Yearly Archives: 2014

90360609

Enda Kenny this morning

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was questioned by journalists on his way into a Cabinet meeting this morning about Irish Water.

It followed reports in de papers that the Government is considering introducing a cap of around €300 for water charges for families with adult children – €124 below the €424 charge set to be imposed on those who fail to register for the utility.

From the ‘doorstepping’.

Unidentified journalist: Páraic Gallagher: “Sorry, Taoiseach, you keep saying clarity and confidence for people. Many people say they just won’t pay this. Would the Government consider getting Revenue involved and forcing people to pay?”

Enda Kenny: “The Government will obviously make its decision, a statement, next week. So it’s a case of having listened very carefully to people, having acknowledged that things were not done in our case as the way they should have been.”

VIDEO: Enda Kenny – Government will make a statement to restore clarity and confidence (Newstalk)

Thanks Ruairi Carroll

wales

http://youtu.be/CyNWKsuchaU?list=PL6PsOY3TERzRLunOdFmx71VB4ezpgjtFZ

For the week that’s in it.

A new series of tv commercials for a well known and usually overpriced black stout that reinforces the greatness of what can be achieved if we choose to defy expectation.

Hic.

Previously: Retro Rugby on Broadsheet

diary

Brian writes:

You’ll remember that the glorious leader promised a debate this week on the subject of IRA abuse claims? Well, this week’s Oireachtas schedule shows no such thing.
Puzzled, I rang the FG press office and spoke to a nice young man called Stephen who told me the debate would take place next week as they were having trouble framing the language as the issue was ‘legally sensitive’. Further to this, I was informed by another source within Leinster House that the debate was pulled from the schedule last week directly after a cabinet meeting attended by the Attorney General. I rang back the FG press office to see if I could get this confirmed and funny enough, no answer.

Anyone?

00069347Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 01.26.12

Tony’O’Reilly at the INM AGM in 2004 (Top) and David Duffy on The Real Deal last night.

You may recall how this summer AIB secured judgements against Tony O’Reilly and companies controlled by him for €45million.

In June the Commercial Court heard that he owed approximately €195 million to eight different banks – with AIB reportedly calling him ‘insolvent’ three times during the hearing.

On The Real Deal, a documentary on Tony O’Reilly (by  RTÉ’s David Murphy) broadcast last night, David Duffy, CEO of AIB, pictured above, said:

“People will make all kinds of comments about what they perceive is the reality. We engage in a very simple process, it’s very consistent and it’s equitable and fair and does not differentiate between one person and another. So there is absolutely no question whatsoever that we took an action for a purpose, other than to treat people exactly as everybody else is treated.”

Further to this, readers may also recall how in June, Colm Keena reported in the Irish Times:

“The purchase of three major Irish businesses over the past two years by the billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien involved total bank write-offs of more than €300 million. The deals saw the businessman invest €230 million to acquire the Siteserv Group, the Topaz Group and the Beacon Private Hospital.”

“Mr O’Brien, who has a 29.9 per cent stake, is the biggest shareholder in the Independent News & Media. In April last year the group did a deal with its eight banks, which include AIB and Bank of Ireland, where the banks wrote off €138 million of an overall debt of €422 million, in exchange for a shareholding in the group worth approximately €10 million.”

Good times.

Watch back in full here

Related: Ignominious end to career of Ireland’s first business superstar (Ciaran Hancock, Mark Paul, Irish Times, June 27, 2014)

Sir Anthony O’Reilly described as ‘insolvent’ by AIB (Tom Lyons, Irish Times, June 24, 2014)

Banks write off over €300m in three deals with Denis O’Brien (Colm Keena, Irish Times, June 13, 2014)

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

sg006

How many of us think about our moral code, the set of values and beliefs that we live by. I Heard of a parent recently who sent the child to a Catholic school and then insisted that the child should have nothing to do with with Communion, Confirmation, Prayers or religious activities. So much for the rights of the child! As a nation we have a very ambivalent attitude to morals and values. On the one hand we espouse predominantly Christian beliefs and yet on the other hand, we act in very unchristian ways. There is plenty of evidence that we actually follow the premise of “do as I say not as I do “ when it comes to giving moral direction to children and teenagers. Sadly many parents have become detached from the religious significance of the sacraments and so the focus switches to the secular aspects, purchase of Communion clothes, family celebration (bouncing castles), who to invite and how much money do I give as a present ( to be continued next week).

Parish Notes, St Joseph’s Church (above), Glasthule, Co Dublin

Thanks Brian