
But the statement he made yesterday about himself and Oscar Wilde made me join the debate.

I don't care if he is homosexual or not, and I cannot comment on his poems, as I am unable to read them. But I am immensely annoyed when I encounter hypocrisy and double standards. If Cathal Ó Searcaigh were heterosexual (as the vast majority of people) and had slept with Nepali girls aged 16 or 17, he would be branded a "pedophile" and the full force of the Law would come down on him. (Men have been sent to jail for a lot less, even for nothing more than looking at pictures of young girls.)

But obviously there is one law for most of us, and another for homosexuals, who like to call themselves "gay" these days by hijacking a perfectly normal word that means jolly or joyful.
(For example, the well-known operetta "The Gay Hussar" is not about a homosexual in the Cavalry. Quite the opposite!)

Until recently this country was blighted by homosexual priests who abused young boys in their care for many years. Now there are homosexuals in almost every walk of life and profession, and many of them behave as if they were a new kind of priesthood, superior to the rest of us and entitled to do whatever they desire. And whenever anyone says a critical word about them, they immediately cry "homophobia".

I am a psychologist and have no phobias. And I am not afraid of anything, and especially not of homosexuals. But I am not fond of them either. That is my good and proper right. No one can be forced to like everyone and everything. We all make our choices. This does not mean that I discriminate against homosexuals or wish them any harm. Before the Law everyone should be equal. But this is exactly the problem. After centuries of discrimination and even criminalisation of homosexuality the pendulum is now swinging far in the opposite direction and homosexuals have become virtually untouchable by criticism and the Law.

Being not only homosexual, but also a member of the prestigous Aosdána and a dedicated Irish-speaking poet, makes Cathal Ó Searcaigh - at least in his own opinion - almost untouchable. The Law, he seems to believe, is for the rest of us, the "great unwashed" who speak and write English and do not reside in the illustrious temple of Irish high arts. So he has nothing to feel sorry about, did nothing wrong, and does not even bother to explain himself to the vast majority of the nation in a language that everyone can understand. Some prick, my father would have said, if nothing else.

Well, I am no judge or lawyer, and I do not condemn anyone. But one thing is clear: Cathal Ó Searcaigh is in hiding and in denial. The whole affair around him and his unusual sex life, as well as its current aftermath, leave a visible stain on the Irish state, its arts establishment and the image of the nation. For me personally it also leaves a very bad taste, to say the least.

As I mentioned above, until two weeks ago I had never even heard his name, despite my regular involvement with literature and the arts. Perhaps he is just another of those highly over-rated artists who live in a world of their own, which cannot be accessed by normal people. In Cathal Ó Searcaigh's case the language barrier does most of that already, and - quite honestly - I am personally glad about that.

Knowing what is now known of the man and his behaviour, I have no time for anything he writes, no matter if it has won him prizes and honours or not. And if I were still in school and would be forced to read and study his poems for the leaving certificate in Irish, I would refuse to work with those texts. If that means that I would fail my Irish exams, so be it.
Who speaks Irish anyway after leaving school?

The Emerald Islander

Government uses "Flag of Convenience" Ship

The Department of Defence has chartered the cargo ship MV Zeran to carry heavy material and supplies for the (currently about 70-strong) Irish Army contingent serving with the international peace-keeping force in the Republic of Chad in Central-Africa. The ship arrived at Dublin's North Quay yesterday to receive her cargo.

MV Zeran (photo) is owned by Pol-Levant, a Polish cargo shipping company based in the port of Gdansk. But the red-and-white flag that flies on her mast is not that of Poland. It is in fact the flag of Malta, where the Zeran is officially registered. And Malta, despite being now member of the EU, is still a "flag of convenience" country, where merchant ships from any country can register under most favourable conditions (for the owners) and with no questions asked.

Other popular "flag of convenience" countries are Antigua, the Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia and Panama. Many vessels flying a "flag of convenience" are in bad condition, and on board the standards are generally lower than in ships under their own national flag. Pay and living conditions for the crew - often recruited from the poorest countries in Africa or Asia - are also much lower, and safety regulations are rarely up to the proper international standard, if they are observed at all.

Well, long gone are the good old days when we had our own Irish merchant fleet, proudly flying An Bhratach Náisiúnta. Successive Irish governments, involving all our major political parties, have sadly neglected the maritime interests of this island nation and presided over a steady decline of Irish shipping. Since the last general election the government has not even any longer a Department of the Marine. Its responsibilities have been added on to the Department of Transport, currently headed by Noel Dempsey, a TD from landlocked Co. Meath, who has no real interest in - nor any experience with - maritime matters.

I have no problem with the fact that the Department of Defence chartered a foreign ship, as there is probably at present no suitable vessel under Irish flag available. But did it have to be one flying a "flag of convenience"?

In January a representative of the International Transport Federation discussed the matter with Noel Dempsey and received promises that Ireland would be supporting the line adopted by many other EU countries and not use "flags of convenience" for official state business.
And only three weeks ago Taoiseach Bertie Ahern spoke in the Dáil against the widespread practice of using ships flying "flags of convenience".

However, when it comes to practicing what one preaches, our government is found wanting. But given the record Bertie and his ministers have on other matters, this is not really a surprise. Much is rotten on this island, and the fish - as always - starts stinking from its head.

The Emerald Islander

Demonstration for a decent Health Service

The Irish people have suffered enough (in my opinion more than enough) from the inadequate Health Service our government provides (or often rather not). And even though most of us are too complacent and too slow to complain, the boiling point in public opinion has been reached.

So there will be - at last - a major demonstration for a decent Health Service in Dublin this coming Saturday, March 29th. The march will be organised by the trade unions and by a number of patients' groups. Assembly will be at Parnell Square from 2.30 p.m. on, and the protest march will start at 3 p.m., going to Molesworth Street. There will be speeches on both ends of the demonstration.

This is a significant step forward, and it will be important to have large numbers of people taking part. So if you can manage to participate, please do. I have been informed that SIPTU is organising bus transport from outside Dublin, so if you are not in Dublin and have no transport of your own, it would be advisable to contact your local SIPTU branch.

The Emerald Islander

Gormley concerned with Dungarvan Re-Zoning, but refuses to comment on Garda Investigation

John Gormley, TD (right), Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, has said he cannot comment directly on current Garda investigations into planning and re-zoning matters in County Waterford.

Gardaí have interviewed all of the elected Waterford county councillors and some council officials, following an allegation of planning irregularities.

This evening senior Gardaí in Dungarvan (the county town of Co. Waterford) have stressed that there is no cloud hanging over the councillors or council officials, and they have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Superintendent Tom O'Grady said the councillors and officials were interviewed as part of their investigations and nothing more.

The Minister has confirmed that his department will be writing to Waterford County Council about the proposal to re-zone 300 acres of land outside Dungarvan (above) from agricultural to industrial use. He said that he is concerned with the scale of the proposed development, adding that he believes there are some problems with the infrastructural capacity in the area. He also said it is not in keeping with the regional planning guidelines and the government's Spatial Strategy.

The Emerald Islander

US Military Death Toll in Iraq reaches 4000

Four US soldiers were killed when a bomb hit their vehicle in south Baghdad late on Sunday evening, bringing the total number of US military personnel killed in Iraq to 4000. (This number does not include five members of the US "Delta" special forces whose death in Iraq was reported in the media, but not confirmed by the Pentagon.)

The grim milestone was reached at about 10 p.m., on a day when also more than 60 Iraqis were killed and dozens more injured in attacks in Baghdad and north of Iraq's capital. It comes shortly after the fifth anniversary of the illegal US invasion of Iraq. (see my entry from March 19th)
The number of American service personnel wounded in Iraq (or invalided out of the military for mental instability and other psychological reasons) is meanwhile close to 65,000.

40th Anniversary of Tuskar Rock Air Crash

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the tragic air crash at Tuskar Rock off County Wexford. Aer Lingus Flight 712 from Cork to London, using a Vickers Viscount 803 aircraft named "St. Phelim" (photo), went down under uncertain circumstances. 61 people died, but only 14 bodies were ever recovered from the sea.

The victims of the crash were remembered at a special Mass in Cork yesterday and the families of those who died have called for a plaque to be erected in Cork to mark the tragedy.
A memorial park to the air crash and its victims was opened in Rosslare, Co. Wexford in August 2006.

To this day the cause of the crash is unclear, despite two official investigations and various conflicting theories. It is one of the unsolved Irish mysteries of modern times, and I have looked into the matter myself recently. Due to other commitments I have not completed my research yet, but I will write here about my findings as soon as possible.

The Emerald Islander

Farewell to Irish Medium Wave

Today at precisely 3 p.m. GMT (or 1500 hours, as we say in the Navy) an era ended on the Emerald Isle. At that time Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ switched off its last medium wave transmitter in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. With this last step Ireland's medium wave (MW) radio programmes ended after 82 years of stalwart service. Ten days ago RTÉ has switched off already the Clermont Cairn transmitter near Dundalk, Co. Louth, which had provided Irish radio service for the whole of Ulster, including the six counties of the North, as well as for the large Irish diaspora in England, Scotland and Wales.

So now there will be no more listening with hungry hearts to MW broadcasts, impeded by white noise and interrupted by high sunspot activity. Ireland's medium wave is dead, but long live the radio!

Like many other friends of the good old wireless, I was of course listening today to the very last MW programme, which began at 1.30 p.m. (1330 h). It was called "Medium Wave, Goodbye" and hosted by Brendan Balfe, one of this country's longest-serving broadcasters, who has been on the air for more than 40 years.
It was a sentimental programme, 90 minutes filled mostly with memories of the "good old times" and with music many of us heard first when we were wearing short trousers. Fittingly the last tune played was "Taking care of you", which had been composed in 1926 - the year Ireland's MW service began - and played on Irish airwaves many times since.

RTÉ began indeed as 2RN on the MW service in 1926, just four years after the establishment of Saorstát Eireann - the Irish Free State - and only three years after the Civil War had ended. Later known as Radio Athlone (because the transmitters were based since 1933 in Athlone), Radió Éireann and more recently as RTÉ Radio 1, it served the people of Ireland and many Irish ex-pats well for 82 years. RTÉ introduced the superior sound of the FM service in 1966, to counteract the common interference and poor reception on MW, and ever since the importance of MW has declined. According to RTÉ only about 10% of its listeners were still listening regularly on MW at the time when the decision to close down the service was made in February. But this figure might not take into account the large number of Irish ex-pats listening to RTÉ programmes abroad.

FM does undoubtedly produce a better sound quality, but the range is limited. There should be no problems to receive RTÉ radio programmes inside the Republic, but there might be reception gaps now in the North and in Britain.
Some areas of the North may also experience problems in receiving the Limerick-based Lyric FM, as RTÉ prioritised RTÉ Radio 1 versus Lyric FM for cross-border transmission. Most of the MW coverage will be taken over by RTÉ's long wave (LW) service on 252 kHz (1190.4 m) that started in 2002 after the demise of the once popular music station Atlantic 252, which closed in December 2001 after twelve years of broadcasting to Britain and Ireland.

Listeners who did tune into MW specifically for special RTÉ Radio 1 programmes like weekday sports broadcasts and Sunday religious services will find those also on 252 LW (where they have been already for some time), as well as on cable television and the internet. This means of course that listeners outside Ireland will be hearing a Catholic Mass and a Protestant Service on Sunday morning, when they would probably prefer listening to Diarmaid Ferriter and Marian Finnucane.

Other special broadcasts, like the alternatives to live sports on Saturday and Sunday, including arts programmes, features and drama, are shifted entirely to the internet and also available as downloadable podcasts. But what about all those who don't yet have a computer and access to the internet? (And there are many, thanks to the incompetence of Eircom...) RTÉ's digital test station, RTÉ Choice, is so far only on air in and around Dublin.

There have been critical and warning voices, arguing against the switch-off of the MW service, in particular with concerns for the Irish living and listening abroad. Despite last year’s broadcasting legislation allowing for license money to be spent on more radio broadcasting for the Irish abroad, RTÉ went ahead with its plans to get rid of the MW service.
Well-known podcaster Brian Greene and the Irish Emigrants Advice Network (EAN) had meetings with the Department of Communications, pointing out the folly of closing down the MW service. But obviously to no avail.

“The shutdown is a reversal of recent trends in which Ireland has acknowledged its debt to the Irish abroad, and the need for maintaining strong links. Both MW and LW are complementary solutions for the Irish abroad. Long wave on its own is rather inadequate and presents problems for the future. The move is premature it will make the transition to digital more difficult,” EAN wrote in a letter to the Irish Emigrant newspaper.
They argue that RTÉ should be working to improve access to its services for the Irish abroad, particularly the most vulnerable who will experience difficulties in making the transition from medium wave to any other format.
While most people in London could not receive the Irish MW service, there are large parts of cities like Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester that could. They should be allowed to listen to a service that has existed for decades.

Brian Greene also questions RTÉ's choice of the new DAB broadcasting technology. He says that RTÉ plans to use DAB (digital audio broadcasting), but this is meanwhile an old standard and Ireland should be focusing on world digital radio standards like Digital Radio Mondiale or DAB-plus.
“The French have withdrawn funding for DAB. RTÉ needs to move to DAB-plus rather than an old standard like DAB,” he argues.

I am no engineer, so I could not comment on that debate. But what I have so far heard on DAB did not impress me.
It seems that radio is now following TV technology, where digital technology led to an explosion in channel numbers, but at the same time to a decline in programme quality. Perhaps I am a bit old-fashioned, but I like to listen to traditional radio on MW, LW and on short wave (SW), where one can find many international stations. I prefer that any time to listening over the internet, where the quality is often not good and I encounter frequently brief interruptions of transmissions.
It is also worth mentioning that a digital radio will use a lot more energy than a conventional one. In light of the increasing world energy crisis with ever rising prices for all forms of energy - especially electricity - I am not keen at all to exchange my good and very old radios for a new digital one.

It seems to me that once again a new technology is forced upon us by certain companies - like, for example, mobile phones on which one can watch films and TV (who needs such nonsense, especially on a tiny screen) - without any consultation. But consumers are very powerful (even a lot of them don't realise it) and can say no. This can stop new but senseless technology and gadgets in their tracks (and many times has already). Maybe it is time to make a stand against digital radio and demand that things are kept as they are. After all - since it ain't broke, why fix it?

The Emerald Islander

My special Easter Wish: Save Tara!

Easter is supposed to be about resurrection and the forgiveness of sins. I therefore think that it is a good time for a fresh start and a complete re-thinking of a project which has so far caused already serious harm to the environment, great damage to one of our most important national heritage sites and even more damage to the reputation of the Green Party and especially its leader, John Gormley, TD, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

I am talking of course about the M 3 motorway project and the irreparable damage it is doing to the Hill of Tara, seat of the Ard Ri, the ancient High King of Ireland. Just before the Easter holiday a temporary agreement between the government and the National Road Authority (NRA) on one side and the anti-motorway protesters on the other has eased the tension for now. But knowing how institutions of the state work, this will not last forever, nor solve the problem.

In the past John Gormley (right) has been a reasonable man and his green credentials should give him a deeper understanding of the matter at hand, as well as for the protest against the proposed new motorway through the Skryne Valley. It is the high privilege of those we put in charge to govern the country that they have power, and that includes the power to change plans and projects as well as their mind.

It would be my special Easter wish that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government remembers his green roots, re-examines the case of the M 3 and have the courage to change its route, thus saving the Hill of Tara. I appeal to his common sense and hope he will be a listening minister who has not lost touch with the will and concerns of the people.

And if anyone would like to help me with this, it would be much appreciated. Ireland, our ancient heritage and we all would benefit greatly from such an action. So if you care - and I hope you do - then please spare a moment of your time, contact the office of John Gormley and let him know how you feel about the M 3 and the ancient Hill of Tara.

You can phone his office under 01-8882403 or - using LoCall - under 1890-202021. You could also send him an e-mail to minister@environ.ie or, if you wish to use the services of An Post, write him a postcard or letter. The address is:

Mr. John Gormley, TD
-= personal =-
Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government
Customs House
Dublin

Politicians in this country are elected as representatives of the people, and not dictators who can do as they please. So we should use our right to talk to those we put into the Dáil and let them know what we think. Feel free to speak to your local TDs as well about this matter, and in particular to those who represent the government parties. Only then will they know for sure how the people see the barbaric M 3 project, and we have fulfilled our democratic duty of care as citizens of this free country. Easter especially is a time to remember that, and a very good time to repent and make a fresh start for the better.

The Emerald Islander

Ostara Shona!

As this year the Vernal Equinox (March 21st) and Ostara (March 23rd) are so close together, we have celebrated them together in one large combined ceremony.
To our friends and to the readers of this weblog we like to extend our special greetings and blessings on this occasion, wishing you all

Ostara Shona!

The Emerald Islander

Easter Rising commemorated in Dublin

More than 5000 people have today attended the annual ceremony in front of the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin's O'Connell Street, marking the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Many of those present were relatives of volunteers who lost their lives in the fight for Irish freedom. The event was attended by President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea, and - as a special guest - the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

President McAleese arrived with a large motorcycle escort and then inspected a guard of honour. She laid a wreath at the entrance to the GPO (right), which served as the headquarter of Padraig Pearse, commander of the volunteers during the rising.

The Easter commemoration began with prayers, followed by the traditional reading of the original 1916 proclamation - which was today the duty of Captain Ross Dunphy (left) - and a flypast by the Air Corps.

Over 300 members of the Irish Defence Forces took part in the 30 minute ceremony to honour those who died in the Easter Rising 92 years ago. They included contingents from the Naval Service, the Air Corps and Army Reserve.

Two years ago, on the 90th anniversary, a big military parade with nearly 3000 soldiers was part of the ceremony, but in normal years the event is traditionally held on a modest level.

The Emerald Islander

Fire devastates Roberts-House in Waterford

A major fire has devastated the former house of the famous architect John Roberts in the inner city of Waterford last night. The blaze, which was reported around midnight, did destroy much of the old three-storey building on Cathedral Square, opposite Christchurch Cathedral, right in centre of the most ancient part of the city. The old Roberts-House, which bears a blue plaque in memory of Waterford's great architect, has stood empty for some time, as the area is due for re-development. The adjacent buildings to the left and right are also unoccupied at the present time and might have received some minor damage.

Three units of Waterford City Fire Brigade attended the scene and brought the fire under control. There has been no damage to Christchurch Cathedral, but the Fire Brigade cordoned off the area for the time being and will keep a watch in place, to prevent the fire from reigniting.

The burned-out building used to be the family home of John Roberts (1712-1796), who during the 18th century designed and built most of Waterford's famous landmark buildings, such as City Hall and Theatre Royal, the Bishop's Palace (now motor tax office), the house of William Morris (now seat of the Chamber of Commerce), and of course (the Anglican) Christchurch Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Waterford, Ireland's oldest city, is indeed the only place in the world where the same architect designed and built two cathedrals (using different styles) for different religious faith communities.

Last night's blaze, whose cause is at this time unknown, was the second major fire in Waterford's inner city in less than three weeks. On the 6th of the month an even larger and more devastating fire had engulfed and destroyed a commercial building on Thomas Street. (for details see my entry from March 6th)

The Emerald Islander

What's the good on "Good Friday"?

In the English language (as well as in Dutch) the Christian churches call today "Good Friday". This is a very strange choice of word, since the day commemorates the torture, crucification and death of Jesus. What is good in putting a great man to his death in such a humiliating way? It has puzzled me and made me wonder ever since I learned English as a child.

We should not forget that for the Romans crucification was not only the harshest, but also the most shameful form of legal execution. It was usually reserved for the worst of criminals, but also regularly used as a political punishment for traitors and rebels.
Jesus fell into this last category, as the Romans saw him as the leader of a rebellious movement that threatened the Roman presence in Palestine and thus the stability of the Empire.

Regardless if one might believe the stories told in the New Testament or not, the killing of a man for political reasons - which sadly still happens several times every day on this planet - is not a good thing at all. Quite the opposite. So why did the English, after adopting Christianity, decide to call the day their spiritual leader was killed "Good Friday"?

I have researched this matter for quite some time, but could not find any clear explanation or reason. The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that something must be wrong with the way English-speakers think and comprehend things, as "Good Friday" is only one of many English words and expressions that are either factually wrong or make no sense. (I will not elaborate on other examples here today, but will revisit the subject at a later time.)

In Irish we call this day Aoine Chéasta (Passion Friday), which describes exactly what it is, the day of Jesus' Passion. Most of the other major cultures and languages are also doing the same and put the emphasis either on Jesus' suffering or on the sadness about it.

In Russian the day is called "Passion Friday" (Страстной Пяток or Страстная Пятница) as well, while in German it is known as Karfreitag, which translates as "Friday of Lamentation" (from the medieval German word kara, meaning grief, sadness or lamentation for a dead person). The Germans actually extend their lamentation to Saturday - Karsamstag - as well, while in most other languages the attribute "Holy" is used, as it is also in English.

In French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese the various names for the day Jesus died mean "Holy Friday", which makes sense, and the same is also the case in the Philippines and Vietnam.
The words used in most Eastern European countries, as well as in Greece, Palestine and Malta, translate in a literal way as "Great Friday", but the meaning is the same as "Holy Friday".

In the Scandinavian countries the translation "Long Friday" matches most closely the word used in the various national languages, and the meaning comes from the long suffering of Jesus on the cross.

Even in cultures where Christianity is a small minority religion, the words used for this day are proper and fitting. In Chinese it is - very descriptive - the "Day of Christ's Suffering", while in Arabic the day is known as "Sad Friday".

Only in English (and Dutch) - it appears - is Jesus' suffering and death regarded as "good". I think this is very weird. And despite the fact that the word is in use now for many centuries, it might be a really good idea to change it and use a more appropriate name for this day when speaking English or Dutch.

The Emerald Islander

Five Years of Lies, Crime and Carnage

Today is the fifth anniversary of the begin of the illegal US invasion of Iraq. Immediately after George W. Bush had declared war on Iraq, a massive air attack began, with indiscriminate bombings of Iraqi cities and military targets. This air war was conducted mostly by the US Airforce, with the British Royal Air Force in a minor support role.

Only after most Iraqi cities were heavily bombed, Allied ground forces entered Iraq, encountering little resistance from the inferior and demoralised Iraqi army. And within six weeks it was all over, at least officially. Even though few people seem to remember the fact, but it is worth to point out that George W. Bush declared on May 1st, 2003 that the war was over and the Allied forces had been victorious. This declaration was spectacularly staged on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), one of the largest and most modern ships of the US Navy (pictured below).

But five years after the begin of the war US and British troops are still in Iraq, and still fighting. So is the war still going on? Then Bush lied to the world (and not for the first time) on May 1st, 2003.

However, in international law the situation looks a bit different. By declaring the war over, Bush - as head of state of the main belligerent country - made a legally binding statement, which binds not only him, but all US citizens, civilian and military, including all members of the armed forces of the United States.

After this official declaration, the USA (United States of Aggression) had no right to stay in Iraq as a fighting force. They could have stayed on as an occupational security force, but with limited powers, not much different to that of a police force. But this is not what happened. The USA did not only keep a large fighting force (currently 158,000 troops) in Iraq, including heavy battle tanks and helicopter gunships, as well as fighter and bomber aircraft, the US leadership orchestrated a second war - this time against the entire Iraqi population - after their war against Iraq's army and the ruling Baath Party was over and won.

This war is still going on, with no end in sight. And it is even more immoral and illegal than the first one, which started five years ago. Most people are not familiar with military and international law, and so they believe that the current war in Iraq is still the one that began exactly five years ago. But this is not the case. It could be, if George W. Bush had not - very prematurely, as it turned out - declared victory, "mission accomplished" and "combat operations over". Given the low intelligence of George W. Bush, he might not have been aware at the time what his declaration means in international law. However, in his position he has a large team of highly-trained and very well paid experts, advisers and lawyers, and they must surely have known better. Did they not dare telling him? Or were they all enthralled in the same false belief that by invading Iraq, destroying the army of Saddam Hussein and abolishing the Baath Party they would gain complete control of the whole country and its population?

If so, it only shows to the world how naive, inexperienced and incompetent the entire leadership of the sole remaining "super-power" really is.
Everyone knows by now that the Pentagon had absolutely no plans for the occupation, administration and post-war reconstruction of Iraq when they declared war. The then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saw no need for that, since he firmly believed that the US troops would be "welcomed with open arms by the Iraqi people" and "hailed as liberators".

Subsequently the hastily established Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) under L. Paul Bremer, a former diplomat and Bush cronie, who was totally unprepared, unqualified and unsuited for the job, ran a medieval terror regime while squandering billions of dollars without proper accounts or receipts.
During the twenty months it was in charge of Iraq, each month a huge crate, containing 1 billion dollars in cash (!), was flown from the USA to Baghdad for the day-to-day operations of the CPA. Most of this money has disappeared without trace, and it has been alleged that a large part of it went right back to the USA, into the private pockets of CPA officials and US contractors working for it.

Meanwhile there have been elections and there is an official Iraqi government, complete with a President and Prime Minister, a large cabinet and a complete administration. The problem is that rival parties who hate each other have been forced into an undesired coalition, and they use their limited power predominantly for their own purposes and benefits. The general population of Iraq has no confidence in this government, nor in the newly created Iraqi army and police force, well armed and trained by the USA, but nevertheless still completely useless.
This is not entirely accidental, because as long as the Iraqi politicians and their new armed forces are incapable of ruling and controlling the country, a massive US presence can be justified by the White House. No one in the Bush administration has the slightest interest to leave Iraq, since it is needed as the assembly ground and jumping-off base for a war against Iran, which has long been planned by the Pentagon and is still a possibility, as long as Bush is in charge.

Earlier today Bush made a bullish speech at the Pentagon, praising himself and the war in Iraq. Sometimes I really think he actually believes all the lies and nonsense he tells the world, but in reality he is just a remote-controlled puppet, executing the orders he receives from his father, Vice President Richard "Dick" Cheney (who is the real ruler of the USA) and others who did buy the presidency for him in December 2000. And when he makes a speech, he is repeating words and doctrines his advisers prepare for him. Only when he has to answer ad-hoc questions the real George W. Bush comes to the forefront, a bumbling fool with no idea of politics or the world, a man who is not even in proper command of the English language and often mixes up his metaphores. Once a lazy daddy's boy and alcoholic, he is now a lazy but willing puppet for the unholy alliance of right-wing religious fundamentalists, oil barons and arms manufacturers who took control of the USA in a bloodless coup d'etat in December 2000 and put him into the White House.

Those who write Bush's speeches are professionals and masters in the art of manipulation and propaganda, and even the infamous Dr. Joseph Goebbels could learn from them. In today's war anniversary speech there was only good news and praise. No mention of the "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) Saddam Hussein never had, but whose apparent existence was used by Bush as the main excuse for the war. No mention of the length of the war, which is meanwhile going on for longer than the First World War. No word either about the astronomical costs for the American taxpayers, which have recently passed the 500 billion dollar line. (for the exact amount at any time have a look at the running cost counter in the information column on the right side of my weblog)
There was of course also no mention of the human costs. Close to 4,000 US soldiers have died in Iraq so far (only 139 of them in the first war against the Iraqi army, the rest in the war against the whole Iraqi nation), and more than 60,000 have been wounded, many of them seriously and to the point that they will never again be fit for active military service.

But these are small numbers, compared with the amount of Iraqis who have lost their lives. As the USA does not even bother counting Iraqi dead and the new government in Baghdad issues only doctored statistics that makes them look good, one has to rely on independent international sources. The lowest estimate - from Britain, which is still the USA's only real ally in Iraq - puts the number of Iraqi civilians killed since March 19th, 2003 at "about 151,000".
The International Red Cross (ICRC) is more realistic and lists 654,965 Iraqi civilians as casualties of the war. But another source, the international ORB survey which has monitored events in Iraq closely from day one of the war, reports a death toll almost twice as high, with 1,220,580 Iraqi civilians and more than 14,000 members of the new Iraqi security forces (army & police) killed since March 2003.

As excuses for the war Bush presented the most ridiculous list of "reasons", well phrased, but only fooling those who were brainwashed beforehand. He said: "1) Because we acted, Saddam Hussein no longer fills fields with the remains of innocent men, women and children. 2) Because we acted, Saddam's torture chambers and rape rooms and children's prisons have been closed for good. 3) Because we acted, Saddam's regime is no longer invading its neighbors or attacking them with chemical weapons and ballistic missiles. 4) Because we acted, Saddam's regime is no longer paying the families of suicide bombers in the Holy Land. 5) Because we acted, Saddam's regime is no longer shooting at American and British aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones and defying the will of the United Nations. 6) Because we acted, the world is better and United States of America is safer."

Well, let's just deal with these examples. Number 1 is true, because Saddam Hussein is dead, hanged by the Iraqi puppet government after being sentenced to death in an US-controlled Iraqi kangaroo court. Now it is US troops who fill Iraqi fields with the remains of innocent men, women and children. Number 2 is true as well, since torture chambers in Iraq are now operated by the CIA and the US Military Police. Number 3 - true also. Bush only forgot to mention that it was the USA who provided Saddam Hussein with those weapons when he was still their friend and ally. Number 4 is of course correct as well, since Saddam is dead and his regime gone. So now families of Palestinian suicide bombers receive their payments from Saudi Arabia, which is America's closest ally in the region. Not surprisingly, number 5 is true also, as no-fly zones no longer exist in Iraq since 2003. Instead the US Airforce is now regularly bombing civilian targets with the excuse that they are "suspected terrorist hideouts", without ever providing any evidence for the claims. And number 6 - well, Mr. Bush, there you have slipped badly. Only someone with absolutely no brain, who is also blind and deaf could believe this outrageous and truly idiotic statement.

If you want to read Bush's whole speech, you can find it through this link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080319-2.html

Thanks to Bush and his criminal administration the world is in complete economic turmoil, with the Middle East and some other areas also in political chaos. In Iraq the world's one remaining "super-power" has not been able to restore normal supply of drinking water and electricity after five years, not to mention the many other shortfalls that make life in Iraq hell for the Iraqis. No surprise that 4 million Iraqi people (which is 1/7 of the population) fled their homes and are now living as refugees, about half of them in other parts of the country, and the other half fled to foreign countries, the majority to Syria and Jordan.

And America safer? Well, perhaps for Mr. Bush and his cronies, who are constantly surrounded by dozens of body guards from the Secret Service, travel only in armoured limousines and special aeroplanes, and have the whole US security apparatus protecting them. Ordinary Americans pay for all this with their tax dollars, but in return they get ever worsening conditions in every area of their lives, from security and policing to personal freedom and the economy. Not to mention all the other problems people in the USA are only too familiar with...

This is a very sad day for the whole world, and Bush's triumphalist speech makes it even more so. In 2002 and early 2003 I attended numerous anti-war demonstrations, where thousands of Irish people made their voices and views heard, long before the illegal occupation of Iraq started. The build-up to the war was only too clear and visible for us, with many thousands of US troops and their supplies being transported to the Middle East stopping over at Shannon Airport. But no one listened to us and to the millions of people who held similar demonstrations in other countries. While always using the words freedom and democracy very liberally, neither Bush nor his willing vassals Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern paid any heed to the people. While Bush and Blair had their set agenda and just wanted this war, regardless of the costs and public opinion, our Taoiseach simply did not have the spine and moral fibre to say "no" to the use of Irish airspace and Shannon Airport. But in committing war crimes the small helpers are as guilty and responsible as the big leaders and the executers in the field.

There will come a time when the people as well as their leaders will see the Iraq war for what it is: the greatest combination of ordinary crimes, war crimes and carnage in modern times. And when the historians write their books about it, George W. Bush will find his place in eternal infamy, close to Stalin and Hitler. Sadly many more people - Iraqis and Americans alike - will be paying for his crimes and war crimes with their lives before someone will find the courage to end this war, which the US administration calls meanwhile "The Long War".

The Emerald Islander
(sad and sick, but still writing)

P.S. They say that history repeats itself for those who have not bothered learning enough of it. I found this quotation and reading it makes one think deeply and shiver...

Silent Dick and the Paddy Farce in China

Saint Patrick apparently arrived in Ireland in the year 432 to convert the Pagan population of the Emerald Isle to Christianity. Never mind that he was not the only one doing that, and not even the first (parts of Ireland, especially in the South, were already Christian before he ever set foot on the island), he did succeed in converting many Celts by first converting their kings. And what the ruler believed that became overnight the doctrine in his kingdom. Such were the rather blunt laws in fifth century Ireland.

During the Middle Ages the Church declared Patrick patron saint of Ireland, and Waterford-born Franciscan friar Luke Wadding (1588-1657) was instrumental in establishing his feast as official church holiday. It became the National Day of the Republic of Ireland, but only since the 1990s it is rapidly becoming a global event as well (and an ever larger festival in Ireland, now extending over five days in Dublin).

Our government, inspired by the sudden economic boom known as "Celtic Tiger", is now promoting Irishness, Irish culture and Irish products around the world in similar fashion as Patrick promoted Christianity. Practically the entire cabinet, plus most of the junior ministers, travel abroad for St. Patrick's Day, in order to bring everything Irish to everyone. St. Patrick's Day has become a huge commercial event that makes millions for everyone and every industry that can connect with it.

Every year new countries and cities join the celebration, encouraged by the our government and supported by numerous Irish ex-pats one can find now everywhere.
This year it is the turn of China to jump onto the green band wagon, and since a single day seems no longer enough to celebrate Irishness, Beijing laid on a five-day Patrick's festival (pictured above), copying Dublin.

Although the number of Irish ex-pats in China is small and St. Patrick is as alien to Chinese culture as Moses, Jesus or Mohammed, money talks and anything that brings in more is now very welcome in the officially still Communist People's Republic of China.
There is also an ever growing number of Chinese living, working and studying in Ireland. In fact Chinese students are now an important source of income for Ireland, and China gets in return well-educated academics who speak good English.
One should also not forget the fact that this is the year of the Beijing Olympics, a major project for the Chinese government and used to strengthen ties with western countries.

Since the Chinese leadership decided to allow Irish ex-pats (and anyone else who likes this sort of thing) to roam the streets of Beijing, clad in green, wearing leprechaun hats and getting drunk on the omni-present Guinness, the Irish government felt obliged to dispatch one of its ministers as well to grace the event with his dignified presence. As all cabinet members were already booked for similar missions to places where there are more Irish and St. Patrick's Day is established for longer, the Beijing job was given to Dick Roche, Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow and Minister of State (in both the Taoiseach's Department and the Department for Foreign Affairs) with special responsibility for Europe. It is rather typical of our government to send the Minister for Europe to a minor fun event in China, while the country is preparing for another EU referendum and there are major matters discussed in the various EU councils.

And yes, a minor fun event it was, and not more. Less generous people might call it a silly farce on which the Irish taxpayer spent a lot of money. And they would be right, too. Obviously neither Mr. Roche nor anyone else in the government bothered to study Chinese culture, mentality and general political practice. Marches and demonstrations are neither popular nor encouraged in China, unless they are organised, orchestrated and tightly controlled by the Communist Party or the state authorities.
And as much as the Chinese try to make "good weather" in the run-up period to the Olympic Games, they remain inflexible bureaucrats who will have things their way - or not at all. The small Irish ex-pat group in Beijing which organised the festival with massive sponsorship from the Irish government, Enterprise Ireland and several other organisations and public bodies, was told the parade down Wangfujing Lu - Beijing's major pedestrianised shopping street - could not exceed 200 people.

So Paddy Taxpayer financed the official trip of a minister to China, to join a bunch of ex-pats going wild for a week and promoting the stereotype that being Irish means oafish, disorganised, noisy and drunk. But it was not just Mr. Roche alone who flew to China. A whole delegation went with him on this very special mission, including blonde Irish dancing girls in embroidered green dresses, government officials and civil servants, representatives of Irish companies, some journalists and a group of "normal" people who went just for the craic.
Some of them came from the Christian Brothers' College in Cork, presumably brought along to tell the Chinese that there is a "People's Republic" in Ireland as well. Taxpayers' money well spent, wouldn't you agree?

In the end the embassy managed to soften up the Chinese bureaucrats. So when China's first ever St. Patrick's Day parade took off on Sunday to start the Irish festival, there were close to 1000 people, a truly motley crew if there ever was one. A satirical caricaturist, out to make the Irish look like bumbling fools, could not have done a better job. It was one of the tackiest events of its kind and included the most ridiculous looking impersonation of Saint Patrick I have ever seen. His alb was way too short, reaching just below the knees, and what was meant to represent a Celtic cross on the chasuble looked more like the targeting cross-hairs of a rifle. (see photo above) Well, we cannot offend the secular Chinese by displaying too many Christian symbols, can we?
To make things worse, the fellow posing as St. Patrick sported the most unreal and idiotic looking false beard ever seen on a man. Not even the tackiest of tacky "Santa" impersonators would sink that low in his choice of fake facial hair!

There was no interaction between marchers and ordinary Chinese people, most of whom had not the slightest idea what was going on. Shoppers and passers-by looked bewildered at the semi-costumed crowd walking down the street, led by a Scottish (!!!) piper and very closely watched and shadowed by about 200 uniformed policemen who did not really know what to do and how to behave towards the "green fools" either.
Yes, all the Paddy's Day friendship and peaceful intentions did not make the Chinese authorities take any risks or even a single chance.
To Chinese minds, formed for 25 centuries by the austere and principled ways of Confucianism and sharpened by now nearly 60 years of Communism, the whole idea of a nation going silly, noisy and getting drunk to celebrate its special greatness is just not comprehensible. Something very odd from the other side of China's Great Wall, to say the least.

Not even the special personal appearance of Ireland's Minister of State for Europe made any impression on the Chinese. His presence only added plain-clothed secret policemen to the 200 already there in uniform. And by the looks of it, Mr. Roche did not enjoy the experience much either, despite several desperate attempts to smile at everyone.
His very smart and rather serious looking black suit was lightened up by a brightly-green tie, but since that seemed not to be enough Irish green for the occasion, the minister also wore a posh lime-green scarf, almost looking like a priest's stole. (see photo below)

Being not a tall man, Dick Roche looked more like a leprechaun missing his hat than the representative of the Irish government. It is not known what the Chinese thought of the rather sad and ridiculous spectacle, but I imagine it did not enhance our nation's image in the Far East.

The parade itself probably qualifies for the Guinness Book of Records in several categories: Not only as the first staged in China and the most tacky, but also as the shortest St. Patrick's Day parade ever. It started in front of the foreign language bookshop on Wangfujing Lu and marched down circa 150 metres to the Oriental Plaza, where it turned around - and ended, still closely watched by 200 uniformed policemen (and who knows how many others in plain cloth). And 1.33 policemen for each metre of the way must also be a record, I am sure.

Apart from his participation in this truly memorable event, the Minister of State for Europe also had meetings and talks with representatives of the Chinese government. Though they took place behind closed doors, it can be assumed that they were mostly about trade and tourism, the two subjects Irish ministers are sent abroad to promote on St. Patrick's Day. However, there was a much more important matter an Irish minister - and especially one from the Department of Foreign Affairs - could and should have raised with his Chinese hosts. While a few hundred Irish wearing green costumes were allowed a heavily supervised walk in central Beijing, thousands of red-robed Buddhist monks were demonstrating in Lhasa, the capital city of Chinese-occupied Tibet, against the Chinese government and its oppression of traditional Tibetan culture. The monks, inspired by western ideas of freedom and liberty, were attacked by Chinese soldiers and police, beaten and shot at. The inofficial number of dead Tibetan civilians stands at about 100 now, but the true figure of casualties could well be larger.

When Dick Roche was asked by an RTÉ reporter in Beijing if he had mentioned the matter of Tibet to his Chinese hosts, the minister declared that he had not, because "this is not what we are here for". Well, well, so that's it then: As long as some Irish ex-pats can fool around in Beijing and have their craic, we don't give a hoot for human rights and do not care for those thousands of monks, nor for the Tibetan people who live under Chinese oppression for nearly fifty years! This is how Ireland is represented abroad, as a paradise for bumbling fools, not the slightest bit interested in real matters such as political clout and human rights.

Shame on you, Mr. Roche, for kowtowing so cowardly to the Chinese! Your silence in Beijing speaks a lot louder than anything you ever said or will say in future. And it will be remembered much longer than the silly parade you led in China.

But maybe we should not be too surprised by the minister's lack of political spine and moral fibre. This is the same Dick Roche who - as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government - messed up the electoral register. And he is also personally responsible for the M 3 project going through the Skryne Valley and destroying the Hill of Tara.
In fact the very last thing he did in this position - before being demoted by Bertie Ahern to junior ministerial rank - was the signing of the extremely controversial building orders for the M 3. And now, when he is back from China, Mr. Roche will try to make us vote for the Lisbon Treaty. Well, we'll see about that...

The Emerald Islander

Getting the Priorities wrong

The Irish word Taoiseach means Chief or Leader. When Ireland gained independence, this word was bestowed on the Prime Minister of the country, and it is a lot more than just his job title. The linguistic connection with the ancient Celtic kings and chieftains who ruled the island for centuries before the arrival of the Normans bridges the historic gap, the time during which the Irish nation was in bondage, the land occupied and its people oppressed.

So when we call our Prime Minister Taoiseach, it includes a degree of general reverence that goes well beyond the individual and far above party-political considerations. In ancient times the chiefs were not only ruling by force and law, they were first and foremost leading the people by personal example.

Sadly, this is no longer the case, especially not with the current Taoiseach. For years he has been trying to lead us up the political garden path, and more recently we have also learned a lot more of his private shortfalls. I have written about this already extensively and there is no need to repeat myself. What I want to highlight in this entry is another point that shows a clear lack of personal leadership in Bertie Ahern.

For many years now the Taoiseach and most of his ministers are fleeing from the country on the one day when they all should be here. As good leaders they should be with and among the people on Ireland's national day, St. Patrick's Day. Sadly cabinet ministers prefer a quick promotional trip to foreign places to joyful celebration at home.

It has been argued that the visits are valuable to promote Irish industry, trade and tourism, but I am not so sure if it is worth the bother any more. We are meanwhile a wealthy and successful country, with more money than common sense, and we need hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to fill all the jobs on the island. The amount of foreign investment is still strong, and there is not a lot for any minister to improve on by visiting a foreign city on March 17th.

With regards to tourism those trips are even more futile.
As long as the US dollar stays weak, many Americans can simply no longer afford holidays in Ireland and will go to some cheaper country, if they go at all. And in order to attract more European tourists we need only to do two things: lower our ridiculously high prices and improve the standard of our services. No ministerial visit on our own National Day can achieve that.

What really annoys me most is that for many years now our Taoiseach seems to be obliged to go to Washington D.C. on St. Patrick's Day, in order to present the President of the USA with a bowl of Irish shamrock. This was not started by Bertie Ahern, so he is only following in the footsteps of his predecessors. But it is nevertheless wrong. And it reminds me strongly of the ancient times when the subordinate rulers of vassal states had to turn up once a year at the court of the king, in order to pay homage and present him with tribute and gifts.

A bowl of Irish shamrock might not have much financial value, but it still is a symbolic tribute of homage, given to the ruler of the country that now controls more or less the whole world, both in political and economical terms. Why is this happening? I always thought that we are a free and sovereign country - at least on paper - and have no need to pay homage to anyone. At least that is the task our ancestors fought and died for, achieving freedom for 26 of our 32 counties at last in 1922.

Neither Éamon de Valera nor John Costello traveled to Washington every year with a bowl of shamrock, and I do not think Seán Lemass, Jack Lynch or Liam Cosgrave did it either. (Since I spent most of the FitzGerald and Haughey era abroad, I am not sure about the way they behaved on St. Patrick's Day.)
I think that it is about time to end this senseless custom.

When I saw this morning a photo of the Taoiseach handing a bowl of shamrock to the war criminal and torturer George W. Bush, I almost choked. I'm not happy with Bertie Ahern, his policies, practices and personal attitude, and I never voted for him or his party.
But nevertheless he is An Taoiseach, the leader of the Irish nation, and as such he can demand my basic loyalty.

Sadly he is not a true leader and gets his priorities wrong. If he were a real leader, he would spend our National Day at home and hand out bunches of shamrock to ordinary people, to the old and sick, the poor and disabled, soldiers of our Defense Forces and those who give their time and personal commitment to Ireland and to the local community. They would be grateful, happy and proud to receive such a gift from the Taoiseach, and they would deserve it.

Instead our cabinet ministers are flown around the world - at taxpayers' expense - to attend a number of more or less tasteful celebrations, and our leader pays homage to a war criminal. No time and no reason to be proud to be Irish.

The Emerald Islander

Paddy's Day 2008 & a Word about Drums

Well, to begin at the beginning, as Dylan Thomas would have put it: Today was the first time in years that we had a dry, friendly and even sunny St. Patrick's Day here. To compensate for the unexpected sunshine - after weeks of much rain and severe storms - it was rather cold, despite the Sun smiling down on us. But that's no problem. A winter coat, scarf and hat take care of that.

I was happy for the hundreds of people who have worked for weeks to organise the parade, build the floats, make costumes and prepare the celebrations in other ways. Far too often I have seen groups in fancy dress soaking wet - but still marching on, as if it was to win a war - and brass bands wrapped up so tight in plastic raincoats that they could hardly play their instruments.

But fortunately that was not the case today. Buíochas le Dia! Someone must have said prayers and burned enough candles...

As there was no rain, damp or other climatic impediment, I expected the bands to march in good spirit today, blasting away the people's mental cobwebs with some good and cheerful tunes.
Sadly I have to report that this was not the case. Very rarely were we treated to a proper and melodious tune this afternoon, while most of the bands chose to march to long-winded, boring and - quite honestly - mind-numbing sequences of monotonous drumbeats. I have been to many parades in my lifetime, but never before were my ears so bored and annoyed by the sound the bands produced.

I felt a bit like certain members of the armed forces ten years ago: Had they issued us with some ear protection, I would have used it. But no such luck. There we stood, watching colourful groups and elaborate floats passing by in good cheer, and were treated to nothing more than the same old tamptera-tam-tam of the drums. I begin to wonder what might have happened to our bands and their once quite broad repertoire. Did someone brainwash them all? Did they suddenly and unexpectedly forget all their tunes? Did they loose their notes - all at the same time?
Or is the whole thing more sinister?

I have no idea, and wish I had. But it bothers me. We have the bands, they have no shortage of musicians, there are enough instruments, and still all they produce for ages on parade is a stupid tamptera-tam-tam, again and again. So what's the problem? Please, if someone knows, don't be shy and let me know!
And it's not just me. I was talking to some people who made the same observation and wondered in similar ways I do. Could it be - one of my neighbours suggested - that the young lads who are now in the bands just haven't got the skills any longer? Are they spending too much time in pubs and playing computer games these days? Or might it be a subtle creeping-in of the all-present and really quite offensive sounding drum beats one can hear in the modern "music" they call Techno?

The day passed without us finding an answer. Perhaps we never will. But it was very annoying, boring and took a lot of the joy away one has usually during a parade. And I know already that I won't be going next year - regardless of the weather - if it is all drumbeat and no tunes again.

In case we do have a domestic problem with skills and talents, such can easily be solved with more practice. And should this not bring us the desired results, it would be better to admit to be musically challenged and look for help from abroad. There are thousands of good brass bands in most foreign countries (like the one pictured here), and many of them would be delighted to come over for St. Patrick's Day and play in the parade. All it needs are some kind invitations, sent out as early as possible, as good bands have full diaries. For the foreign bands it would be a good experience - and fun - and we would once again hear some proper tunes. Because there is no other country I know of that would tolerate the monotonous tamptera-tam-tam we have encountered today.

Not even in the North they beat their lambeg drums alone. They play along with flutes and fifes, which sounds boring and monotonous enough. But not as bad as what we had to endure today, on the day that should inspire the whole nation to joy and celebration.

I suppose that it did not need all the drumming to bring the many thirsty people into the pubs in town after the parade. They would have gone anyway. But today even I felt close to being called to a bar, just somewhere to hide from the constant drum beats. But since I do not frequent the public houses, nor indulge in alcoholic drinks, I just went home, made myself a good pot of Earl Grey tea, and then put one of my CDs into the player. "Great European Marches" the sampler is called, and it gave me within minutes what I had missed for more than an hour during the parade: Good and uplifting tunes that make the heart beat faster, raise one's spirit and put a smile on every face within earshot. Well, I hope that the parade you went to see today gave you that without going home and playing a CD. Slan abhaile!

The Emerald Islander

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To my friends - in Ireland and abroad - and to all Irish people and friends of the Emerald Isle everywhere: With best wishes from Ireland's oldest city
I hope you all have a

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Emerald Islander

Rescued Fishermen have died

It is with great sadness that I have to write this addenda to my entry from the 14th. The two fishermen whose boat went down off the coast of Inishowen in County Donegal on Friday have died in hospital yesterday. As I have not been well myself for the past two days, I only learned of this sad development today.

The two men were elderly - in their 60s and 70s - and went fishing on board of a small trawler, which failed to return to its harbour by lunchtime on Friday. They were reported missing at about 1 p.m.

RNLI and Coast Guard began a search of the area with three lifeboats and the Coast Guard helicopter from Sligo.

The first fisherman was discovered in the water by Friday afternoon and the second was found eventually in the evening after an extensive search. Both were alive and taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, to be treated for exhaustion and exposure. Unfortunately both men were so weakened that they died overnight.

Our deeply felt sympathy goes out to the families and friends of the two men.

The Emerald Islander

Two Fishermen rescued off Donegal

Two local fishermen have been rescued off the coast of Inishowen in north Donegal this evening. They were the crew of a small fishing trawler, which had been reported missing at 1 p.m. today.

The first man has been discovered drifting in the water this afternoon, and the second was rescued in the evening, following an extensive search. Three lifeboats were involved and the Coast Guard helicopter, based in Sligo, also took part.

As much as the loss of a boat is regrettable, the important thing is that the two men were found alive and rescued. Our thanks tonight go to the men of the RNLI and Coast Guard for their good and successful work, and our best wishes to the two fishermen.

The Emerald Islander

Amnesty links Ireland with US Rendition Case

Amnesty International says that the Republic of Ireland is "clearly contravening international law" by allowing its air space and territory to be used to facilitate the US practice of "extraordinary rendition". The group points out that the running of secret CIA prisons for terrorism suspects makes a mockery of international law.

In its latest report the Irish section of Amnesty states that Shannon Airport was used to refuel an aircraft that on the following day was allegedly used to move a man - named as Khaled al-Maqtari - from Iraq to Afghanistan.

The higly respected international human rights organisation says that the case of Khaled al-Maqtari sheds new light on the cruelty and illegality of the CIA programme of secret detentions and forced disappearances. He suffered multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment after his capture in Iraq in 2004. Via Baghdad's infamous Abu Ghraib prison, he was moved to secret US jails in Afghanistan and then to another unknown location, possibly in eastern Europe.

31-year-old Mr. al-Maqtari was eventually freed without charge from US custody in 2006 and returned to Yemen, where he was further detained until May 2007.

In response to the new Amnesty International report a spokesman for the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said that the Irish government is "totally opposed to the practice of extraordinary rendition" and has reiterated its position on numerous occasions.
The government has apparently received some specific assurances from the US authorities, including George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, that no prisoners have been transferred through Irish airports, nor would they be without the Irish government's permission.

However, US aeroplanes - both military and civilian (and including aircraft operated by the CIA) - have been landing and refueling at Shannon Airport for many years, without anyone really knowing who was on board. In the build-up to the US invasion of Iraq thousands of US troops were also ferried through Irish airspace and stopped over at Shannon. There have also been reports of small aircraft - known to belong to or operated by the CIA - landing there.

George W. Bush admitted for the first time in September 2006 that the USA are running secret jails for terrorism suspects, but the practice has gone on for much longer. And only a few days ago Bush vetoed a new US law passed by Congress that was to ban the CIA torture practice known as "waterboarding". (see my entry from March 8th) Thus Bush is personally responsible for the continuation of this cruel and inhumane practice and a promoter of secret CIA torture.

The Emerald Islander

Gold Price at all-time High as Dollar falls further

The price of gold reached an all-time record high, trading at $ 1000 per ounce for the first time.
This follows a constant rise of the gold price for months, pushed ever higher by a weak US Dollar and fears about the decline of the US economy.

Concerns about a possible US recession lead investors to buy up commodities such as gold as an alternative to company shares and the US Dollar itself. Since the beginning of the year the value of gold has increased by about 20%, after it rose 32% in 2007.

After reaching the $ 1000 mark, the gold price eventually settled for the day at $ 993.80, up $ 13.30 an ounce.

Gold is measured and sold in troy ounces. One troy ounce equals 31.1035 grams or 480 grains. One troy ounce is also equal to 1.09711 avoirdupois ounce - widely used to measure weights in the US and UK.

Analysts say that gold will stay high as long as dollar and growth fears remain.

Meanwhile the US Dollar fell further in value yesterday against key currencies, including the Euro and Japanese Yen. At one point, it was worth less than 100 Yen for the first time since 1995, while it reached new depths against the Euro at $ 1.5645.

Analysts are predicting that it could fall even further as more details emerge of the losses suffered by banks and hedge funds due to investments centred on the troubled US housing market. Already many companies have unveiled billions of dollars of losses which has caused credit markets to freeze and has created an environment where there is less money available for consumers and businesses to borrow.

At the same time, there are increasing signs that the USA is on the brink of recession, and some analyst believe that the United States are actually in recession already. Official data out on Wednesday showed disappointing retail sales in February. This has added to a recent drum beat of bad news, including a shrinking of the service sector in January and February, and unemployment rates at the highest level for five years.

Despite aggressive interest rate cuts and White House measures to stimulate consumer spending, it is expected that US interest rates - currently at 3% - will have to come down further.

Analysts say that this will weaken the dollar even further and accelerate inflation.

The oil price surged to a new high above $ 110 a barrel as well, while agricultural commodities, including cocoa and coffee, also rose further.

Inflation rises to 4.8%

The newest data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Dublin show that the annual rate of inflation in the Republic of Ireland has risen to 4.8% in February, from 4.3% the previous month. Consumer prices in February rose by 1.2% in the month, compared with a rise of 0.8% the same time last year. Inflation last stood at 4.8% in October of last year.

According to the CSO the rise is mainly a result of the continuing increases in food prices, which I already observed and wrote about two weeks ago. (see my entry "Irish Food Prices are rising too fast" of February 28th)
Prices for food are rising indeed, on average by 1.8%, with significantly higher prices seen in a wide range of products, including milk, butter, cheese, meat, bread and cereals.

Many of the most significant increases are only possible because many consumers with secure incomes seem to be willing to pay any price for food. Would they draw a line for certain items and shop around a bit, they would not only save a lot of money, but also force greedy grocers and supermarkets to re-adjust their prices to the true market value. Prices as they are charged here in Ireland would lead to riots in France and many other EU countries.

The ending of the January sales might also have had some influence on the rise of the inflation rate. The CSO says that the annual rate of inflation for services was 5.6% last month, while goods increased by 3.9% in the year.

The prices of clothing and footwear rose by 12.7%, due to a recovery in prices after the ending of the traditional January sales. Furnishings and household equipment prices also rose by 2.8% after the sales.

Last month also saw increases in average mortgage interest repayments and rents.

The Emerald Islander

Plato was right

Magnet Design & Copyright by Mayfield Communications

Dáil Éireann is skiving off - again

More and more people here in Ireland - myself included - are wondering what the Oireachtas (our parliament) is really doing all year long. Especially Dáil Éireann - the House of Deputies (above right) - has an appalling work record, sitting on average not more than twenty percent of a year's time. Nevertheless the TDs are not only paid full-time salaries, but in fact earn a lot more than most people in this country who work full-time, and often many hours more than our professional politicians.

To make the bad situation even worse, the Dáil finished its business earlier than usual this afternoon and then closed for an extra three-week holiday over St. Patrick's Day and Easter! This is beyond a bad joke, and a slap in the face of every working person in Ireland. The Dáil had only returned to work on January 30th, after an overly lengthy six-week winter break, and now our TDs are on holidays again until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2nd.

To no one's surprise the government, which instigated the extra break for the Dáil, has already been accused of laziness by closing parliament for St. Patrick's Day and Easter.
Opposition parties accepted the need for some ministers to attend events in foreign countries around St. Patrick's Day, as it has become tradition, but suggested some were taking advantage of the situation.

Fine Gael's Richard Bruton said the government had failed to produce new legislation, and was now "taking the first opportunity to skive off".

Eamon Gilmore (left), the leader of the Labour Party, accepted the importance of cabinet ministers attending St. Patrick's Day functions around the world, calling it "a valuable marketing opportunity". But he said that figures on the costs of such trips - revealed yesterday by RTÉ's "Morning Ireland" programme - suggested that some ministers "have been tearing the rear end out of it, and that needs to be looked at".
He added if the government was thinking of beginning the summer recess at the start of July and not returning until the end of September, his party "will make a hell of a fuss".

It might well be helping to promote Ireland abroad if some ministers show up in foreign capitals for St. Patrick's Day, but personally I cannot see the real benefit of it. After all, we do have our ambassadors in those countries, and they could do the same job, without incurring a huge bill for traveling and accommodation.

Apart from that, the promotional trips of certain cabinet ministers do not justify closing down the Dáil for weeks. The parliament is after all the nation's Legislature and should still be able to function when a significant number of the Executive is missing.

If anyone else would be that selfish and lazy, they would long be sacked from their jobs. But the ignorance and complacency of the Irish electorate has prevented that. Most members of the Dáil were re-elected in the general election last May, despite their unsatisfactory performance in previous years. So, I suppose now Ireland is just getting what it deserves.

As the famous Savoyard writer, diplomat and political philosopher Joseph-Marie Comte de Maistre (pictured right) put it so well already in the 18th century: “Every country has the government it deserves.”

Today's new example of extreme parliamentary inefficiency raises once more the question if Dáil Éireann is too large and if the TDs are paid too much for the little part-time work they do. (See also my entry from January 31st)
In my opinion a Dáil reform is overdue, especially since now about two thirds of all legislation comes from Europe and all the Dáil needs to do is to implement it into Irish domestic law.

There are currently 166 TDs and 60 Senators. This is a large number of professional politicians for a small country like Ireland. The USA, for example, with about 75 times the Irish population, has a mere 400 members in the House of Representatives and only 100 Senators. And New Zealand, a country with similar economic structure and the same population as Ireland, has no upper house at all and a total of currently 121 members of parliament. (A referendum to reduce the number of MPs to 99 was passed, but has not yet been implemented.)

I applaud Eamon Gilmore's statement and hope he will indeed make "a hell of a fuss" when it comes to the length of parliamentary summer holidays later this year. But his words would have even more weight if the Labour Party - perhaps in co-operation with other opposition parties - would come up with a feasible model for the long overdue Dáil reform.

The Emerald Islander

Lisbon Referendum will be held in June

Bertie Ahern has told the Dáil today that Ireland's Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will be held in the second week of June.

He told Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that the government had discussed the date at its meeting this morning and had "more or less signed off on the date", but the day of the week had not been finally settled.

The Taoiseach said he would consult with Deputy Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore about the day of the week, pointing out that the second referendum on the Nice Treaty was held on a Saturday, while the first took place on a Thursday.

Responding to concerns raised by Fine Gael's Alan Shatter about Leaving Certificate students who would be unable to concentrate on the referendum due to their examinations, Mr. Ahern pointed out that most of them were finished by June 12th.
This would suggest he might consider a vote on Friday, June 13th or Saturday, June 14th.

Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach whether he would rule out a second vote if the people rejected the Lisbon Treaty, but Bertie Ahern - obviously embarrassed - did not respond.

It appears that the government, as well as the other partners in the YES camp (mainly Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the PDs and 2/3 of the Green Party), believe that they will have a plain sailing and the people will be "good citizens" and accept the treaty, as they are told to do by their leaders.
If this is a correct assessment remains to be seen, as more and more flaws in the Lisbon Treaty become known and an increasing number of citizens become more concerned.

The Emerald Islander

Threatening Letters sent to Harney and Martin

Threatening letters containing shotgun cartridges have been sent to two cabinet ministers and a number of fertility clinics around the country.

Mary Harney (left), Minister for Health and Children (who will be celebrating her 55th birthday tomorrow), and Micheál Martin (below right), the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who was Harney's predecessor in charge of Health, received letters claiming to be from a previously unknown group, calling themselves the Irish Citizens Defence Force.

It emerged that a letter addressed to Harney was delivered to the minister's office at the Department of Health at Hawkins House in Dublin on February 29th.

Letters containing a live shotgun cartridge was also received by a number of fertility clinics, including the Clane Clinic in Kildare, on the same day. RTÉ News was told that it contained threats to staff and was "deeply upsetting". The SIMS Fertility Clinic in Dundrum reported that it also received a similar letter.

The Garda Commissioner appointed a detective inspector to examine the incidents.
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Severe Weather to continue for two more Days

The severe weather, which is currently being experienced across Ireland and the British Isles, is set to continue.
So far southern and western England, southern Wales and Dorset have been worst hit by the storms. Flights and ferries have been cancelled, roads and rail lines blocked by fallen trees and rivers have flooded as gale-force winds of over 80 mph battered the islands.

The Meteorological Office has severe weather warnings in place for South West England, with predictions that England, Wales, central Scotland and Ireland will see a further swathe of gales on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Oil Price at record High while Dollar weakens

Today the price for crude oil has reached an all-time high for the fifth time in six trading sessions. In New York sweet crude added $ 1.85, to touch a record $ 107 per barrel, before falling back to trade at $ 106.6.

This artificially high oil price makes petrol and energy costs more expensive around the world and puts further financial pressure on businesses and household budgets.

Analysts believe that many traders are buying oil, priced in dollars, to protect the value of their money against the sliding currency.
The US Dollar has been ticking off new lows against the Euro and other key currencies since last summer, and was hit again last Friday by the US employment report showing the American labour market at its weakest in five years.

This has prompted traders to seek refuge in commodities, including oil and gold, which are more likely to sustain their value than the greenback. The oil price is also influenced by last week's decision by the producers' cartel OPEC not to raise supply, despite rising demand in China.

In Europe Brent crude gained 69 cents to trade at $ 103.07 a barrel, also a new record.

A barrel - the old-fashioned unit of measurement still used by the oil industry - is equal to 159 litres.

Foreign Accents and Irish Hyper-Xenophobia

I was listening to Pat Kenny again this morning, and one of the items on the programme today was the ongoing protest against the M 3 project, attempting to build a motorway through the Skryne Valley close to the ancient Hill of Tara, a protected site and for centuries the seat of the Ard Ri, the High King of Ireland.

Despite the fact that the site is indeed protected, on a United Nations list of endangered heritage sites and under a preservation order from the Minister of the Environment, road contractors working in the pay of the National Road Authority (NRA) did last Thursday move heavy machinery close to Rath Lugh, the ancient fort that protected Tara, and tried to begin work on the esker (a rounded high ridge made up of ancient river sediments - mainly sand, gravel and small rounded pebbles, though boulders and thin layers of silt also occur - dating back to the last ice age) underneath. Would they do that, the sand from the esker would run out and the whole esker - with the fort on top - would collapse.


So thankfully protesters who are camping close to the site were making noise and alerted Meath County Council as well as the media. And thanks to them the fort still stands as I write this.

But what annoyed me this morning was a significant amount of comments from people who phoned, texted and e-mailed Pat Kenny in the studio, complaining that one of the Tara protesters, named Ciaran, has an English accent. So? What does that have to do with the matter at hand?

Maybe he is English. So what? But with a name like Ciaran he is more likely from an Irish family living in England. But it does not really matter. As far as I am concerned, he could be from Kells or Kaliningrad, Tuam or Timbuktu. What does matter is that he stands up for our ancient heritage, which is under severe threat from the current government and its friends in the construction industry.

There were more comments on Pat's programme, suggesting even that Seamus Heaney, our greatest living poet and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, was apparently "not really Irish" (since he was born in the North). I could not believe my ears. Who are these little Irelanders? Are they 26-county-fetishists?
Their ridiculous racism and hyper-xenophobia does even exclude the population of the six counties, who are Irish by blood, heritage and by right. I would recommend that those who sent such silly comments read Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Constitution (of the 26-county Republic) of Ireland.

But I am not really sure if these comments were actually real, or just part of a subtle campaign against the Tara protest, orchestrated by some people who have a financial interest in building the motorway, no matter what the price for the nation and our heritage would be.

How come that some of our people have suddenly problems with a man with an English accent protesting against the M 3 motorway, when they are happy with English accents in all other areas of modern Ireland, from business and trade to music, art, film and sports. If you take out all players with an English accent, there will be no Irish Soccer team left.

I can understand that some, especially elderly people who might still remember the atrocities of the Black-and-Tans from own experience, might react a little allergic to English accents. But in general there is in my opinion no place for such petty-nationalistic hyper-xenophobia in Ireland.
Not seldom such expressions are completely misguided. Two of my neighbours have very heavy Cockney accents, and one could well think they were English. Nevertheless, they are as Irish as the shamrock. Both were born here, but had to emigrate as children with their parents to London. They spent most of their lives there, and of course picked up the Cockney accent. But as soon as the "Celtic Tiger" gave them a chance to come home, they did. So what would the 26-county-fetishists say to them and their accent?

It is also interesting that certain people's xenophobia seems to be limited to the British and - in some places - also the Germans. They seem to have no objections to Dutch and French, Italians and Spanish, nor any other nationality. No problems with hundreds of thousands of Poles and Russians, Ukrainians and people from the Baltic states who live and work here. And there seems not even to be any prejudice against the now vast number of Africans in Ireland, even though many of them can't speak English and have no links with nor understanding of our country and culture. The only reason they are here is our recently acquired wealth, from which they want a piece for themselves.

So why still this ridiculous xenophobia against people with British accents? Maybe some people need to re-read the history books and check out where many of our great national heroes were born. They will find that a large number of those we revere came from outside Ireland, but gave their lives willingly for our freedom and independence.

I was not born in Ireland myself, and two thirds of my life I spent abroad. But if anyone would question me or my credentials and loyalty, I would tell them that I am as Irish as St. Patrick, Countess Markiewicz and Eamon de Valera. If anyone has a problem with that, or with my accent (which is often thought to be Dutch, even though it isn't and really accumulates various accents I acquired during my lifetime), I would be happy to tell them a thing or two, and show them my very long family tree with Celtic pride.

The Emerald Islander

Button down the Hatches!

If you live in Ireland - especially in the South of the island - and have not yet heard of the severe weather warning (for details see my entry from yesterday) then you better hurry up and secure your house and anything else that needs attention.

Here in Waterford the rain has started about an hour ago, and the strong wind has arrived as well, blowing over my cottage with forceful gusts already. But it is supposed to get a lot worse during the night, and tomorrow all day.

So button down the hatches, make sure all your windows are tightly closed, and put some extra cover on the inside of your door, to keep the cold and storm at a minimum. Then check that your heating system is working (I just put two extra logs onto the fire), make yourself a good cup of tea and sit back. There is nothing more you can do.

The storm will pass, and hopefully without causing great damage. And while it rages, the best and most sensible thing you can do is to stay inside and be calm. Blessings on all of you around the country, and may the storm be your friend!

The Emerald Islander

Who is responsible for Ireland's Infrastructure?

A new statement on the delivery dates of Irish transport infrastructure indicates that several of the targets for 2008 will be missed. The information can be found in the Department of Transport's second annual progress report on the implementation of the government's multi-billion investment programme.

Eleven major projects have been identified as being "behind schedule", including the Portlaoise train depot, which was supposed to be completed in 2007, but will - hopefully - be finished this year. Construction of the Cork commuter rail service to Midleton will be completed in 2009 rather than 2008, and in Dublin three Luas projects will also be delayed.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey (photo) said the dates had "always been indicative" and all but one of the plan's numerous projects would be completed within the designated timeframe of 2015. But the minister did not make an attempt to explain the fact that almost nothing is finished on time in Ireland, and never for the expected or estimated price.

What's the Problem?
Is it just simply massive incompetence, combined with laziness and a "don't care" attitude? Or is there a subtle system of contractors, sub-contractors and even further sub-sub-contractors in place that syphens off money and resources from every project they are involved with? Hard to say, and certainly worth some investigation. But like most members of the govenment, the Minister for Transport is not really bothered by those delays. As long as his own pay-check (of about € 20,000 a month) arrives on time, all is well.

Noel Dempsey pointed out that in 2007 there was 82% more money spent on public transport projects than the previous year. And "Transport 21", the government's well publicised strategy plan, "is delivering tangible benefits to commuters" he said, pointing out that hourly return services on the Cork - Dublin rail route were introduced, as well as new intercity rail cars on the Sligo line. Phase one of the Western Rail Corridor had started, new buses had been delivered in Dublin, and eleven national road projects had been completed while construction started on another ten.

Well, that's all very nice and good. But the questions not asked by journalists - and therefore not answered by ministers - are:

1. Do we get value for money?
2. Do we get good quality projects and products?
3. And if not, who is to blame?

We are told that so much more money is spent. Well, 82% is a large number. But how much is that in money? And 82% on top of how much?
Why are we always given percentages, but very rarely the proper sums? Is the money we - the taxpayers - invest via the government in all those projects spent well?

No one seems responsible
It is quite strange that literally everything is so much more expensive in Ireland - from simple daily food to huge infrastructure programmes. Roads, railways and other infrastructure projects are built all the time in every country, but most of them are managed very well and deliver high quality on time and on budget. Not so in Ireland. Why? And who is responsible?

Apparently no one, as the minister passes the buck to the various state agencies - like the now often mentioned National Road Authority (NRA) - who in turn pass it further down to the private contractors they use. At the end of the day the buck stops with some nameless Polish or Lithuanian construction worker who does neither speak English nor has any idea of the bigger picture. All he cares for is to earn more money than he would get in his own country, and send a good bit of it back home while living a Spartan life here. This is no way to run anything, not any project, and certainly not the country!

A good example how not to do it is the new Dublin Port Tunnel. It took longer than planned to build, and cost a lot more than projected. And now, that it is finished, it doesn't work properly. Serious problems with the tunnel's fans were revealed recently by the RTÉ Prime Time programme and Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd said that equipment failures in the tunnel were unacceptable and were damaging public confidence. Quite right!

In many other countries they have tunnels for decades, and even centuries. They all are safe and work perfectly. So why can't Ireland do it? And again - who is responsible?
Minister Dempsey agrees that the situation at the tunnel is "unacceptable", but is it his problem? Oh no! He says it is "a matter between the contractor and the NRA", which is "taking legal action to ensure the equipment is properly repaired".

This is beyond a bad joke! Is he the Minister for Transport or not? And what good does it do to the many drivers in Dublin, hampered by a faulty or even closed tunnel, when the NRA and some un-named contractor battle the matter out in the Courts? Legal cases usually takes ages, and the main beneficiaries are the lawyers who charge massive fees for their learned services.

Noel Dempsey is trying to calm the waves by saying that he is "confident the NRA is doing all in its power to resolve issues with equipment in the Dublin Port Tunnel". But what are the powers of the NRA? Do they really have enough authority, as their name would suggest? And - first of all - what about the minister's own authority? Why is he not using it to solve the problem quickly? What's the point of having a Minister for Transport if all his responsibilities are delegated away to unelected and unaccountable bodies and agencies?

If Mr. Dempsey, who has not exactly covered himself with glory in the departments he headed previously, wants to be taken for serious (and not for a spineless whimp), it is time for him to step up to the plate, take responsibility for the matters of his department and actually do the job he is very well paid for.

The Emerald Islander

A Year of tight Management

Bertie Ahern has told Dáil Éireann that 2008 will be "a year of tight management of the economy, particularly on expenditure".

In response to a question from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, the Taoiseach said that figures for the last quarter of 2007 show "a substantial reduction in capital gains tax" (in the region of 40%) and "a slowing in the construction sector". He said it showed that development deals had dropped dramatically.

But the economy was still "close to target" in areas like manufacturing and exports, and the financial sector was "weathering global fluctuation", Mr. Ahern declared. Insisting that the economic forecasts were "not all doom and gloom", he said it simply showed some difficulties for this year.

He also announced that unemployment would increase this year, mainly in the construction sector and related service areas. But the government would "do what it had to do" as the year progressed "to keep the country strong".

Well, these were interesting words. They show that the Taoiseach knows very well that the seven fat years are over and the "Celtic Tiger" is dead. But nevertheless he likes us not to worry about it, as he does not worry himself. Because as long as the majority of Irish people are kept in the perpetual ignorance that Fianna Fáil created as their political remedy for everything, we will think that "it'll be alright", while Bertie keeps getting away with the things he cannot remember.

For anyone with even a little bit of common sense it has been clear for quite some time that we will have to tighten our belt and live in future without the large EU handouts Irish governments have welcomed and got used to for more than 30 years. And that we will have to develop a new level of competitiveness, since our original attraction - plenty of young and educated people in a nice and cheap country - has disappeared. We are now a rich country with extremely high prices, high wages for the top earners and subsequently a high-society lifestyle in Dublin. For the bosses this is very attractive.

But down the country there are still many people who live in poverty. The infrastructure is in tatters, traffic is horrible and prices are almost as high as in Dublin. People like the Tanaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, who comes from a rural area in the Midlands, knows this a lot better than the Taoiseach.
Perhaps it is time now for him to take charge of the country and leave Bertie Ahern to sort out his memory losses and his private financial affairs. No matter what happens, Bertie will have no more problems. He is now the best-paid head of government in the world, and even in retirement he would be a very wealthy man.

The phrase "in the national interest" has been used quite often in contemporary Irish politics, by different politicians and parties. Perhaps it was even used too much. But this time I think it is appropriate to use it at least once more.
It would be in the national interest if Bertie Ahern would hand over the reigns of power rather sooner than later, especially as we expect a year of tight management.

Maybe FF could learn a lesson or two from the DUP up North. Their leading members sent a very frank letter to Ian Paisley some days ago, expressing their displeasure with his leadership style, the shenanigans of his son, Ian Jr. and the constant family favouritism. Less than 24 hours later Ian Paisley announced that he would resign as First Minister in May.

The Emerald Islander

Bush prevents Ban of "Waterboarding"

The White House has announced that George W. Bush will veto proposed legislation that would have banned American intelligence agents from using "waterboarding" and other controversial interrogation methods.

"Waterboarding" (pictured right) is a torture technique originally developed by the Spanish Inquisition during the Middle Ages and later used occasionally by some totalitarian regimes, mostly in South America.
Since George W. Bush started his "War on Terror" in 2001, the method has been adopted for interrogations of suspects by the CIA and other US intelligence agencies. Suspects are subjected to simulated drowning, which is widely criticised by many members of the US Congress.
Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, the United Nations and most countries in the world regard "waterboarding" as nothing but an invented word that camouflages brutal torture.

Last month, the US Congress sent Bush a broad intelligence authorisation bill that contained new limits on the CIA's interrogation techniques.

But the Bush administration has countered that the CIA should not be held to the US military's interrogation standards. As excuse the White House says that their "intelligence agents are dealing with terrorists who are not lawful combatants operating under traditional battlefield tactics".

For all those who still had some doubts, it is now more than clear that George W. Bush sanctions and encourages the use of torture openly and with his usual arrogance.

Sadly the majority of Americans seems to be quite ignorant of their leaders' crimes, war crimes and major human rights' abuses. And since the presidents and prime ministers of other countries have no courage to stand up and criticise the USA openly, Bush gets away with torture in the face of the whole world.

The Emerald Islander

Severe Weather Warning for Ireland

The Meteorological Office has issued a severe weather warning for the whole of Ireland. Force 10 winds and high tides are forecast to bring one of the strongest storms of the winter over the next two days.

Wind gusts of up to 120 or 130 km/h are likely, with rainfall of about 20-30mm expected between Sunday night and Monday. Unusually high tides are also posing the risk of flooding in some areas. Met Éireann is also advising drivers to expect difficult conditions on roads around the country.

A band of exceptionally low pressure is expected to bring severe winds, particularly in the south of the country. Weather inland is expected to be stormy tomorrow night and on Monday afternoon, with flood alerts issued to coastal areas. Flood barriers have already been put in place, and sailors and fishermen have been warned about conditions on the Irish Sea.

Preparations in the Dublin area
Dublin City Council says there is a likelihood of flooding tomorrow night and early Monday afternoon because of high tides.
Sea defences have been erected at areas north and south of Dublin city, and dam bags have been placed on seafront areas in Sandymount (photo), Ringsend and Clontarf. Temporary road closures have also been announced.

The Liffey boardwalk and nine sections of road will be closed during the flood alert periods - from 11 p.m. on Sunday night to 2 a.m. on Monday and from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on Monday.

Ferry Services
All Irish Ferries Swift sailings on the Dublin to Holyhead route for today have been canceled. These cancellations followed warnings of gale force winds in all sea areas.
Passengers will be accommodated on the cruise ferry sailing at 8.55 p.m. tonight. All other Irish Ferries services and all Stena Line services are expected to sail as scheduled.

Even though the Sun is shining brightly here right now and we have a clear blue sky, the weather warning should be taken seriously. Anyone who needs not to go out during the time of the storm would be well advised to stay indoors.

The Emerald Islander

British People are denied a Lisbon Referendum

Calls for a British Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty have increased over the past couple of weeks.
Despite the UK government's clear refusal to even entertain the idea, and the defeat of a Conservative motion - calling for a referendum on the new treaty - in the British House of Commons, the voices from outside parliament demanding a direct say in the matter are getting louder.

Even though the governing Labour Party promised voters a referendum on the European Constitution in their last general election manifesto, Prime Minister Gordon Brown (left) and his ministers now argue that the Lisbon Treaty is "an entirely new document" which has apparently nothing to do with the Constitution that was rejected in referenda in France and the Netherlands in 2005 (thus saving the UK from holding their own referendum, as any new EU Treaty needs to be accepted by all member states).

On the opposition benches the views on the Lisbon Treaty are divided. The Conservative Party has been calling and arguing for a referendum since the document was signed by all EU leaders in the Portuguese capital last December. Several nationalist and independent MPs also support the call for a British referendum.

Surprisingly, the Liberal Democrats are split over the issue. While the party leader Nick Clegg (right) asked his 63 MPs not to vote on the Conservative motion and abstain, only 50 followed their young leader. 13 LibDem MPs defied the order and voted with the Conservatives. Three of them - Alistair Carmichael, Tim Farron and David Heath - even resigned as front-bench spokesmen so they could vote in favour of the motion. This is no mean feat, and it only shows how deep the emotions over the Lisbon Treaty go in Britain as well. In a later, separate vote on a referendum, proposed by Labour MP Ian Davidson, 14 LibDems rebelled and in total 15 of their MPs ignored the call to abstain.

Many observers see this as the first test of the leadership qualities of Nick Clegg, who was elected as his party's new leader less than three months ago. He has his own agenda on Europe and wants a wider referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union or not.

Despite so many opposition calls for a referendum - also strongly supported by the Euro-skeptic UK Independence Party (UKIP), which has no MPs but 12 MEPs - the people of Britain will not have their say on the matter after all. Despite the support from the rebel Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives' motion for a referendum was defeated by 311 votes to 248. By the time British voters can react to this open defiance of a public demand - the next general election - the matter will be dead and buried and the treaty will be long in effect, unless the people of Ireland vote NO. The Irish are indeed the only force left that could yet stop the EU juggernaut.

In a separate development, a privately organised opinion poll in ten marginal constituencies in the South of England asked voters if they were in favour of a referendum and how they would vote if there were one.
88% of those asked declared that they were in favour of a referendum, but once again the British government decided to ignore them. Perhaps the reason for that is the result to the second questions asked: 72.4% of those asked in the ten selected constituencies said they would reject the Lisbon Treaty.

It is probably not a completely representative poll, but it shows clearly a double tendency in Britain: People want more active and personal participation in major political decisions, and they are growing more Euro-skeptic almost by the day.
Sadly, the British political system only pretends to be democratic, while it is not. So the Irish will indeed be the only people who can make a difference in the matter and show the politicians at home and in Europe that democracy still means "government of the people".

The Emerald Islander

Most new Jobs are for Women

Women have been more than twice as successful as men in finding a job in the Irish labour market over the past year. According to the latest Quarterly National Household Survey from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Dublin, new jobs for women were responsible for almost 70% of the growth in employment.

The CSO reports that a total of 66,800 new jobs were created in the Republic of Ireland during the analysed 12-months period ending last November. However, the picture is not as positive as it might look at first sight.
More than half of the new jobs offered only part-time employment, and 60% of them resulted from a surge in self-employment (which is encouraged and promoted by several government agencies and the Department of Social and Family Affairs).

In the same time period the number of men employed in Ireland fell by almost 10,000. This is the alarming part of the statistic, as it shows that the number of traditional jobs for Irish men, mostly in manufacturing and transport, is still in a steady decline.
Long-established Irish businesses have closed over the past few years - even during the boom time of the "Celtic Tiger" - or transfered their manufacturing jobs to the low-wage countries in the so-called "third world". Despite the happy sunshine talk from the government, Ireland is losing its competitiveness, and subsequently many skilled workers lose their job.

Many of the new jobs created - often with massive public announcements and huge PR - are in fact only low-paid part-time positions, predominantly in retail, service and food businesses. They are specifically tailored for unskilled or low-skilled labour and prefer to employ women, who are much easier willing to take part-time jobs than men.

Even though the country is still awash with surplus money and most people think that we never had it so good, the clouds of economic decline have been gathering over Ireland already for the past three years. The recently published employment data from the CSO underline this trend with clear figures, and it remains to be seen if the government will react in a positive way and make sure that there is enough employment for skilled Irish men (as well as for the women).

The Emerald Islander

Major Fire in Waterford

A major fire, which has meanwhile been brought under control, devastated a commercial building in the city centre of Waterford tonight.

About fifty fire fighters from Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny were called to the blaze, which broke out at around 6 p.m. this evening in an interior design business on Thomas Street.
The premises of the company, which specialises - among other things - in the design and installation of kitchens (and stores therefore a significant amount of wood) have been seriously damaged.
But fortunately no one was injured by the fire.

Thick black smoke was hanging over the city and caused poor visibility along the Quay.

The Fire Service says it will keep an eye on the building overnight, to make sure it does not re-ignite.

Gardaí have set up traffic diversions and Thomas Street is blocked from the Quay up to Barker Street. So is the adjacent middle part of Barker Street, and motorists are asked to avoid the area.

The Emerald Islander

For an up-date see the Comment section below

Dr. No ready to go

Today Ian Paisley (left) has officially announced that he will step down from his position as First Minister of the North in May. He said that he would also resign as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which he has led for almost 40 years. He will however continue as MP and MLA for North Antrim for the time being.

Paisley, who will be 82 in April, stood already down as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church (which he himself had founded in 1951 as a religious splinter group after a controversy with the mainstream Presbyterian Church) in January. This resignation came amidst concerns about his dual role as the church's leader and First Minister, a position the former "Dr. No" eventually accepted last May, following the suspension of direct rule after a five year period of political stalemate in the North.

Today's announcement followed speculations that senior DUP members have been "unhappy" about the appointment of Paisley's son, Ian Paisley Jr (right), to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, only days after he resigned as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Executive. This resignation was triggered by heavy criticism over links to developer Seymour Sweeney and controversy over favouritism and lobbying activities. It remains to be seen if Paisley Jr will at a later stage try a political come-back, and perhaps even attempt to inherit his father's positions as DUP leader and First Minister.

For now, however, he is out of the political main frame, and it is widely expected that Ian Paisley's long-time deputy Peter Robinson (left) will succeed him as party leader and First Minister. Robinson, currently Minister for Finance in the Northern Ireland Executive, is widely regarded as the brain and chief strategist of the DUP, but he has also the reputation of being "the most humourless man in the North".

Asked about his expected successor, Paisley remained tight-lipped today. "This is not Apostolic succession and I have no right to say who will succeed me," he said, adding that it was up to the DUP to make the decision.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein) said his ministerial colleague's move was "not unexpected" and stated that "the historic decision he took to go into government with us has changed the face of Irish politics forever."

On hearing the news, Bertie Ahern said that he did not expect Mr. Paisley's decision would affect the future of the power-sharing government. "I honestly believe devolution will last, because I believe there are very pragmatic people in all of the parties," the Taoiseach said in Dublin.

The Emerald Islander

Cost of Iraq War over 500 billion Dollars

The financial cost of America's war in Iraq since 2003 and the ongoing illegal occupation of that country is now more than $ 500 billion. This historic landmark line has been reached and passed today - March 5th, 2008 - at 10:43 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (3.43 p.m. GMT).

The sum is based on information from the independent American monitoring group National Priorities Project, which analyses and clarifies US federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. It does not include the costs to human life (like soldiers killed in action) and only covers the expenses incurred by the United States.

The other countries in George W. Bush's "coalition of the willing" - most prominently Britain - are also spending huge sums of money from their national budgets on their ongoing involvement in Iraq.

For more information visit:
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/

Dead Body found in Minister's Office

According to today's edition of The Sun newspaper, a dead body has been found in the Dublin office of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan,TD.

The Irish edition of the UK newspaper reports on its front page (with the full story on page 9) that the dead person was a 34-year-old women who had "worked directly for the Minister" in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. She apparently committed suicide and her body had been lying undiscovered in a cupboard at the department for four days.

The tragic death of the young woman occured already more than six months ago, but it appears that the government - or at least the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - decided to cover up the case and make no formal announcement.

The Sun reports that the woman's 39-year-old husband, who had also worked for the department, had died shortly before (of natural causes) and that "she never recovered from her loss". Colleagues saw her leaving her desk at around 11 a.m. on Friday, August 31st, 2007 - and she was never seen alive again. Four days later she was found by a cleaner, lying in a cupboard and wrapped in paper. It appears that she put herself into that position, after having taken an overdose of sleeping pills. The paper also reports that the woman came from Co. Kildare and had shortly before her death given away her two dogs. But no one seemed to be alarmed by her behaviour, following the loss of her husband.

Despite the fact that she had gone missing from her desk and there was no evidence that she had left the building, no immediate search for the woman took place. Only three days later Gardai arrived at the office, to check CCTV footage, but not to conduct a search. The following day a cleaner made the gruesome discovery in a cupboard.

As tragic as this case is, it is even more bizarre that there was no official announcement from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, nor from the Garda Siochana. Apparently the body was quietly removed and cremated at the Mount Jerome Crematorium on September 7th, 2007 - with very few people in attendance. One cannot think of any good reason why the department - presumably with knowledge and agreement of the Minister - would decide to cover the death of an apparently good and popular colleague with a blanket of silence.

It appears that many colleagues of the dead woman were indeed unhappy with the way the case had been dealt with, and their anger has eventually lead to today's newspaper report. Neither Minister Mary Coughlan nor her department have made any statements or comments on the affair, and The Sun reports that "repeated calls" from their journalists were not returned by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Without any suggestion of malice, one wonders what they might have to hide and can only be very astonished by their silence.

Mary Coughlan (photo), the Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal South-West, was appointed to her current ministerial post on September 29th, 2004. Previously she served as the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, and as Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. She is a member of Dáil Éireann since 1987.

Ms. Coughlan was also a member of Donegal County Council between 1986 and 2001, and a member of the North Western Health Board between 1987 and 2001.
Born in County Donegal in May 1965, she is a daughter of the late Cathal Coughlan, Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal South-West from 1983 to 1986. She was educated at the Ursuline Convent in Sligo and University College, Dublin and is married to David Charlton. They have a son and a daughter.

The Emerald Islander

Home is where the Hearth is

It has been a very cold day in Ireland today, and even here - in the "sunny" South-East - the temperature stayed at 1°C all day. In the afternoon even some snowflakes were spotted, and in the Midlands there were reports of some more serious snowfall. This is quite unusual weather for this country, especially in March. But as most of us must know by know: the world's climate is changing and this does not always mean global warming.

The fire in the hearth has been burning since the early morning, and despite its best efforts to heat my little old cottage, it still feels quite cold in some of the rooms. So I took some advice from a nice magnet (pictured below) that sticks to my refrigerator and spent most of the day with my laptop in front of the fireplace. And I did indeed feel the truth of the old saying: Home is where the hearth is.

Magnet Design & Copyright by Mayfield Communications

The unexpected cold spell has brought home - literally - a problem familiar to most people: Here in Ireland about 95% of all existing houses are not properly insulated. So no matter how much I put on the blazing fire, a significant proportion of the heat is lost because the walls and roof of my house are more than 100 years old and were built when no one thought or even knew of the fine art of energy conservation.
Cottages, meant to accommodate the working underclass, were built cheaply and fast, and many a clever builder made a few extra shillings by cutting corners on the quality of walls, foundations or other parts he could get away with. Even though the house has meanwhile been modified and modernised several times, it is still an old building without proper insulation.

The vast majority of people in Ireland live under similar conditions, and even most of the new houses, built during the "Celtic Tiger" boom, lack the environmentally friendly energy-saving devices which are by now common standard - at least for new buildings - in most countries on the European continent. Once again Ireland seems to trail far behind the rest of Europe, even though we are now fully aware of climate change, carbon footprints and energy saving.

In many of the other EU countries the government provides generous grants to people who are willing to put modern insulation and other energy-saving measures into old houses, and people take it upon themselves to improve their buildings and save energy and the environment at the same time. But no such programme exists here in Ireland. While the government, and in particular Fianna Fáil, is happy to see more and more new houses built in a very short time, no one gives a thought to energy conservation.

Not even the fact that the Green Party is now a coalition partner of FF in the government has done much in this direction. Neither John Gormley, their party leader and Minister for the Environment (who seems to be obsessed with energy-saving light bulbs), nor Eamon Ryan, the Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, have yet come up with an attractive grant scheme that would encourage the owners of old houses to properly insulate them.

Forget the changing of light bulbs and grand new energy schemes that won't be effective for many years! Help us to save energy on a wider scale by insulating our houses in the way our European neighbours on the continent can do it already. The energy savings would be massive, we all would benefit from it greatly, and the environment in Ireland would become cleaner and a lot more pleasant. Home is where the hearth is, and if our hearths can warm our houses more efficiently, we all have better homes and a better life.

The Emerald Islander

Give us a Pause (not Menopause)

As I started writing about RTÉ and Pat Kenny early this morning, I thought I just carry on doing it. Just joking. But I am actually listening to his radio show right now while I write this (as I do quite often in the morning). And two things I heard made me start this post.

On a day when Pat talked a lot about urban renewal and, right now, also about torture, there were suddenly two unusual musical intermezzos, promoting an evening with "Music from the Movies" at the National Concert Hall in Dublin tomorrow night. Alright, it is the RTÉ Concert Orchestra that is playing there, and RTÉ is always very good at blowing its own trumpet. No problem. So have the promotional message and one piece of music. But two? Within the same hour? They must be very worried about audience numbers at the NCH, otherwise such a heavy promotion would not happen. If the show were sold out (like the one with the Soweto Gospel Choir next Monday), you would hear not a word from Pat or anyone else on air.

So, please, RTÉ, give us a break from ad breaks and heavy promotions! There is already more than enough commercial advertisement on Irish radio and TV channels. Too much, actually, for my taste. That's why I don't listen as often to RTÉ as I would like to and otherwise would do. But after a few hours I am just so annoyed by the constant ad breaks - even in the main news programmes - that I switch over to the BBC. There the license fee that people in the UK pay for the service guarantees the transmission of ad-free programmes, on all their radio and TV channels.

Here in Ireland we are forced to pay a license fee, and on top of it we are also force-fed a heavy diet of commercials by RTÉ, whose on-air advertisement is one of the densest in Europe. Not to mention the additional money the ladies and gentlemen in Donnybrook receive from sponsorship deals, as almost every TV programme is now "in association with" one big company or sponsored by another. And some of the radio programmes - like Weekend Sport, for example - are going down the same slippery road. Please, once again, press the button and give us a pause from such heavy bombardment with ads!

But when I say pause I mean just simply that, and not a menopause. The first reason for sitting down in front of my computer and writing this post was another ad during Pat Kenny's radio show this morning, promoting - wait for it - "Menopause - The Musical", starring Twink and Linda Martin. This show has apparently been "very successful in Dublin" and is now sent on tour around the country, so that we - the hicks in the sticks - can get a little glimpse at the capital's glamour, too.

Well, as far as I am concerned, you can keep your musicals in Dublin, and especially one like this. How tacky can you get? And how low must someone be sinking before being associated with this kind of rubbish?
Since I had never heard of it, I did a little research and found out that this "musical" originally comes (like most sub-cultural nonsense) from the USA and was written by one Jenny Linder (never heard that name before either). And yes, it apparently was shown for some time at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin, which charged € 30 for a ticket!

According to its own promotional text, "Menopause - The Musical has been entertaining and inspiring women around the world since 2001, poking fun at hot flashes, memory loss, mood swings, wrinkles, night sweats and eating binges. Set in a department store, it tells the story of four women with nothing in common but a black lace bra and a roller-coaster of hormones".
There must be something wrong with the mindset of people who would pay € 30 to see that!
You could give me a free ticket and I would not go, as I have better and more important things to do with my time.

I am disgusted that RTÉ promotes things like this on air. It is bad enough that it takes place at all, and if female performers of a certain age - like Adele King (known as "Twink") and Linda Martin - can no longer find any other work, it might well be time for them to retire gracefully.

The Emerald Islander

Our Dear Friends in RTÉ

If you thought that Bertie Ahern takes home a very large pay-packet, think again. Since he gave himself (and all his ministers) a hefty rise after winning the last general election, the Taoiseach is now the highest-paid political leader in the world, but he looks still like small fry compared with the three highest earners in our national broadcasting corporation.

Our dear friends in RTÉ, to whose words of wisdom and gossip we listen every day with great awe, are much better paid than our more than well remunerated politicians, without having any of the responsibilities a member of the government has ad officio.
And since we all contribute to these generous pay-packets with our license fee, we are entitled to know all about them. To satisfy our curiosity, RTÉ is obliged to publish a list of its top earners each year. Now that it is out, let's have a look at it.

Top of the list - and not only top o' the morning - is to no one's surprise Pat Kenny (right), whose annual pay-packet from RTÉ is € 849,139. Quite a nice nest egg for ten hours per week on Radio 1, plus the Late Late Show on TV every Friday (except for the long summer break). To be fair, he does have a very interesting radio show every weekday morning, and I often listen to him with great interest. If it however justifies such a large salary could be debatable.

No. 2 in the illustrious list is Radio 2 presenter Gerry Ryan, who takes home € 558,990 a year. Not as much as dear Pat, of course, but Ryan's appearances on TV cannot match those of Kenny, who regularly scores the highest audience numbers, both on radio and TV.

The third highest earner surprised me a little, since Marian Finucane now only works four hours a week - two each on Saturday and Sunday. For that she is paid the princely sum of € 455,190 per annum. (Who says that women are always paid less than men...)

Probably the best value for money is the (No. 4) salary of € 367,804 that RTÉ pays Liveline presenter Joe Duffy (left) every year. Having done some broadcasting myself, I know how stressful it can be to conduct live interviews and conversations over the phone, especially when they are with a lot of different people, most of which have neither radio experience nor speech training. And to make it even harder, many of them are either distressed or have axes to grind. That's a tough job, and Joe handles it really well, five times a week.

Only marginally smaller is the pay-packet for Ryan Tubridy, who comes in at No. 5 with € 346,667 per annum. Once again the money reflects work in both radio and TV, and being still a very young man, his income is likely to rise further in future.

Another surprise for me is the pay of presenter and wildlife enthusiast Derek Mooney (right), who ranks in 6th place with an (compared with some others) almost meager € 242,408 a year. Given the amount of work Mooney does on both radio and TV, I had expected him to be paid more than that, especially when one compares the quality and quantity of his appearances with some of the other top ten. But since he is also still young, he might well work himself further up the greasy pole in years to come.

The remaining four places in RTÉ's very own Top-Ten-List are occupied by Marty Whelan (No. 7) with an astonishing € 229,056 per annum, given that he has really not much to say, and even that comes across artificial and insincere; Miriam O'Callaghan (No. 8), who should spend some of her annual salary of € 221,383 on a few good speech and elocution lessons (from which we would all benefit by actually understanding what she is saying); John Kelly (No. 9) with € 204,675 a year; and Bryan Dobson (No. 10) whose annual pay-packet of € 193,610 appears almost small compared with some of the higher-ups. Nevertheless, even he would have to look long and hard to find an equally well-paid job elsewhere.

And now, that you know how a good part of your license fee is spent, you will listen to the radio and watch TV with a whole new sense of personal involvement, won't you?

The Emerald Islander

Martin Mansergh's clever Move

One can think whatever one might like of Martin Mansergh (left), but one has to acknowledge that he is an intelligent man and a clever politician.
The Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary South, who spent five years on a waiting loop in the Seanad before winning his seat in the last general election, is probably the brightest spark in the FF fuse box. And as such he is naturally not very popular.

Having played a major (though quite secretive) role in the long peace negotiations up North, the British-educated academic and former diplomat has lately become the most vociferous defender of Bertie Ahern, no matter how many clangers the Taoiseach drops on the country, the Dáil or at the Mahon Tribunal.
Martin is a real Bertie loyalist, and quite understandably so, since both men worked very closely together for many years and share most likely a large number of real secrets no one else will ever know. After all, they were the "Dublin Two" who did the main work in the negotiations in and over the North.

And being as intelligent as he is, Dr. Mansergh must have realised that his staunch loyalty to the Taoiseach and the various verbal attacks he led recently on Bertie's critics are not doing him much good, while they probably won't prevent the inevitable further demise of the Taoiseach's waning support basis. So as much as loyalty means to him, Martin is realistic enough to see what is around the corner. There he finds the Tanaiste Brian Cowen waiting in the wings. He, also the Minister for Finance, likes to keep a tight purse and save money where it is possible.

So in a brilliant political move, which also is admirable for its PR element, Martin Mansergh got himself invited onto today's Radio 1 Sunday show with Marian Finucane (right). There, on the country's most popular weekend radio programme, Mansergh mentioned - almost unintentionally - that he is in favour of the traditional voting system and wants to get rid of the government's electronic voting machines, foolishly purchased for more than € 50 million by the then Minister for Environment and Local Government, the accident-prone Noel Dempsey, and inherited by his successor Martin Cullen. Since 2002, when they were not used after all, the machines have been resting safely - and at high expense to the taxpayer - in a secure warehouse. They have become a running political joke and a permanent albatross around the government's neck.

So now, after six years of doing nothing (except losing money), the government seems willing to sell the useless machines - "to the highest bidder", as Martin put it so nicely - and thus kill five PR birds with just one political stone. Very clever, indeed. The government will be rid of the cumbersome machines, the Treasury will safe money (which must also please the Tanaiste), and the people will be feeling re-assured that the old but well-loved voting system - using pencil on paper - will stay on forever (despite Bertie Ahern championing the idea of electronic voting in the Dáil more than once). And, last but certainly not least, Martin Mansergh's move will take some attention off the Taoiseach, as people will talk about electronic voting again, feeling happy - and unnecessarily grateful - to Fianna Fáil for getting rid of the very unpopular machines (after having burdened us with them in the first place).

Completely by chance, of course [if you believe it], FF Seanad Leader Donie Cassidy happened to be on the phone to the programme as well today, to talk about a different subject. (The former TD from Westmeath seems to have shelved his recent ideas to reform traffic - for details see my entry from 9 February - and is now ranting against alcohol.) But as he was on the line, Marian Finucane asked him about Mansergh's just aired new idea. And guess what? He was all for it.
So there you have it: FF backbenchers and Senators are in league over the issue to get rid of the voting machines and protect our ancient electoral system. What would Fianna Fáil do without Martin Mansergh, and what would Sunday be without Marian Finucane . . .

The Emerald Islander

Sinn Féin Ard Fheis shows new Confidence

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams (left) accused the Irish government of failing to stand up for the national interest in the negotiations for the Lisbon Treaty, suggesting that even Dustin the Turkey could well have done a better job on it. Sinn Féin is the only of Ireland's major parties in clear opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and will campaign for a No vote in the forthcoming Referendum.

In his address to the party's Ard Fheis in Dublin, which showed a general mood of new strength and confidence, Adams called today for the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive. He also announced the establishment of a Sinn Féin task force to set out a "roadmap to Irish unity".

Earlier the Ard Fheis supported the party leadership's policy on taxation. The vote followed a debate in which Aengus Ó Snodaigh, one of the party's four TDs, opposed the leadership position. Sinn Féin favours higher taxation, if necessary, to fund improved public services.
But the presentation of that policy can cause problems, especially as many of the rank-and-file members felt that the leadership did a U-turn on taxes during last year's general election campaign.

That claim was rejected by the party's group leader in the Dáil, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, who urged delegates to support a motion from the leadership, setting out the Sinn Féin's policy on taxation and on redistributing wealth.
His colleague Aengus Ó Snodaigh (right), TD for Dublin South Central, claimed that the motion did not go far enough. He said Ireland had one of the most inequitable tax systems in the EU, but that Sinn Féin did not have a credible tax policy. But in the following vote delegates overwhelmingly backed the leadership position.

The delegates also passed three motions on workers' rights, including a call on the government to stop supporting the exploitation of temporary agency workers. Arthur Morgan, TD said the issues around agency workers affected both migrant and Irish workers who were being displaced and forced to join agencies particularly in the construction sector.

With regards to the North, Gerry Adams said that senior members of the DUP who support power-sharing needed to assert themselves as Ian Paisley nears the end of his term as leader.
Speaking outside the Ard Fheis, he said that those members of Paisley's party who wanted him to go were against power-sharing and those who support the devolved government needed to assert themselves.

The Ard Fheis in Dublin heard also a strong attack on the Minister for Health, Mary Harney. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (left), Sinn Féin's leader in the Dáil, criticised her handling of the pharmacists dispute and claimed she was "the wrecking ball of the health service".
He accused Harney of implementing a series of "savings" which have led to a recruitment ban, and reductions and removal of hospital services.

Delegates backed a call for an independent investigation into the deaths of two firemen in Bray last September. Bray Town Councillor John Brady said he had no faith in the council investigating itself.

The Ard Fheis rejected a call for immigrants to be given a vote in Dáil and Assembly elections after living here for six months, but supported a motion for a ban on alcohol advertising on television, and on supermarkets selling alcohol at wholesale prices.

After the rather disappointing result of last year's general election, where Sinn Féin lost one of its previously five Dáil seats, the party is re-grouping and clearly in a new mood of confidence. The up-coming Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, which Sinn Féin opposes as the only main party in the country, will be the first test of its current strength and support in the Republic. But party strategists are looking already forward to next year's European and Local Elections, where Sinn Féin intends to improve the gains made in 2004. After the abandonment of many working class issues by the Labour Party, and the Green Party's switch to be the footstool of Bertie Ahern, Sinn Féin looks now likely to be the only remaining advocate of ordinary people in Irish politics.

The Emerald Islander

Ireland recognises Kosovo

The Irish government has officially recognised the independence of the Republic of Kosovo. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, TD (photo) made the announcement, saying he was aware that the matter was painful for Serbs. However, he stressed that Ireland's recognition of Kosovo should not be mistaken for an act of hostility towards Serbia.

On February 17th the national assembly of Kosovo had passed a resolution declaring it was an independent democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic, guided by the principles of non-discrimination and equal protection under the law. The EU has subsequently sent a group of 2000 policemen, customs officers, judges and prosecutors to Kosovo, in order to help the new republic over its initial security problems and create legal and social stability. The country is also still protected by a multi-national military force, provided by NATO.

A number of other countries have already recognised Kosovo's independence, including the USA, Britain, France, Germany and Italy. More Western countries have declared their intention to follow suit, while Russia - traditionally the closest and strongest ally of Serbia - has condemned Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Happy St. David's Day!

To my friends in Wales and to all Welsh people, at home and abroad: With best wishes across the sea
I hope you all have a

Happy St. David's Day!

The Emerald Islander