Monthly Archives: February 2012

You get Éire Trea:

So far, there’s very little fusing of the two cuisines. The menu lists dishes like battered sausages, Irish curry with chips and shepherd’s pie, alongside chicken doro-wat or vegetable stew served over injera bread. They’ve attempted a couple of fusion experiments, such as shiro (ground-chickpea stew) nachos, and have a few more ideas they’re playing around with, but it’s still early days.

 

Éire Trea May Be the World’s First Irish-Eritrean Food Truck (SF Weekly Food Blog)

Thanks Oisin D

Ruairi Quinn’s Mystery €1,400 mileage Claim: Minister says He Drove 5,100kms but his diary shows only 1,000km (Ken Foxe, Mail On Sunday)

Meanwhile, over on NAMA Wine Lake is the first part of an examination of TDs pay and benefits by

…examining the salaries, allowances, benefits, perks and entitlements paid to our politicians in our bankrupt country. Part One details most of the financial rewards on offer and is largely derived from Oireachtas in house publications

On top of the basic salary of €92,672 a TD can claim a range of expenses such as

When any members attend certain so-called “parliamentary assemblies” eg the OSCE, they can claim hotel expenses, a subsistence allowance plus up to 80% of the allowance for “casual entertaining”
A Parliamentary Assistant
Up to €41,092 per TD for secretarial assistance, PR, IT and training
Free parking in central Dublin
Gym
Subsidised restaurant
Private Members bar at Leinster House with subsidised drinks
Free tax advice service
Free language lessons
Postage – 1,500 free postage items per month for TDs and 1,000 for senators
Free unlimited fixed line telephone calls
Max of €750 every 18 months to buy a new mobile phone

All of them are, of course, worth every penny and more. You couldn’t possibly expect them to run the country and be kept awake at night with money woes.

Apparently all our expenses claims get eaten by Chompsky.

Thanks DD

Previously

(Photocall Ireland)

Before he marvelled at Riverdance, China’s soon-to-be-new President Xi Jinping took in the Clifffs of Moher yesterday with Clare mayor Pat Hayes.

And just some of the Jin-ping posse:

Also, pinging around Ireland with Xi this weekend:

Xi Jinping Visits Ireland, Finds Calf Named After Himself (Bloomberg)

(Government Information Service and Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)