Gombeen Nation has been selected, for the second year running, as a finalist in the Best Political Blog category. It goes without saying, that this is a great honour for a one-man operation such as Gombeen Nation, so a big "thanks!" to all who voted for the blog - it is greatly appreciated.
Doors open at 7pm, and the event proper kicks off at 8pm. When all the tears and thank yous are done by 10.30pm, DJ Rick O'Shea takes the floor.
It should be a great night.
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16 comments:
Mr Gombeen Man
The blog. offers so much variety in terms of fun, wit, satire, irony, logic, pathos and free expression. To me it promotes serious thought and reflection, but also causes me to laugh out loud at the idiosyncrasies and the vagaries of human nature especially, Irish Human Nature. The St Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin taught me that the key word is “Brilliant”. Your blog. is “Brilliant” and I hope you win.
DBMG
I'm happy to have made it to the final 5, DB.
Thanks for your kind words.
Best of Luck Fearr an Gombeen!!!!
Go raibh.... thanks! ;-)
Sic em Rex
Looks like Cedar Lounge May have won best political blog...but they are a Co-Operative..I clicked on it , says they are a bunch of left wing commentators who met on Politics.ie.
AND NOW the ( unofficial) award for
Best Political One Man Band Blog Is.... Gombeen Nation!!! Gasps! Whistles! (one armed) Drum rolls!( one armed) Cymbal Clashes!!
Please stick up your 2nd yr nomination rosette
( other blogs and restaurants do this, shows you have consistent quality to have 2 gongs)...and hope next yr is your lucky year.
I picked up on Twitter that a sports blog called Arseblog got best Sports award And Best Overall blog.
Arseblog?? Do we need this unnecessary coarseness in our blog titles? clicked on it- Arsenal football, OK I'm a woman, know nothing of football- seems it could have been their 9th yr?
Actually I'm no intellectaul snob ( or often even any intellectual at times )but it must be Greatly cheering to the various juntas who rule us that a Football blog got Best Overall Blog, us peasants may be revolting to them, BUT at least we aren't Actually revolting.
NO I'm not accusing the judges of male bias:
as a woman I was distinctly moved when a female slanted blog got last years top gong.
In fact in the worst crisis Ireland ever faced, All citizens can gain much wisdom and insight from the 2010 Top Winner, www.beaut.ie.
WHAT I DO PRAISE this blog for is it's common sense- I have just trawled through 970 comments on the Queens visit on Politics .ie.
Yes I am all for free speech-- and it is an important site, but the quality of these comments is often appalling. Yes the British invaded us, many nations have been invaded, yet these commentators doggedly insist that nothing, and no apology can ever make up for all the crimes the Brits committed- a long time ago. Oh and she is not welcome as long as part of Ireland is Illegaly 'occupied'- despite other commentators saying, Irish people north and south voted to keep the status of NI as it is - until the majority want to change it- that's democracy.
OH and no probs that the IRA fought an ILLEGAL WAR- NO MANDATE from me and many other NI Catholics to kill. But no Probs for certain idiots in ROI to support them- as most of the violent deaths did not occur here- they did not go to work, as I did and hear a protestant workmate had her legs blown off ( her car was mistaken for a policeman’s).
As John Hume said the IRA also killed more Catholics than the loyalists and security forces- but so easy to say they are heroes when they weren't down here killing the family and friends of these posters- and many innocent people in mainland UK. The Queen is head of a country which took a great deal of our abused children- and economic migrants. These furious and aggressive people never seem to have energy to get after their OWN Irish leaders who ruined this country for 90 yrs.
In fact there is a Shocking amount of verbal aggression in this country. I ascribe this to totally inadequate mental care services. Also a culture of never facing up to what is wrong: EG, family problems, violence and verbal aggression in childhood, drugs/ alcohol, bullying at school/work, all things that lead to people having mental health issues, but which here are never either nipped in the bud ( EG work bullying) or mental support services are totally inadequate afterwards. So if you have issues, let's just kick the usual subjects- like the Brits.
SORRY- did not really mean to ramble BUT I do notice a HUGE amount of verbal aggression here- and I notice that even more after 3 yrs living out of ROI. In fact I don't even see anything so much like it in NI- yes there are polarised communities there, who often have reason to feel bitter after much carnage. But in general I don't see so much verbal aggression among Northerners who had tranquil times through the troubles.
AND here it's always mis-directed - never at the real targets of this country's problems, However I often do think whistleblower legislation is essential, as maybe people could get beyond a woeful cowardly tendency to toadyism, and Really do stand up, show solidarity and complain.
BUT anyway! really just wanted to compliment this blog on allowing voices of reaason to flourish- rather than whingers without a real cause.
Best of luck, GM!
@ Anna, AGREED, "a co-operative of people won the title, AND NOW the ( unofficial) award for
Best Political One Man Band Blog Is.... Gombeen Nation"
Call me cycncial, but I'm guessing too, that it kind of helps if you go to the awards (as the sponsor likes their picture taken with the winner) and as you are adamant about remaining anonymous, well you didn't go. Perhaps next year in a hoodie and a balaclava?
hey well done for getting to the top 5 political blogs in the country, so perhaps I shouldn't be so cycnical.
Congrats for getting into the top 5. As for not winning? Hey this Ireland, do you really want to win best political blog?
@Anna 23:47 I too have noticed a complete change in the behaviour and attitude of individuals in the ROI, over the last number of years. I have witnessed economic slumps in other countries and here, and usually people are somewhat less aggressive, to use the vernacular, they are just nicer to each other. This hasn't happen here, which is strange. You say verbal aggression, could I add to that also psychological as well. I have visited and lived in a few other countries and I have never (genuinely NEVER) witnessed or experienced anything like the atmosphere that pervades this country now. Its palpable and whats worse its misdirected. Misdirected, that's the cowardly part....Having spoken to friends in the UK it's not the same there.
For anyone reading this in years to come, note this, there was no revolt on this Island at this juncture in time (A GOOD THING!) but the aggression which accompanies such anomolies was present nonetheless. Strange, perplexing all at the same time.
Yes, I'm trying to think of a historical comparison, and none come to mind, at this time. There was though many instances in history of hysteria and misdirected aggression perpetrated in societies accompanying dramatic events. This could be the explanation for it here. Then again, I could see the gradual increase in aggessive behaviour over the last decade and a half in Ireland.
On the streets, on the roads, etc. I wonder is this the start or end of something. Overall I'll never see this country the same anymore. The shackles have been lifted from my eyes.
Thank you all - DB, Anon, Ponyboy (had to Google that one!), Anna, Ella, Russell, Dakota - for your support... and for the unoffical award, Anna! As I say, it's nice just to be finalist as it does help give the blog some recognition. I don't think I'll be off to Lifestyle for a hoody just yet, Ella.
I used to frequent the likes of Politics.ie years back but got fed up with the level of "debate". The same old stuff - The 800 Years and all the rest.
I think it was there that someone accused me of "finishing off the work of Cromwell". How I laughed. And yes, it's very easy for these forum Republicans to be computer cheerleaders for the various offshoots of the IRA (Continuity, Real, 32 County and so forth) when there is no danger of things kicking off again in their own back yard.
As far as the aggression there goes, Dakota, I too have noticed it. Mind you, there was a rude brashness prevalent during the Celtic Cod years, and I suppose it hasn't gone away you know.
The only thing that has disappeared is the credit.
cheers G MAN GOOD LUCK thanks for the blog keep up the good work BH
BTW GM is it true a person resembling our berti was seen thumbing a lift up in the norsoide heading for the airport bh
Thanks BH. If the B-B-Bertie rumour is true, let's hope he has a one-way ticket...
There is lack of solidarity, bitching , often in the name of ‘slagging’ etc here …THO Irish people Think it’s Ireland is a ‘meritocracy’ it’s the western worlds most unequal society as well as UK, and USA.
USA is well beind Europe in equality , but the UK Can be better then here in Some ways: EG , health service & secondary education totally free. Also there is little help for homeless and addicts here- the UK does provide more.
BUT Ireland and UK are very unequal- but in some ways here can be Worse: My friend in UK civil service had his wages frozen due to revenue shortfall bailing out their banks- but mine have been CUT- something that NEVER happens in rich countries- only this one, as our rich 1% must Never Ever suffer.
I HAVE GOT A BIT OF INSIGHT FROM A NEW BOOK;
‘The Spirit Level - Why Equality is Better for Everyone’ by 2 English researchers, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. Penguin 2009.
This explains an Awful lot about what I thought was unique about the negative characteristics of people in this country- these characteristics are common in all Unequal societies. What Baffled me was the lack of solidarity in people here- and the Needless suspicion.
A tiny example: My mother had changed the title deed to my old family home, so I had to to sign a new one. This was posted for my signature- and a witness. Someone had to sign immediately after me- just to say they had witnessed me signing it; it wasn’t a a time share, character ref, guarantee for loan, none of this, just a simple witness to a signature. So I asked a V nice workmate Donal from Limerick who was in my former building to witness for me. I was to go to his building later that week . Then I got a flurry of emails and phone calls from Donal , he wouldn’t feel at all comfortable about it, so don‘t come . Oh, and I have been very nice and helpful to Donal l ,when we worked together.. Ok, so I immediately asked my new flatmate Pete- and I knew he’d say yes immediately- why? Because Pete is English.
I’d known Donal 2 years- and Pete for 2 months. Somehow I found this a bit typical. People here can be generous in a general way ( eg giving to Ethiopia famine) and friendly when you meet them in pubs…but getting anyone tied down to do anything Definite- very difficult.
And getting anyone to do anything more brave like standing up to bullying - forget it . Bullies moved into an office of my department - and I got transferred out immediately.- I still complained though, because I knew they were making life bad for others after I left. Only 1 person in my old office joined me in the complaint Helga: Helga is ½ 2 Czech and I’m from NI. One person in my old office ( a Dubliner) said ‘You’re brave for complaining , here people keep their heads down.!!‘
And I was the only one who made a very official complaint- which senior well paid people in personnel did little with- didn’t stop me complaining tho- why should bullies be tolerated.
This cowardice and toadyism has been Hugely magnified in the banking industry, Dept of Finance etc., Nuns at a boarding school letting Brendan Smyth pick girls to take into a room each Sunday, never asking why (!!!) etc: in fact its common Right across Irish life.
So why don’t Irish people complain more, help each other more? It’s really characteristic of very Unequal societies - which are Very inclined to have people who are suspicious of each other.. Is this defeatism a fear mechanism- that the class at top is very powerful, will do what they like to you- so just Watch out for yourself? Yes seems very like it.
Below is a link to a review
http://www.irishleftreview.org/2009/11/09/book-review-spirit-level-equal-societies/
Sorry for the red herring GM. There was nothing to look up really Sic em as in "SIC HIM Fang" like the skangers say before letting go of the leash and REX cos u the man at the top.
PB
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