Well, we are.
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Noel Bennet’s manifesto delivered to the doorsteps of constituents in Dublin South Central. Two A4 and 11 A3 pages stapled together.
His broadband strategy is a little weak.
Psychic Flower
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aTDvm_cNTw
From this week’s episode of House, transmitted in the US: the doc channels Jules in the breakfast scene from Pulp Fiction.
movieline
Potential coalition partners Michael Noonan and Joan Burton argued about cutting child benefit on this morning’s ‘Today with Pat Kenny’ (on the sideline was an amused Brian Lenihan).
If you thought the Greens and Fianna Fail were disfunctional…
Joan Burton: “I think Fine Gael need to think about this. Effectively, Michael, your plan is to take about €250 a year, about €21 a month, from a family –”
Michael Noonan: “No, that’s not right, Joan. That’s not right. Your figures are wrong.”
Burton: “Michael, just let me finish – from a family, from a family…”
Noonan: “Could I say something, Joan? You know, you’re into magic bean economics.”
Pat Kenny: “Hang on a second.”
Noonan: “Labour aren’t going to do anything about anything. They’re going to pay more money to everybody. Do you realise the crisis we’re in? What happened to you over the Christmas?”
Burton: “Michael. Sorry. Michael”
Noonan: “You were talking about the bailout and the crisis and the country is banjaxed. Do you remember that? And now you have no solution for anything. You just knock the Fine Gael proposals.”
Burton: “Michael. Michael…”
Pat Kenny [aside]: This’ll be a great coalition alright
Brian Lenihan: “[laughs] Think we’ll still need a strong Fianna Fáil in the Dáil”
Burton: “Michael, there’s a lot of big houses all around the country where, inside those houses, there’s actually very little money because people are at the pin of their collar paying their mortgages and the child benefit is a critical income support to put food on the table. I’m just asking you, Michael, to think about this..”
Noonan: “You’re spoofing Joan.”
Burton: “Michael, I understand –”
Noonan: “You’re pretending you can fix the economy without doing anything.”
Burton: “Michael.”
Noonan: “That’s your problem. It’s magic beans economics.”
Burton: “Michael, you sound like you’re shouting from Limerick..”
Noonan: “You’re a long way away, Joan…”
(Photocall Ireland)
And while demographic data on emigrants is scarce, many of those leaving are believed to be well-educated professionals—precisely the people Ireland needs to lead a recovery. “In a modern, knowledge-based economy, dense, diverse cities full of highly-skilled people are a critical competitive advantage,” says Mr. McHale. “If the most enterprising people leave, you undermine that advantage.”
Ireland’s loss is others’ gain, and global demand for Irish workers has increased dramatically. “We’ve had more inquiries over the last six weeks from companies targeting Irish people than we’ve ever had before,” says Stephen McLarnon, head of SGMC Media Group in Dublin, which organizes exhibitions for those wanting to work abroad. Mr. McLarnon says two-thirds of his current applicants have college degrees. Booths at SGMC’s next exhibition have been snapped up by federal and state governments in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtL06DVaZ00&feature=player_embedded
Last night’s Tonight with Vincent Browne – with a panel that included Joan Burton, Dr James Reilly and Trevor Sargent – was a classic. And the highlight was an exchange between the host and Fianna Fail deputy leader Mary Hanafin.
It concerned the €750 million payout earlier this month to bondholders who were not covered by the bank guarantee. Why was the money paid when it wasn’t necessary? To put this into context the amount of money saved by social service cuts in November’s budget was around €800 million.
The obvious question now is who got the money? Best not ask Mary, though.
Mary Hanafin: “What happened in Anglo was appalling. It is absolutely disgraceful and I think we would all agree on that.”
Vincent Browne: “Mary, can I just ask you one question? Can I just ask you one question? Why did your government, of which you are a member, two weeks ago pay €750m to bondholders in Anglo Irish Bank who were no longer covered by the guarantee? Why did it do that?”
Hanafin: “Because that was the agreement that was reached.”
Browne: “That is not part of the, that is not part… I’m sorry, Mary. That is not part of the agreement entered into with the EU and IMF.”
Hanafin: “Yeah, no, but it was part of the guarantee that was given.”
Browne: “I’m very sorry, Mary. It was out of guarantee. Now why did you pay €750m to bondholders in Anglo Irish Bank who were not covered by the guarantee? Why did you do that?”
Hanafin: “Because the bondholders around, the senior bondholders around the banks, are people who were given a guarantee at the time two years ago. Those bondholders also include pension funds, they include credit unions, they include ordinary Irish people and their money, and that money had to be protected.”
Browne: “Mary…”
Hanafin: “And the reason we gave that guarantee at the time – and this is important because people are saying we shouldn’t have done it.”
Browne: “We’re not talking about the guarantee.”
Hanafin: “The governor of the Central Bank even says it is a systemic bank and should be guaranteed.”
Browne: “Mary, this is nothing to do with it. Nothing to do with it. I’ll ask the question again.”
Hanafin: “Yeah.”
Browne: “Why did you pay €750m to bondholders who are not covered by the guarantee? And you did that two or three weeks ago at a time when you’re cutting social welfare, you’re devastating the lives of people on the margins, you pay €750m to these people not covered by any guarantee.”
Hanafin: “Well we have obligations to the bondholders because…”
Browne: “What obligations did you have to the bondholders?”
Hanafin: “Because of the agreement that we made two years ago.”
Browne: “Mary -”
Hanafin: “The subordinated bondholders have already lost significantly…”
Browne: “Mary you’re not, you’re not.”
Hanafin: “To the tune of €10bn.”
Browne: “There is no obligation to the bondholders. Zero. Zero obligation to the bondholders. None at all. No moral, no legal, no obligation at all to the bondholders. Why at a time when you’re cutting social welfare did you pay €750m to these people?”
Hanafin: “I know you want to talk about cutting social welfare which was a very different thing to do as well and we accept that, but if you’re going to bridge the gap between what the government is taking in and what we’re spending, unfortunately that’s what had to be done.”
Browne: “You had to pay €750m to bondholders not covered by the guarantee.”
Hanafin. “No, no. I’m picking up on the point of the about social welfare. No, but it was part of the agreement and it had to be done and we had to honour that agreement.”
Browne: “What agreement? Mary you’re not, you’re not… We agreed to guarantee certain bondholders and depositors in the banks and some of those guarantees expired and there was no longer a legal or moral obligation to pay them anything. and … you still paid €750m in the last two weeks.”
Hanafin: “Yes, well, bit longer I think.”
Browne: Incredible isn’t it?
Hanafin: “It is a lot of money and I accept that but this is part of our obligations.”
Browne: “Where? What obligations?”
Hanafin: “To support the Irish banking system.”
Browne: “It’s nothing to do with the Irish banking system.”
Hanafin: “And to ensure that we can always go back then. The money we’re borrowing internationally, for example, we have to be able to continue to be able to go back, to make sure.”
Joan Burton: “But we’re not borrowing internationally. We’re out of the markets. That’s the whole point. We’re out of the markets. We’re not borrowing. That’s why you can deal with the bondholders.”
Hanafin: “But we have to make sure that when we do go back to the markets, which of course is our aim, and to be able to do it fairly quickly, is that we will be able to do that.”
Browne: “Sure they’ll think us crazy.”
Hanafin: Well they’ll certainly think us crazy if we don’t honour our debts
Browne: “But these are not our debts. They’re not our debts Mary. THEY ARE NOT OUR DEBTS! These are the debts of Anglo Irish Bank. We gave a guarantee, the guarantee expired. No longer do we have any obligation and yet we paid. Why?”
Hanafin: “Yeah. Because we gave commitments and we gave a guarantee, and we have to honour that.”
Browne: [high-pitched sound]
Hanafin: “And we do expect to go back to the markets and we do expect to be able to compete in those markets the same as everybody else and to make our way
Browne: “Very thin, very thin explanation. A very, very thin explanation Mary, very thin…”
Worse still, the guy gets the correct translation before other Yahoozies can step in to sabotage his cheating ass with troll answers.
Our favourite?
Translation: I am really sorry for eating your dog, but it was his fault too, he looks like a sausage. And you know, in the USA that happens a lot. I will see what I can do and get back to you ASAP
YahooAnswers
Taken at 4.50pm this afternoon along the Dalkey/Killiney coastline. Three teenage boys, believed to have been stranded possibly after their dinghy capsized were picked up by air sea rescue.
The final lift was captured by photographer Lara O’Connell.
A billboard protesting against Fine Gael’s plan to re-introduce stag hunting in Ireland – planned for a site close to FG’s HQ In Mount Street, Dublin – has been pulled.
Ad agency JCDecaux has told campaigners from animal rights group ARAN (above, with Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan this afternoon) that the ‘blood’ spattered image above is not suitable for the spot, metres from the party’s office.
It might be reasonably argued that the picture does not actually depict Enda Kenny but in fact is this guy (whom even RTE once thought was Enda). Either way, a taste of things to come.
