Monthly Archives: November 2009
It has begun
So I was out taking Bastardface for a good long walk and had just managed to pull him away from a group of hooded youths (one of whom he tries to eat every time because he’s a horrible blond gonna-be-rapist … Continue reading
The floods and that
Surely it’s obvious to everyone now that building on flood plains is a bad idea. These developers were stupid though. They should have just built skyscrapers where the two bottom floors were a swimming pool. That way if there was … Continue reading
Quote of the year
Last night on the week in politics, Mary White, deputy leader of the Green Party, was talking about how they had, in a Sunday Business Post poll, gained 2%. They now have 5%. Amazing, considering what a pack of feckless … Continue reading
Something to brighten up Friday
Brilliance from The Onion (via Irish URLs). Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.
Depressing
The last 48 hours have been depressing. Despite huge disaffection with the government, the disgrace that is NAMA, the bankers riding roughshod over the rules now that they’ve got their bailout, the public and private sector workers being set against … Continue reading
Stick to rugby, Bock
Ireland went out of the World Cup last night when Thierry Henry cheated and France scored. Of course emotions run high and it’s easy to point the finger of blame at one man when that misses the big picture entirely. … Continue reading
Do you know what’d be awesome?
If you were a bank worker and you got wind that you were going to be subjected to one of those ubiquitous ‘Tiger kidnappings’, and using your advance warning you went and stayed in a hotel that night and filled … Continue reading
Have AIB just pulled a fast one?
AIB announces new managing director is to be: a) appointed from within despite a search for an outside candidate that apparently found nobody suitable for the job b) to be paid more than the €500,000 per annum cap Minister Lenihan … Continue reading
Young Greens just like Old Greens
Hands up here who would allow themselves be lectured to by a 22 year old student in NUI Galway about the state of chassis the country is in? Not many hands. Yet you, you, have left a certain 22 year … Continue reading
Expenses problem solved
You know, for all the complaining and belly-aching, it makes me glad that I live in a country where justice is meted out as efficiently and effectively as it is here in Ireland. Not a few short weeks ago we … Continue reading
You know, for all the complaining and belly-aching, it makes me glad that I live in a country where justice is meted out as efficiently and effectively as it is here in Ireland. Not a few short weeks ago we were up in arms about TDs expenses and the fact they were, almost to a man, claiming money for all kinds of stuff without having to provide reciepts for anything.
Then we got rid of John O’Donoghue as Ceann Comhairle and now the whole problem is solved. Well, I assume it is because nobody’s talking about it anymore, are they? No. Now it’s Public Service v Private Sector in preparation for the inevitable civil war. It’s teacher against plumber, Garda taking on shop worker, Fireman vs waiter and nurse against hairdresser.
Let’s give credit where it’s due. We couldn’t have this kind of battle if we were all worried and outraged about politicians expenses so big up to the Gubbernment for sorting that out with such alacrity.
When the budget is released in December and we are taxed to the hilt to pay for the mistakes and the greed and the fraud perpetrated on the people of this country by a very small few we’ll be able to take solace in the fact that politicians have led by example. We can be proud that they got their own house in order first before telling us what to do, eh?
What a good example they will set by taking a pay cut. ‘Hey! Look at us. We’re prepared to take a hit … now it’s your turn’, and we’ll know deep in our hearts that they can no longer offset any pay cut by simply bumping up their unvouched expenses. We’ll take comfort, as we munch our freezing cold gruel, that TDs no longer get an extra payment for simply turning up to work, that those overnight stay expenses have been shelved and all the other perks that they enjoyed in boom time have been consigned to history.
We can look the UK where they’re engaged in the costly process of prosecuting some MPs for fiddling their expenses and we can feel sorry for them. Sorry that they don’t have a system like ours. Sorry that they have to go to the bother of finding replacements for those in public office who have systematically defrauded the people they were elected to represent. As we go toe to toe with our defined benefit pension enemies, for once we can look down our noses at the English because we solved all our problems by taking a gammy cloak and a gavel away from one man.
Damn, we’re good.