Robbers used Minister "as Human Shield" during an armed Raid on Luxury Hotel in Co. Wicklow

Nine people, including an Irish junior minister, have been held hostage at gunpoint during an armed robbery at a luxury hotel in Co. Wicklow today.

The Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche (right) and his driver were leaving the Marriott Hotel in Druids' Glen (photo below left) when they were confronted by three masked men, one of whom was armed with a sawn-off shotgun.

Roche, who is also a TD for the Wicklow constituency, was at the Druids' Glen - one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in Ireland - as a private citizen, "just going for a swim in the fine pool" of the establishment's fitness centre.
Afterwards he said that he was "used as a human shield" by the armed gang who carried out the robbery. He also described his experience as '"fairly threatening" and "not pleasant".

The minister did not think the raiders recognised him, he added. And he is probably right, which says a lot about his political profile. But in this case it probably saved him, as some enterprising gangsters could well have added the abduction of a prominent politician to his usual portfolio of armed robbery.

The three men forced Roche and his driver back into the reception area, where they demanded money from staff at the desk.
They then moved their captives at gunpoint to another room, where they took more money.

Later the armed raiders forced a total of nine people - Dick Roche, his driver and seven hotel employees - down two flights of stairs into a room in the basement, where more money was found and stolen.
From their behaviour it appears that the gang had precise information where in the hotel money was stored at a certain time. This points clearly to an insider connection of some sort.

Eventually the robbers locked all nine people, three men and six women, into a store room and escaped with around € 20,000.

No shots were fired during the incident and nobody was injured. But all nine hostages - including Minister Roche - are said to be "quite shaken" by the experience.
Gardaí have started a major search operation for the gang, but so far no further developments have been reported.

I am no crime expert and do not have further details, but the modus operandi of the gang looks very much like a number of similar raids that have been carried out in several parts of eastern Europe throughout this Summer.
It would not surprise me if there is a connection with the Russian or Bulgarian Mafia (most of whose gunmen are ex-KGB agents and former professional wrestlers).
If so, it would also explain why the robbers did not recognise Dick Roche. Anyone who has lived in Ireland since the Spring of this year would have seen him many times in newspapers and on TV, as he is the minister responsible for the Lisbon Treaty and the referendum over it.

The Emerald Islander

A Time for Thinking and Analysis

Ireland's Minster for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said that none of the other EU states have pointed the finger of blame at the Irish government over the defeat of the Lisbon Treaty referendum. Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, he said that all member states wanted to work with Ireland to find a solution to the situation.

He told a news conference that solidarity was the overwhelming message given to him by the other ministers and said "there was no talk of the other 26 states going ahead and leaving Ireland behind".
In particular, he mentioned the German Foreign Minister (and Deputy Prime Minister) Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who told him that Germany wanted to work with Ireland.

There has been no discussion of putting the Lisbon Treaty to another referendum, nor of any changes to the treaty text or its implementation.

Minister Martin said Ireland is "a strong supporter of a deeper EU, with a stronger global role" and did not want to be left behind.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who chaired the meeting, said it was "time for a little bit of thinking and analysis".
"It would be risky to say we are going to bring the treaty back to life when we are facing a blockade," he added.

Dick Roche, Ireland's Junior Minister for European Affairs, whose job included organising and overseeing the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, was less positive and still sulking over his failure to deliver a YES vote. After bi-lateral meetings with other EU ministers in Luxembourg he said that there was "a real sense of crisis over the Irish rejection of the treaty".
Well, it seems that his boss Micheál Martin did not see that crisis and neither experienced any hostilities. Perhaps it is just the inability of Mr. Roche to see and accept realities and listen to the voice of the people. (One should never forget that this is the same Dick Roche who is personally responsible for the destruction of the Hill of Tara and who made a complete fool of himself - and damaged the image of Ireland - in Beijing in March of this year.)

Meanwhile Ireland's EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy conceded that the treaty as it was intended cannot come into force now, following Ireland's rejection.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1, he said that neither the Irish people nor the government could be 'bullied' following the result, which had to be respected by the EU.
However, he stated that it was possible that some 'new arrangements' could be made which would be in the best interests of Ireland and the EU.

Yesterday Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that his government and the EU were "in uncharted territory" in the wake of the referendum result. This shows clearly that neither the Irish government, nor the other parties in the YES camp, had read the signs of unrest in the population and expected a defeat. They did not make any plans, and neither did the ever arrogant EU bureaucracy.

A two-day EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday is expected to 'chart' the way ahead and to find some practical solution for Ireland.
It is obvious that the scaremongering of the YES side was not only unsubstantiated and silly, but also contributed to the defeat of the treaty. Ireland said NO, and the world has not ended. What is needed now - as the wise Slovenian foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel (a literary scholar of renown) put it so rightly - is time for thinking and analysis. Sooner or later that will create a solution with which both Ireland and the EU can live and prosper.

The Emerald Islander

The Lisbon Treaty can be defeated

The latest nation-wide opinion poll shows a dramatic swing against the Lisbon Treaty, with the 'Yes' side leading by only 6% when undecided voters are excluded.

The Red C poll in today's edition of the Sunday Business Post has been welcomed by anti-Lisbon campaigners, while the Irish government says the result was "disappointing, but not entirely surprising".
Up to now, opinion polls had suggested a two-to-one majority in favour of the treaty.

The poll for the Sunday Business Post says that among those entitled to vote, 35% are backing the Lisbon Treaty, a fall of 8% since the last poll two months ago.
31% are opposed to the treaty, an increase of 7%, while 34% - more than one third of voters - do not know what to make of it and are yet undecided.

When those undecideds are excluded, the 'Yes' side leads by 53% to 47%, a very narrow margin with seven weeks to go to polling.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had confirmed officially during the week that the Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will be held on Thursday, June 12th. Today, after hearing of the new Red C poll, he said that it "would be disastrous" if the Lisbon Treaty would be defeated. Well, yes, it would be - but only for him, since that would end his hopes of ever becoming the new permanent President of the EU. For Ireland as a country and for every Irish person it would be positive and give us in fact more influence in the political process if the treaty is defeated.

Less scientifically controlled polls are even more in favour of a 'No' vote. On an anti-European website I saw today only 11% were for the treaty, while 83% were against, with 4% undecided and 1% who had no opinion.
On this site I also have a poll running with the same question (and it is still open). So far 25% of my readers are for the treaty and 62% against it, while 4% "don't know" and 2% "don't care".

The new Red C poll, as well as the less sophisticated one from this site, reflect clearly the growing unease of many Irish people with the way the new treaty is being pushed and almost forced on Irish people by the major parties and their politicians, with no proper explanations and with the full text of the very important document not available to every voter in the country.

Not long ago our government has sent a copy of the "Rules of the Road" to every household in Ireland, including all houses where there is no car and no-one who drives. Now the government is sending a second booklet to every house, in order to inform us about national "Emergency Planning", with scenarios that will never happen and some that are so unrealistic that they can only be described as pure fiction, or even science fiction.

However, the government does not send a copy of the Lisbon Treaty to every household in Ireland, and for a good reason. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has given the President of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso (right, with his friend Bertie), the promise that "Ireland will deliver", so the last thing the government wants is that people will read - and perhaps even understand - the Lisbon Treaty. If they would read and understand the treaty, it would be clear to them that Ireland is losing out in every part of it, giving up rights and entitlements that the nation has had so far. But in order to please the large member states - especially Germany, France and Britain, whose share of influence will grow over-proportionally - our government and the two largest opposition parties are willing to sell out the little share Ireland still has in the EU.

At present, the voting power of Ireland in the European Council (where the 27 member states meet and discuss all important matters) is 2%, which is not much, but simply reflects our size in comparison to the other members. Under the Lisbon Treaty the voting power of Ireland would be reduced by almost two-thirds to a mere 0.8%, which means that we would in future have really no say at all and just sit in the Council as a kind of superflous room decoration.

The Lisbon Treaty would also take away our right to have a permanent EU Commissioner, and we would agree to have no Commissioner for every five years within a cycle of fifteen years. And to shrink our already meager influence even further, we would also lose one of our MEPs, reducing the number of people we elect to the European Parliament from currently 13 (in the Republic) to 12. (There are also two Irish MEPs elected in the North.)

And these are only the most significant points of the treaty. There are a lot more, way too many to list them all here. But having read the text of the Lisbon Treaty - as far as it is available to ordinary people without paying the extortionist sum of € 42 that is charged for a complete copy - I have found not one positive change for Ireland. In fact, the whole treaty is geared to increase the power of the large member states, while the smaller ones - and not only Ireland - are reduced in their influence and participation. It also opens the doors of the union wide for all sorts of privatisation, including in the areas of health, public services and education.

According to the Red C poll, the change in opinion is particularly marked among Ireland's farmers, who seem to have woken up just in time to recognise the damage that the Lisbon Treaty and various options it gives the (unelected) EU Commission in regards to international negotiations will do to them and their businesses.

IFA President Padraig Walshe said this was not surprising as his members are very worried about the position being taken in the World Trade talks by British EU Commissioner (for Trade) Peter Mandelson (left).
Well, at present Mr. Mandelson can talk as much as he likes, the decisions are still made by all member states together.
If a majority of Irish people would vote for the Lisbon Treaty, these safeguards are no longer in place and the EU Commission could do whatever they like, with no democratic control or any mechanism to stop them.

In history it has so far happened only once that a whole nation voted voluntarily and willingly for the total abolition of a democratic republic (as they had it between 1919 and 1933) and the introduction of a dictatorship with absolute powers. This nation was Germany, and the year was 1933. The rest, as they say, is history. The German nation has been paying for their mistake ever since, still is, and will be most likely for several more centuries.

We Irish have lived under foreign rule for 750 years, and partly because we were too divided into tribes in the late 12th century, so we were not able to offer proper armed resistance against the invading Normans. And again - the rest is history.
After centuries of suffering and struggle, we achieved limited autonomy 86 years ago. And only 59 years ago we became a fully independent sovereign republic. Has that been too much for the Irish nation? Too much freedom and decision-making? Well, if you want to go back into a state of national hibernation with others deciding what happens and telling us what we can do and what not, then vote for the Lisbon Treaty.

If you, however, like Ireland's freedom, independence and opportunities, and want to keep them also for the future, then there is only one way to vote in the up-coming referendum: No.

Dick Roche (right), wrecker of the Skryne Valley, fool of Beijing and now Minister for European Affairs, said a political campaign will get underway once the referendum bill is through the Oireachtas, and that it is all "very much to play for". Oh yes, Mr. Roche, there is very much to play for. Our all future and happiness, to start with. And as things are looking now, it is possible to defeat you and the Lisbon Treaty (and with it all the selfish and arrogant politicians who want to talk us into voting for it). Let's do it!

The Emerald Islander

The Sycophantic Party

In its official publications, printed material and correspondence Fianna Fáil (FF) is - in a second line - always described as "The Republican Party". Even Bertie Ahern mentioned this easily overlooked and rarely used additive in his resignation speech last Wednesday.
But as things have developed in Fianna Fáil over the past few days, this promotional definition will need to be changed soon. First of all, FF has long moved away from republican ideals and is for a considerable time now a party of tribal politics and the protection of tribal and private interests.
So perhaps "The Tribal Party" might be quite appropriate. When I discussed this matter yesterday with a neighbour, he suggested - in light of the next party leader - "The Fat Yob's Party", which would also fit, but might be seen by some as a little rough.

My own suggestion is "The Sycophantic Party", and I will explain to you why.

Shortly after Bertie had announced his more than inevitable date of departure from the helm of the state, ministers of his cabinet queued outside RTÉ to deliver their personal heaps of praise on the man who had more or less made them all and given them their jobs. This did not really surprise me a lot, since FF is a very cliquish and clannish party and Bertie has been the Bass - I mean Boss - of it for more than a decade.

I was however a little astonished that no one mentioned with a word his flaws and shortfalls, or referred to the real reasons for the early departure of the Taoiseach. They all praised him in the highest ways, and the more of that I heard, the more I began to wonder if Patrick Bartholomew Ahern - known as Bertie - is actual a mortal man of flesh and blood.
Listening to his colleagues in government - and they should be the ones who really know him - he looked more like an angel or a demi-god. But then again I remembered who was talking. And when was the last time that one could believe a word Fianna Fáil was saying in public?

Must have been long before my time, since I do not remember any.

But the real character of FF came to light on Thursday, the day after Bertie's announcement. By then the Taoiseach - even though still in office until May 6th - was already history for his party. No more words about him from the loyal ministers.
Instead they queued up at RTÉ again, this time to renounce any personal interest in succeeding Bertie, and at the same time declaring their support for Tánaiste Brian Cowen (above) as the successor. It is interesting to notice that at that time Cowen had not even declared his interest yet. But this was - as it turned out - not really necessary. In good old Soviet Politburo style the man from County Offaly only declared himself a candidate after every single FF cabinet minister had nominated him in public. Well, down in the pub in Offaly they like things sewn up safely before they go out. They don't like to take risks and prefer to wait for their prey like a snake on a stone.

But of all events of the past week one element really stands out: The unbelievably sycophantic way FF ministers heaped unheard of amounts of praise on Brian Cowen. Only the day before Bertie was the greatest man on Earth for them and they could not find enough superlatives to describe all achievements and the unique and superior personality of the Taoiseach.
But that was Wednesday. By Thursday the party had moved on to prepare for a coronation. The King is dead! Long live the King! No need for even the slightest fig leaf of Democracy. Oh no, in Fianna Fáil they do things their own way. Anyone who does not like it can always emigrate...

So after the inner clique of the party had decided to make Brian Cowen their next leader, all the superlatives were poured over him. In fact, he received - a month before his appointment to lead the country - way more praise than Bertie had been given the day before, after a decade in office. Well, such is the fickle character of Irish politics, and the sycophantic character of FF politicians.

Almost all cabinet ministers fell over themselves in their effort to portray the Tanaiste as God on Earth, but the most sickening sycophant of them all is Dick Roche (left). He was so anxious to make his feelings for Brian Cowen public that he sent a long press release to RTÉ without having it processed by his office first.
Joe Duffy read passages of it out on Thursday's "Liveline", and I have never heard anything like it before. According to Roche, now Minister of State for Europe (and as such responsible for the Lisbon Treaty), Brian Cowen must be God, Jesus and Superman all rolled into one. Well, this might explain his size...

But in all his haste to win the crown of chief sycophant, Roche exposed himself as a man at war with the English language. According to Joe Duffy the press release was "littered with spelling mistakes". Well, this must be even more embarrassing for Roche than his idiotic performance as the leader of the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in Beijing last month. (For details see my entry from March 18th)
We are not talking about some cleaner or butcher here, who might get away with little literacy. We are talking about a senior FF politician, whose responsibility for Europe means among other things the reading and assessing of new EU documents, many of which will become Irish Law. It is worrying to realise that a man with such limited command of the English language is also the minister for the Lisbon Treaty. Has he actually read it? And if so, did he understand it? It seems rather doubtful.

We should also never forget that Dick Roche is the man primarily responsible for the destruction of the Hill of Tara and the M 3 motorway through the Skryne Valley.
His last act as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government was in fact the signing of orders for the building contractors, in order to prevent his successor John Gormley from stopping the project. Such devious and ruthless behaviour is even in FF quite rare.

Having been demoted from cabinet to junior status last year, Roche is desperate to get back into a top job. His sycophantic litany of Brian Cowen's virtues, skills and personality would - if set to music - make probably a reasonable ballad. It's really a pity that Eurosong 2008 is over. Otherwise we might be sending a real Dick to Eurovision, instead of a stuffed turkey.

The Emerald Islander

P.S. If I were Brian Cowen, Roche's behaviour would be enough for me to remove him from ministerial responsibility for good.

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