Category: Irish Politics

So according to the Pat Kenny show this morning it could take as little as 48 million euros to buy an entirely new and dedicated school bus fleet. This sounds like money well spent especially given the 57 million that the Minister for Incompetency Martin Cullen spent on e-voting that we could end up (hopefully) never using. Mary Hanafin quoted a figure of 58 million for 300 new buses and Bertie Ahern has put the whole thing off until all three investigations are complete. As with anything, Ahern has put it all aside until everyone has forgotten about these events.

Oh for a government that can make decisions and spend money wisely.

Who else thinks we should go buy the buses?

A close eye might need to be kept on this:

Three men are being questioned this evening after a businessman and his family were held hostage overnight in an incident being connected to the IRA.

Officers believe a gang was trying to extort money from Gary O’Donovan, the owner of a major chain of off-licences in Cork city.

It is understood at least one of those being held has links to the IRA but it is not clear whether it is the Provisional IRA or a splinter faction.

Anyone catch Spotlight on BBC NI tonight?

Cork County Council deserves high praise for their decision to buy and restore Blackrock Castle in Cork harbour.

The most amazing aspect of the project is the installation of a high-tech robotic observatory. It will feature two high-power telescopes, optical and radio. It will also include a fully equipped operations room that will be linked with other observatories around the world. I must admit when I read this report I checked the date to see if it was an April Fools. Such vision from a local authority is indeed rare in Ireland.

In today’s Sunday Independent Fr. Eoghan Haughey of that infamous family is talking about so-called loyalty at the funeral mass of his sister. Irish citizens will continue to suffer for many more decades because of the loyalty shown by Haughey to himself and his rich friends at the expense of his country.

Here’s the funniest quote I’ve read in a long time:

“Insulting? Please! We have done everything to please women. We even designed parking with especially wide spaces.” A male director of Tel Aviv shopping mall accused of insulting women with sexist advertising was noted to have said.

Anthony Sheridan

The Observer leads today with this story.

Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism section sent out an email about a new threat to businesses across London on Friday evening, following intelligence received from MI5 about an increase in activity from breakaway groups such as the Real IRA.

The chilling note, seen by The Observer, states: ‘Reporting indicates that dissident Irish republican terrorists are currently planning to mount attacks on the UK mainland.’

It goes on to explain that methods used by dissident groups in Northern Ireland could be transferred to Britain. These include ‘incendiary and improved explosive devices’ used in recent republican campaigns, ‘postal devices’ and ‘shooting attacks’. The police warning adds that hoax calls have also been made ‘to amplify the disruptive effect of such attacks’. The level of the threat is now said to be ‘substantial’, just one stage below the ‘severe general’ threat from al-Qaeda.

And using the new control orders on Irish people has not been ruled out. Worrying stuff indeed. I can only hope that whoever might be planning to attack the UK mainland think twice, the world is just a tad less tolerant of terrorism since September 11, and any attempt by the Provisionals to mount a terror campaign will like be counter productive – and end up throwing Sinn Fein back into the political wilderness, that’s if it can go any further into wilderness.

The following statement was taken from the Competition Authority’s website.

When does the Competition Authority take action?

Anti-competitive behaviour occurs when firms agree to fix prices, limit output, divide business between them or abuse their market power, with no benefits to consumers. In these situations the Competition Authority will use its enforcement powers to act promptly and rigorously to protect the interests of Irish consumers and overall economic welfare. The Competition Act sets out the basic competition rules, give the Competition Authority the power to investigate breaches of the law and where necessary to bring civil and criminal prosecutions.

Strong language, with no room for any misunderstanding of intention.

Here are some extracts from a report in the Irish Times concerning an investigation by the Competition Authority into the insurance industry.

Insurers are protecting historically high profits and premiums by locking out potential competitors from the Irish market, according to a new Competition Authority report. It is illegal for businesses to abuse a dominant position in a given market. But Mr Fingleton said he did not believe that prosecutions could address the problems in the Irish insurance market.

So, on the one hand the Authority is determined to prosecute and protect Irish citizens but on the other the man in charge states that ‘prosecutions are not the solution’. Here’s another bit:

The authority last year pointed out that insurance brokers’ commissions were growing at a faster rate than premiums. The report shows that between 2000 and 2003, premiums increased by 120 per cent and intermediaries’ earnings grew by 184 per cent. Mr Fingleton said that there was no clear explanation for this.

The reason, of course, is obvious. As we all know, the function of a broker is to get the best and cheapest deal for his client. The problem in Ireland is that brokers are paid a percentage of the premium on every deal, so naturally they will try to maximize the premium – it’s not rocket science.

On Vincent Browne (Tuesday, 8th March) last week, Mr John Hogan of the Professional Brokers Association had the neck to actually defend this practice. Vincent, in his usual cutting and entertaining way, took him to pieces .

But here’s the strangest aspect of this report:

The authority expects that the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority will be able to implement many of its recommendations.

IFSRA? That toothless tiger, who, when informed by a whistleblower of the massive theft going on in AIB kept quiet until the same whistleblower told Charlie Bird. And when the full extent of the thievery was revealed, did we see IFSRA initiating prosecutions? No, instead they allowed AIB to carry out its own secret proceedings against the wrongdoers – including any punishments. IFSRA is hopeful that AIB will deign to inform it of any decisions or action taken.

Yes, yes, I know, it’s all very depressing, so I’ll end with a bit of a laugh. To make sure this problem is dealt with in the most competent and efficient manner they have called in…wait for it…

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, said yesterday he would be arranging urgently to discuss the recommendations with the relevant Government departments and agencies.

So in 28 years time (The time it took officialdom to admit they were thieving from the elderly) we can expect to see Mick, taking ‘urgent’ action. I mean even for a Banana Republic it can’t get any more bizarre, can it?

Anthony Sheridan

Interesting stuff on Newsnight tonight…In a new poll six out of ten nationalists – including almost half of Sinn Fein voters – believe the IRA should disband now, and almost half were dissatisfied with Sinn Fein’s reaction to the Robert McCartney killing.

Word also has it, from my own sources, that some prominent members of the Provisionals are calling Gerry Adams a tout within the movement, leading some to speculate that a rift may be appearing within the IRA.

A return to war cannot be completely discounted, at least among those who see the political fallout surrounding Sinn Fein as an excuse to return to violence – though such talk is speculation at this point.

Mary is a single mother. She has ME and suffers from chronic pain. She gets €20 per week from the State. She has a young teenage son who she describes as having the mind of a five year old. He suffers from depression, drinks a lot, does drugs and is generally messed up. He’s in a regular hospital at the moment but they want him to leave. The psychiatric hospital that he was been treated in won’t take him back because of his involvement in drugs and also because he had a relationship with another patient the last time he was there. To top it all he owes a large sum of money to a drugs dealer. Because he couldn’t pay Mary has to cough up. She has already paid €300 and owes a further €600. The following is a transcription of her conversation with Joe Duffy on last Friday’s Liveline where she is explaining her experience with the Gardai.

Joe. How did you pay money to a drug dealer?

Mary. I got a friend to speak to the drug dealer. I asked the police, what should I do, should I pay it and I was told that I should pay it because they would probably find out where we live and come round either to threaten us or break into our home and steal from us.

Joe. The police told you that?

Mary. Yes

Joe. (Puzzled and incredulous) Well, you heard it through a third party. (The suggestion here is that the police couldn’t possibly have said such a thing and the ‘third party’ got it wrong.

Mary. No, I went to the police myself.

Joe. (Raised voice and even more incredulous) And they said ‘pay the drug dealer’

Mary. Yes, yes.

Joe. (Totally incredulous, desperately searching for an explanation as to why a police force would give such advice.) Hang on; hang on Mary, surely they said to you, ‘give us the name and address of the person you are alleging is a drug dealer.

Mary. No, no, they didn’t

Joe. They said, ‘pay the drug dealer or they’ll burn your house’?

Mary. Yes.

Joe. (In a loud and emphatic voice) I don’t believe you Mary.

Mary. Yes, absolutely, I was amazed they didn’t want information or to know who the person was.

Joe. And you were willing to supply that information?

Mary. I was willing to give the information.

The key sentence in this conversation is ‘I don’t belive you Mary’. For Joe Duffy, it is simply unbelievable that the Gardai could behave in such a manner. While Joe obviously accepts that ‘some’ Gardai are corrupt, he cannot even consider the possibility that the organization as a body could be corrupt. This ‘appalling vista’ mindset is common at all levels of Irish society including the media.

Take Vincent Browne for example. In recent times he has been analyzing the evidence coming out of the tribunal investigating Garda corruption in Donegal. He expresses astonishment and genuine puzzlement that the police force of this State could act as they did and nobody seems to be too upset. It is totally beyond these two very experienced journalists to make the connection between what is happening in the police force and Irish society in general. Without exception, whenever the lid is lifted on any organization, Government or private, the smell of corruption is overpowering. It is so entrenched in our culture at this stage that when someone like Joe Duffy is brought face to face with it, he can only reply – I don’t believe you Mary.

Anthony Sheridan