Yearly Archives: 2017

From top: UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn; Dan Boyle

It didn’t seem possible, at first, but the British General Election has gotten very interesting indeed. Let me give praise where it’s due, Jeremy Corbyn has had a very good campaign. A campaign in which every most likely option still sees him winning.

It has been the little things that have seen him succeed. Someone has got to him, and has made him understand, the importance of the superficial in politics.

That’s something, as a conviction politician, he seems to have worked against his entire political life. The dark jacket has replaced the tweed. The beard is neatly trimmed. But it is his tone of voice that has been winning over many.

Again, and I know it’s also superficial, how you say something in politics is often more important than what you say. His calm authoritative tones are helping to overcome many of the negatives that have been foisted on to him.

He is being helped by the implosion of Theresa May, in being seen as a credible leader. She has come to be seen as lacking in strength, stability or reason, May is being exposed as being the opposite of what she and her party have portrayed herself as being. She, and they (the Tories) are exposing the entitled elitism that is at the heart of their rotten core.

Corbyn, and Labour, may also be gaining from incumbent negativity, which should be factored in most election situations these days. In every election there is reaction against whoever is in office or holds power. In recent times holding office has become more difficult to maintain. Anyone who comes up with a narrative that opposes the prevailing narrative, will gain electorally.

The British Labour Party manifesto pushes all the right buttons in this regard. It is refreshing that British voters have such a distinct choice between two clearly different political propositions.

I still have reservations about Corbyn. I’m with him that the issue of achieving social and economic equality, is the dominant issue of our times. I am with him that the security myth needs to be exposed, that the waste of billions, in whatever currency, towards the dubious goal of finding better ways of killing each other, is nothing other than obscene.

Where we diverge is his dogmatism, and that of his supporters, that wealth creating mechanisms are by their nature wrong. Too many progressives turn their backs on markets, seeing the realisation of profit as being crimes against the people.

We do, of course, need a debate as to what constitutes wealth. We should not, however, see the creation of wealth itself as a problem. It’s how wealth is distributed that must remain our central concern.

I would still prefer Corbyn over any Tory alternative. That alternative of only being interested in wealth creation for the sake of a privileged elite.

I continue to find it hard to forgive Corbyn for his languid performance during the Brexit referendum. Still I would prefer him over May, to be negotiating with the European Union.

When the results arrive I will still be looking first at the results of the Greens, who I think are also having a good campaign. I expect the SNP to still remain dominant in Scotland. Regarding the rest of the election I will be cheering with others. Go Jeremy Go!

Dan Boyle is a former Green Party TD and Senator. His column appears here every Thursdyay. Follow Dan on Twitter: @sendboyle

Top pic: Press Association

From top: Head of Internal Audit at An Garda Siochana Niall Kelly; Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy

In the last 30 minutes.

During the closing stages of today’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy had the following exchange with head of internal audit Niall Kelly in relation to the Garda College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary.

Catherine Murphy: “Obviously, you’re going to come back to us, Mr Kelly, in relation, to the number of bank accounts, and you’re looking at that at the moment and you probably were looking, and I’m not sure whether it’s yourself, or Mr [Chief Administration Officer Joseph] Nugent, who would have been, when the bank accounts were being closed, if anything was discovered.

“Can I just ask you, very specifically, if there’s any indication of any Templemore monies being sent to a bank account in Dublin under the control of a former senior Garda officer and whether or not you’re carrying out a specific investigation in relation to that or anything of that nature?”

Niall Kelly: “Chair, I’d rather not answer that question because it’s the subject of audit…”

Talk over each other

Murphy: “But there is an audit?”

Kelly: “There is an audit.”

Murphy: “Of that nature?”

Kelly: “There are some issues that you touched on that could be issues within our audit.”

G’wan the Catherine.

Earlier: What’s Another Smear

Calvin James, of Dublin, left, with a young boy, at Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan

Irish charity Syrias Vibes is fundraising so it can support a psychologist working with Yazidi women and children in northern Iraq.

It follows the psychologist’s contract with an Italian NGO finishing a number of weeks ago.

Dublin DJ and special needs assistant Calvin James, of Syrias Vibes, writes:

We want to support an incredible psychologist working with Yazidi children affected by the war or who have been returned from captivity in dire need of psychological attention and care.

In short 5,000 men and young boys were systematically murdered in IS’ ‘Convert or Die’ campaign and a further 7,000 women and children were abducted and sold into captivity.

Many have managed to escape their captors yet up to 3,700 remain in captivity. As coalition forces advance on IS’ capitals in Iraq and Syria, there is a slow stream of survivors escaping or being bought back by their families, usually at extortionate prices.

This service is rarely afforded to them as the NGOs operating in the crisis face funding difficulties so we’ve decided that the best way forward was to hire a psychologist to work directly with Yazidi survivors. Our psychologist will see a caseload of 25 service users a month.

I’ve just spent a month in Bajed Kandala Camp in Northern Iraq. The camp is currently home to 7,000 Yazidi internally displaced people who were forced to flee their home in Sinjar after the genocide by ISIS in 2014.

On returning to their families, there is little support offered by means of counselling or psychiatric support.

Cases are referred to her from the hospitals operating inside the camp and when necessary she will prescribe medications and refer service users to Dohuk Hospital.

At Syrias Vibes, we will dedicate ourselves in running this programme for as long as its needed.

We ask that you please support this campaign anyway you can.

Those who wish to donate can do so here

To support a psychologist to work with women and children in a refugee camp (JustGiving)

Thanks Ruaidhrí


This afternoon.

During Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s final Leaders’ Questions.

Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly said the manner in which Mr Kenny has handled the scandals concerning the gardaí, former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan’s departure and matters concerning the current Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan will stain his legacy.

She recalled the breath-test fiasco and the meeting of the justice committee, in October 2016, when Ms O’Sullivan repeatedly said:

“I’m not privy to, nor did I approve, nor would I condone any campaign of harassment or any campaign to malign any individual employee.”

Ms Daly said she had seen information showing that, in September 2016, written reports were being sought for Ms O’Sullivan about the alleged bullying and harassment Garda whistleblower Nick Kehoe was enduring.

Continue reading →

Compared to the buffet of neo-liberal homogeneity that we chewed through in 2015, the possibility of voting for a politician that offers change seems oddly exotic.

Jeremy Corbyn has somehow been in politics for decades with his integrity perfectly preserved, like his much derided beard has functioned as hairy formaldehyde for his principles.

Theresa May has chosen to make this election about ‘personality’ rather than principles, which seems increasingly unwise.

The delirious sycophant that had her ear when they were plotting this smash ‘n’ grab clearly saw Theresa as some kind of female Freddie Mercury set to dazzle voters from the podium rather than a vindictive librarian drawn by Quentin Blake.

FIGHT!

Jeremy Corbyn Won’t Be Perfect, But He Has The Qualities I Want In A Strong And Stable Leader (Russell Brand, Huffington Post)