Yearly Archives: 2017

Leo Varadkar and Brian Dobson on last night’s Six One

Last night.

On RTÉ’s Six One.

Following his ‘Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All’ campaign…

Fine Gael TD and leadership contender Leo Varadkar spoke to Brian Dobson about people in Ireland who “want everything for free”.

From the interview…

Brian Dobson: “You said in your launch today, that Irish society cannot be split into, and I quote, one group of people who pay for everything, and another who want everything for free and think others should pay for it. Who are that latter group, who want everything for free?”

Leo Varadkar: “Well, I suppose, they’re people who do exist in Ireland, unfortunately, there is a degree of an entitlement culture. It mightn’t be many people but there are people who believe and, you know, they’re very often supporters of the far left, that believe that everything should be free. And that, you know, somehow, Apple or bondholders or somebody else should pay for it, or billionaires who don’t live in this country. And I don’t accept that culture.

“I think, I come from a very different political point of view. I think everyone who can should pay into the system and by paying into the system, we can all have a better society.”

Dobson: “So they’re people on the hard left? A pretty small group then? Would it be fair to say?”

Varadkar: “Yeah, they’re pretty small but they’re loud and they’re growing and the kind of politics they preach is the idea that we should have, you know, free education, free healthcare, free housing, free everything but you shouldn’t have to contribute to it at all. Somehow that, you know, billionaires living overseas or American corporations, that make their profits elsewhere, are going to pay for everything. I think that’s dishonest.”

“I’m bringing forward, to the table, honest, centrist politics which is that if you want to have a good society, if you want to have good public services, well then we all need to contribute to them, we all need to work hard if we can and pay into the system.”

Watch back in full here

Previously: Populist Chancer Cheats Us All

‘Lucifer’ in happier times

Has she gone to Hell?

Mary O’Sullivan writers:

While fully aware you don’t normally do this I was wondering if you could help out a mate of mine who has had her lovely Lucy (short for Lucifer due to her habit of trying to kill and maim her owner) stolen over the weekend?

All the more upsetting as her owner was just trying to have a nice weekend away in Harry Potter land…

It’s a Black sparkle Trek Lexa S 2015 women’s road bike. It was stolen from the Phoenix Park area sometime between the 16th and the 22nd of May 16-22. If anyone has any leads/spots it somewhere could you please let me know!

Sleeping rough in Dublin city centre last night

Last night.

Some 162 people – 132 males and 32 females – slept on the streets of Dublin, according to Inner City Helping Homeless.

Further to this…

Olivia Kelly, in The Irish Times, reports:

Almost half the homeless families currently living in hotels in Dublin are to be moved to nine “family hub” emergency accommodation centres across the city and county.

The facilities, which have been leased by Dublin City Council for five years, will cater for approximately 380 families…

Just one of the hubs is a former hotel, Lynam’s Hotel on O’Connell Street, with the remaining eight including buildings owned by religious institutions, large family houses, and former industrial premises.

More than 1,000 families are currently in emergency accommodation and 815 of those are living in hotels. Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has set a deadline of July 1st to end the use of commercial hotels for homeless families.

Number of homeless families in Dublin hotels to be nearly halved (Olivia Kelly, The Irish Times)

Yesterday: No Homes To Go To

Previously: Social And Affordable Housing Are Not The Same

Pic: Anthony Flynn