Translated Vase: shards of ceramic ‘sewn’ together with 24K gold by Korean artist Yee Sookyung – a process similar to the centuries old Japanese art of kintsugi.
Yearly Archives: 2016
Jonathan Webber tweetz:
Turns out it’s not a Trump insurgency, but a Clinton collapse. A graph that cuts straight through [yesterday’s] punditry …
FIGHT!
Earlier: Steady On
Thanks John Gallen
Former justice minister Alan Shatter
RTE reports:
Former minister for justice Alan Shatter has won his legal challenge to the findings of the 2014 Guerin Report examining the handling of claims made by a garda whistleblower.
Mr Shatter appealed against the High Court’s dismissal of his challenge.
The Court of Appeal found in Mr Shatter’s favour this morning.
Mr Shatter claimed Senior Counsel Sean Guerin should have interviewed him before reaching adverse conclusions against him or should have allowed him to respond to draft conclusions.
…In his ruling, President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice Sean Ryan said, in his view, Mr Guerin was obliged to observe the rules of natural justice and of letting the other side be heard.
He said there was a breach of Mr Shatter’s rights because of the defective procedure that was adopted.
…The matter will come back before the Court of Appeal later this month to decide what orders or declarations the court should make.
Shatter wins appeal over Guerin Report findings (RTE)
Previously: ‘The Truth Has Been Established’
Sam Boal/Rollingnews
Taking the trip to Liverpool today are a couple dealing with grief, and the extra trauma of having to fly to the UK for treatment, following the diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.
The couple, who also have a disabled child, are documenting their trip on Twitter and Snapchat.
Writes the couple’s husband:
This Thursday, the 10th of November, we will travel to the UK from Ireland to have a termination. This is not by choice. Three months ago, after many attempts, we were overjoyed at the discovery we were successful.
Our first child was born with a genetic condition that meant we spent many months in hospital and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Although there is a risk any future children may carry the same condition we decided it was a risk worth taking.
At our first pre-natal appointment, we were offered a genetic screening test. Although it does not screen for the condition that affects our first child, it will for others that may inhibit the baby’s chance of survival. Of course we agreed to a simple blood test, after all the heartbeat now visible was strong and all markers pointed to a healthy pregnancy. Then we got the call that nothing can prepare you for.
A fatal foetal abnormality was discovered. We had never heard of Edwards’ syndrome before but we were told that even if carried to full term the period of life would be counted in the minutes and hours after birth. It is a crushing sentence for any person to hear, let alone for my wife who has had to give up her career to become a full-time carer for our little boy.
We went back for more tests and got confirmation. We should be telling our friends and relatives about our joyous news at just over 12 weeks; instead we are now past the point of being able to go to a hospital in the UK so we had to make arrangements to visit a clinic.
Traumatic in its own right, we also have to get someone to mind our child who requires constant monitoring throughout the day or his condition can cause him to slip into a coma and his brain can basically shut down. A lot of responsibility for us, even more putting it on someone else’s shoulders.
(Despite) what should be a simple procedure that could be carried out 20 minutes from home, in a risk-free environment, we are being forced to travel to the UK, leaving our child behind and the risks that involves to do the most humane thing possible to a baby that will never survive. That’s why we are going to document our experience from start to finish on Thursday.
We hope that this may enlighten those who do not want to listen or even allow the people of this country to decide for themselves. Our Government has continually kicked the can down the road and we, the people, must decide if we can allow this to happen. We hope that by documenting our experience it may help those that may have been through something similar or may be unfortunate enough to do so in the future.
Please share and check back on Thursday morning for updates throughout the day.
Twitter – @itstimetorepeal
Snapchat – itstimetorepeal
JUST IN: SIPTU to ballot its 60,000 public service members for industrial action unless Govt announces new national pay talks within a week
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) November 10, 2016
Yikes.
Siptu threatens strike ballot unless pay talks begin (Martin Wall, Irish Times)
Pic: SIPTU
UPDATE:
"The world is on a trajectory towards fascism & we need to wake up to the potential crisis we are facing." – Jack O' Connor #OurSIPTU pic.twitter.com/1ILxVSpowT
— Dan O' Neill (@activedan) November 10, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PYHlvbeyyY
Fail Army’s compilation of animal fails (and wins, in failness).
Too Soon?
at
Hillary Clinton joins the ‘Monument To The Unelected’ exhibit at the Lefferts Homestead in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park
The banners of the also-rans displayed en masse after each presidential election, it’s the brainchild of artist Nina Katchadourian.
Mmf.
Ailbhe Reddy – Dublin folk/rock soloist
What you may need to know…
01. Folk-laden alternative drawn from personal experience is the order of the day for Dublin singer-songwriter Ailbhe Reddy.
02. Getting a start in 2014, she first drew attention from a wider audience after her tune Cover Me appeared across radio, while first single Flesh and Blood garnered good reviews and song-of-the-day features across the UK and Irish blogosphere.
03. Debut E.P. Hollowed Out Sea released this year, with production from Sacred Animals‘ Darragh Nolan. Streaming above is the video single Distrust.
04. Reddy is among the artists in the running for the fan vote to co-headline Other Voices and appear on the RTÉ TV show of the same name, alongside Jafaris, Meltybrains?, BARQ and Basciville. Vote here.
Verdict: Reddy clearly has the knack for big songwriting, but it’s tempered with a certain elegance that makes it all the more intriguing.
A letter Pimco has sent to the Public Accounts Committee
This morning.
At the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The committee briefly discussed a letter sent to PAC by Pimco – one of the bidders for Nama’s Northern Ireland property loan portfolio until it learned of a fixer fee arrangement.
The arrangement involved a sum of £16m to be split US lawyers Brown Rudnick, Belfast law firm Tughans and Frank Cushnahan, a former member of NAMA’s Northern Ireland Advisory Committee.
On July 9, 2015, Nama chairman Frank Daly told PAC that once it (Nama) became aware of the fixer fee arrangement and Frank Cushnahan’s alleged involvement in March 2014…
“…that’s why we threw Pimco out, or sorry, got Pimco to withdraw,”
However, Pimco contests this and, in the letter above, says not only did Pimco withdraw from the sale, of its own accord, Nama attempted to convince Pimco to continue with the sale despite knowledge of the fixer fee arrangement.
From the letter:
“Pimco has been disappointed that Pimco’s withdrawal from Project Eagle has been repeatedly mischaracterised by Nama. We would suggest that Nama has conflated what may or may not have ben discussed at the Nama Board level (upon which we cannot comment), and the reality of the calls that Pimco made to Nama and Pimco’s own decision to withdraw.
The reality of Pimco’s decision to withdraw was reflected more accurately by Mr [Alan] Stewart in his evidence to the committee on 25 October 2016. Pimco welcomes his confirmation that Pimco withdrew from Project Eagle, and was not at any stage asked to leave the process by Nama.
Pimco is largely in agreement with the summarised call notes appended to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General at Appendix E of the report entitled, ‘National Asset Management Agency’s sale of Project Eagle’, dated August 2016, although certain points are clarified below.
It should be noted that the reference to “a success fee arrangement (being) in place between Pimco and Brown Rudnick” noted in the report is inaccurate. Whilst an arrangement was proposed by Brown Rudnick, it was never agreed to by Pimco.
As descibred in the notes, following a request by Pimco for a call on 7 March 2014, Pimco Legal spoke to Nama on 10 March 2014 and informed Nama about the proposed success fee arrangement. Pimco wanted to understand whether, and ensure that, Nama was aware of Mr Cushnahan’s role and the fee arrangement that had been proposed to Pimco. Pimco states that it would not proceed unless and until it was clear to Pimco that Nama was aware of Mr Cushnahan’s role in Project Eagle (including his potential interest as a beneficiary of a free arrangement as had been proposed to Pimco). Pimco described details of the fee that had been proposed and the reasons for its concerns.
The Nama attendees confirmed that they were not aware of the proposal but enquired as to wether Pimco would proceed in Project Eagle should Mr Cushnahan’s involvement, or the fee proposal to Pimco, be an issue for Nama. Pimco confirmed that it was not currently proceeding with the transaction and that any decision to proceed or not would be informed by Nama’s response. Nama agreed to consider the matter further and revert to Pimco.”
We can confirm that in no way did Pimco seek the acquiescence of Nama to any fee arrangement, nor seek Nama’s agreement that any fee arrangement was appropriate. That is also clear from Nama’s own minutes of the calls and the evidence of Mr Stewart to the PAC, who confirmed that did not happen.
As the notes outline, Nama contacted Pimco the following day (11 March 2014) to advise that the Nama Board considered the involvement of Mr Cushnahan to be a very serious issue for Nama. Pimco agreed to revert to Nama and on a futher call, later that afternoon, Pimco informed Nama of its disappointment that disclosures had not been made by the relevant parties to Nama. Pimco informed Nama that it did not want to be part of any process where there was any suggestion of impropriety and was willing to withdraw.
While it is for Nama to explain the reasons for the questions asked of Pimco on the call (and we note Mr Stewart sought to address this topic in his evidence to the committee) Pimco can confirm that on that call we were asked by Nama if we had considered “other options”, such as proceeding without the three parties, and we were asked to consider, before closing any doors, whether every option was being considered. Pimco agreed to give the matter final consideration and to revert again.
On 12 March, Pimco advised Nama that it had not option but to withdraw form Project Eagle. Nama expressed its disappointment but accepted the decision.
Pimco confirmed its decision to withdraw in writing on 13 March 2014.
In the last hour, chairman of PAC Sean Fleming said the letter would be sent to Nama “within 24 hours, asking for a paragraph-by-paragraph response, confirmation or disagreement, paragraph-by-paragraph.”
Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) Séamus McCarthy is now fielding questions from the committee.
Watch today’s PAC proceedings live here
Related: John McGuinness: Nama may have misled PAC (Sunday Business Post)
Pimco denies it was forced out of Project Eagle by Nama (Irish Examiner)
Pics: Jack Horgan-Jones and Hugh O’Connell
UPDATE:
Responding to Pimco letter a Nama spox ‘rejects any suggestion that it did not set out the circumstances of Pimco’s withdrawal accurately.’
— JPCampbellBiz (@JP_Biz) November 10, 2016
Steady On
at
Gulp.
A sample of the measured response to Donald Trump’s election in today’s Irish Times including (above) the perhaps soon-to-be-infamous Crucifixion editorial.
Mac writes:
‘They know not what they do?’ Jesus Christ. They’re quoting Jesus Christ.
FIGHT!