Blogger spam filter not working - evidently

Blogger's spam filter is crap, it really is.   This blog gets spam comments in the hundreds every day: and it takes a while to sift through them all just in case there is a valid comment among them.  

Much of the spam is the very same stuff over and over again.  Blogger's filter is supposed to recognise it and put it all into the spam folder.   It's supposed to be trainable and remember what you mark as spam and what you mark as genuine.

As trainable goes, it is more Odie than Lassie. 

Quite often I get emails from regular readers asking why their comments have not been published.  The reason, invariably, is because Blogger has decided their comments are spam  while designating  the same penis enlargement ones as legitimate, time and time again. (How are they onto me, anyway? I suppose that's targeted marketing for you).

So now, as an experiment, I have activated word verification.  

This uses the CAPTCHA system - unfortunately a Blogger default -  a thing usually so unintelligible that humans cannot read it, never mind spam robots.  

CAPTCHA usually results in a would-be commenter leaving bloody tufts of his/her ripped-out hair in the vicinity of the keyboard... and no comment to boot.  But I notice it seems to have improved, so we'll try it for a while and see how it goes.

Just type in what you see (letters and numbers) without a space in between.  If you get an attempt wrong the next one should be a bit easier to read.  

It's a bit of a pain, but hopefully not too much so.  

You can email me (address to the left somewhere) and let me know how you are getting on.



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John Delaney's salary - it's that Irish L'Oréal thing again

Last Friday's 0-0 result away to Sweden wasn't a bad one, and the Irish team played with a level of application last seen under Jack Charlton.  

I wasn't going to bother switching on the TV, to be honest - Republic of Ireland games have been drab, dour affairs under Trapattoni - a manager who can't communicate with his players and whose sell-by-date is well past its time.

The Football Association of Ireland appointed Trapattoni amid much fanfare in May 2008, some thought it a master stroke by John Delaney, head honcho at the FAI.   Ireland qualified for the European Championship finals in 2012, but were humilated at every match in a tough group.  

You would think Delaney capable of master-strokes, given the salary he draws from the FAI, a notoriously inept organisation.  According to Michael Clifford in today's Sunday Times, Delaney's wages amount to €360,000 per annum.   He was previously on €400,000 before straitened times saw staff being laid off and Delaney feeling the pain by taking a pay cut.

€360,000 is still a hell of a lot of money.  The head of Spanish Football Angel Maria Villar, for example, is on €152,000.   Spain, by the way, are the current World Cup and European Championship holders.

Go figure.


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Pat Rabbitte and Skrine Hill residents on windfarms - contrasting views

It is one thing to make dismissive comments about the phenomenon known as NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yardism), but would you want one of these monstrous wind turbines close to your home?  

I mean, it is one thing to knowingly move into an area with eyes - and ears - open to any potential sources of disturbance in the area; but to live somewhere previously unspoilt, only to have a disturbance plonked right next to you must be hard to take.  


What struck me about the following feature was the genuine distress of the two residents affected by a windfarm constructed nearby - you can see how close in the video - and the genuine arrogance of Pat Rabbitte. 

What, exactly is Pat's definition of "unobstrusive"?  

Not in his backyard, I suppose.





*PS.  Captions are Gombeen Nation's, not RTE's.


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Alternative Irish national anthem – Happy Paddy's Day!

New version of above video here

A bit late for Paddy's Day but here we go.  The blog's very own revised national anthem.  Four tracks -  drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitar.  Mercifully, no vocals.

Stand up now!

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Pat Rabbitte and RTE to extend licence fee to those without TV

"...RTE took advertising from the start [in addition to the licence fee].  It was therefore something of a hybrid.

The element of top-down control was a comfort to the political elite as well.  The Lemass government made no bones about its view that RTE should be an arm of the state..."

(A Brief History of Ireland, Land, People, History.  Richard Killeen)


Not surprising then, to find that ex-Stalinist Pat Rabbitte thinks we should all pay an RTE licence fee, even if we do not look at the state broadcaster's mix of light "entertainment' dross and Official Ireland bollocksology.  Even if we do not possess a TV, in fact.  



Broadcast charge to hit all homes – even those with no TV
Michael Brennan Deputy Political Editor – 27 February 2013.  Irish Independent  3/12/13 

EVERY household will have to pay a new "broadcasting charge" even if they do not own a television.

The move is intended to take account of the fact that many households are now watching RTE and TG4 programmes on their laptops and smartphones – and do not
need to own a television. But it will also hit households who do not have any computer or television.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte confirmed in the Dail that it was his intention to get every household to pay the new broadcasting charge, even if they did not
own a "device".

"In short, everyone benefits from the availability of these services, regardless of how content is accessed or relayed to the public and, therefore, it is my view that the
cost should be borne by society as a whole," he said.

RTE has estimated that up to 15pc of households do not pay the TV licence fee – even though 99pc of houses have a TV.

It currently gets around €180m per year from the licence fee – and could see this increase by a further €25m if the new broadcasting charge is collected from all households.

Mr Rabbitte said that an independent group was carrying out a value‐for‐money review on the new broadcasting charge, which is due to be completed at the end of next month. It will have to make recommendations on the best way to collect the charge.

In the Dail, Mr Rabbitte did not give any specific commitment about when the charge would be introduced. It is not expected that it will be any higher than the current
TV licence fee of €160 per year.

Currently, the lion's share of the licence fee revenue is given to RTE, which received €183m in 2011. TG4 also gets funding and 7pc of the licence fee is put into a fund
for independent broadcast productions...




Maybe RTE and Rabbitte should embrace the digital age in earnest, and make the station a subscription-only service?  

I, for one, would gladly go without. 


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Sally Gap drive in(g) rain

Gone fishin'.   Well, the motoring equivalent anyway. 

It's been pretty quiet here on the blog between one thing and another.  One being Gombeen Nation's attempt to go all multimedia, the other being that we live in a mad country and maybe the easiest thing is to just accept it?  Course of least resistance and all that?   Or should that be "curse"?

One good thing I have always said about Dublin - perhaps the only thing - is that it is easy to get the hell out of the place.  Aeons and aeons ago, I discovered that on my old Vespa PX scooter.  Back in the 80s you might see maybe two or three cars all the way from the Pine Forest to Laragh.  It's busier now, especially at the weekends, but during the week - especially outside summer - it is still pretty quiet.  Much of the time you will have the road to yourself.

Back in the 80s, there was one bizarre occurrence when I saw a posse of Garda motorcyclists emerging out of the wilderness towards me.  Motor insurance was incredibly expensive then, of course, and I'm not sure if mine was, erm, up-to-date at the time.  (Let me point out that all  this was 30 years ago, officer).    

To put insurance costs for two-wheelers in 80s Ireland in perspective, consider the following.  My scooter cost me about £700 (Punts).  A year's insurance (third-party only) cost £503.  I was on about £80 a week... before tax.  A lot of young people took their chances.

Anyway, I got a bit of a fright to be honest, but thankfully they were more interested in trying to look like "CHiPS"  to be bothered with a passing young mod on a scooter who was also trying to learn his trade.  

Just a couple of short years after that, I headed off to London, got a job, and bought a brand-new Kawasaki GT 750.   The insurance was £193 for third party fire-and-theft.  And I was suddenly on £10,000.  One thing I did miss, however, was being able to get away from it all - you nearly had to take the motorbike up to Scotland for that.

So, as I've said before, the Military Road is a great place for getting away from it even today.  Its a good place to drive/motorcycle/cycle too,  as you can see what is coming for miles on the undulating roads that wind like asphalt ribbons through the brooding hills.  Poetic, eh?  Or bullshitty - there's a subtle difference.

Getting  away to the Wicklow hills is a great way of  blowing the soot of the city from your soul.   The only downside is the bumps, which seem to be more in number every visit.  The road was, of course, constructed by the British military under the guidance of Charles Cornwallis between 1800-1809, atop blanket bog, so I suppose it is not the best environment for longevity.

According to Michael Fewer's "The Wicklow Military Road", the road was constructed by first excavating, then  "laying down a bed of timber logs, on top of which layers of stones were compacted, and the surface finished in gravel".   Fewer cites a local sheep farmer who saw the road opened up some years ago to a depth of 4 metres, and observed that its base was filled with tightly packed bundles of rushes.  It seemed to work though.

You would think that if Cornwallis and Co. managed such a feat of engineering in the early 19th century, it wouldn't be beyond Wicklow County Council to fill in a few potholes.   But...

Progess, eh?


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Pope job advert - interviews start today

Irish unemployment figures eased marginally over the past six months, according to official CSO statistics.   But there are still plenty of people on the brew and plenty more attending international job fairs, desperate to get work and, as a bonus, get the feck out of this place.  It's like the 80s all over again.

Anyone interested in working abroad could do worse than throw their zucchetto into the ring for the job advertised below.

Note to An Post workers:  you're going to be very busy for the next while..

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Irish government scraps disability grants in the interests of equality

Hypocrisy is one of the most strongly developed qualities here in Ireland.  91 years of mistaking myth and fantasy for fact has seen to that. 

So when kiddies were being buggered by priests, and otherwise tortured by nuns, we didn't have things like divorce or extramarital sex.

Sinful, you see.

And Paddy and Mary happily supplied the human cargo that went to the Magdalene Laundries, the industrial schools, and the Christian Brothers.  And they went to mass at least once a week -  more if they were especially pious.

The bollocksology that was  Dev's 1937 Constitution - which some still consider sacred  - made a language the vast majority of us don't speak (and those who do are English speakers anyway) the state's first official one.

It also claimed jurisdiction over the entire island - something that will never happen as Irish nationalism/"republicanism" ignores the inconvenient existence of a large number of "Prods" up north who don't  subscribe to Catholic/Gaelic identity.   Then it gave the Catholic Church a "special place" in the life of the state. 

Paddy and Mary think they are very trendy indeed, now that they don't go to mass anymore. A bit like  Ming Flanagan thinking smoking pot is oh-so-counterculture.   It was in  the Sixties, Ming.  Get with it, maaaan!   

Paddy and Mary still like the trappings of Mother Church when it comes to weddings and funerals though.  They still can't quite kick the habit.  Or cassock.

You know what we're saying here.  Poor old P&M are always trying to overcome their instilled beliefs to play catch-up with the rest of the world.  The developed part, anyway. 

And what about this?  Enda Kenny and shyster  Minister for Heath James Reilly doing away with disability and mobility allowances without so much as a by-your-leave, rather than extend it to those over 65..  Ostensibly in the interests of equality.  

Let's see how quickly they "roll-out" their replacement scheme, and how many truly vulnerable people lose out in what is most likely another cynical stealth cut.

Irish Independent, 27 February 2013

THE Government has come under intensifying pressure to reverse shock moves to scrap mobility grants for the disabled.

Opposition parties have described the decision that affects around 5,000 people as scandalous and reprehensible, and have demanded an immediate U-turn.


But Taoiseach Enda Kenny insisted the schemes were illegal, obsolete and discriminatory, and needed to be replaced with a fairer and more appropriate regime.

"These two schemes - the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance - are illegal, are not in conformity with the Disability Act, are not in conformity with the Equal Status Act, and are not in conformity with our constitution," Mr Kenny said.

"We cannot stand over a scheme that is obsolete, that is unfair, that is discriminatory, that is not in compliance with these acts and therefore we have got to deal with it."

Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly had ruled last year that the scheme as it stood was illegal as it was not open to over 65s. She asked for it to be expanded.

The Department of Health accepted the scheme breached equality laws but said it could not afford the €300m to widen eligibility.

Ms O'Reilly publicly criticised Health Minister Dr James Reilly at an Oireachtas committee for refusing to act on her ruling and widen the allowance.

Meanwhile, Age Action warned scrapping the schemes would have a huge impact on thousands of low-income people who depend on them.

Spokesman for the charity Eamon Timmins said the Government must have a replacement allowance lined up for after the last payments are made.

"Failure to have a replacement scheme agreed within four months will result in severe financial hardship 10,000 people with a disability, and this is totally unacceptable," Mr Timmins said.

The Centre for Independent Living said the Government's decision was an attack on the rights of disabled people, and that the move would make them prisoners in their own homes.

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I'm an Irish aboriginal. Ireland – Land, People, History by Richard Killeen. An excellent read.

You know the way cultural nationalists/Gaelic revivalists try to use the argument of primary possession to justify their plans to turn the clock back?

"We" spoke Gaelic before "we" spoke English, "we Gaels" were here before the Vikings/Normans/Scots settlers/Anglo Saxons were here...  you know the guff.

Well I am an Irish aboriginal if I'm not a descendent of any of the above.  It's the only way I can explain why, even as a child, I never had any truck with our state's definition of official Celtic Irishness. 


I've just finished reading a fascinating work called "Ireland, Land, People, History" by Richard Killeen, bought recently in Chapters of Parnell Street – the country's best bookstore. 

Killeen describes how Ireland was inhabited for about 6,000 years before the Celts, who started arriving about 500 BC,  displacing the country's original inhabitants – the people who gave us Newgrange, among other ancient marvels of our pre-Celtic heritage.   Down with the Celtic invader! Down with Celtic Imperialism!

There you have it then, the first instance of primary possession -  the Irish aboriginals.  I trace my contrariness back to them. 

There are other interesting snippets in the book too, which is nearly conversational in tone at times.  Did you know that the Orange Order was opposed to the Act of Union, for instance?  That Protestant women and children were rounded into a barn which was then set alight by so-called "republican" United Irishmen at Scullabogue, Wexford, during the 1798 rebellion?    No doubt you've only heard of Boolavogue, and Father Murphy and all the rest.   And here's the author's take on de Valera:

"De Valera was a romantic reactionary.  He believed in the moral superiority of the small family farm, of simple rural life over urban life, of an Ireland living as far as possible in seclusion from the world and steering her own course.  

The net effect of all this was the the Republic of Ireland (as it was formally declared in 1949) was the only country  in the capitalist world whose economy actually contracted in the post-war years.  

The population of the state declined in the first forty years of independence.  By the late 1950s, the game was up for social and economic self-sufficiency.  This old ideal, which went back to Arthur Griffith's Sinn Fein, had brought the country to its knees".

Killeen cites how over 400,000 Irish people voted with their feet, and got the hell out of the place between 1951 and 1961 alone – from a population of less than 3,000,000.  So much for independence.

"Ireland - Land, People, History" is an excellent read.  I can't remember how much it cost, but it was certainly under a tenner.

Well worth getting yourself down to Chapters for. 


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Recalculating mortgages to reflect current market value?

This morning, wiping the sleep out of my eyes whilst waiting for the kettle water to boil, I could have sworn I heard someone on Morning Ireland say something along the lines of:

"...the Financial Regulator has said that people should be up-to-date on their mortgage payments before taking on other loans.  Mortgage payments should be a priority..."

As stated, I was only half-awake, so perhaps heard it wrong.  But Ireland is such a mad place that anything is possible.  

There is, you see, a suspicion  that many people who are in a position to pay their mortgages simply choose not to, because they don't like being in negative equity.  They also know that repossession rates in Ireland are way behind those of the UK... even for buy-to-let investors.

Now I am not saying that the first letter writer in this week's Irish Times falls into either of the categories above - she pays her mortgage diligently, as evidenced by previous correspondence to that same newspaper - but the missive betrays a certain mindset many in Ireland have in relation to post-bubble property debt.

I am sure there are even buy-to-let investors who borrowed large during the bubble in the hope of making a larger profit.   Would they too think their mortgages should be "recalculated" to take into account current market value? 

And if they succeeded in doing so, who would pick up the tab?   

You know the answer to that, Muggins. 

Irish Times Letters, February 16th

Sir, – At last the Government and the Revenue Commissioners will calculate the true value of my home.
I will send this on to my mortgage provider who can then duly recalculate my mortgage based on this invaluable information. – Yours, etc,

SORCHA DONOHOE,
Sheridan’s Lane,
Lower Dargle Road, Bray,
Co Wicklow.


It has been said that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.  That may or not be, but nevertheless,  the following response by another letter writer is excellent:

Irish Times Letters, February 20th


Sir, – What a fantastic idea from Sorcha Donohoe (February 16th) who wants her mortgage recalculated to reflect the current value of her property. If only she had had that idea years ago, during the property bubble.

If mortgages had been reviewed annually to reflect the value of the property, repayments would have spiralled upwards every month, our banks really would have been the healthiest in Europe and we would never have got into this mess in the first place! 

Of course that is assuming that people would welcome such an arrangement and would be willing to share their gains when property values soar and not just their losses when values plunge. But now that I think about it I don’t remember any similar suggestions in your paper back then. – Yours, etc,

JAMES MARSTON,
Pinewood Avenue,Glasnevin, Dublin 11.

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Fianna Fail largest party in the country according to Sunday Independent poll

Interesting poll in the Sunday Independent.   It seems that Fianna Fail are once again the biggest party in the state, and if an election was called tomorrow, they would be in a position to go into coalition with their natural, fellow "republican" bedfellows, Sinn Fein.  

The article did state they might also favour a reprise of their past coaltion with Labour, which did untold damage to that party after it bed-hopped from Fine Gael's embrace to snuggle up with the Soldiers of Destiny.

So, the biggest party in the country again, only a few short years after bankrupting it. 

 They're a funny lot, the Irish - they'll bang on about The Brits and the supposed 800 years but they'll run out and vote for the very shysters that gave Cromwell a run for his money in the amount of damage they did to dear old Erin... just yesterday, in relative terms. 

And who they hell can you vote for here anyway?  Fine Gael have shown they are no different when it comes to local backyard politics.  James O'Reilly and the primary health centres in his own constuency being one example and Enda Kenny's Mayo being the the beneficary of disproportionate amounts lottery money.  Not to mention his conservatism on abortion rights and all this empty promises, from ending compulsory Gaeilge to abolishing the senate. 

So who do you vote for if you are not a Cyclops nationalist or a public servant?  The former are well catered for by FF and SF.  The latter by FF, SF, FG, Labour, the ULA and the Socialist Party. 

Labour in  particular, would run the country into the ground to preserve FF's original Croke Park deal which the fine Irish proletarians who make up  the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors are threatening to down tools over, if it is touched.  Marx would be very confused, indeed.

There really is little to chose between the Irish parties in many respects, when it comes down to it.  Apart from the fact that one of them did single-handedly bankrupt the country... so by rights Fianna Fail should not even exist any more.

But Paddy and Mary will forgive them that little indiscretion once the other lot have been in power for a term. 

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Wicklow County council tells estate residents to pay developer's fees

The Sunday Business Post recently reported how Wicklow County Council was chasing occupants of an Avoca housing estate for development levies which were unpaid by developer KJK Kilbride, now dissolved.

Even by Irish standards, this is a new low.

Bankers, developers and speculators - both private individuals and companies - have been bailed out, with many failed developers still living the high life even as their loans have been bought at multiples of what they borrowed for is really worth by Nama (read taxpayer).

Likewise, there are many buy-to-let investors sitting on properties and not paying back mortgages, even when they could, as their "investments" have dropped in value.  

Now we have a county council, pleading poverty and a lack of funds, pursuing aspiring owner-occupier mortgage payers for money a developer should have paid before anyone moved into the estate.

For those who did not get involved in pumping up the property bubble back in the day, it seems it is only a lose-lose situation in our crazy little country.  A country where the sensible and prudent are punished while  the reckless and profligate are rewarded.

No wonder they never seem to learn from their mistakes.

The following excellent summary was taken from a poster going by the name of Damus, on Politics.ie

damus

Wicklow County Council Now Targeting Homeowners for Unpaid Development Levies! 

This really takes the biscuit....there's an article in todays SBP by Michelle Devane about how Wicklow County Council is pursuing homeowners for the payment of unpaid development levies that is owed to them by the developer. This move by WCC may have wider implications for other homeowners in similar estates around the country who may find themselves in a similar predicament if WCC are allowed to get away with this.

And this is the reason why I am highlighting this - someone has to say enough is enough - and hopefully the information that I am putting out in the public domain will help these homeowners!

Twenty-four homeowners have received letters of demand from WCC telling them that they will have to pay the unpaid development levies of between €2,300 to €4,803 for Brook Meadow estate in Avoca. The letter demanding payment within 10 weeks also "threatens" them with a fine of up to €13k or up to two years imprisonment for the criminal offence of non-payment .

The firm behind the Brook Meadow Scheme, KJK Kilbride was dissolved last year after the directors of the company sought a voluntary strike-off from the CRO....now I'll come back to this particular point later. While there are 54 houses in the estate, only 24 homeowners have received letters demanding a total payment of €65,260.

WCC told the SBP that the development levies were a charge on the property and not on the developer. Seemingly, WCC seems to think that homeowners have a contractual obligation to pay levies that are unpaid by a developer, which is odd considering the levies are attached to the planning permission which is sought by the developer not the homeowners. The warning letter seeking payment referred to how under "Condition 3" attached to planning permission that WCC was pursuing the developer for the unpaid levies, but that it was also obliged to pursue the property owner for the unpaid levies. Yet condition 3 actually states that "the developer shall pay" the sum of €1,200 per house - nothing about the homeowner actually being liable for the levy!

So the first question is why are the letters demanding payment only being sent to 24 homeowners? Are the remaining properties in the development unsold, with the council expecting the 24 homeowners to pick up the tab for the 30 unsold properties? Perhaps the more interesting point is that WCC maintains that "it is normal practice when purchasing a house to hire professionals to check if there are any obligations pertaining to the property concerned. During such a process, these debts would be flagged at the time of the purchase". Well I am sure that WCC is also aware that it is also normal procedure as part of a voluntary strike off for the directors to seek a Revenue statement clarifying there are no obligations relating to the company seeking a strike-off. It is also normal procedure for a notice to be put in the newspapers notifying all interested parties that the company is seeking a strike-off.

DID REVENUE GIVE THE STATEMENT STATING THAT KJK KILBRIDE WAS CLEAR OF ALL OBLIGATIONS, AND WHY DIDN'T THE MUPPETS IN WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL DO THEIR JOB AND OBJECT TO THE APPLICATION FOR A VOLUNTARY STRIKE-OFF WHEN THE NOTICE APPEARED IN THE NEWSPAPERS?



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Mother Teresa one step closer to sainthood after appearing in fried egg

What a week. 

 The Other Half was bitten by a dog while out for a peaceful walk in the countryside and the PC was incapacitated by a virus pretending to be the police looking for €100 to be sent to a bank account in Russia. 
 
Top tip:  don't turn off your anti-virus software for even a millisecond, no matter how annoying the update-caused chugging of your CPU.  It's not clever.

Computer viruses are no fun, and any solution you will see online will be a load of shite.  You'll only end up taking it to the computer guy in the end, after a whole evening of farting around following forum blind alleys. 

This one was picked up from a dodgy video streaming site - I saw it happen.

  When I say "dodgy", I mean "dodgy" insofar as it wasn't a video streaming site showing Hollywood blockbusters for freepence, it was a bogus site.   Not "dodgy" as in the type of site a certain kind of priest might visit.
 
And now that we're conveniently onto matters religious... 

You will recall that Mother Teresa - friend of murdering chemical companies and assorted dictators, and accordingly beatified by the last Pope -  passed on into the hereafter some years ago?

You might, therefore, be surprised to learn that she recently moved one shuffling step closer to sainthood by appearing in the white of a fried egg a reader was preparing.

If you look to the right of the pic (left) you will plainly see the Wrinkled One gazing serenely outwards.  You can even make out the pattern of that famous tea towel worn humbly above her visage on the detail pic (right).

Bless yourself and genuflect, for it is surely the final sainthood-clinching miracle.  The decider for the boys (for they are boys) in the Vatican.

Gombeen Nation is proud to have been chosen to spread this wonderful news...  a sign that things are looking up after recent travails and torments.

And another world exclusive.

They will be bulling at The Irish Catholic.






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Begging in Dublin... guaranteed Irish

I have long held the view that racism is deeply institutionalised in Ireland.  And when something is institutionalised it means that very few people even notice it.  It permeates all levels of society, from judges to down-and-outs.  

Having lived outside Ireland for many years  - too few, in retrospect  -  I can honestly say that I've never seen someone begging on the streets and trumpeting their nationality in hope of favour.  

The pic below was seen in The Irish Times, Friday, February 1st.

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Paschal Mooney's "non-national" taxi driver remark not isolated example of official ignorance

Here's a little game for you.  Count how many days  elapse before some gobshite gombeen politician  – councillor, senator or TD – says something really stupid (drink driving permits for tractor-driving rural types, for instance) or something incredibly Sixties-Deep-South bigoted (below).

The character pictured left goes by the name of Paschal Mooney –  I confess I'd never heard of him until last week.  

 Apparently he is a Fianna Fail senator for Leitrim and "a popular radio broadcaster and journalist" according to the following account from Sligo Today (24th Jan).  

Last week this fine public representative declared he would not get into a taxi driven by "an obvious non-national".   

When people objected to the nature of his remarks, he then "withdrew" any comments that might be "inferred as being discriminatory in any way".  He called it an apology.

Where else would you get a gobshite like this sitting in public office?   Comments that might be "Inferred as being discriminatory"?  

Here's the Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word "infer":

verb (infers, inferring, inferred)

[with object] deduce or conclude (something) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.

In the light such a definition, Mooney's statement was as explicit as explicit can be – no room for inference.    

Amazing that a public representative and "popular broadcaster" can - one - make such a remark,  and – two – think such an "apology" is acceptable. 

Maybe it is?  At least by the standards we have set in Ireland?

Mooney apologises for non-national taxi driver remark

Leitrim-based Fianna Fáil Senator Paschal Mooney issued an apology to the Seanad yesterday for earlier stating he would not get into a taxi driven by an 'obvious non-national'.

The popular radio broadcaster and journalist said, “I made a personal statement to the house in which I withdrew any comments I made that were to be inferred as being discriminatory in any way and apologised. As far as I am concerned that is the end of the matter,” he said last night.

The Irish Times reported that earlier he indicated he would always seek out a local taxi driver rather than a non-national driver because of his concerns they didn’t know their way around.

“I wasn’t the only one who made reference to drivers particularly in Dublin... who didn’t know their way around,” he said last night.

His comments in the Seanad came when the house was discussing the Taxi Regulation Bill, which passed second stage.

Minister of State for Public Transport Alan Kelly took issue with a claim by Seán Barrett (Ind) that proposed new powers to prevent certain taxi drivers from obtaining or retaining public service vehicle licences amounted to double jeopardy.

Taxi Service Standards

Mr Barrett had criticised a provision in the Taxi Regulation Bill to withhold licences from operators convicted of serious criminal offences.

Mr Barrett contended that the wish of parliament to improve taxi service standards should not be used as a back-door method of reintroducing a limit to licence numbers “which gave us an appalling industry in the past”.

The Minister had stated there were about 6,000 taxi drivers who had some form of criminal conviction.

Mr Kelly said an economic analysis had indicated that there was an oversupply of between 13 and 22 per cent in the current taxi fleet.

The Bill represented the most comprehensive review of taxi regulation carried out in the State and he was confident that its new enforcement provisions would be broadly welcomed by the industry and consumers.

National radio stations ae reporting that Senator Mooney is 'unavailable' for comment this morning.


The following, from the same source, is worth a read too:

Show Racism the Red Card statement on Sen Pascal Mooney’s comments:
A year ago, Darren Scully had to resign as Mayor of Naas Town Council, after his position became untenable when he declared that he would not represent constituents from black African backgrounds.

Pascal Mooney took it a step further in his comments in the Senate where he declared that he would not be discriminatory but that he would not be using taxis driven by what he calls ‘non national’ drivers.

He said: ‘ I’ve been in taxis and I have to say, and I am not being discriminatory here, but it’s nearly always non-nationals.  And it’s got to the point where, quite frankly, and I make no apologies for it, that I will now go to a local driver in preference to somebody who’s a non-national – an obvious non-national, and that has nothing to do with the colour of their skin or anything of that nature’.

In a later statement he said: ‘It’s come to my attention that remarks I made about non- nationals during my contribution on the Taxis Regulation Bill 2013 earlier today have been misinterpreted’. He added: ‘I wish to unreservedly withdraw the remarks and apologise for any offence caused.  I fully acknowledge the contribution of non- nationals to the life of Ireland and I clearly stated at the time that my remarks should not have been misinterpreted as discriminatory to anyone’.

No misinterpretation of remarks
Co-ordinator for Show Racism the Red Card Garrett Mullan said this evening: ‘It seems as though Senator Pascal Mooney will need to make yet another statement of clarification.  While on the one hand he says he is not being discriminatory, on the other he says he will choose a ‘local’ driver over an obviously non- national.

At this point, I would state that the number of people who can be described as non- national is extremely small to the point of insignificance.  We can assume he is talking about drivers who are non- Irish born.

If he is to stand over his statement that he would choose a ‘local’ over a non Irish national, that would be racism and discriminatory action on his part.

If we were to infer that Senator Pascal Mooney would not have an issue with a non-Irish taxi driver, that would be somewhat welcome, if only normal.  However his second statement does not clarify this matter.

His second statement states he withdraws his remarks but states: ‘It has come to my attention, that remarks have been misinterpreted’.

There can be no misinterpretation of comments that are now on the Senate record’.

Mr Mullan added: ‘It is unfortunate that the issue of racism as it affects the taxi trade was not addressed in this legislation.  We have many reports of customers skipping by cars, as Pascal Mooney suggested he would do, to avoid obviously non-Irish drivers.  De-regulation of the taxi trade led to an explosion in the number of drivers.  

This measure happened when Senator’s party was in government.  One affect of this was to make earning living in the taxi trade a lot more difficult, to the point where drivers are working excessively long hours just to earn a living.  As to the issue of the issue of driver standards and knowledge of geography, if this is regarded as essential to the trade, which is reasonable, then it should apply to all drivers’.

Mr Mullan concludes: ‘Non Irish nationals represent over 10% of Ireland’s population.  They work in different areas including the taxi trade and they have the right to work without being subject to discrimination.  There have been repeated reports about how racism affects the taxi trade produced by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, NUI Galway and other media reports.  It would be more helpful to the taxi trade if politicians sought to address this issue, rather than exacerbating it with their own anecdotal notions’.

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The hole at Oranhill Estate, Oranmore, Galway

You have to feel sorry for the people who took on massive mortgages to buy homes - as opposed to "investments" -  during Ireland's world-beating, government-sponsored property bubble.  

Priory Hall, where people are paying mortgages for death-trap properties they cannot even stay in, constructed by ex-IRA property developer Tom McFeely.  I wonder what Connolly would have made of it?

Barnwell, Hansfield, Ongar, where many occupants bought properties on Manor Park and Menolly Homes' promise of a train to Dublin city every 15 minutes.   The road to access Hansfield railway station has never been built, and the few trains that do run on the M3 Parkway-Dublin line go through it without stopping.

Glenn Riada, Longford, where people are in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning and cannot light fires in their fireplaces for fear of explosion.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of other such examples - varying in degrees of severity - in our mad little country, run by gombeens and gobshites for gombeens and gobshites.

Here's another one from Oranhill Estate, Oranmore, Galway.  Posted on You Tube by three young residents.

Big thanks to Conor for bringing this to our attention.

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Kerry publican councillors vote for drink-driving permits

In a country where one gombeen can often only be distinguished from another by the pattern on his flat cap, the following piece from the Irish Examiner should not come as too big a surprise to us..  

In short, the gombeen publican councillors of Kerry voting for special drink 'n' drive permits for their rural constituents/customers.

And no, it's not a joke.



Councillors back rural drink-drive ‘permits’
Donal Hickey,  Irish Examiner, Tuesday, January 22, 2013

A local authority has backed a call for "gardaí permits" to be issued to allow rural dwellers have a drink or two above the legal limits.

Kerry County Council approved a motion to allow "less severe drink driving regulations" for people in rural areas. 

The drink-drive limit is 50mg for all drivers and 20mg for learner or newly qualified drivers. 

However, the council supported a call for rural gardaí to issue permits to allow people in rural areas drive on little-used roads from their local pub after having "two or three drinks" and travelling at very low speeds. 

The motion, put forward by Independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae, was narrowly passed by elected members, although quite a number of councillors abstained. 

The councillor asked for "a special derogation" for rural drivers, including drivers of small tractors, to allow them to have two or three drinks. 

Mr Healy-Rae called for legislation which would allow rural gardaí to issue such permits. 

The councillor, who is a Kilgarvan publican, was supported by other publicans/councillors at the meeting, who insisted they were not acting as vested interests but out of genuine concern for elderly rural dwellers. 

The meeting heard strict drink-driving laws were leading to isolation which, in some cases, was a factor in suicide, said Mr Healy-Rae. 

It was unfair, he said, to impose the same restrictions on fellows with small tractors and jeeps as on commercial lorry drivers. 

"These vehicles wouldn’t be exceeding 30km/h on third-class tertiary roads and cul-de-sacs," Mr Healy-Rae said. 

"There’s no reason a fellow could not drive his small tractor to collect his messages, have a few drinks and go away home." 

Gardaí — if any were to be left in rural areas — would manage the permits, he suggested. 

Fine Gael’s Bobby O’Connell, a Castleisland publican, strongly supported the motion. 

"Rural isolation is a big problem. People are afraid to go out," he said. 

Fianna Fáil councillor and Milltown publican Michael O’Shea agreed, as did Michael Cahill, a Rossbeigh licensee and councillor. 

But Labour’s Gillian Wharton Slattery strongly objected to the linking of suicide with not being able to drink. 

Alcohol and drugs were huge factors in depression which, in turn, contributed to suicide, she stated. 

Most of the councillors abstained in the vote. 

Council officials are now to write to the Department of Justice seeking the introduction of rural permits.


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