Image via Wikipedia This Evening the House of Commons will be debating the Loans to Ireland Bill which will allow the United Kingdom to give a loan of £3,250 million to Ireland. The plan is that the bill will finish off all stages today. It will pass the Committee stage in the whole House. Already today the issue has been raised four times in the House of Commons. The first time by Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood,...
So I deliberately didn’t write about the budget yesterday. I was too annoyed and I would write the wrong thing. But today, I am a little calmer. This post is about how the budget affects me, expect broader posts as the week go on. Basically this is a rant! Overall I am not happy with the budget. That is fairly obvious. While I myself am not massively hit straight away, my pay package from the 1st of January will...
Image via Wikipedia So I am just home from another night on the canvass. It was an interesting experience, but quote an uplifting one on a number of fronts. One was the response we got on the doorstop. Yes, while it was mainly anti-Government there was some very Pro-FG responses. Others wanted to complain and were eventually brought around. The other reason it was uplifting was the Christmas decorations on all the houses. Lots of houses were all set...
Whitebox have an interesting prediction competition for the next Dáil. Fullhouse is an interesting tool to try and guess who will be elected in each constituency. There is talks of prizes, but I would have done it anyway! I have managed to finish off my prediction have come up with the following results: Fine Gael 75 Labour 40 Fianna Fail 31 Sinn Fein 10 Independents 6 United Left Alliance 4 There are some interesting stats also on the website...
Image by Rick Payette via Flickr The latest opinion poll by Red C due to be published in tomorrow’s Irish Sun makes for sombre reading for members of Fianna Fail. According to the poll, they will come fourth in an General Election, as now Sinn Fein as more support then Fianna Fail. The results of the poll are as follows: Fine Gael 32% Labour 24% Sinn Fein 16% Fianna Fail 13% Others 11% Green Party3% When this is translated...
I am living my rights Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise. Related Posts: World AIDS Day 2010 – I am Living My Rights I am Well I am Safe
I am living my rights Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise Related Posts: World AIDS Day 2010 – I am Living My Rights I am Well
I am living my rights Stop AIDS. Keep The Promise. Related Posts: World AIDS Day 2010 – I Am Living My Rights
Image via Wikipedia STOP AIDS. KEEP THE PROMISE It is that time of year again. That Day when the worlds focus is on HIV/AIDS. The Day where we hope that the following year will be different. That maybe HIV infections will decrease. That maybe HIV won’t be passed on from mother to child. That maybe by listening people may change their habits and not be infected. That maybe we will find a cure. It is a day of hope....
Image via Wikipedia Here is an interesting Press Release I got today from Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil of the European People’s Party. European Union Border Guard System proposed. Simon Busuttil MEP “Europe can no longer look on powerless at emergency situations because it is unable to muster resources or pool assets.” Simon Busuttil MEP Simon Busuttil MEP is proposing the establishment of a European Union Border Guard System that would bolster the EU’s external border agency, Frontex. Busuttil presented...
Image via Wikipedia A meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee has concluded that, “Croatian Accession negotiations can be concluded in the first half of 2011 provided that Croatia meets all the outstanding closing benchmarks in the remaining chapters.” Swedish EPP MEP, who co-chairs the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee stressed the importance to the Balkans of Croatia joining the EU. “Both for the EU and for the region, it is important that the conditionality linked to a credible EU...
Image via Wikipedia During the Local and European Elections back in 2009 I tried to keep a bit of Canvass Diary to chart the mood and feelings and experiences on the Canvass Trial. For the upcoming General Election I plan to try and post about what is happening on the ground, where ever I end up canvassing! So my General Election campaign started today with a canvass for Senator Jerry Buttimer in Cork South Central. We started in an...
Image via Wikipedia Today’s Editorial in the Irish Independent asks for that the following occurs, On December 7, the Dail must pass the Budget. Then the Finance Bill should go through with unprecedented speed, to clear the way for the General Election. Most people would agree that that is the way that the Government should be planning things, if the budget passes. But are they? According to Leo Varadkar TD, they are not. Under Fianna Fáil’s plan, there are...
Image by Landahlauts via Flickr So last night it finally happened. We formalised the bailout. We are taking an €85 billion loan. We will be paying an interest rate of about 5.8%. We will be loaning money to ourselves. Yes, you read that last line right. €17.5 billion will be coming for the National Pension Reserve Fund and the other cash on hand funds. Who’s fault is this? The Banks. €35 billion of this is for them. €50 billion...
Image via Wikipedia Charlie Flanagan TD has flagged up an interesting article in Bunreacht na hEireann on Facebook which could cause a headache for the Government. The Constitution in Article 29.5.2 states The State shall not be bound by any international agreement involving a charge upon public funds unless the terms of the agreement shall have been approved by Dáil Éireann. This will lead to a few interesting days in the Dáil chamber. The Bailout cannot be drawn down...
Image via Wikipedia And the results of the final count after Pringle’s votes are distributed: Doherty, Pearse SF +1709 (16897) O’Neill, Barry FG +869 (8102) Ó Domhnaill, Brian FF +433 (8069) Non-Transferable +805 (2135) As neither O’Neill or Ó Domhnaill can reach quota, Pearse Doherty has been declared elected. He is now a TD. It is interesting also to see that Fine Gael’s Barry O’Neil managed to finish up in 2nd place. Granted only by30 odd votes, but that...
Image via Wikipedia And the results of the third count, distribution of McBreaty’s 3,375 votes, are as follows: Doherty, Pearse SF +1452 (15,188) Ó Domhnail, Brian FF +278 (7,636) O Neill, Barry FG +871 (7,313) Pringle, Thomas Ind +272 (3,763) Non-Transferable +1298(1,330) As no candidate has reached the quota, Thomas Pringle is eliminated. I think Pearse Doherty will be elected on this the fourth count. Related articles Donegal South West: Count 2 (stephenspillane.com) Donegal South West: Count 1 (stephenspillane.com)...
Image by jaqian via Flickr No major changes after the 2nd count, but here are the current standings: Doherty, Pearse, SF +17 (13,736), Ó Domhnaill, Brian FF +4 (7,348), O’Neill, Barry FG +18 (6,442) Pringle, Thomas Ind +9 (3,447), McBrearty, Frank Lab +53 (3,419), Non-Transferrable 32 McBrearty has been eliminated and his vote of 3,3419 is being distributed among the remaining candidates. With Doherty being 3,477 votes behind quota this will probably go to the 4th count. Related articles...
The results from ElectionsIreland.org As expected Doherty as topped the poll. Unexpectedly Labour’s Frank McBreaty has come 4th with the Independent Thomas Pringle beating him by 90 votes on the first count. It will be interesting if he gets eliminated on the 2nd count! For the second count Ann Sweeney (Ind/New Ireland) has been eliminated and her 133 votes are being distributed. Some may see Barry O’Neills result as being a poor one, but the fact that he is...
Image via Wikipedia Some interesting results from sources tonight in Donegal South West on an exit poll conducted there today. While voting during todays by-election was down on the 60% that voted in 2007, turnout today is expected to have been between 30 and 40%. The results of the exit poll circulating among politics heads are as follows: Pearse Doherty (SF) 33% Brian Ó Domhnaill (FF) 21% Frank McBrearty (Lab) 19% Barry O’Neill (FG) 18% Thomas Pringle (Ind) 8%...
Image via Wikipedia The Taoiseach and other Government Ministers can say what they want, but Stephen Kinsella posted this video up which may jog some memories. They certainly saw this coming and the ERSI was not alone in warning us about the fact that we were in for a hard landing. Ye are fooling no one lads. Its time to change the record on that one. Related articles Irish bailout: could the bill exceed €200bn? (guardian.co.uk) Greens saw red...
Image via Wikipedia I got this in the email account today and could be of interest to UK Readers. It is our pleasure to announce ‘Rethinking Dialogue’, an international event aimed at reassessing approaches to building cross-cultural relations within the UK and across societies in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Tuesday, 7th December 2010 (Registration from 9.30) One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London www.rethinkingdialogue.org ‘Rethinking Dialogue’ begins with the UK launch of the Anna Lindh Report 2010, a pioneering study...
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