68 thoughts on “De Thursday Papers

    1. Giggidygoo

      Eamon Ryan and another brainfrat. The same Eamon Ryan and his band of merry greenies who kept FF at the helm during the meltdown. The same greens who then brought down the FF Greenie government because FF couldn’t sort out their leadership problem. No mention of the catastrophic damage that FF did t the country.
      The gre3nies are always about ‘solutions by tax’. What a simplistic shower.

      1. Cú Chulainn

        Mr. Goo, we shall pass over your many, currently unrealised, portends of doom to add: the brain fart also gave us a motorway through the Skyrne valley. He supported the incinerator initially, which is currently dumping voluminous dioxins on heads of Dubliners. Voted for the spike on O’Connell st. The removal of the triangle in Ranelagh…. to name but a few…

    2. eoin

      Who gives a toss what the state-funded ESRI thinks, they’re hardly independent because they’re mostly funded by the government. Why would the monkeys oppose what the organ grinder?

      If Leo wants a carbon tax, then we’ll have Dilsi Bui protests here and look what happened in France (yes, they’re still protesting despite the news blackout by mainstream media, check out Twitter #GiletsJaune)

      1. rotide

        There’s no news blackout about the yellow vest protests, it’s just not news anymore. they don’t even know what they want

        1. Junkface

          i think a load of Anarchists just latched onto it and started vandalising their cities, the genuine yellow vest protesters probably just took a step back. Nobody wants to be associated with those idiots.

    1. Giggidygoo

      Looking more and more like revoking article 50.
      Athens political landscape is changing in Britain quickly.

        1. bisted

          …the hubris of brit MPs will not have them going to the EU27 asking for an extension which can be vetoed by any of the members…

        2. Cian

          If the UK ask for an extension and someone says no – either because they want to extend past the MEP elections, or are looking for another 2 years, or just out of spite (I’m looking at you Spain) then the UK are left with two options: Hard brexit, or revoke article 50.
          They voted against a hard brexit (and they can’t vote again because democracy) – so the only option is revoke 50.

          I can see it happening.

          1. ReproBertie

            There’s also the rumour that May will ask for a short extension to present the WA for a third vote. If any of the EU27 reject the extension then a third vote on it may happen even sooner.

            Word from the EU was that May should ask for a long extension but it would only be granted on the condition that the UK hold either elections or another referendum. The EU doesn’t see any point in extending the deadline just so they can sit through another X months of the same nonsense.

          2. bisted

            …the only reason that EU27 will be asked for an extension would be to provide an EU bogey-man that can be blamed for MPs having to revoke Article 50…

          3. The Old Boy

            A point of order was made about whether the PM could keep putting the same agreement to the House after it had been rejected without falling foul of parliamentary rules and procedure. In reply, the Speaker rather cryptically suggested that “a ruling may have to be made” if it arose again.

          4. Spaghetti Hoop

            What about the Euro elections Cian? The hard-line Brexiteers won’t find the fielding of candidates palatable. I wonder if it’s even possible.

          5. bisted

            …the ‘hardline brexiteers’ will relish EU elections…they will probably get a landslide vote…the place will be full of little nigels giving voice to their hatred of johnnie foreigner…

  1. eoin

    I’d say the chances of no-deal Brexit have risen in the past 12 hours, despite what the markets think.

    Last night, the first vote for ruling out a no-deal Brexit was passed by 312-308, the smallest of margins. It won’t take much for parliament to wave through no-deal.

    Also, last night, several govt ministers defied the so-called “3 line whip” from Theresa May by abstaining in a vote. One minister has reportedly resigned, there are calls from Tories for the others (which include senior cabinet ministers) to go. Their departures could bring down the government.

    Today, they’ll vote on an extension to 30 June 2019, but that’s just three days after Juncker explicitly told them they’d have to have European Parliament elections if they didn’t leave by 24 May. It’s like the UK government is deliberately tweaking the nose of the EU.

    And then, there was the bizarre tariff announcements, strategically timed to be released yesterday. I have never read an RTE “news” story, from RTE’s Sean Whelan, which is so opinionated. “The UK Tariff plan – and its timing – is designed to pressure the Irish into abandoning the backstop at next week’s European Council…This tariff plan was supposed to be published last week, but was delayed until today to give the UK government new leverage and energy in the run into the summit….But it will probably have the desired political effect of causing the sectoral groups – particularly the always vulnerable farming and agri-business sector – to scream in pain, upping the panic factor in Irish politics (which is structurally super-attentive to constituents’ needs, sometimes to the disadvantage of the bigger picture)”

    I’d put the probability of no deal Brexit at low mid double digit % today. It will take just one of the EU 27 to object to an extension – could be Lithuania, Spain or even Germany. I wonder what it would take for Ireland to do the unthinkable and object.

    1. ReproBertie

      The 4 vote margin was on an amendment to the bill. The bill itself passed by 43 votes.

      1. eoin

        Hansard, the transcript of yesterday at the House of Commons, is only available to 5.30pm at the minute.

        There were two votes on no deal Brexit, but I thought the second one (passed by 43 votes) was the one with the amendment, the earlier one which passed by four votes was the raw vote. Will look at it later. Either way, four votes or 43 is not like 149 or 230, I can see those 4/43 votes reversing.

        1. ReproBertie

          I watched it unfold on BBC. They voted for the amendments first and the final vote was for the amended motion.

          The vote on the amendment was the one that people defied the whips on.

          1. ReproBertie

            Would it have killed you to say, “yes, they were voting on an amendment”?

            Amendment proposed: (a) Line 1, leave out from “House” to end and add
            “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a Framework for the Future Relationship.”.—(Yvette Cooper.)
            Ayes: 312
            Noes: 308

          2. ReproBertie

            This vote was followed by
            Main Question, as amended, put.
            Ayes: 321
            Noes: 278

            So a 43 vote majority to remove the No Deal option and a 4 vote majority for the amendment.

            Just as I said way back at 7:45.

    2. ReproBertie

      “ I have never read an RTE “news” story, from RTE’s Sean Whelan, which is so opinionated. “

      The article you’re quoting is an opinion piece FFS. That’s why it’s under “Analysis and Comment”.

        1. ReproBertie

          The accompanying picture is the journalists photo. That’s a clue right there. Anyone who reads the RTÉ site regularly knows a byline photo is an opinion piece.

          The link is “sean-whelan-tariffs” another obvious clue.

          It’s an opinion piece.

      1. Giggidygoo

        However, if you use the RTÉ News app, it’s not flagged as an opinion piece. It’s ‘News’. Whelan is delivering the news (in his capacity as economics correspondent).

        1. ReproBertie

          The accompanying picture is the journalists photo on the app too. This is what they do for opinion pieces. Every news story on the app and site has a photo relevant to the story. Opinion pieces have byline photos.The app also tags it as Analysis and Comment.

          This is hilarious. It’s an opinion piece, not a conspiracy. It’s fine to admit a mistake instead of doubling down on it.

          1. Giggidygoo

            Well, you’re truly scraping the bottom of the barrel now. So you’re basically saying that a photo of a person signifies the article is an opinion piece?
            The news article itself tags it as news. (yes or no?)

          2. ReproBertie

            LOL! Yes, I’m pointing out the recognised practice of using a byline photo to signify an opinion piece. Is this your first time on the RTÉ app?

            On the App it’s tagged as Business, Politics, [Sasamach] and Analysis and Comment.

            Just admit it and move on FFS.

          3. Giggidygoo

            I use the app daily.
            So I’ll ask again.
            Are you basically saying that a photo of a person signifies the article is an opinion piece?
            The news article itself tags it as news. (yes or no?)

          4. eoin

            Just give up there Giggidy, sure hasn’t he said “FFS” a couple of times which proves he’s 100% (probably 200% because he said it twice) right. And next time you see an RTE news article on the website with a pic and name of the author, remember, it’s an opinion (and possibly a contentious opinion at that), not fact or news.

          5. ReproBertie

            Wait, you use the app daily and you haven’t realised that a byline photo indicates an opinion piece? Oh that’s brilliant!

            I already told you about the tags. Here’s something that will blow your mind. I clicked the “Analysis and Comment” tag and guess what I got? A big list of articles with byline photos!

          6. Cú Chulainn

            I wouldn’t like to be Mr. Goo’s shadow. I’d say he takes a fair old beating every day..!!!!

          7. ReproBertie

            I answered your questions. Repeatedly.

            The desperation of trying to compare a photo of Mary Lou to an obvious byline photo is just embarrassing.

          8. GiggidyGoo

            I think you may have answered questions you’d like to have been asked. Not mine though. Obviously you won’t.
            Oh wait. I clicked the News tag and got a heap of news articles. Well well well.

          9. ReproBertie

            Ok, once more for the intentionally dense.

            I have said, repeatedly, that a byline photo indicates an opinion piece. You are trying to pretend that I said that any photo of a person indicates an opinion piece so that you can post unrelated articles, like the Mary Lou one, and score some internet points. It won’t work and it’s pathetic. You could have just admitted you were wrong but you had to ring Tobias and pretend to be from the International Drains Commission and now you’re left with the phone bill. Bravo!

          10. GiggidyGoo

            Lunchtime. I see Repro has gone off on a tangent
            From saying firstly that a tag mentioning opinion means it’s an opinion piece, goes to saying one that has a tag of ‘news’ doesn’t mean it’s a news piece. Clever alright.
            And picks and chooses what type of photo/byline suits. Clever.

          11. ReproBertie

            Don’t you have any self esteem?

            Did you miss the part where I listed the tags on the opinion piece on the app? No news mentioned there was there?

            Also re-read all my posts and you’ll see that I mentioned the following:
            ‘journalists photo’
            ‘byline photo’
            ‘journalists photo’
            ‘byline photos’
            ‘byline photo’
            ‘byline photo’
            ‘byline photo’
            ‘byline photo’

            So, please feel free to point out where I “picks and chooses what type of photo/byline suits”.

  2. eoin

    The Brits are trying to pull another Widgery ahead of the decision to prosecute some of the British soldiers for the “unlawful homicide” (murder, surely) of civil rights protesters in Derry 47 years ago. Yesterday Karen “dignified and appropriate” said (1) soldiers are included in the Good Friday Agreement provision which imposes a max of 2 years sentence on crimes committed as a direct result of the conflict, “the Troubles” and (2) she is to amend the Good Friday Agreement legislation which puts a cap on sentences to acts that took place before 1973 (Bloody Sunday was in 1972).

    You’d think Sinn Fein and the Irish government would be all over this.

    1. millie st murderlark

      I only wish I had as much pep. I could use an morning on the sofa after all the excitement of yesterday.

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