Good to see SINO (socialist in name only) Corbyn copying May – including her mistakes. Both support Brexit. The Torrorist and Lamebour parties are doomed!
jusayinlike
“The best way to control the opposition, is to be the opposition”
Lenin
eoin
Further to Susan Mitchell reporting the HSE has spent all its budget for new drugs in 2019 just two months into the year, on Friday last.
We learned the Irish government will override the independent rules for determining if a drug is cost effective. It authorises funding for Translarna which costs €440,000 per person per year, the #2 most expensive medical drug licensed ANYWHERE, public or privately, in Europe.The maker of Translarna actually had the cheek to sue the HSE to force it to buy its drug; that legal action floundered last year. Remember the huge ruckus over the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi and the lobbying that took place to get that authorised? That only costs €230,000 per person per year.
Do we have an independent assessment mechanism based on cost/medical benefit in this country or not? In the end, does it all depend on which politician you know and to hell with the rules which are supposed to provide an independent judgment of cost/benefit? One person whose opinion I wouldn’t ask is SF’s.
Where are you getting those figures from?
Most sites suggest that the original (too expensive) asking price for Orkambi was €159,000. And the HSE stuck a deal.
Are you saying that the deal was 70K higher?
Do the prices above (€440k a year/person for the drug approved last week after political cajouling, €220k for Orkambi) appear anywhere as the going prices for the drug in Europe? And does the price you claim detract from the point being made?
The Sunday Times says the libel proceedings by Senator (ex TD) Paudie Coffey against a Kilkenny newspaper will be the subject of a retrial later this year. Last December, the jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict. What’s interesting is the estimate of legal costs to date – €400,000. The Coffey/Kilkenny People hearing was shorter than the DOBvSBP hearing. We don’t know what libel insurance the SBP has but we can assume the SBP itself doesn’t have huge resources because of its financial filings before it was bought out last year.
No wonder publications, including the noble BS, is so wary about libel.
bisted
…Glenna Lynch…Stephen Donnelly…the Com-a-tee…seems like the only item on the soc dem agenda is the split…where stands Broadsheet?
Bodger
Gulp.
eoin
John Mooney has a good (and necessary) article in the ST about the collapse of the murder trial last week. John obviously has good sources but the info he is getting has holes in it.
“There was no single reason why the charges had to be withdrawn; it was a combination of lots of factors and legal considerations.” says the source. Or, in other words, it’s technical so it is, that’s so why. Well the source and the ST can fupp off if they think the explanations given are in any way acceptable for a hugely expensive trial where the prime suspect who bears an uncanny resemblance to high quality (the SW photographers are high quality to be fair) pics has walked away without even a trial.
Gda Colm Fox [the lead Garda who killed himself] “had become deeply agitated about its possible outcome for reasons that remain unclear.” He had “mislaid a photograph he was given of the accused at an early stage of the investigation”.
As John Mooney says at the outset, “It was a gangland murder that should have been easily solved. Gardai had been provided with high-quality photographs of an unmasked gunman running from the scene of the crime with a gun in his hand.The only difficulty they faced concerned the formal identification of their suspect, as the gunman had dressed as a woman and wore a blonde wig. Still, his face was visible.”
High quality pics, presumably testing of an alibi. Any half decent policing service would have been at least able to present a case in open court to a jury. Not in Ireland. And the suggestion that a murder trial collapses because the lead Garda in a large team dies is just taking the mickey.
eoin
What did Leo give to three independent TDs last week to buy their support in the Simon Harris confidence motion vote?
Mattie McGrath, an Independent who didn’t vote for the government is alleging all sorts. Did Michael Lowry get €7.5m for the hospital in Nenagh? Did Noel Grealish get schools or is he still being paid off with the ring road in Galway? What about Denis Naughten, maybe Denis would settle for a hot dinner or two now that he’s no longer being entertained by the broadband people.
According to the Sunday Times “Peter Fitzpatrick, an independent TD, has revealed that the government chief whip and his deputy sought a meeting last week to seek his support on the Harris confidence motion.Asked if he was offered anything in return, Fitzpatrick said: “I felt I could have got something if I wanted, but I didn’t let the conversation get that far.”
SOQ
UK food imports from EU face ‘£9bn tariff bill’ under no-deal Brexit.
The relationship with the EU is key to the price of food because nearly one third of the food eaten in the UK comes from the bloc. At this time of year the situation is more acute because, with UK produce out of season, 90% of lettuces, 80% of tomatoes and 70% of soft fruit is sourced from, or via, the EU.
The BRC says increased tariffs and new regulatory checks in the event of a no-deal Brexit could increase the cost of sourcing some everyday food items by up to 45%.
Of course this would be very bad news for the Irish Argi Industry as UK is their biggest client. We don’t hear the words ‘project fear’ any more because if no deal Brexit actually happens, it is going to be- project reality.
Will a new grouping emerge? ‘Vegans against Brexit’
bisted
…the AvoCadres…
SOQ
The same tariffs will apply to meat based products. Ireland is the fifth largest beef exporter in the world and the largest exporter of beef in Europe, accounting for 37% of all UK beef imports.
Just goes to show how out of touch the loopy SF/IRA wingnuts on here and thejournal.ie really are.
Frilly Keane
I know
And tis all their shouting n’roaring
And absurd promises of an uprising in the next general
That strengthen that FF/FG consolidation
Look at the locals coming up
And not just who gets elected and who doesn’t
Pay close attention to the counts
And the spread of the votes
It’s always very telling
Ron
SF big bounce in the polls.
Frilly Keane
D’ mind the polls
For the moment anyway
Go knock around a count centre in May
You’ll know for sure how the Shinners are really placed for a General
Like Matt Carty will get a huge personal vote
But how he does on transfers will be a better measure of how palatable the Shinners are
And that’s just his result
Same around the country where there are Sinn Fein figure heads
The more accurate position will be presented later and deeper into the count
I myself have always felt the Shinners weren’t been taken seriously enough
But over the last year or so
To be perfectly honest
The standard and quality of Professional Politicans and their entourages has been an eye-opener
I tried to say so on an episode of BS.tv
It probably got drowned out
Numbers
Numbers lads
Are capable of telling a lot’ve stories
Giggidygoo
Are you quoting from a RedC poll? ROFL. So funny that I’ll do it again. ROFL
millie st murderlark
You’re hilarious. I think I might give up laughing after reading your searing witticisms and incisive truths.
jusayinlike
GG is a legend. My favorite commenter.
Keep it up hombre.
millie st murderlark
I wasn’t talking about GG.
Clampers Outside!
RIP Stanley Donen 1924-2019
co-Director of Singin’ In The Rain
The Social Democrats are in turrrmoillll over the cv of a local election candidate. This is going to rock the political system, mark my words.
Clampers Outside!
They drop the candidate, admit the mistake, promise to continue to work on integrity, and move on…. that’d be the sensible thing…. won’t hold.my breath though.
Frilly Keane
TBF that may be down to a resources issue
They are a small party
And a young party
That hasn’t established a basement full ov’ rules n’ procedures n’ committees and sub- committees
And then there’s the fundraising dinner circuits as well as big ticket donors
They are still reaching out to potential members and candidates and possible Ogras
Not to mention establishing daycent constituency strongholds
The failure to conduct any due diligence here could’ve been cleaned up with a ‘Review’ into selection procedures, and help develop a Selection Convention policy that could travel to all the constituencies
The real impact however is on those Candidates already selected
They don’t deserve the finger pointing
Especially this close to the locals that will make or break this Start Up political party
Gary Gannon himself has been called ‘a joke’ by a certain someone using last week’s ST shameful splash
And he is far from that
Clampers Outside!
To be fairer, the reasons you give are the reasons why they should be able to drop and move on.
Gannon’s insistence on that Magdalene building being turned into a museum is one of the issues that does make him look a joke, in fairness.
There are far more important uses,like homes, that building is better suited too. And his insistence that it is the only old Magdalene laundry owned by the government is not true. A number of them are still there, one in WIT, and a few more under other colleges and govt institution ownership. A commemorative museum also need not be in Dublin, but he’s gone all parish pump on that issue, imo.
Frilly Keane
Whatever you say
Have it your way
I’ve no intention of engaging
And have another relatively healthy thread decimated because of you and your wild and false accusations
Happy leftover Sunday everyone else
Clampers Outside!
Eh… *eyeroll*
Frilly Keane
C’mere
Geri looks great don’t she
Clampers Outside!
But calling her the new posh? She was always better than that :)
Andyourpointiswhatexactly?
Was she though? She started dating her now husband when his wife was at home minding their 6-month old daughter. He’s obv a male appendage too—I’m not just blaming her obv.
Her new posh accent is comical.
I’m not a fan.
Clampers Outside!
…never new that, disappointing. I was thinking singing ability, but thanks for the background bit… bad form.
SOQ
Yes glad she hasn’t adopted the trout pout like so many others, she actually looks normal, and healthy. Seen a woman the other day, 25-35, the only thing that moved was the eyelids and the mouth and even that was through a couple of plumped up pillows which arrived some time before the rest of her.
I kind of wonder about botox. If you break your leg and wear a plaster, you need to build the muscles up in that leg afterwards as they will have wasted. If you freeze facial muscles then surely they waste too?
True, according to French govt, 46,000 were out in Yellow Vests yesterday, up from 41,500 (very precise for the French govt the previous week), though down from 300,000 when the movement started in November, there were 10s of arrests and injuries on both the police and protester sides. There were incredible scenes on the steps leading down to the Eiffel Tower which you’d think would be iconic and worthy of a front page somewhere. The lack of coverage in Ireland is sinister when you think what “news” from different continents makes their headlines.
Ron
Great read in the Phoenix
WHAT an interesting story Kerry’s Eye sleuth Aidan O’Connor had recently about BAM, the construction firm at the centre of the National Children’s Hospital contract increase from €983m to €1.7bn. According to the newspaper, BAM upped the cost of two by-pass roads in Kerry from an initial cost of €45m to €100m (excluding VAT) some years ago.
The BAM contract for the Castleisland bypass was initially put at €14m, but BAM later sought an increase of €9.2m. The bypass was completed in 2010, but the settlement facilitated by a conciliator between BAM, Kerry County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) was only agreed in 2015.
That settlement also included a larger contract with an even greater increase sought by BAM in relation to another major road, the Tralee bypass. The original price was €30m (excluding VAT) but, by the time the road was built in 2013, BAM sought an extra €46m (again excluding VAT), a whopping increase of over 150% on the original price. Apparently, BAM claimed the extra dosh for various items, including a railway bridge, site investigations and drainage, among other headings.
Kerry County Council has refused to tell taxpayers or media what the final settlements on these two claims – up by over 100% from €44m to nearly €100m – amounted to. The settlement reached was, the council explained, bound by a confidentiality clause in the agreement with BAM. Whether BAM, the council or both would be embarrassed by the overrun in price for the two roads is unclear.
Sinn Féin councillor Toiréasa Ferris has not gone as far as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who told the Dáil that he would be happy if “one or two [unspecified] contractors” never again got a state contract. But Ferris lacerated the council for its secrecy.
Fianna Fáil TD John Brassil has also raised “serious concerns” about tendering procedures for major contracts.
Neither Kerry residents nor the council actually stumps up the millions for these road projects, as the cost of all primary and secondary roads is the responsibility of the NRA (since renamed Transport Infrastructure Ireland), ie the national taxpayer.
The recent appointment of Fred Barry to replace Tom Costello, who resigned as chair of the board responsible for building the children’s hospital, is, therefore, most appropriate. Health minister Simon Harris said, “Barry’s experience and leadership will be invaluable to ensuring the next phase of this project is delivered for future generations.”
Although Kerry’s Eye did not allude to the appointment, Barry certainly has experience in this regard as, until a few years ago, he was chairman of the NRA, a post he held for 10 years until 2015. This was the period during which BAM, the local council and the NRA negotiated the original bypass contracts in Kerry and the later claims made by BAM.
Barry will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on all contracts and any potential overruns at the National Children’s Hospital.
Dub Spot
Don’t Panic! Wasn’t that a Dad’s Army Little Englander line?
Who’d a thunk “Brits Out” actually applies to remainers in the UK itself.
Keep Calm and Carry On Digging Your Own Grave.
eoin
Two titans of US industry and banking caught in separate prostitution raids in Florida – owner of the New England Patriots and Citigroup ex-president, a spokesperson (who doesn’t want to be named!) for the former denies impropriety. Looks like the women at the “spa” were trafficked from China.
€175 million like being sent to jail. I’d happily help liberate ye from that prison by taking a share. Really, if you win big on the lottery you should be made to swear you’ll never say stupid things like:
“I wish we’d never won”
“It was too much really”
“It won’t change us”
“I’m going to carry on working”
Also, Olivia Coleman (Sunday Express) – she’s the queen of our hearts.
Andyourpointiswhatexactly?
Yup. Boo fupping hoo. Give €165m away and quit yer moaning.
millie st murderlark
According to locals, those from the Sunday World camped outside the house and hounded that family for a statement. They’d been there since Friday morning and only left once they’d gotten their ‘scoop’.
SOQ
It’s amazing now naive some people can be in such (lucky) situations. You win a crazy amount of money and don’t get out double quick, you immediately become a target for all sorts. The Sunday World is the least of their problems.
Rich people live in high gated houses and/or communities for a reason, just look at parts of South Armagh.
newsjustin
If I won, you’d never know.
Except I’d buy Broadsheet and have it as my mouthpiece. All newsjustin wisdom all the time!
SOQ
All abortion, kid fiddlers in the CC, dead babies and equal marriage topics to be banned so.
Frilly Keane
You’d be talking t’ yerself all day Justin
SOQ
I am refraining from the obvious there Frilly.
Frilly Keane
Not obvious to me Same’oh
Like I wouldn’t be knocking around here if Justine had it
I’d expect to be off swanning around in one’ah the Hot Keels
Good to see SINO (socialist in name only) Corbyn copying May – including her mistakes. Both support Brexit. The Torrorist and Lamebour parties are doomed!
“The best way to control the opposition, is to be the opposition”
Lenin
Further to Susan Mitchell reporting the HSE has spent all its budget for new drugs in 2019 just two months into the year, on Friday last.
We learned the Irish government will override the independent rules for determining if a drug is cost effective. It authorises funding for Translarna which costs €440,000 per person per year, the #2 most expensive medical drug licensed ANYWHERE, public or privately, in Europe.The maker of Translarna actually had the cheek to sue the HSE to force it to buy its drug; that legal action floundered last year. Remember the huge ruckus over the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi and the lobbying that took place to get that authorised? That only costs €230,000 per person per year.
Do we have an independent assessment mechanism based on cost/medical benefit in this country or not? In the end, does it all depend on which politician you know and to hell with the rules which are supposed to provide an independent judgment of cost/benefit? One person whose opinion I wouldn’t ask is SF’s.
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/52540
Where are you getting those figures from?
Most sites suggest that the original (too expensive) asking price for Orkambi was €159,000. And the HSE stuck a deal.
Are you saying that the deal was 70K higher?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/praise-for-campaigners-as-orkambi-deal-agreed-with-hse-1.3045678?mode=amp
Do the prices above (€440k a year/person for the drug approved last week after political cajouling, €220k for Orkambi) appear anywhere as the going prices for the drug in Europe? And does the price you claim detract from the point being made?
Because I think you are plucking numbers from thin air.
This suggests that the original price for translate was 400,000 per year.
https://www.thejournal.ie/translarna-ireland-2-4508927-Feb2019/
The Sunday Times says the libel proceedings by Senator (ex TD) Paudie Coffey against a Kilkenny newspaper will be the subject of a retrial later this year. Last December, the jury in the first trial failed to reach a verdict. What’s interesting is the estimate of legal costs to date – €400,000. The Coffey/Kilkenny People hearing was shorter than the DOBvSBP hearing. We don’t know what libel insurance the SBP has but we can assume the SBP itself doesn’t have huge resources because of its financial filings before it was bought out last year.
No wonder publications, including the noble BS, is so wary about libel.
…Glenna Lynch…Stephen Donnelly…the Com-a-tee…seems like the only item on the soc dem agenda is the split…where stands Broadsheet?
Gulp.
John Mooney has a good (and necessary) article in the ST about the collapse of the murder trial last week. John obviously has good sources but the info he is getting has holes in it.
“There was no single reason why the charges had to be withdrawn; it was a combination of lots of factors and legal considerations.” says the source. Or, in other words, it’s technical so it is, that’s so why. Well the source and the ST can fupp off if they think the explanations given are in any way acceptable for a hugely expensive trial where the prime suspect who bears an uncanny resemblance to high quality (the SW photographers are high quality to be fair) pics has walked away without even a trial.
Gda Colm Fox [the lead Garda who killed himself] “had become deeply agitated about its possible outcome for reasons that remain unclear.” He had “mislaid a photograph he was given of the accused at an early stage of the investigation”.
As John Mooney says at the outset, “It was a gangland murder that should have been easily solved. Gardai had been provided with high-quality photographs of an unmasked gunman running from the scene of the crime with a gun in his hand.The only difficulty they faced concerned the formal identification of their suspect, as the gunman had dressed as a woman and wore a blonde wig. Still, his face was visible.”
High quality pics, presumably testing of an alibi. Any half decent policing service would have been at least able to present a case in open court to a jury. Not in Ireland. And the suggestion that a murder trial collapses because the lead Garda in a large team dies is just taking the mickey.
What did Leo give to three independent TDs last week to buy their support in the Simon Harris confidence motion vote?
Mattie McGrath, an Independent who didn’t vote for the government is alleging all sorts. Did Michael Lowry get €7.5m for the hospital in Nenagh? Did Noel Grealish get schools or is he still being paid off with the ring road in Galway? What about Denis Naughten, maybe Denis would settle for a hot dinner or two now that he’s no longer being entertained by the broadband people.
According to the Sunday Times “Peter Fitzpatrick, an independent TD, has revealed that the government chief whip and his deputy sought a meeting last week to seek his support on the Harris confidence motion.Asked if he was offered anything in return, Fitzpatrick said: “I felt I could have got something if I wanted, but I didn’t let the conversation get that far.”
UK food imports from EU face ‘£9bn tariff bill’ under no-deal Brexit.
The relationship with the EU is key to the price of food because nearly one third of the food eaten in the UK comes from the bloc. At this time of year the situation is more acute because, with UK produce out of season, 90% of lettuces, 80% of tomatoes and 70% of soft fruit is sourced from, or via, the EU.
The BRC says increased tariffs and new regulatory checks in the event of a no-deal Brexit could increase the cost of sourcing some everyday food items by up to 45%.
Of course this would be very bad news for the Irish Argi Industry as UK is their biggest client. We don’t hear the words ‘project fear’ any more because if no deal Brexit actually happens, it is going to be- project reality.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/23/uk-food-imports-from-eu-face-9bn-tariff-bill-under-no-deal-brexit
Will a new grouping emerge? ‘Vegans against Brexit’
…the AvoCadres…
The same tariffs will apply to meat based products. Ireland is the fifth largest beef exporter in the world and the largest exporter of beef in Europe, accounting for 37% of all UK beef imports.
Not necessecelery
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en
What am I supposed to be looking at here?
Input a tariff code. You can get these here. https://www.tariffnumber.com
Put in the first four digits
75% of people don’t want an election.
Just goes to show how out of touch the loopy SF/IRA wingnuts on here and thejournal.ie really are.
I know
And tis all their shouting n’roaring
And absurd promises of an uprising in the next general
That strengthen that FF/FG consolidation
Look at the locals coming up
And not just who gets elected and who doesn’t
Pay close attention to the counts
And the spread of the votes
It’s always very telling
SF big bounce in the polls.
D’ mind the polls
For the moment anyway
Go knock around a count centre in May
You’ll know for sure how the Shinners are really placed for a General
Like Matt Carty will get a huge personal vote
But how he does on transfers will be a better measure of how palatable the Shinners are
And that’s just his result
Same around the country where there are Sinn Fein figure heads
The more accurate position will be presented later and deeper into the count
I myself have always felt the Shinners weren’t been taken seriously enough
But over the last year or so
To be perfectly honest
The standard and quality of Professional Politicans and their entourages has been an eye-opener
I tried to say so on an episode of BS.tv
It probably got drowned out
Numbers
Numbers lads
Are capable of telling a lot’ve stories
Are you quoting from a RedC poll? ROFL. So funny that I’ll do it again. ROFL
You’re hilarious. I think I might give up laughing after reading your searing witticisms and incisive truths.
GG is a legend. My favorite commenter.
Keep it up hombre.
I wasn’t talking about GG.
RIP Stanley Donen 1924-2019
co-Director of Singin’ In The Rain
https://twitter.com/DannyDrinksWine/status/1099306534142500865?s=19
A wee clip of his, to brighten your day ! “Good Morning To You”
Meanwhile in the Daily Banana Republic Gazette.. Political sillies continue to be inept and incompetent. Sums up the state of affairs.
Ok so…
How’s KBC treating you in Brussels Rob?
I’m sure he’s having a grand time of it.
I hear it’s lovely at this time of the year.
Indeed, it’s very sunny, thanks for asking.
And jusayin, they’ve given us all bonuses for each family we evict, so we’re rolling in it at the moment.
It’s like broadsheet on the telly: https://youtu.be/XH_z6KeUV0A
The Social Democrats are in turrrmoillll over the cv of a local election candidate. This is going to rock the political system, mark my words.
They drop the candidate, admit the mistake, promise to continue to work on integrity, and move on…. that’d be the sensible thing…. won’t hold.my breath though.
TBF that may be down to a resources issue
They are a small party
And a young party
That hasn’t established a basement full ov’ rules n’ procedures n’ committees and sub- committees
And then there’s the fundraising dinner circuits as well as big ticket donors
They are still reaching out to potential members and candidates and possible Ogras
Not to mention establishing daycent constituency strongholds
The failure to conduct any due diligence here could’ve been cleaned up with a ‘Review’ into selection procedures, and help develop a Selection Convention policy that could travel to all the constituencies
The real impact however is on those Candidates already selected
They don’t deserve the finger pointing
Especially this close to the locals that will make or break this Start Up political party
Gary Gannon himself has been called ‘a joke’ by a certain someone using last week’s ST shameful splash
And he is far from that
To be fairer, the reasons you give are the reasons why they should be able to drop and move on.
Gannon’s insistence on that Magdalene building being turned into a museum is one of the issues that does make him look a joke, in fairness.
There are far more important uses,like homes, that building is better suited too. And his insistence that it is the only old Magdalene laundry owned by the government is not true. A number of them are still there, one in WIT, and a few more under other colleges and govt institution ownership. A commemorative museum also need not be in Dublin, but he’s gone all parish pump on that issue, imo.
Whatever you say
Have it your way
I’ve no intention of engaging
And have another relatively healthy thread decimated because of you and your wild and false accusations
Happy leftover Sunday everyone else
Eh… *eyeroll*
C’mere
Geri looks great don’t she
But calling her the new posh? She was always better than that :)
Was she though? She started dating her now husband when his wife was at home minding their 6-month old daughter. He’s obv a male appendage too—I’m not just blaming her obv.
Her new posh accent is comical.
I’m not a fan.
…never new that, disappointing. I was thinking singing ability, but thanks for the background bit… bad form.
Yes glad she hasn’t adopted the trout pout like so many others, she actually looks normal, and healthy. Seen a woman the other day, 25-35, the only thing that moved was the eyelids and the mouth and even that was through a couple of plumped up pillows which arrived some time before the rest of her.
I kind of wonder about botox. If you break your leg and wear a plaster, you need to build the muscles up in that leg afterwards as they will have wasted. If you freeze facial muscles then surely they waste too?
Yellow Vest protests are continuing into week 15 now. Noteworthy ongoing story here about how, for over a month now, protestors have occupied a government-owned building and turned it into a homeless shelter for 150 families. Not the kind of thing RTE will be reporting on any time soon, I guess!
http://news2share.com/start/2019/02/13/yellow-vests-occupy-government-building-turn-it-into-homelesss-shelter/
True, according to French govt, 46,000 were out in Yellow Vests yesterday, up from 41,500 (very precise for the French govt the previous week), though down from 300,000 when the movement started in November, there were 10s of arrests and injuries on both the police and protester sides. There were incredible scenes on the steps leading down to the Eiffel Tower which you’d think would be iconic and worthy of a front page somewhere. The lack of coverage in Ireland is sinister when you think what “news” from different continents makes their headlines.
Great read in the Phoenix
WHAT an interesting story Kerry’s Eye sleuth Aidan O’Connor had recently about BAM, the construction firm at the centre of the National Children’s Hospital contract increase from €983m to €1.7bn. According to the newspaper, BAM upped the cost of two by-pass roads in Kerry from an initial cost of €45m to €100m (excluding VAT) some years ago.
The BAM contract for the Castleisland bypass was initially put at €14m, but BAM later sought an increase of €9.2m. The bypass was completed in 2010, but the settlement facilitated by a conciliator between BAM, Kerry County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) was only agreed in 2015.
That settlement also included a larger contract with an even greater increase sought by BAM in relation to another major road, the Tralee bypass. The original price was €30m (excluding VAT) but, by the time the road was built in 2013, BAM sought an extra €46m (again excluding VAT), a whopping increase of over 150% on the original price. Apparently, BAM claimed the extra dosh for various items, including a railway bridge, site investigations and drainage, among other headings.
Kerry County Council has refused to tell taxpayers or media what the final settlements on these two claims – up by over 100% from €44m to nearly €100m – amounted to. The settlement reached was, the council explained, bound by a confidentiality clause in the agreement with BAM. Whether BAM, the council or both would be embarrassed by the overrun in price for the two roads is unclear.
Sinn Féin councillor Toiréasa Ferris has not gone as far as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who told the Dáil that he would be happy if “one or two [unspecified] contractors” never again got a state contract. But Ferris lacerated the council for its secrecy.
Fianna Fáil TD John Brassil has also raised “serious concerns” about tendering procedures for major contracts.
Neither Kerry residents nor the council actually stumps up the millions for these road projects, as the cost of all primary and secondary roads is the responsibility of the NRA (since renamed Transport Infrastructure Ireland), ie the national taxpayer.
The recent appointment of Fred Barry to replace Tom Costello, who resigned as chair of the board responsible for building the children’s hospital, is, therefore, most appropriate. Health minister Simon Harris said, “Barry’s experience and leadership will be invaluable to ensuring the next phase of this project is delivered for future generations.”
Although Kerry’s Eye did not allude to the appointment, Barry certainly has experience in this regard as, until a few years ago, he was chairman of the NRA, a post he held for 10 years until 2015. This was the period during which BAM, the local council and the NRA negotiated the original bypass contracts in Kerry and the later claims made by BAM.
Barry will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on all contracts and any potential overruns at the National Children’s Hospital.
Don’t Panic! Wasn’t that a Dad’s Army Little Englander line?
Who’d a thunk “Brits Out” actually applies to remainers in the UK itself.
Keep Calm and Carry On Digging Your Own Grave.
Two titans of US industry and banking caught in separate prostitution raids in Florida – owner of the New England Patriots and Citigroup ex-president, a spokesperson (who doesn’t want to be named!) for the former denies impropriety. Looks like the women at the “spa” were trafficked from China.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/sports/robert-kraft-jupiter-orchids-arrest.html
€175 million like being sent to jail. I’d happily help liberate ye from that prison by taking a share. Really, if you win big on the lottery you should be made to swear you’ll never say stupid things like:
“I wish we’d never won”
“It was too much really”
“It won’t change us”
“I’m going to carry on working”
Also, Olivia Coleman (Sunday Express) – she’s the queen of our hearts.
Yup. Boo fupping hoo. Give €165m away and quit yer moaning.
According to locals, those from the Sunday World camped outside the house and hounded that family for a statement. They’d been there since Friday morning and only left once they’d gotten their ‘scoop’.
It’s amazing now naive some people can be in such (lucky) situations. You win a crazy amount of money and don’t get out double quick, you immediately become a target for all sorts. The Sunday World is the least of their problems.
Rich people live in high gated houses and/or communities for a reason, just look at parts of South Armagh.
If I won, you’d never know.
Except I’d buy Broadsheet and have it as my mouthpiece. All newsjustin wisdom all the time!
All abortion, kid fiddlers in the CC, dead babies and equal marriage topics to be banned so.
You’d be talking t’ yerself all day Justin
I am refraining from the obvious there Frilly.
Not obvious to me Same’oh
Like I wouldn’t be knocking around here if Justine had it
I’d expect to be off swanning around in one’ah the Hot Keels
Way to take a joke SOQ.
You’d drive Bodger to drink, Newsjustin.
…oh dear…oh dear…another innocuous comment…another delete…gulp!