Yearly Archives: 2013

EmilyOReillyEmily O’Reilly at the Equality Rights Alliance conference in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin yesterday

“When O’Reilly was appointed in 2003 (despite opposition from two ministers, she has been told), the Fianna Fáil-led government of the day had just decided to curtail severely the Freedom of Information Act.

She believes the act came as “a huge shock to the system” for the Civil Service, and that while overall the culture has changed enormously over the past decade, “pockets of secrecy” remain.”

“Certainly the Department of Justice, for its own cultural and historical reasons, remains very secretive, very closed. If there is one thing I regret, it is that asylum, immigration and prisons are still outside any independent complaint-handling watchdog.”

 

Outgoing Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, above, speaking to the Irish Times ahead of taking up her new position as European Ombudsman in Strasbourg next week.

Emily O’Reilly interview: ‘I wasn’t going to park 20 years of my life’s experience at the door of the office’ (Irish Times)

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

dooley2dooley(Clare Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley (top right) with Michael Martin and, above, Timmy’s contribution to the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012)

Further to FF Senator Paschal Mooney’s decision in January to take only taxis driven by people born in Irieland.

Anon writes:

Just thought you might like to be aware that Timmy Dooley has submitted an amendment to stop Stamp 2 and 2a visa holders from being able to rent taxis to operate.

As you know Stamp 2 visa holders have some working rights in the state and this would seem a blatantl attempt to bar immigrants from a specific field.

 

Timmy is Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Transport, Tourism and Sport and one of four Vice-Presidents of the party.

So he must know what he’s doing.

Taxi Regulation Bill 2012

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4h-VYWJGY

Last night’s Channel 4 comedy ‘London Irish’.

James Jones writes:

Please post a thing about this bad thing being so bad and being on TV…

Um.

 Calling this London Irish instead of Sociopath Central is a little bit risky, then, because although these ghoulish characters might not be stereotypes, the episodes are bookended by the four friends sitting in a pub musing on what it means to be Irish: this week, Patrick argues that the Irish don’t binge-drink, even as a steaming Conor wets himself in the seat next to him.

…But the people of Ireland shouldn’t be worried about the programme reflecting on them negatively, because this transcends nationality; if anything, the entire human race might want to start distancing itself from London Irish.

Last Night’s TV (Mail Online)

The characters were four twentysomething friends — let’s call them Ditzy, Grumpy, Earnest and Thick — trying to organise a pub quiz to win a magnum of vodka. They’d do anything for vodka, you see. Those Irish boozers, aren’t they hilarious?
But there’s much more to racist Irish cliches than just incontinent alcoholism. They make bizarre leaps of logic, they have riotous religious hang-ups and uproarious sexual obsessions, they swear like how’s-your-father and the impish little rascals always know where to get drugs and guns.

London Irish review (Mail Online)

FIGHT!

Pic: Channel 4

barca

Spanish audiovisual producers MyLapse use a technique that turns timelapse footage into moving kaleidoscopic images.

Here, they apply it to the architecture of Barcelona.

Related: Eye Candy: Mirror City

colossal