Yearly Archives: 2016

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This afternoon.

Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2

A People Before Profit cross party event to support Luas drivers in their ongoing dispute with the tram’s operators, Transdev.

Talks between management and Siptu were to resume today after drivers cancelled the 48-hour  stoppage scgeduled for this weekend.

Supporters this afternoon included TDs Richard Boyd Barrett, Dessie Ellis, Paul Murphy, Joan Collins and Brid Smith.

Fight!

Rollingnews

witches hatdunlaoghaire library  James Joyce towerThe peoples parkPrintEast peir

A View from the Hall.

A tribute to the area formerly known as Kingstown.

Patrick Murphy writes:

About a month ago I left London due to really unfortunate circumstances that were well out of my control. Without getting into too much detail I had to pack up and go home. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole thing until the day I came back. I walked around my hometown of Dún Laoghaire [Co Dublin] for a day. I

talked to my friends and family about London and was reminded of how much I loved Dún Laoghaire and the people in it. It made me feel so much better about coming home and gave me a new purpose and drive I haven’t felt in a long while.

‘A view from the Hall’ is a love letter to the place and people who have made me who I am. Ó Chuan go Sliabh.

FIGHT!

A View from The Hall (Patrick Murphy)

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From top: A still from mobile phone footage obtained by The Times of a Syrian man carrying his son, who was shot in both legs, by Turkish border police; Bono with Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu 

You may recall reports in The Times yesterday detailing how eight Syrians were shot at the Syrian-Turkey border by Turkish border police, as they attempted to reach Turkey on Sunday.

The newspaper reported:

Abdmunem Kashkash, a lawyer from Aleppo who was with the group but managed to cross into Turkey unharmed, said that they had been waiting in the border area for several days while trying to cross and had come under fire from the Turks every day.

“They are killing unarmed people,” Mr Kashkash said. “There was one little girl who was shot and we could not do more for her for four hours, until nightfall. An old man and woman are missing — they have probably been killed too.”

The wounded have been taken to a hospital in Azaz, a rebel-held Syrian town next to the Turkish border that is sheltering 100,000 displaced people who have fled the regime and Isis advances since February. Isis is closing in on the town from the east, but despite calls from aid agencies the Turkish government is refusing to open the border gate.

Readers may also recall how earlier this month – before the deportations from Greece to Turkey began on April 4 – Bono and a delegation of US senators and congressmen visited a Syrian refugee camp in Gaziantep province, in southeast Turkey.

After the visit, Bono paid to tribute to Turkey for hosting 2.7million Syrian refugees, telling Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu:

“I am very humbled by the generosity of the Turkish people. It is extraordinary. It is a lesson in grace.”

Bono’s comments came just a week after Amnesty International reported that, hours after the EU-Turkey deal on Friday, March 18, Turkey forcibly returned around 30 Afghan asylum seekers to Afghanistan – without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum.

Further to this…

Harry Browne writes:

Bono’s concern for the plight of refugees, while undoubtedly genuine, would be more credible if he weren’t simultaneously offering cover to European leaders who deny asylum-seekers their basic legal rights.

Recently Turkey was rightly criticized for taking payments to accept refugees who should have been in the hands of the EU asylum system.

The same week, Bono was photographed with Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and called the Turkish role “a lesson in grace,” even while Amnesty International was accusing Turkey of forcing other refugees back into Syria.

It’s getting to be a habit with Bono, who warmly embraced George W. Bush and Tony Blair while they waged an illegal, immoral war on Iraq.

Bono has quite a voice: what a shame he so often uses it to sing the praises of powerful, disingenuous leaders.

Harry Browne is a lecturer at the School of Media, Dublin Institute of Technology and is the author of The Frontman: Bono (In the Name of Power)

Syrian children shot dead by Turkish border guards (The Times, April 20, 2016)

Related: Bono: Time to Think Bigger About the Refugee Crisis (New York Times)

Previously: Return To Sender

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From top: A detail from post election Red C poll; From left: Fine Gael’s Leo Varadakar, Paschal Donohoe and Simon Coveney at Trinity College Dublin for talks with Fianna Fáil yesterday

What do recent polls –  B&A, for the Sunday Times last weekend and Red C, for the Sunday Business Post after the election-  tell us about the formation of a new government and/or the chances of new General Election?

Shane Heneghan writes:

The grand coalition I predicted would form from the result we got has so far become little more than a not-so grand game of constitutional chicken; but what effect do opinion polls have on the ongoing developments?

Logically, a rise in a level of support for a particular party at this stage would potentially increase the will within that party to seek a second election- but given the increasing weariness of politics from the population in general and the cost of two national campaigns within six months- this is only half true at best.

However, there will be some swollen chests within Fianna Fail after the weekend’s poll from Behaviour and Attitudes had them leading Fine Gael for the first time in eight years. The ghost of PJ Mara is surely goading them to push for “showtime” once again.

Of course, if it has any effect it probably won’t lead to a second election in and off itself but it is likely to make a Fine Gael minority less likely.

By contrast however, a RedC post election poll seems to show voters’ sympathies with Fine Gael and their predicament with them gaining a few points on their election débâcle.

Old notions around post election momentum seem to hold solid for the smaller parties with the Greens firm at 3% and the SocDems on 5% according to RedC.

But momentum goes both ways and both the Labour and Renua seem to have slumped even further compounding thoughts of speedy recoveries. Maybe dead cats don’t bounce.

So what next. The two scenarios going forward (I know, shoot me) are as follows:

1. Fine Gael cobbles together a minority administration with independents and others dependant on Fianna Fail to get anything done. This is the most likely eventuality and I would be shocked if it didn’t happen. Almost as shocked as I’d be if said government lasted more than 12 months.

2. A grand coalition of Fine Gael and Fianna fail is still possible. This is by far the most popcorn worthy option but we all now it can never happen because they both disagree on… on… on…. wait don’t tell me… it’ll come to me.

There are folks that say a Fianna Fail minority is possible. They spent most of the mid naughties in a certain tent in Ballybrit.

In closing let me just remind you that a second election before the end of the year is currently 7/2 on Paddy Power. Not that you should take tips from me.

Shane Heneghan is a Brussels-based psephologist.