Gone to the dogs! July 23, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, Local Politic's, Politics.Tags: John Gormley, Local Government Efficiency Review Group
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A report commissioned by Green Minister John “Gormless” Gormley today proposed hollowing changes to our country that can only be laughed at, until you realise they are serious.
The first proposal includes charging those that don’t pay their road tax online. A totally ageist, even blind proposal. It ignores the reality that many elderly individuals in this state have never used a computer in their lives! It also ignores the reality that many parts of this country doesn’t have broadband. Hence this extra charge is totally unjustified. While I’ll all for raising money to fix the massive hole in the exchequer, this particular idea is totally flawed and should not see the light off day for another 20 years.
A more serious and shocking proposal is the idea to place a toll on the use of “N” roads. An idea I find truly unfathomable. The idea that one would have to pay a toll for the main road from Cork to Clonakilty or Cork to Killarney etc, is absurd and borderline insane. The justification for this idea is that it’s good for the environment. However that is clearly not justification at all. If I live in Bantry and work in Cork City, there is one road (The N71) and therefore I would have no choice but to pay this toll to get to and from work everyday. (Ignoring the reality that parts of this road are dire to say the least) The real point is that there is no alternative. For any shrub out there about to suggest it, the bus service in Bantry is pitiful. Yet this proposal seems very real and very likely. It can only be described as politics gone mad. I can only hope that Gay Byrne has a fit at the idea of Motorists using booreen’s and narrow back- roads to avoid these tolls.
One should also remember that many simply may not be able to afford to pay these charges. Most families are on the bread line. A 4 euro return charge turns into 20 euro a week. The sad reality is that there are many in our society who would be brought into poverty by this simple measure. One should also think about the poor soul who would have to use more than one National road to get to and from work! It’s both insane and saddening to think that things have got to this.
However on a brighter note there are a few decent idea’s. The proposal to merge some County Council Managers is a great innovation. Why it doesn’t go further by merging some Council’s I don’t understand. If they have the balls to propose a toll to anywhere, it seems a little bizarre that they didn’t go and get rid of a few Council’s. I’m sure Colm Mc Carthy would have done it! The report says that senior and middle managers at local authorities should be cut by 15%. Another good idea. Too many chefs spoil the soup as I always say!
This report does raise one key point, that local authorities do need revenue raising powers. Tolling each of their roads is not the way. Things like water and refuse charges should be examined. Along with total political reform. The Bandon electorate area at the last local election had 3 seats while having an electorate of 22,000. The Skibbereen electorate area had an electorate of 27,000 but had 7 seats!! I have no issue with Bandon having 3 seats, but for the other having 7 is insane and should be reduced to slim down our Council’s. Anecdotal evidence would state that we could do with chopping a few Council seats as we simply don’t need them all!
This report was prepared for John Gormley. Implementing some of the above would have to be electoral suicide. Many say the Green’s are gone and face wipe out in 2012. If they go through with some of the above, they most certainly are…the soup is still boiling, but only just.
Green Party: A barren future?
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0723/1224275297847.html
Labour selects candidates for DSE May 25, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, Politics.Tags: Chris Andrews, Dublin South East, Eoghan Murphy, FG, Fine Gael, John Gormley, Kevin Humphreys, LAB, Labour, Lucinda Creighton, Ruairi Quinn
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Kevin Humphries: DSE Candidate
The Labour party has selected its candidates for Dublin South East for the Next General Election. The Big news is that Ivana Bacik has lost out. Yes, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief! Labour have selected TD Ruairi Quinn along with Councillor Kevin Humphreys to stand for the election. Humphreys is regarded as having a large local support base and is expected to do well alongside Quinn. This will be a key constituency for Labour if they are to do well at the next election. It appears that the Labour party are targeting the seat of either Chris Andrews of Fianna Fail or Green leader John Gormley. One would have to assume that Andrews would be a more attainable target.
Oisin Quinn: Watch this space?
At the last local election in 2009 Humphreys had 700 votes to spare, topped the poll with 2598 votes and brought in a running mate. This helped Labour to win two seats for the first time ever in the South East Inner City area. This proves he has a support base and most definitely deserves the nomination ahead of Ivana Bacik, who just can’t decide what constituency she represents. It also appears to work out well for Ruairi Quinn who has Oisin, his nephew, (Currently Councillor) ready to take his seat in a few years.
Lucinda Creighton: Ability to bring in a running mate?
Nevertheless this will still be a huge task for Labour. They are trying to increase their vote from 16.7% and hoping to take a sizeable chunk of out Fianna Fail’s 28.7% at the last election. Is it logically possible for Labour to win 2 out of 4 seats? Another big name in this constituency includes Lucinda Creighton (Soon to be Bradfield?) Personally I think her seat is very safe. She herself appears quietly confident of a second seat for Fine Gael, hence someone will lose out here. Eoghan Murphy is rumoured to be her running mate, a current Councillor for Pembroke- Rathmines. Therefore unlike Labour, youth is on the side of Fine Gael, something which is very important to a Dublin voter. Like 2007 where we had a high profile loss in Micheal McDowell, then leader of the PD’s, I’m expecting another political casualty here. Can either FG or LB will a second seat? I don’t think its beyond impossibility. More importantly if they do, one big name falls from grace. Place your bets, Andrews or Gormley?
Reference Links: http://www.politics.ie/labour/130290-ruairi-quinn-kevin-humphreys-selected-run-dse-sen-ivana-bacik-loses-out.html http://www.labour.ie/kevinhumphreys/
Green Party: A True Political Disaster. May 19, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, Topical.Tags: Carbon Tax, Dan Boyle, Eamon Ryan, Eddie Hobbs, FG, Fine Gael, GP, Green Party, Greens in Crisis, IRFU, John Gormley, New Era, Peak Oil, RISE Campaign, Rugby Free to Air, Simon Coveney
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This week it appears the Green Party has reached yet another low and with that, I believe the point of no return. They have single handedly destroyed their chances of remaining a force in Irish Politics after the next General Election.
Whilst in Government the Greens have always had this idea that as long as what they’re doing is for the “greater good” then its correct. They follow a moral code that they seem to believe is like a bible, never to be questioned. This week Eamon Ryan announced that he was planning to interfere with sports broadcasting by attempting to make Heineken Cup and other rugby games free to air. This move was at first greeted by shock and later livid anger by the nations rugby followers and management. IRFU chief executive Philip Browne has said he believes “Minister Ryan’s proposal would destroy both the sport and the very cultural events the Minister believes he would be protecting.” The IRFU claim the plans would cost them €12million, 18% of their annual income, with damaging long-term effects for the game in Ireland. The IRFU believes, as do many rugby followers that the drop in revenue will mean the provincial sides will be unable to hold onto their best players, opening the door for the country’s top stars to walk away. It has also been predicted that for Connaught, it will be the end, as for many know that they are being keep alive only due to the funding streams available. Why, you ask is the minister getting involved in the free market? All due to the fact that he and his son had to visit the local publican to watch Leinster play last week! A Facebook group protesting against this proposal has been set up and has in excess of 1,500 members in just a few days.
Dan Boyle has added fuel to the fire. (About all he is good for anyway) By announcing via twitter that he was rowing in behind the Communications Minister. Naturally Dan Boyle these days feels its acceptable to announce anything via Twitter. He appears to think it is appropriate to make comments about policy that dont even appear sometimes to have yet been announced/exist over Twitter. Then again, we are talking about Dan Boyle. He’s only been rejected by the electorate eight times! God loves a trier is the saying that is relevant here, however scandalcentrals view is, that Boyle is handicapping the Green Movement. Until they get a real politician into the Cork scene they will not win a seat in Cork South Central (CSC). 
2010 has been a bad year for the Green Party as a whole. They have lunged from crisis to crisis. We have already seen both Trevor Sargent and Deirdre de Burca stand down in shady circumstances, this follows in the background where the Greens no longer have any power at local level due to their decimation at the Local elections. Dan Boyle continues to plague the Party like a wart that wont go away. Meanwhile they have ruined any chance of them ever getting a foothold into the rural vote by the party’s continued stance on coursing. The party is proposing an outright ban on everything that they define “blood sports” This idea has lead to massive protests far greater than those seen outside Dáil Éireann these days, against this plan by the RISE campaign. It has been described by commentators as a lack of understanding by the Green Party. Scandalcentral calls it pure stupidity.
However the single biggest failure of the Green Party, has been their failure to implement legislation in areas that they have huge support. Eamon Ryan would do well to legislate the things that has huge national and cross party support instead of marginalizing an already marginalized party! Most people in the state now realise that peak oil will be upon us in a matter of years. Dear God, even Eddie Hobbs is writing books about it these days! This state is hugely dependent on oil. So this dependency must be reduced at once. Yet where is the massive Green strategy rolling out a solution? Tiny snippets of investment is not enough, we need a national solution like the one proposed by Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney. New Era will revolutionize this country if implemented,both creating jobs and reducing our carbon footprint. Yet the Greens are worried about TV rights? Dan Boyle is worried about some Fox in Carlow? John Gormley is meanwhile introducing carbon taxes like there’s no tomorrow. Once again quoting “their bible” describing this as for the greater good. Pity for the Greens, Gormley is a total dimwit. Fianna Fail have only allowed this back of the envelope idea to be implemented because it will raise money for the empty coffers and the Greens will get the blame.
ERSI’s Richard Tol has said “that a carbon tax that is levied on emissions covered by the EU ETS, would not reduce emissions, but would cost Ireland and the rest of the EU money.” (Exactly the kind of tax introduced by Gormley) However Gormley expects this to reduce emissions is beyond me. The ironic thing is that carbon taxation is nothing new. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have all had these taxes since the 1990′s. For most of these countries the tax has not led to a reduction in emissions, for Norway a 43% increase!! Only Denmark has seen a reduction in emissions. What have they done differently? They have used the proceeds from the tax as subsidies for firms with environmentally innovative ideas. So, is Gormley doing this? Not a chance, even cent of this tax is going straight to pay our now massive public debt. All Scandalcentral asks is how these blockheads get into Government? Naturally it was that 4.7% of the electorate who gave them a number 1 in 2007. I hold them totally responsible.
The Greens are not being blamed for the economic crisis, for they didn’t cause it. They are being blamed for having farcical policies and failing to tackle the real issues…and for that, they will pay a high price, very likely with the majority of their 6 seats. I cant wait for the Twitter updates on election day 
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Links: http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2010/0518/ireland.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/politics/2010/05/18/if-its-not-broke-dont-question-it/
Image: www.greeninkpen.blogspot.com
