Wrong Kidney removed from a sick Child

A young child has had the wrong kidney removed, following a medical error at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. The "mistake" that led to a healthy kidney being removed has been described by the hospital as "an unprecedented error", and it also says it has "given its sincere apologies to the family".

Well, leaving modern PR-speak, in which the hospital robed itself immediately, aside, we can call this as what it really is: another unacceptable scandal and blunder in the Irish Health Service. The under-staffed, under-funded and badly managed Health Service, one needs to add.

What good does an apology do in such a case? The young child now faces regular dialysis unless a donor kidney can be found!
These days we always hear very quickly verbal apologies from companies, public services, institutions and organisations when someone fails to function properly or something goes wrong. "We apologise for any inconvenience caused" is now one of the most common phrases heard every day and everywhere in Ireland. But it is not good enough! Not in most cases, and most certainly not in this one!

I am outraged and I wonder how many other Irish people feel like I do when they hear about this. How many more scandals and disasters does it need for Mary Harney to resign or being sacked? And how many more outrages will we take quietly before we turn out en masse for a real demonstration for the improvement of the Irish Health Service?

On March 29th a mere 4000 people supported our march through Dublin. That was more than a disappointment. Where are all those people who claim to be unhappy with the HSE? Not to be found when it is the time to stand up and be counted. Take a leaf out of the book of the IFA. Last Thursday there were more than 10,000 farmers marching through Dublin, for nothing more than money. But when it comes to people's lives and health, all we had was 4000. Shame on you, Ireland!!!

And even more shame on the HSE, which presides with its usual arrogance and ignorance over scandals like the one that just occurred in Crumlin.

According to the hospital "an internal review is under way" and they say that its board of directors "will consider the detail of the review and act where appropriate". Well, another nice mouthful of meaningless PR-waffle. When will people with responsibility in this country ever stand up and acknowledge that they made a mistake and will take the consequences?

The hospital also pointed out that "the family was and continues to be given full support by the hospital staff". Now that is really the crown of it! What else would one expect? To be chucked out and abandoned by the very hospital that just removed the wrong kidney from your sick little child?!

I am not a very emotional man, and usually try to see everything from a distance and with a cool glance of objectivity. But this afternoon, after hearing of this case, I am outraged and very angry. We not only live in a corrupt banana republic where incompetence ruins almost everything, no, we are meanwhile so far down the line that little children are mutilated in hospital by incompetent doctors as well. And all we get offered as a remedy is a verbal apology, an "internal review" and a "consideration of action where it is appropriate".

Well, my fellow Irish people, this is the kind of country you get from Fianna Fáil. And I am sorry to say that you deserve it, after electing the same old dodgers again and again, despite better knowledge. I am only even more sorry for the poor little child and its family who suffer at the hands of incompetent doctors. They have all my empathy and my best wishes.

The Emerald Islander

Gateway to the Nation or Gateway to Hell?

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has confirmed that it wants to open its second terminal in two years' time. But the group - despite its misleading name now a private company - has said its total debt burden will rise to over € 1.2 billion as a result of the development in the next three years.

The steel frame of the building for the second terminal (of which you can see a model here) is in place and work has commenced on an airport apron space forty times the size of Croke Park. But the cost of the airport's expansion will have to be partly met by the ordinary people using it. In future years passenger charges will rise by € 2.

Ryanair - in all fairness, but not entirely charitable - claims that the facility is "too big and too expensive". Quite right. But the DAA says it is "designed to meet a balance of needs" and is "a vital gateway to the nation". What nation, one has to ask? There is hardly an Irish nation left here, and all we have now is a mixed conglomerate not unlike the one you find in New York, with lots of ethnic groups and tribes who stick together, but no overall feeling of community and nation.

What surprises me is that this enlargement of Dublin airport happens at a time when we hear so much of "carbon footprints" and the ever worsening pollution of the Earth's atmosphere, leading to "global warming", other climate changes and irreperable damage to our planet.
Every aeroplane that flies contributes in a serious way to the problem. But instead of flying less and reducing the number of flights and airports, there is a constant global increase in air traffic, including in Ireland.

What the DAA calls "a vital gateway to the nation" could very well be soon a gateway to Hell.

Are we completely mad? Or bound on collective suicide for the whole human race? Or is this just another of the many Fianna Fáil scams, set up to make some rich builders and developers in the party even richer and more ignorant?

I don't understand it, and I deeply resent the whole development of air travel and the airline industry. So I have stopped using aeroplanes for good and will no longer fly anywhere. If I cannot get to a destination by other means of trabsport, it is probably not worth going there, and I won't.

The Emerald Islander

Farmers threaten to say NO to Lisbon Treaty

Mary Coughlan (right), the Minister for Agriculture, is taking a recent threat by Irish farmers to vote NO in the forthcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum "seriously". Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Ms. Coughlan said she was working to ensure that the outcome of the World Trade negotiations is balanced, with the appropriate protections for Irish farmers and the agri-food sector.

Responding to the minister's statement, Padraig Walshe, President of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), said he had no disagreement with her stark assessment of the damage to Ireland's farm and food industry posed by WTO negotiations.

Meanwhile Fine Gael MEP Mairéad McGuinness said she is "concerned about the mounting anger among farmers" ahead of the Lisbon Treaty referendum on June 12th. She urged the government to come out very strongly and say it will use its veto on World Trade Talks.

But Education Minister Mary Hanafin said that "the [Irish] government knows that farmers have genuine concerns about what is being proposed at the talks". But she insisted that it was "too early to use the Irish veto". She stated that it was about getting an agreement that is balanced both within agriculture and between trade and agriculture.

Well, she would know, of course... But what she does know - as a former Fianna Fail treasurer and a woman born in Tipperary - is how to hoodwink and pay off the farmers, as FF has done it so successfully in the run-up to previous referenda.

It will be interesting to see if Ireland's farmers are this time wise and forward-looking, and actually mean what they say. In that case they would have to vote NO in the referendum, and that might well defeat it.
Or are Irish farmers still more after the quick buck made now than after a solid income over many years? In two months we will know.

On Thursday more than 10,000 farmers had taken part in a demonstration in Dublin, protesting against current European proposals in negotiations on world trade. Farmers from all parts of the country came to the march, and original turnout expectations were well exceeded.

The farmers gathered at Leinster House and marched to Dublin Castle, where European Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso was addressing the National Forum on Europe.
Farmers are unhappy about the stance EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is taking in the current negotiations on world trade. They say that the beef and dairy sector could be virtually wiped out.

IFA President Padraig Walshe said the current proposals to cut import tariffs will have an impact on how farmers vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum. He warned that farmers would not support a European Commission that sells out their industry.

The European Commission's Director General for Trade, the Irishman David O'Sullivan, defended the proposals, saying that if implemented, the deal would take effect over a number of years.

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso stated that a deal at the Word Trade Organisation talks would be in Ireland's interest, but did not say in which way. He said getting a deal sooner rather than later would guarantee the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) agreed four years ago. But he warned that delaying the deal could mean that a review of the CAP starting in the autumn could result in a less favourable outcome for farmers.

Farmers are angry over the stance being taken by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in the current round of negotiations to liberalise the rules on world trade. They say Ireland's livestock industry would be decimated, and there would be cuts in the dairy, grain and other sectors. This could result in 50,000 rural jobs being lost and 100,000 cattle farmers being made redundant.

The Emerald Islander

Ian Paisley visits Cobh and Cork

As I have been away since Friday, this item of news only reached me today. But I think that it is still worth to mention it, as it shows a development in Irish politics that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.

Ian Paisley, First Minister of the North and until recently leader of the DUP, has been on an official visit to Cobh, Co. Cork on Friday and to Cork City on Saturday.
Yes, you are reading correctly, and I was as astonished as you might be when I heard of it.

Paisley said he had accepted an invitation to address the Cobh Chamber of Commerce in their 50th year because of the growing "Titanic" tourism links between Belfast and Cobh. Earlier on Friday, like thousands of tourists before him, he and his wife Eileen did the "Titanic Trail" and visited Cobh Cathedral, as well as the town's old cemetery, where both republicans and many who served the British Crown in two wars, are buried.

But the visit was not only all sunshine and happiness for Ian Paisley. About 30 Gardaí were on standby in Cobh on Friday evening, since a group of local people protested against his arrival at the town's Chamber of Commerce. But they were not needed to intervene, as the protest was noisy, but it was also peaceful. Thus the visit of the North's First Minister and former leader of the DUP went on as scheduled.

After staying overnight in Cobh, Ian Paisley received also a civic reception at Cobh's town hall on Saturday morning. Later he drove on to Cork City and paid a courtesy visit to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Donal Counihan.

If there is any need for evidence that the political landscape of Ireland has changed dramatically in the past year - since the new power-sharing administration in the North took office - this visit would be it. And it also shows that as an octogenarian soon-to-be political pensioner Ian Paisley has clearly mellowed and is no longer the vociferous and uncompromising "Dr. No".

The Emerald Islander

TaraWatch Meeting at Trinity College, Dublin

To commemorate World Heritage Day, the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Trinity College Dublin has hosted a special gathering of TaraWatch this afternoon.
The special meeting was attended by a large number of individuals who are - in one way or another - concerned with the destruction of the Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland in Co. Meath (above), which is threatened by the building of the M 3 motorway.

Sarah Alyn Stacey, Senior Lecturer in the TCD French Department, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to Trinity College. After her introductory words, Vincent Salafia (right), who is (and has been for some time) the most active campaigner against the systematic destruction of Irish heritage sites by our ignorant and incompetent government, gave an overview of the current situation around the Hill of Tara.

He pointed out that there are numerous archaeological sites that make up the whole complex that is Tara, and not just the actual hill itself. The whole landscape is actually a system of ancient monuments and sites which made up in Celtic times the court of the Ard Rí na hÉireann (High King of Ireland) and the capital of ancient Ireland.
All this is under imminent threat of destruction from the M 3 motorway which is currently being constructed through the Skryne Valley and across the entire Tara site. Despite several legal cases, most of which were initiated by Vincent Salafia, and an ongoing protest by environmental campaigners who have established a permanent watch camp at the Hill of Tara, the government and its National Road Authority (NRA) seem to be determined to continue with the M 3 project, which will destroy one of the most important historical sites of Ireland forever.

A senior legal expert from the Dublin Law Library (the home of Ireland's Senior Counsels, the most eminent barristers of the country) then explained the complex legal situation, which - unfortunately - leaves not much hope for TaraWatch and not much room for further legal action against the Irish government.
Questioned if there was any chance to prosecute the former Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, TD (left), who signed executive orders for the building of the M 3 through the Skryne Valley literally minutes before handing the Department over to the next minister, for destruction of national heritage, the Senior Counsel said that there was not really a legal process one could follow. So, as sad as it may be, it looks as if the Irish government and the NRA are getting away with public vandalism of the worst kind.

One of the environmental campaigners, who has recently staged a widely reported three-day protest in an underground tunnel, was also present at TCD and gave a detailed report of the current developments at the site. Despite a written agreement with the NRA, which followed her protest and was initially hailed as a success, the NRA appears not to honour its part of the bargain.
Only days after the agreement 100 Gardai and a group of masked private security guards (who are employed by the NRA) turned up and searched the peaceful camp "for weapons". Armed with slash hooks and catapults, they behaved very aggressively and rude, but despite a thorough search of the whole camp there were no weapons found at all. This was really no surprise to anyone, including the Gardai, but it shows how the government uses state forces and taxpayers' money to harass a group of peaceful campaigners, whose only concern is the preservation of our national heritage.

After a very constructive discussion of various options, the meeting at Trinity College voted on a resolution to appeal directly to UNESCO, asking to give the Hill of Tara the UN status of a World Heritage Site. Such a designation is in fact long overdue, and it appears that our government has not pursued this option forceful enough for quite some time. As things stand, we might end up with a World Heritage Site that is damaged and desecrated by a motorway, but at least it would mean that we get international recognition for the Hill of Tara.

The Emerald Islander

2008 Michael O'Brien Memorial Lecture

Eamon Gilmore, TD, leader of the Irish Labour Party, gave tonight the 2008 Michael O'Brien Memorial Lecture on the subject of "Education and Sustainable Employment in the South East" at the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in Waterford City.

"Labour is passionate about education, and we always have been," said Mr. Gilmore. "Our vision of society is that of a collective of talents, working for the mutual benefit of each other, and for the generations to come. We seek to build a society where each individual can grow to the fullness of their unique human potential, something which is only possible when we work in collaboration with each other. Education is the key which unlocks the full potential - social, civic, ethical and economic - of the human person. For this very reason, universal education - available to all, for the benefit of all - is at the heart of Labour's vision of society."

The Labour leader pointed out that over the past forty years "education has brought about a revolution in Irish society" and that it has "fundamentally altered the way in which our economy functions and the opportunities which are open to our citizens".
Between 1998 and 2004, for example, admission rates for third level increased by 11%. Most significantly, the proportion of students from the semi- and unskilled backgrounds going to college increased from 23% to over one third, while the number of students from a skilled manual background almost doubled to 60%.
"I am proud to say that the decision of Labour's Niamh Bhreathnach [when she was Minister for Education] to abolish third level fees was a vital part of that process," Eamon Gilmore said.

"Education is also essential to dissent," he continued, "and dissent is something which is essential to any prosperous modern democracy. Our political freedom is built on our right to express opposing views. To challenge the status quo and to demand the creation of something new and better. Without that kind of critique, Ireland would not have made the transition from being a closed, insular conservative society to being the modern open European society that it is today. Dissent is also important for prosperity. Joseph Schumpeter coined the phrase 'creative destruction' to describe entrepreneurial capitalism. Economic growth comes from people having new ideas, and the energy and freedom to bring them into being."

But the Labour leader had also critical words for our education system. "When it comes to solid foundations, Ireland's education system compares poorly to some of our more successful European neighbours," he said. "The seeds of success at school are sown early. Unfortunately, until we have universal pre-school provision, these seeds will continue to depend on family income. Ireland has no public pre-school provision to speak of. In the OECD-wide survey of pre-schools in 2002, they could not even find a graph small enough to chart the 0.007 per cent of GDP Ireland was spending on early childhood education. The situation has not changed significantly since then. This false economy costs us dearly. Studies have shown that investment in universal pre-school is returned up to seven times over. Pre-school gives children the tools to learn, and helps them to get the most out of their crucial primary school years."

"The absence of pre-school provision partly explains why educational disadvantage is still one of the most persistent legacies in Irish society. For example, the child of early school leavers is 23 times more likely to live in consistent poverty than the child of university graduates. Indeed, early school leaving as a whole has remained stubbornly at around 18 per cent since the early 1980s. In some parts of Dublin that figure rises to almost 60 per cent. Every year, about 1000 children do not even make the transition from primary to second level education."

"At second level the picture is more positive. Secondary education is better funded and, for the moment at least, there is no a shortage of school places. But there are considerable challenges, particularly if Ireland aspires to be a high-tech economy. For example, of the Leaving Cert class of 2007, only 6710 students scored grade C or higher on the Honours Maths paper. The problem is that Grade C in higher Maths is the minimum standard for entry to many science, engineering and technology courses at third level. Moreover, one in ten students failed Maths at some level. And only seven per cent of students got honours in Physics. These figures are extremely worrying. It is not simply the knock-on effect on science and technology courses at third level, and our subsequent supply of highly skilled workers. It is also that young people are excluding themselves, or being excluded, at an early age, from careers in growing industries."

Turning specifically to the South East, Eamon Gilmore presented some strong facts which many analysts have been using already for some time. "While income in Waterford itself is just below the national average," he said, "disposable income per capita in Wexford is nearly 11% below the national average, the same is true of Kilkenny, and in Carlow the figure is 12%. The more salient fact is that income per head in the South East as a whole is almost 20% below the Dublin level.
As one might expect, the picture is even starker when we look at productive activity. Again, using the South East region as an example, gross value added per person in 2005 in the South East region was 26% below the national average, and not much more than half of the Dublin level."

So why is the South East, famous for its "sunny" weather, so far behind the national average? It is no secret, and Eamon Gilmore pointed it out very clearly: "Ultimately, regional economies will thrive when they develop a virtuous circle whereby the availability of high quality employment and educational opportunities, attracts people to and retains people in, the region, who in turn create demand for new services, and are also innovators and entrepreneurs themselves. It is that self-reinforcing process, as distinct from a vicious circle of people leaving to find opportunity elsewhere, which will form the basis for sustainable employment in this region, and in other regions across Ireland. Universities are at the centre of the regional system of innovation. They are important in attracting industry to a region, and in persuading young people to stay in the region. Their research capacities are sought after by firms, and the presence of a university is a vital element in attracting firms to invest in the region."

"That is why Labour has been a strong supporter of a university of the South East. We see it as an essential part of any strategy to grow the economy of this region. Last year, in our manifesto for the 2007 General Election, we committed ourselves to a multi-campus university, with its hub in WIT, but also building on other centres of scientific and cultural excellence in the region. It is clear that WIT has the potential to grow from a high performing Institute of Technology to University Status."

Summing up the ideas of his lecture, Eamon Gilmore concluded: "If we want to grow and develop as a knowledge economy, then there are issues in the education system that must be confronted by all: pre-school provision, educational disadvantage and literacy, second level completion, teaching of maths and the take-up of science. The engineering graduate of today is not the product simply of the university years, but of an educational process that begins at pre-school. If we are to build a fairer and more prosperous country, then there is a serious agenda of educational reform that we need to address at all levels. At third level, we need to promote greater connections between the academy and the economy, but we must not loose sight either of the vital role of dissent and original thinking to both the economy and society.
Secondly, as the great boom of Celtic Tiger Ireland comes to an end, we must look afresh as regional economies, not simply from a redistributive perspective, but as a real and viable source of productivity growth.
Thirdly, it follows then, that we need strong educational structures at regional level. It is widely accepted that regional economies need third level institutions to facilitate economic growth. University research is an important source of ideas for industry, and the teaching role of the university is important in supplying skilled and qualified people for the regional economy. The university is also a vital cog in the virtuous circle of which I spoke, of people staying in the region, who generate new economic activity, which in turn makes the region more attractive to others and so on. It is at the centre of the regional system of innovation."

Eamon Gilmore's lecture was introduced by Marie Butler, who - as Secretary of the Waterford branch of SIPTU - inherited the mantle of Michael O'Brien and continues his work. In a brief but poignant impromptu speech she highlighted the major problems of the modern Irish society, and especially of the economical environment in which the individual worker seems to matter less and less, while huge corporations and their bosses do as they please.

The at WIT evening was hosted by Waterford's Labour TD Brian O'Shea, a former teacher who has represented the constituency in Dáil Éireann since 1989. The well attended lecture was another step of hope and encouragement on the long way Waterford and the South East have to go in order to secure a long overdue university for the region.
I am certain that a university will be established at some point in the future, and hopefully before Waterford - the oldest city in Ireland - celebrates her 1100 years of existence in 2014.

The Emerald Islander

Ciaran Cannon elected as PD Leader

The Progressive Democrats - or better what is left of them after their crushing defeat in the last general election - have a new party leader. Early this morning Senator Ciaran Cannon (right), a relatively unknown 42-year-old town planner and former Councillor from Athenry, Co. Galway, was declared the winner after narrowly beating fellow Senator Fiona O'Malley by 51% to 49% in a ballot of PD members.

Under the party's electoral college system, the four members of the parliamentary party had 40% of the votes between them, while around 40 councillors and members of the National Executive had 30% and the remaining ca. 1200 party members had the remaining 30%.

By rolling out the artillery, the PD members sent a signal to Dublin, indicating that they want a fresh start. Senator Fiona O'Malley had initially been seen as the favourite to win, being the daughter of party founder Des O'Malley. But it is a good sign that family patronage is no longer the only important elment in Irish politics, even though it is still rampant in most parties (and most of all in Fianna Fáil).

Senator Cannon will start a national tour next Monday, during which he intends to meet PD members as well as the general public. He is regarded as a listening man and says the best policies are created by the people the impacts on. So new PD party policy will not be unveiled until a broad consultation takes place.

The new PD leader has a particular interest in issues of planning, especially rural planning. In his time working in the planning departments of Dublin and Galway county councils, Ciaran Cannon has come to believe in the need for a major reform of local government.
"A lot of inefficiency could be reduced by devolving power to local government, which also needs proper funding," he said. He also supports the development of a strong "Atlantic Corridor" to act as a counterbalance to Ireland's economically strong East coast.

After his official election this morning, Senator Cannon said that the local elections in 2009 would be crucial in deciding the future of his party. If they do not perform well, the PDs would have "to take serious stock of what the future holds".
He described the task of rebuilding the PDs as "a daunting one" and did not rule out a name change. But he says that this is not an issue for him at the moment.

Mary Harney, who had been a reluctant "acting" PD leader after Michael McDowell resigned, having lost his Dáil seat, wished Senator Cannon well and pointed out that it was the first time a PD leader came from the Seanad. She also gave Ciaran Cannon some advice - saying he would need to think on his own, as "the members do not always take a party in the right direction".

Ciaran Cannon was elected to Galway County Council in June 2004, representing Loughrea, and contested Galway East in the last general election, after which he was one of the Taoiseach's nominees to the Seanad. He is the head of the "Irish Pilgrimage Trust", a charity that cares for children and young people with disabilities.

It will be interesting to see if this relatively young and rather inexperienced politician, who would not look out of place in the Green Party, can revive the remnants of an almost dead party that has been utterly rejected by the electorate. Stranger things have happened in politics, but it will be a hard job for Senator Cannon and few will envy him or aspire to the task.

The Emerald Islander

World Heritage Day at Trinity College

The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Trinity College Dublin will mark World Heritage Day this Friday, April 18th, 2008 with a special gathering and event in the college's Swift Theatre.

ICOMOS - the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is hosting the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2008. The theme for this year is "Religious Heritage and Sacred Places", which is particularly appropriate for the Hill of Tara.

A number of high profile speakers will address the recent announcement by the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, that a member of ICOMOS has been retained in order to promote the nomination of the Hill of Tara archaeological complex to UNESCO World Heritage status, despite the M 3 motorway being built through it.

The event takes places tomorrow (Friday, April 18th) in the afternoon - between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. - in the Swift Theatre of Trinity College, Dublin.
Admission is free, all are welcome, and the more people attend, the better are the chances to make an impact and be heard by the media and by usually ignorant politicians who want to build the M 3 through the Skryne Valley.

The Emerald Islander

Farewell to Dr. Patrick Hillery

Yesterday Ireland said farewell to our former President Dr. Patrick Hillery, who has been laid to rest with full military honours in a state funeral.

Hundreds of mourners, including President Mary McAleese and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (above), the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, ministers and other members of the Oireachtas, the Judiciary and the diplomatic services, joined the Hillery family for the Requiem Mass at Dublin's St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Both President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern read during the Mass.

In his homily, Fr. Des Hillery, a nephew of the late former President, said his uncle's sense of fairness, kindness and hard work were based on values he grew up with at home. Patrick Hillery's wife Maeve, he added, was a constant companion and a fearless supporter with whom he shared more than 50 years of marriage.

Dr. Hillery's grandchildren brought gifts to the altar, including his sailing cap and a painting of his house at Spanish Point, Co. Clare.

After the Mass had ended, thousands of mourners lined the streets of Dublin as Dr. Hillery's funeral cortege was given a full military escort to St. Fintan's cemetery in Sutton, Co. Dublin, where the former President was laid to rest beside his daughter Vivienne.

Tánaiste Brian Cowen (left) delivered the graveside oration and said that Patrick Hillery will be remembered with the greatest respect and the deepest admiration, that "he embodied all that is noble and good in a man, doctor and public servant."
He described the former President as "a humble man of simple tastes" whose career of service should be a model for people to follow and replicate.
The Fianna Fáil leader-elect said that being asked to deliver the oration was a great honour for him, and he emphasised that Patrick Hillery's legacy would be a peaceful, highly educated and confident Republic.

At the request of the Hillery family "The Last Rose of Summer" was played before the coffin was lowered into the ground.

Dr. Patrick Hillery, who was President of Ireland for two full terms from 1976 to 1990, had died last Saturday at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife Maeve, son John and grandchildren, but mourned and fondly remembered also by the whole Irish nation.

The Emerald Islander

Government Conspiracy over the Lisbon Treaty?

According to a detailed report in yesterday's Irish edition of the Daily Mail an e-mail from a senior Irish official in the Department of Foreign Affairs to his counterpart in the British embassy in Dublin reveals that the government is systematically hiding key information about the Lisbon Treaty from voters.

The e-mail also states that the Irish government has sought and received assurances from EU officials that they will "stay quiet" on the contents of the Treaty for the duration of the campaign, and that the Irish government has deliberately brought forward the date of the Referendum, because of the likelihood of several embarrassing details about the Lisbon Treaty being revealed during the French presidency of the EU in the second half of this year.

The most damning thing about the e-mail is the admission that our government hopes that "very few people would actually read the text of the Treaty", and would simply "vote with the local politicians they trust". In other words, the government, Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the PDs and the civil servants are taking us for fools. And the opposition parties who - strangely enough - support the government in the "Yes" campaign for the Treaty, are accomplices in that, too.

The story in the Irish Daily Mail requires an immediate and full clarification from the government. If the story is accurate - which must be assumed as the government has issued no protest or denial statement - it means that senior officials in the Irish government, paid from our tax money and supposed to be loyal to the state and the nation, are actively conspiring to release as little information as possible about the Lisbon Treaty in order to preserve the chances of a "Yes" vote.

It also means that our government is in cahoots with Brussels to keep the most unpopular aspects of the Lisbon Treaty under wraps until after we have voted on it.
Then - in case of an acceptance of the Treaty - the Irish people will be told that they have to accept whatever the EU is imposing on us, because "we accepted the Lisbon Treaty and there's nothing we can do". (The same happened after the Maastricht Treaty and the Nice Treaty.)

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of the newspaper story is that Dermot Mulhall, the Irish official who allegedly authored this e-mail, is a civil servant in the Department for Foreign Affairs. His responsibility is to the people of Ireland, not to his political masters, the EU or foreign powers. Nevertheless he briefed Elizabeth Green, a senior diplomat in the British embassy in Dublin, reassuring her (and her political masters) that the Irish government "is doing everything possible" to push the Lisbon Treaty successfully through the up-coming Referendum.

The Irish government has sent in the recent past a booklet about the rules of the road to every single household in the country (including those who don't have a car and don't drive).
Currently there is a new booklet sent out, dealing with all sorts of emergencies. But there is no effort made to inform the Irish population about the Lisbon Treaty and all its details. But this is needed to understand the matter.
Please contact your TD and tell him/her that you demand to be fully informed about the Lisbon Treaty and wish to have a complete copy of its text.

The Emerald Islander

Management Chaos in Dublin Postal Areas

An Post, Ireland's national postal service, is advising customers not to post any letters to addresses in the Dublin postal areas of Ballsbridge or Blackrock due to a massive backlog of undelivered post.

A spokesperson of An Post said that a number of their staff are refusing to co-operate with their new working practices and are also refusing to do overtime.

In 2006 An Post and the Communications Workers Union agreed a new nationwide system for collection and delivery of post. The system has been successfully implemented in 16 areas across the country. However, management says that staff in Blackrock and Ballsbridge are refusing to co-operate with the new system, and as a result a one-week backlog of undelivered items has built up.

An Post acknowledged that the 2006 agreement had involved substantial change, but said the "localised problem in Ballsbridge and Blackrock" is now so serious that they are taking out several newspaper advertisements tomorrow, warning people not to post items to these areas until further notice.

It appears that the quality of management in An Post is getting ever more worse while their prices for postal items are going up all the time, some in quite ridiculous and uncompetitive steps.

However, there is no problem with posting items from the affected postal zones to other destinations, and counter services in post offices remain unaffected. There are also no problems in any other parts of the country.

The Emerald Islander

World Bank warns of severe Food Shortages

The World Bank has announced emergency measures to tackle rising food prices around the globe.
World Bank president Robert Zoellick (right) warned that "100 million people in poor countries could be pushed deeper into poverty by spiraling prices". The crisis has already sparked recent food riots in several countries, including Haiti, the Philippines and Egypt.

The World Bank endorsed Mr. Zoellick's "new deal" action plan for a long-term boost to agricultural production. Emergency help would include an additional $ 10 million to Haiti, where several people were killed in food riots last week, and a doubling of agricultural loans to African farmers.

Robert Zoellick's proposals were endorsed by the World Bank's steering committee of finance and development ministers at a meeting in Washington.
The World Bank and its sister organisation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), held a weekend of meetings addressing the rapidly rising food and energy prices as well as the credit crisis that is upsetting global financial markets.

IMF president Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a former French Finance Minister, said last week that hundreds of thousands of people were at risk of starvation because of food shortages. Prices have risen sharply in recent months, driven by increased demand, poor weather in some countries that has ruined crops, and reduced production area, due to an increase in the use of land to grow crops for transport fuels.

According to the World Bank the price of staple crops such as wheat, rice and corn have all risen, leading to an increase in overall food prices of 83% in the last three years.
The sharp rises have led to protests and unrest in many countries, including Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Indonesia. In Haiti last week's protests turned violent, leading to the deaths of five people and the fall of the government.

Restrictions on rice exports have been put in place in major producing countries such as India, China, Vietnam and Egypt. Rice importing countries such as Bangladesh, the Philippines and Afghanistan have been hit hard.

"We have to put our money where our mouth is now - literally - so that we can put food into hungry mouths," said Zoellick. "It's as stark as that."

He called for more aid to provide food to needy people in poor countries and help for small farmers. He said the World Bank was working to provide money for seeds for planting in the new season. He also urged wealthy donor countries to quickly fill the World Food Programme's estimated $ 500 million funding shortfall.

Mr. Zoellick, who was appointed to his post by George W. Bush after the previous World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz (who had earlier, as Deputy Defense Secretary, planned the illegal war against Iraq) had to resign in disgrace over a personal favours scandal forgot to mention only one point.
If the costs of only two days of US operations in Iraq would be re-directed to the World Food Programme, there would be no funding shortfall. In fact, the money the USA spend in Iraq in one month could end starvation and world poverty for good.
But in contrast to Robert Zoellick, his master G. W. Bush is not interested in people and how they live. All he cares for is money and oil.

The Emerald Islander

SIPTU meets over Pay Talks Strategy

Around 500 delegates from Ireland's largest trade union SIPTU are meeting in Dublin to decide whether to enter talks on a new national wage agreement. They will set out an agenda for the negotiations, including pay increases well ahead of inflation, along with legislation on agency workers and union recognition.

SIPTU delegates representing over 200,000 members are expected to support entering the next pay talks. They want concrete measures to prevent exploitation of agency workers, which they blame for the so-called 'race to the bottom' in employment standards.

The delegates also want action on union recognition rights. However, for most delegates the priority is pay. Towards 2016 promised increases worth 10% over 27 months, but inflation has meanwhile eroded most if not all of that.

Workers' fears will be fuelled by a report published today by the UNITE trade union. It claims Irish private sector wages are now 25% below average wages for the top ten EU member states. Like SIPTU, it wants pay increases substantially ahead of inflation, just as employers complain they are facing a global downturn.

Robinson elected new DUP Leader

Peter Robinson (right) has been elected as the new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the North at a meeting today.

As observers expected, the 59-year-old east Belfast MP was the clear choice of the 36-strong DUP Northern Ireland Assembly Group to take over from Ian Paisley, who has announced his resignation for May.
At the same meeting North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds has been elected as the DUP's new deputy leader.

Assembly members unanimously agreed a joint nomination of Robinson and Dodds and will go to the party's 120-member executive committee on Thursday night to have the nominations formally ratified.

Tánaiste and Taoiseach-elect Brian Cowen is in Belfast this morning for discussions with Mr. Robinson.
In recent years the relationship between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Ian Paisley was one of the most important driving forces in North-South relationships. Today will see evidence of a new dynamic - involving Brian Cowen and Peter Robinson. From early May on, Cowen will be Taoiseach and in the first week of June Robinson will become Northern Ireland's First Minister.

Over a period of months Cowen and Robinson - both Ministers for Finance in their respective jurisdictions - have been quietly working up a proposal. At noon today they will announce an agreement to allow financial services companies based it the Republic to have back office and middle management jobs located in the North. The arrangement has the approval of the Republic's financial regulator. It is technically complex, but significant in practical and political terms. And it could well be another step forward to a full normalisation which brings the six counties ever closer to a fully integrated Ireland.

The Emerald Islander

Händel's "Messiah" is 266 Years old today

While most of the day was rather pleasant here, the evening has brought us some more of the steady rain. And when it rains heavily, I usually don't go for my evening constitutional.
I then prefer to stay at home and spend some time in front of the fireplace, listening to a nice piece of classical music.

Today there is no question which piece of music I listen to. As this is April 13th, it has to be the famous oratorio "The Messiah" by Georg Friedrich Händel (left), which was first performed on this day 266 years ago. And despite the fact that Händel lived and worked in London then, "The Messiah" saw its premiere in Neal's Music Hall on Dublin's Fishamble Street, close to the famous Temple Bar district.

In the summer of 1741 G. F. Händel - at the peak of his musical prowess, but depressed and in debt - began setting Charles Jennens' Biblical libretto to music at his usual breakneck speed. In just 24 days "The Messiah" was complete.
Like many of Händel's compositions, it borrows liberally from earlier works, both his own and those of others.

It was premiered during the following season, in the spring of 1742, as part of a series of charity concerts Händel gave in Neal's Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin. Right up to the day of the premiere, "The Messiah" was troubled by production difficulties and last-minute rearrangements of the score.
The Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the famous writer and satirist Jonathan Swift, placed some pressure on the premiere and had it cancelled entirely for a period. He demanded that it be retitled "A Sacred Oratorio" and that revenue from the concert be promised to local hospitals for the mentally ill.

The premiere happened eventually on April 13th at the Music Hall in Dublin, and Händel led the performance from the harpsichord with Matthew Dubourg conducting the orchestra. Dubourg was an Irish violinist, conductor and composer who had worked with Händel as early as 1719 in London.

Tonight I have been listening to an excellent recording of the oratorio, performed by the London Festival Choir and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Mariner. Quite a nice way to close a Sunday and to get inspiration for another new week.

The Emerald Islander

In Memoriam Dr. Patrick Hillery

It is with great sadness that I have to report today the death of an exceptional Irishman who played several major roles in the country's politics for many years.
Our former President Dr. Patrick Hillery has died yesterday in his Dublin home, following a short illness, less than a month before reaching the age of 85. Before becoming President - the so far last male holder of the office - Dr. Hillery had been a TD for 22 years, a cabinet minister for 14 years, and Ireland's first ever EU Commissioner for three years.

Patrick John Hillery was born on May 2nd, 1923 in Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. The son of Michael Joseph Hillery, a local medical doctor, and Ellen McMahon, a district nurse, he was educated locally before attending Rockwell College. At third level Hillery attended University College Dublin, where he qualified with a degree in medicine. Upon his conferral in 1947 he returned to his native town where he followed in his father’s footsteps as a doctor. His medical career saw him as a member of the National Health Council and Medical Officer for the Miltown Malbay Dispensary District. He also spent a year working as the coroner for West Clare.

On October 27th, 1955 Patrick Hillery married Dr. Mary Beatrice (Maeve) Finnegan, a fellow medical doctor. Together they had a son, John, and a daughter, Vivienne, who died after a long illness in 1985, shortly before her eighteenth birthday.

Dr. Hillery did not really aspire to a political career, but Éamon de Valera - then in opposition - persuaded him to stand with him for Fianna Fáil in Co. Clare in the 1951 general election.
The election resulted in a return to power for Fianna Fáil and Hillery was successful on his first attempt to get elected. But he remained on the backbenches for almost a decade, before finally becoming a minister following Éamon de Valera's retirement as Taoiseach in 1959.

Under the new Taoiseach Seán Lemass a new generation of politicians were introduced to government and a key player among this group was Dr. Patrick Hillery, who became Minister for Education in 1959, succeeding Jack Lynch in that post.

Patrick Hillery was responsible for much innovative thinking in a department which would become very important under Lemass' leadership. In 1963 he made a major policy speech in which he outlined many educational reforms that were to be introduced over the next decade. These included increased educational opportunities, the establishment of comprehensive schools and Regional Technical Colleges, and access by students to all public examinations. As Minister for Education Dr. Hillery prepared the ground for successive ministers to advance the reforms and initiatives he had begun. While Donagh O'Malley has received much of the credit for introducing free education, it was in fact Hillery who made this landmark announcement possible.

In 1965 Hillery succeeded Jack Lynch again by taking over as Minister for Industry and Commerce, but he only remained in this position for just over a year, before becoming the country's first Minister for Labour in 1966. This new department had been a dream of Lemass for several years and Hillery had the honour of being the first incumbent.
When Seán Lemass resigned as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1966 - a shock to many of his political friends - Dr. Patrick Hillery was invited by Lemass to allow his name to go forward for the leadership of the party. However, he declined the offer, explaining that he had no interest in becoming Taoiseach. Many historians have suggested that Hillery was Lemass' first choice to succeed him and "the best Taoiseach we never had". In the end Jack Lynch succeeded Lemass after a leadership contest with George Colley. Hillery retained his post as Minister for Labour following Lynch's reshuffle of the Cabinet, serving until 1969.

Following another victory for Fianna Fáil in the 1969 general election, Dr. Patrick Hillery became Minister for External Affairs (renamed Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1972). He earned a high international profile when, in the aftermath of "Bloody Sunday" (the killing of thirteen unarmed civilians in Derry by British troops), he traveled to the United Nations in New York to demand UN involvement in peace-keeping on the streets of Northern Ireland.

During the whole period Hillery remained one of Jack Lynch's staunchest allies in pursuing peaceful means with regard to the possibility of a civil war breaking out. Although considered a mild-mannered politician, he showed his mettle at the 1971 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis when Kevin Boland, an opponent of Lynch’s Northern policy, stormed a nearby podium and launched a very public and vocal attack on the Fianna Fáil leadership. While some of his supporters started chanting "We want Boland", Hillery, who by this stage had grabbed the nearest microphone, started shouting down the Boland faction with the immortal line "Ye can have Boland, but ye can’t have Fianna Fáil."

Hillery's tenure at the Department of Foreign Affairs was not entirely consumed by affairs in the North. In 1972 he negotiated Ireland's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), a process that was completed in 1973. He was rewarded for this work by becoming the first Irishman to serve on the European Commission. He was appointed Vice-President of the Commission as well as having special responsibility for Social Affairs.
While Europe had gained one of Ireland's most capable and respected politicians, Jack Lynch had lost one of his allies in cabinet, and someone who may have been in line to take over the leadership following Lynch's retirement.

As Social Affairs Commissioner Hillery's most famous policy initiative was to force EEC member states to give equal pay to women. However, in 1976 the then Irish government, a Fine Gael-Labour coalition under Liam Cosgrave, informed him that he was not being re-appointed to the Commission. He considered returning to medicine, perhaps moving with his wife Maeve (also a doctor) to Africa. But fate took a turn when the then Minister for Defence, Paddy Donegan, launched a ferocious verbal attack on President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, calling him "a thundering disgrace" for referring anti-terrorist legislation to the courts to test its constitutionality. When a furious President Ó Dálaigh resigned, a deeply reluctant Dr. Patrick Hillery agreed to become the Fianna Fáil candidate for the presidency. He was elected without a contest as the only candidate, becoming the sixth President of Ireland on December 3rd, 1976.

During his presidency he welcomed the newly elected Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979, and declined the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to attend the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. However it was in 1982 that Hillery's reputation as President was arguably made. In January of that year the Fine Gael-Labour government of Garret FitzGerald lost a budget vote in Dáil Éireann. Since this was a loss of supply, FitzGerald went to Áras an Uachtaráin to ask the President for a parliamentary dissolution.
Under Article 13.2.2. of the Constitution of Ireland President Hillery could have turned down the request, forcing FitzGerald's resignation.
However a series of phone calls was made by senior opposition figures urging Hillery to refuse FitzGerald a dissolution, allowing Charles Haughey to form a government.

Hillery regarded such pressure as gross misconduct and ordered his aide de camp not to pass on telephone calls from opposition figures. He might also have been motivated by the Irish version of the Constitution, which states that the President uses his discretionary powers as a chomhairle féin, which usually translates to "under his own counsel", meaning that no contact whatsoever could take place with the opposition. Whenever there is a conflict between the Irish and English versions of the Constitution, the Irish one takes precedence. In the end, President Hillery granted Garret FitzGerald the dissolution.

In 1983 Dr. Patrick Hillery was again elected unopposed, sharing the distinction with Seán T. O'Kelly and Éamon de Valera of serving two full terms as President of Ireland. His second term was rather uneventful and gave rise to the perception that being the President of Ireland was a job for "grey old men". However, behind the scenes there were plenty of matters that President Hillery handled with diplomacy and gravitas. He left office in 1990, having served the maximum two terms, and was widely applauded for his integrity, honesty and devotion to duty. Especially after the turmoil over his predecessor, Dr. Patrick Hillery is regarded as the man who brought stability back to Áras an Uachtaráin.

Shortly before he left office, Ireland saw the probably biggest political upset in recent times, even though Dr. Hillery himself had no active part in it as such. However, he and his decision in 1982 triggered a political avalanche. Three candidates had been nominated for the 1990 presidential election: the then Tánaiste, the late Brian Lenihan for Fianna Fáil (widely viewed as certain winner), Austin Currie for Fine Gael and the independent human rights lawyer Mary Robinson for Labour. In May 1990, in an on the record interview with Jim Duffy, Lenihan had confirmed that he had been one of those phoning President Hillery in January 1982. He confirmed that Charles Haughey too had made phone calls. Jim Duffy mentioned the information in an article on the history of the Irish presidency in The Irish Times.

In October 1990 Lenihan changed his story, claiming (even though he had said the opposite for eight years) that he had played "no hand, act or part" in pressurising President Hillery that night. He made these denials in an interview in The Irish Press (a now defunct pro-Fianna Fáil newspaper) and on RTÉ's Questions and Answers. When it was realised that he had said the opposite in an on the record interview in May 1990, his campaign panicked. In the aftermath, the minority party in the coalition government, the Progressive Democrats, indicated that unless Lenihan resigned from cabinet, they would resign from government and support an opposition Motion of No Confidence in Dáil Éireann, bringing down the government and causing a general election. Though publicly Taoiseach Charles Haughey insisted that it was entirely a matter for Lenihan, his "friend of thirty years", he gave Lenihan a letter of resignation to sign.

When Lenihan refused, Haughey formally advised President Hillery to dismiss Lenihan as Tánaiste, Minister for Defence and member of the cabinet, which the President - as constitutionally required - duly did. Lenihan became the only candidate from his party to date to lose the presidency, having begun the campaign as the apparent certain winner. Instead Mary Robinson, who already had had a spectacularly successful campaign, became the seventh President of Ireland, the first elected President from outside Fianna Fáil, and the first woman to hold the office. Her impact in the seven years as President was in fact so massive that in 1997 none of Ireland's parties even dared to nominate a man. They all fielded women, and Fianna Fáil's Mary McAleese was elected as the eight President of Ireland. (In 2004 she was then re-elected without public contest for a second term and is still our President.)

The revelations and the discovery that Dr. Patrick Hillery had stood up to pressure from former cabinet colleagues, including his close friend Brian Lenihan, back in 1982 increased his public standing substantially. From a low-key modest presidency that many had written off as mediocre, his presidency came to be seen as embodying the highest standards of integrity.
Hillery's reputation rose further when opposition leaders under parliamentary privilege alleged that Taoiseach Charles Haughey, who in January 1982 had been Leader of the Opposition, had not merely rung the President's Office, but threatened to end the career of the young army officer who took the call and who, on Hillery's explicit instructions, refused to put through the call to the President. Hillery, it was revealed, had called in the Irish Army's Chief of Staff the following day and as Commander-in-Chief of the Army had ordered the Chief of Staff to ensure that no politician ever interfered with the career of the army officer.

Since his retirement from the presidency Dr. Patrick Hillery has led a very quiet and private life, which was only briefly interrupted in 2002, when he came out publicly in support of the Nice Treaty. The former President, who had a lifelong love for the sea, will be missed by many on the Emerald Isle and beyond, regardless of political affiliation. He is survived by his wife Maeve and his son John.

The offer of a state funeral has been accepted by the Hillery family. It is expected that President Hillery's remains will be brought to Dublin's Pro Cathedral on Tuesday and that the state funeral will take place next Wednesday. It is understood that Dr. Patrick Hillery will be buried in Sutton, Co. Dublin.

The Emerald Islander

Green Party demonstrates her new Strength

The Green Party's annual conference in Dundalk - the first since the party joined Fianna Fáil in government - took place in a generally positive mood, with many delegates obviously reveling in the new status of power for their party.

In his opening address the party leader John Gormley outlined the Green achievements in government so far, including the reform of the car tax system, which will be fully implemented in July.
Gormley told delegates that in ten days he will launch a Green Paper on Local Government, which - he hopes - "will deliver the biggest ever reform of Ireland's local administration".

He said the paper provides for a directly elected mayor of Dublin who will have real executive powers. This will include having control of waste policy, regional planning, housing water and other essential services.
The Green Paper also proposes a device to allow citizens to decide key policy directions. Gormley told delegates there was "no reason why people should not decide what the spending priorities should be in their communities".

The Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government also said he will shortly be announcing an initiative to allow people to recycle batteries in supermarkets. This initiative is long overdue, he said.

A wide range of policy motions have been debated on Saturday. A number of these motions were potentially controversial, but less so since the Taoiseach's announcement that he is to stand down in May.

John Gormley used his main leader speech tonight to make an appeal to politicians on all sides not to play politics with climate change. He appealed to members of the opposition to "put away the petty squabbling and cheap shots, forget the nonsense and come on board" to work with the Greens in government "in the best interests of the country and the planet".

Well, this is definitely a different John Gormley than the one we have known for many years in opposition. It is interesting to see how ministerial office can change a man completely and turn him 180 degrees around. And - strangely enough - most of his party is following suit, like a docile bunch of lemmings is running blindly after their leader.

Less than a year into the coalition, Gormley has already realised that he might have made a mistake. But realising is one thing and admitting it is another. And so far there is no open discussion over the shortfalls. Gormley told delegates that "the party knows and recognises that we can never get everything we hoped for in government".
Well, Fianna Fáil are well known for using smaller parties as they please. But John Gormley is still of the opinion that "outside of government the Green Party can achieve nothing".
I would not agree with that, but then again, I put principles before the hunger for power and positions...

Earlier at the conference Communications Minister Eamon Ryan announced that a new code of conduct for broadcasters will protect children from advertisements for junk food. Ryan told the convention that the code of conduct will be included in his new Broadcasting Bill, which is to be published shortly.

Food Minister and former party leader Trevor Sargent has promised a fivefold increase in land devoted to organic farming by the year 2012, while delegates supported a call to end the sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol producers.

Delegates also voted for a review of third level funding, with a widening of tax relief to all third level costs, instead of just fees. Proposing the motion, Waterford delegate Catherine Kinsella pointed out that one can currently get tax relief in Ireland "for owning an enthusiastic stallion, but not for education".

The convention backed a call for a review of the location of centres of excellence for treating cancer and called for the nationwide availability of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) teaching for autistic children.

The Green Party convention made some extra headlines tonight when China's new ambassador to Ireland, Liu Biwei, walked out of the conference hall in Dundalk during the leader's address. Liu Biwei was not pleased to hear that John Gormley mentioning the occupation of Tibet and the oppression of its people by the Chinese government. (See also my entry from earlier tonight.)

Although I cannot forget or forgive the Green Party that it has become the poodle of Fianna Fáil, I have to give John Gormley praise where it is due. In the current climate of hypocrisy over China, where no other politician dares to stand up and call the facts as they are, John Gormley is so far the only TD who has the courage to speak up. Only if we tell the Chinese what we think of them, we can make them see reality and change perhaps some of their ways. Crawling on the belly before them - as Fianna Fáil has done so far - is not the right thing to do.
So, well done tonight, John Gormley! I just wish you would also still be true to your political principles at home...

The Emerald Islander

Chinese Ambassador cannot face the Truth

The Chinese Ambassador to Ireland has walked out of the Green Party convention tonight after criticism by John Gormley of China's role in Tibet. Ambassador Liu Biwei left the venue in Dundalk as Gormley delivered his leader's speech shortly before 9 p.m. this evening.

John Gormley (right) told his delegates that human rights must extend to all countries and cultures. He said one country which has been exploited and suppressed and suffered for far too long is Tibet. He said the party condemns unequivocally the flagrant abuse of human rights by the Chinese government and called on the Chinese government to enter into a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

After he left, the ambassador told RTÉ News that "Chinese people love peace and want good relations with Irish people". But with such empty platitudes the Chinese diplomat will not win a lot of friends among the well-informed Irish population. Well, he better keep his propaganda and brainwashed lines of waffle to himself if this is all he has to say.

Liu Biwei (pictured left), who has only recently taken up his post in Ireland after serving as China's Consul General in New York, said he had been invited to the Green Party convention, but he had not expected Minister Gormley as the leader of the Greens to say what he had said.

Well, Mr. Ambassador, if you have not noticed it so far, I have some news for you: In contrast to your own nation, Ireland is a free country. And here even politicians and government ministers can speak the truth, as strange as this might seem to you.

The whole of the Irish population might well be less than that of your sub-provincial city of Harbin (in the North-East of China), but we are a free people, free since 1922, after we fought 750 years against the same kind of oppression you have established in Tibet. So you should not be too surprised that the Irish feel more solidarity with the people of occupied Tibet than with their arrogant oppressors, who believe that now that they have a lot of money they can behave as they please and the whole world has to pay them homage.

Wrong, Mr. Ambassador. All the money in the world will not buy you honour and decency. As long as you keep Tibet occupied and maltreat and kill its people, you are not welcome in the free countries of this world. And if you cannot even stand to listen to a peaceful speech, then you better pack your bags and go home. Among the brainwashed minions there you will feel a lot happier than among the free people of Ireland.

The Emerald Islander