The Indo proves its worth again

The Indo is doing exactly the same thing that TV3 did re Lenihan. Hypocrisy much?

A senior government source said: "TV3 was a total disgrace, at one stage speaking of the minister in the past tense. That was the most disgraceful broadcast I have ever heard."

The station's political editor Ursula Halligan reported: "It's shocking news for members of the public. Brian Lenihan was... eh, is regarded as one of the more popular members of the Government."

A spokesman for the Department of Finance last night felt obliged to issue a statement on the health of Mr Lenihan as a result of mounting speculation throughout the day that he is seriously ill.

Several of Mr Lenihan's Cabinet colleagues did not want to publicly comment on the manner in which TV3 News handled the report because, they said, the Finance Minister had not yet publicly confirmed the nature of his illness, reported by TV3 to be pancreatic cancer.

Broken promises: Ireland’s 2010 Budget exploits the vulnerable

I've a new post on GlobalComment

“The worst is over,” said Minister of Finance Brian Lenihan on 9 December on the presentation of the 2010 Budget. It is actually truly astounding that the Irish Government believes that the worst of the recession is over. The number of people signing on the Live Register of the Unemployed is still increasing. The number of people living in poverty is rising. The number of people unable to pay their bills is rising. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has reported a fourfold increase in people applying for food assistance. The worst is certainly not over.

The rhetoric of “everyone sharing the pain” has popped up in every conversation about the financial state of the nation in the lead up to Budget 2010. Another very soundbite was “protecting the vulnerable in society,” and it was emphasized to the hilt. Everyone was in favour of protecting the vulnerable. There was a consensus. In forty minutes, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan demonstrated that the Irish government does not care about people living in poverty, or the need for hospital beds or the sharing of pain, and most especially not protecting the vulnerable. Lenihan and the Irish Government are protecting the least vulnerable.

Continue reading...

Doomsday

It's done. No job creation. No stimulus. Just more pain. Reduction in child benefit, disability allowance. More taxes - fuel and carbon. Lenihan has essentially invited those who can, to kindly depart the country.

Hopeless, jobless and emigrating - wonderful combo there Lenihan, you ignorant asshole.

No provision for transport, broadband, electricity development. No mention of the glut sucker Anglo.

This is so frustrating. So many vested interests and corruption and Lenihan caters to every single no.

Will type more when not so angry

Another endorsement for Lemonade

From Irish Election

Brian Lenihan’s credibility takes a further dent as he comes bottom of the pile in this year’s ranking of top EU finance ministers by the Financial Times

Ah a finance minister to be proud of!

NaNo time

I will not be posting regularly this month as I am taking part in NaNoWriMo. No doubt Ireland will continue failing to behave as a modern European state and there'll be plenty to discuss in December, especially with 



and



steering this ship of fools.

Corruption most blatant

In yesterday's Irish Times The Ceann Comhairle defends his lavish approach to public money

Commenting on the expenses incurred by John O’Donoghue, former minister for tourism and now Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, the department said “every effort is made to secure the best possible rates” for Ministers and their delegations. The statement was in response to a Sunday newspaper report that documents released under the Freedom of Information Act showed Mr O’Donoghue, his wife Kate Ann and his private secretary, ran up a travel bill of more than €100,000 over a period of two years.

In addition to the expenses detailed in the article, it is common knowledge that O'Donoghue takes a helicopter to Kerry if he's going home of an evening and has his state car drive down from Dublin to pick him up. Likewise he sends the state car down to Kerry to pick up his wife if she fancies a day in Dublin. All this at the taxpayers expense.

I thought we got rid of a ruling class in this country when Ireland became a republic. The truth is simple. Members's of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party have become the ruling class and try the country as their personal treasure chest. The taxpayers are the peasants, to be disregarded and mocked as the government places taxes and levies that could be likened to pre-revolutionary France. Well France had their revolution and I think the anger of the Irish people won't be contained for long. The streets may not run red with blood but there may be a few grazes.

The success of Fianna Fáil can be explained in part by the Irish Press. Owned by Dev and his family, it was never critical of the FFers or their policies. A perfect little propaganda machine.

Dev killed our economy and impoverished our parents and grandparents. Dev and all the Taoisigh since him permitted the industrial schools to continue despite extensive reports of abuse. In fact, Ministers for Education disappeared complaints and the entire text of the Cussen report from public records. Lenihan Senior was involved in dismissing complaints too.

Think of Haughey. He had a private island, an estate and racehorses all on a TD, Minister or Taoseach's salary. How is such a thing possible. It is not of course but the journalists of the day did not dare to cross the Short Fella.

How many Fianna Fáil TDs have made Irish politics into a hereditary dynasty? Let's list them

• Cowen
• Lenihan
• Coughlan
• O Cuiv
• Kitt
• Andrews
• O Flynn
• Ahern
• Connolly
• Brennan
  

They have been brought up with the arrogance of petty privilege and the perceived entitlement to rule. We the people have bought their line of bullshit but people have become so disillusioned with the state of Irish government that it is easier to emigrate and be a success elsewhere that try and provoke change in this country. Good people will not stand for election because the ruling elites have the money, power and backing of their party.

I was supporting a candidate for the European elections. A bright guy with policies of change. The truth is that it was extremely difficult to get any publicity or to get on or be given any time on The Last Word, The Right Hook, Drive Time, Prime Time, Pat Kenny Show, Morning Ireland or any of the national newspapers or television current affairs programmes. I know because I phoned every day to try and make it happen. Instead the media focused on Ganley, the candidate with the money and the standing MEP's opinions about Ganley. It's easier to serve on the International Criminal Court than to get heard in Ireland without a political party.

People like O'Donaghue are taking advantage of public money because they can. Because they consider themselves elite. Because the people of Ireland are given little choice in the elections. Just consider this:

John O'Donoghue, his wife Kate Ann, and his private secretary Therese O'Connor ran up a travel bill of over €126,000 in the space of just two years.

Among the expenditure were a series of €900-a-night hotels, €7,591 on "airport pick-ups" during a two-day trip to London, €120 for hat rental, €250 for water taxis and €80 to "Indians for moving the luggage".

On one luxurious trip to Venice, the former arts minister, his wife and the civil servant ran up hotel bills of €5,834 at the Albergo San Marco, the Hotel Cipriani and the San Clemente Palace. The ministerial entourage travelled to Italy by government jet, where they were collected by a private airport boat and taken to their luxury accommodation.

He is not even trying to hide the bill padding. And that's what corruption has come to in Ireland. Why bother hiding it when there are no consequences to such spending, never mind the othering of the luggage handlers - "Indians for moving the luggage" indeed.

One of the main contributing factors to our current economic shitstorm is that Lenihan nationalised Anglo Irish Bank. Now he said he did so because the bank was of systemic importance. Of course, he said that he didn't read that part of the report

Brian Lenihan came under intense political pressure last night, following his admission that he only learned about the transfer of €7 billion to Anglo Irish Bank last month, even though his department informed the Financial Regulator about the issue last October.

... Stressing that he only learnt about the issue last month, he said the money transfer was not identified as a risk factor in the 720-page report. “I did not read the report in its entirety but focused on the risk factors outlined therein.”

He added the Taoiseach had not been given a copy of the report. “It was not circulated to the Taoiseach or to other Ministers. I returned any copies I received because I was conscious of the confidential character of the information involved.”

The conclusion is that either Lenihan is criminally incompetent or criminally ignorant. But what if there was another possibility? The real reason why Anglo was nationalised, aside from bailing out Fianna Fáil' developer buddies and getting kickbacks?

Someone I know was serving at a Fianna Fáil banquet two years ago. What is interesting is that all the bills were paid by cheque. What was more interesting is that all but one cheque were drawn on Anglo Irish Bank. And that is the real reason that Anglo was nationalised. The party's money was tied up in the bank. Lenihan, Cowen and Coughlan would be out in a flash if their grassroots supporters lost their money. FF's motto would seem to be party first, developers second and the country in a distant third.

So Anglo was nationalised. And the country is fucked. We bail out the banks, cut social welfare, put levies on the public service, increase taxes, invent new taxes, levies and charges, cut the already mismanaged and incompetent health service, cut education funding among other austerty measures. Now the taxpayer suffers the consequences of the property bubble, the bailout of the Fianna Fáil developer buddies and the choice to put party before country.

The result is that those of us who have children or plan on procreating have to measure whether it is fair to bring them up in Ireland, knowing that they will be paying for Fianna Fáil's failings in their taxes or emigrating because of a stagnant economy. Is it fair on the children to stay in Ireland? Maybe it's just best to leave once the world economy picks up. Or if you stay, will you stand for election? Let's wrest our country back from the special interest groups and loosen the death grip of the FFers.

Our glorious financial leader

What do you reckon - incompetent or corrupt?




or

Hopeless

No future for us. Ireland's government is robbing the taxpayers. The national debt will take decades to pay off. Our grandchildren will be paying for FF's fuckups. As soon as the world economy improves, so many people will get the fuck out of this country.

All that is left in Ireland is heavy taxation for shitty services, income levies, corrupt government, incompetent news media and unemployment. Why would anyone want to stay?

NAMA is the final poison that will bury this country.

I am utterly without hope.

__

This piece was brought to you by an evil fucking government and a shitty finance minister.

We're not going to be treated like factory workers

Fianna Fáil disdains workers. Fianna Fáil thinks they are too good for accountability, unlike the people who pay their salaries.

The TDs also resented the idea of a swipe card that would keep track of their comings and goings at Leinster House and prevent claims for expenses from absent members.

One TD told party chairman Mr Lenihan: "We're not going to be treated like factory workers clocking in and clocking out."

It's not a surprising opinion but to admit it outside the silver circle is unusual. As, I've said before, taking attendance might be just the ticket to get the TDs to participate in government. A swipe card system is as good as any.

Pity the poor FFers. After all, they only have three months summer holidays. To suggest that they might be accountable to their constituents in a concrete manner is beyond the pale.

Pity the FFers for their outrageous expenses.

Pity the FFers for bailing out the developers.

Pity the FFers for disregarding planning law innumerable times during the boom.

Pity the FFers, that the people demand accountability.

Pity the FFers, who refuse to govern and hand responsibility over to IBEC and the unions and ignore those industries without representation.

Pity the FFers, who give away our natural resources.

Pity the FFers, who do not take the necessary decisions to get our country back.

Pity the FFers who might be "treated like factory workers". It's ok for you and me but not for an FFer.

h/t Irish Election

And this guy is in charge of our finances?

"You're just inciting dislike of politicians here"

Fucking moron.

Nanny state

It's 10:30 on a Saturday night and I want a beer. I'm 30 years old. I don't have the money or the inclination to go out to a pub. The Irish Government has decreed that I can't buy beer after 10 to consume in my home. This is the same government who let the economy spiral out of control, contributed largely to the recession and are now floundering around trying to fix the country. It's time to get them out.

Pissed off with Lenihan *again*

Off with its head

Democracy that is.

When a government uses an out-of-date statute to shut the opposition up, do we still have a democracy in Ireland?

The Irish Times and the Oireachtas Reports have more.

A GUILLOTINE on housing legislation allowed just one minute and 20 seconds for each of the 170 amendments to be dealt with, Labour whip Emmet Stagg told the Dáil in repeated criticism of end-of-term deadlines.

... Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton also rejected the guillotine – the imposition of a deadline for the passage of legislation in the House – and said the Dáil was “entitled to debate the amendments properly”. He said “flashing guillotines everywhere is unhelpful to Dáil business”.

Mr Stagg said “the guillotine will allow one minute and 20 seconds for each amendment tabled. Our assembly is supposed to debate and correct legislation... What the Government is doing is unconstitutional, because there’s no case for the guillotines.”

He said it was not the function of the executive to make law and tell the Dáil to rubber stamp it in a couple of minutes.”

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said the Bill was initiated and discussed extensively in Seanad Éireann. It has been before the Dáil since the new year”

Mr Stagg: “Some 100 new sections were stuck into it one week ago. The Minister should not pretend that the Bill has been debated for a year.”

Lenihan is fiddling as Ireland bleeds.

Dear Leader

Please explain the astronomical petrol prices. When oil was $140 a barrel, the price at the pump was around €1.35. Now oil prices have dropped to around $70 a barrel but now the average price of petrol per litre is €1.16.

Now I know there are various costs but seriously?

The people at Pumps.ie break that price down

Current average petrol price: 116.9
Current Vat: 20.69c/litre
Fixed Duty: 50.79c/litre
Government take: 71.48c/litre
Cost before tax & duty: 45.42c/litre
Retailer & distributor margin (est): 11c/litre
Base petrol price (est): 34.42

Seriously? €0.45 tax on each and every litre going into the government coffers and Lenihan still can't balance the budget?

We're doomed.

Fianna Fail(ed) obituary

Received through text message. Author unknown.

The Soldiers of Disaster (nee Soldiers of Destiny) 1926-2009

Savaged to death at local and European elections.

Deeply regretted by builders, developers, bankers and cowboys everywhere.

Remains reposing in large tent on Galway racecourse.

Funeral mass tomorrow, at the Church of Bertie The Chancer.

Burial afterwards in the Golden Circle Cemetary.

No flowers please, brown envelopes only.

When Lenihan comes around

New take on a Johnny Cash classic - "When Lenihan comes around" (MP3)

Bludget 2009

Bludget day

I'm sure the Marian Finucane meant budget but bludget is appropriate. Lemonade Lenihan will probably bludgeon the people of Ireland with taxation, cuts in social welfare, VAT hikes and plenty of belt-tightening a la Haughey in the 80s

I wish to talk to you this evening about the state of the nation's affairs and the picture I have to paint is not, unfortunately, a very cheerful one. The figures which are just now becoming available to us show one thing very clearly. As a community we are living away beyond our means. I don't mean that everyone in the community is living too well, clearly many are not and have barely enough to get by, but taking us all together we have been living at a rate which is simply not justified by the amount of goods and services we are producing. To make up the difference we have been borrowing enormous amounts of money, borrowing at a rate which just cannot continue. A few simple figures will make this very clear...we will just have to reorganise government spending so that we can only undertake those things we can afford.

Let's hope third time is the charm for Lemonade Lenihan and that he actually makes an effort to make his banking, property developer and assorted other buddies pay for a situation they created.

Follow the fun on twitter #bludget

Our glorious financial leader

brings in an advisor three weeks before the third state budget

ONE OF the country’s leading economists, Dr Alan Ahearne, has been appointed economic adviser to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, just three weeks before one of the most important budgets in the history of the State.

Dr Ahearne, who has written for The Irish Times on economic issues over the past few years, was one of the first economists in the country to warn that the property bubble would crash, with devastating consequences for the economy.

Yeah I have every confidence in the government \sarcasm

Ooopsies

Lenihan fucks up again. Can we please have a new Minister for Finance now?

Embattled Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has admitted that his decision to increase the VAT rate in last October's budget was a "serious mistake" which has cost the state over €700m in lost trade to the North.

...

His startling concession comes a few weeks after Tanaiste Mary Coughlan admitted in an interview with this newspaper that the VAT increase had been a "total disaster".

Guests at the event said Mr Lenihan appeared to be "incredibly relaxed" and ad-libbed most of his address to the 150 people at the business lunch. Other senior Fianna Fail figures in attendance at the dinner included Eoin Ryan MEP and Michael Woods.

... the minister said: "If I have one act of contrition -- I should not have interfered with the VAT rates. It was a mistake and the wrong thing to do. We have lost €700m in revenue going to the North."

...

In an extensive interview with this newspaper, Mr Dempsey said: "We made the best decisions we could at the time with the information available. A lot of the time you get it right and you carry on. Some of the times you get it wrong, and you should say you got it wrong."

No shit Sherlock

Screwed

We are so very screwed.

Among the measures included in an options paper prepared for Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin on ways of tightening eligibility for welfare schemes are:

- Means-testing payments for dependants of recipients of social insurance-based payments, such as the job seeker’s benefit, carer’s benefit and State contributory pension;

- Abolishing the entitlement to two social welfare payments at the same time, eg lone parent’s allowance, the half-rate carer’s allowance and widow/widower’s payments

- Abolishing or reducing additional allowances, such as the “living alone allowance”, paid to older people on social welfare;

- Axing the universal entitlement of over-70s to household benefits such as a free TV licence; telephone allowances; electricity allowances;

- Reducing payments such as fuel allowance and household benefits such as electricity and gas benefits.

Cos slashing the payments of vunerable people is what this government does best. Out, vile jelly! Where is thy lustre now?

h/t Cedar Lounge