Monthly Archives: January 2013

(Pat Rabbitte in shadow at the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce conference on Friday)

Pat Rabbitte, the communications minister has appointed his former constituency organiser to a state board…

Noel Ward the deputy general secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation was appointed to the board of Ordnance Survey Ireland despite not having applied for the role following a public advertisement by the department.

…The Labour Minister has placed a number of other people with party links on state boards. Last month he appointed Willie Scally, a policy adviser to former Labour Leader Dick Springto the board of An Post. James Wrynn, a former director of elections for the Labour party, to the same board.

 

Rabbitte Aid Put On State Board (Colin Coyle, Sunday Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)


ManHands Soaps ($7 each).

Aren’t you sick of being forced to use all those girly scented soaps? I mean come on, you’re a man. You shouldn’t be smelling like citrus or lavender or apricot. Leave the girly scents for the fairer sex. Guys should be using Man Soap.

Available in 19 manly scents: Bacon, Baseball Glove, Beer, Bonfire, Brewed Coffee, Buttered Popcorn, Cannabis, Cash, Cedar Log Cabin, Democrat, Fresh Cut Grass, Margarita, Muscle Rub, Nag Champa Incense, Obsession Cologne, Red Wine, Republican, Top Soil and – our personal favourite – Urinal Mint.

laughingsquid

Responding to reports that the ECB had rejected Ireland’s proposal for a longer repayment schedule, Mr Varakdar disputed this was the case.

“There was no rejection. There was no breakdown. There are issues that need to be changed. And issues that need to be agreed on,” he said on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics.

Setting out the nature of the talks, he said: “There is agreement in a lot of areas, but there are a number of issues outstanding and some of those issues are very difficult . . . We need to work on them but we are still very hopeful of getting a resolution.”

The ECB told The Irish Times yesterday that it was “premature” to refer to any outcome and that talks on this issue were ongoing.

All righty, then. Or not.

Ministers concede difficulties with ECB over deal on promissory notes (Harry McGee, Suzanne Lynch, Tom Hennigan, Irish Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Bally, Co Cork, today.

Paudie Ryan writes:

Here are some images of today’s “Ballyhea Says No” [Bondholder] protest in north Cork.  This march has been going on for 100 weeks today and we were joined by groups from different parishes around Munster such as Fermoy, Ballyphehane, and Charleville.
There was a large turnout despite some rain and hail where people took the opportunity to voice their opinions on what was deemed “an unconstitutional injustice against the tax payer”.
It must also be stated that this group does not have a political agenda. They do not have ties with any one party. Their purpose is purely to speak out against the lack of effective negotiation with the EU on behalf of the Irish people.
More information on the purpose of this ongoing protest here.
Pics: Paudie Ryan