77 thoughts on “De Friday Papers

  1. Slightly Bemused

    too many children dieing too early. May have always been like this,but my heart bleeds for the parents, regardless.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      Me also. On holiday it’s more tragic – those poor two kids and Nora and their families. I have a sense of dread now over balconies and pools which fights with fun and freedom.

      1. Cú Chulainn

        It’s not possible to even think about the loss of a child.. happened to friends this week. Just beyond comprehension or expression. May they rest in peace.

    1. martco

      dunno @Shayna…
      but see that story on Examiner front page about the electric cars? just as nonsensical. does ANYONE seriously believe this utter greenwash fantasy fiction that FG keep pedaling. 840,000 on the road by 2030? maybe a zero added in error :)
      space cadets

      1. Cathal

        People aren’t going to buy in the numbers FG are hoping, electric car tech is still not perfected and no one is going to chance buying a lemon

        1. Cú Chulainn

          When seagulls attack… !!! You know that it’s the summer when killer ants/bees/seagulls/badgers stories appear.. and when they are just not going to deal with the possibility of Corbyn becoming caretaker pm. Ok, that’s a bit unfair on the badgers.. they mostly get: when badgers go bad..

        2. Listrade

          Except that manufacturers can’t keep up with demand meaning that there are waiting lists. It also means that second hand ones are retaining their value as people look to them instead. Hybrids have dropped off the radar.

          But yeah, nobody wants one.

          Only issue with the technology is that it is advancing very quickly. Next year’s models will be more advanced than the current batch. Which may put some people off in the always waiting spiral.

          Parts are the main issue. Manufacturing is artificially slowed down as there is so much competition and demand for batteries, etc. That’ll improve. Supply will improve, prices will come down.

          The main issue was always a combination of range and destination parking. The government was stupid and didn’t listen to any advice and focused on at home charging. Except that isn’t always possible. But they did it anyway because they couldn’t see what was obvious in that manufacturers were openly all working on electric vehicles, we would have a huge shift to EV and we need the infrastructure to make it viable.

          Even the suggestion of at destination parking featuring in the budget has sparked significant interest in businesses putting charging points at their premises. We could see a boom for electricians coming up. Except the market for the actual chargers is tied up to a handful of companies. Most businesses with a high street presence are scoping out where they could install (all want to be the first).

          Not all LAs playing ball, they’ve seen their own golden ticket for permits and digging up the road. Be nice if they saw the improvements and benefits re air pollution in their towns, but all they see is the cash from hiking the price of every permit. (Like DCC did with the first round of broadband expansion…part of the reason companies didn’t want to bid for the rural, put in your bid based on current prices, win bid, DCC/LA decide to raise permit price, so long margin).

          Once the shopping centres and employers with car parks come on board, range won’t be that significant, you have a charging point.

          Anyway, we can keep out Jeremy Clarkson head on and sneer and make stuff up all day. Most manufacturers are looking at a not too distant point where petrol/diesel is a small niche. Supply cannot keep up with demand. But sure, no one wants one.

          1. martco

            @Listrade

            with due respect I know a little bit about cars & the car trade

            unless the state makes Petrol & Diesel cars literally illegal to own & run within the next 10 years AND mullocks up some magic scheme whereby the average motor costs circa < €20k to purchase there wont be 840,000 e-cars on the roads in this country by 2030.

            I promise you I'm not sneering.
            this is a pure aspirational fantasy akin to saying Ireland will have a moonshot by 2030.

            I will bet my life savings on it.

          2. Listrade

            @Martco,

            I’m dealing with fleet suppliers I know also the demand they’re struggling with and issues.

          3. SB

            I was trying to buy an electric car at the start of the year. One large Dublin dealer I checked out said they would be getting one of the car model I wanted in for the whole year 2019. ONE. Needless to say, he wasn’t honouring the make’s scrappage deal on it either. I didn’t go electric.

          4. martco

            @Listrade
            tell ya what, let’s agree to meet up this time 2030, Kehoes if that’s ok? I’ll buy the pints if I’m wrong & if nothing else we can muse where it all went horribly wrong one way or t’other :)
            M

    2. Clampers Outside

      “Psycho” sea gulls, gay penguins “desperate” to adopt

      …let the anthromorpholution be serialised for pay-per-view ! :)

  2. shayna

    I know sea gulls are pests. Also, they are giant birds by the sea. Anyone who lives on the coast will acknowledge, they’re getting bigger. I don’t think I’m allowed to shoot them – but I shoot in the air? In Donegal.

      1. martco

        thrilled for FG & their evil little db project, couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of incompetents!

        however they’re claiming 3.2 mil cards were issued?? that sounds like a very high number, didn’t realise so many had been conned into taking one. hmmm.

    1. eoin

      If you can’t beat them, eat them.

      [I’m sure it would never cross the mind of an Irish food outlet to entrap gulls with food left out, and then serve the gulls as gamey chicken]

    2. ReproBertie

      Herring gulls are a protected species. You can’t shoot them, destroy their nests, smash their eggs or kill their young.

      Except in self defence.

      If their numbers are growing it’s a testament to our own wasteful society. If we didn’t throw away so much food they wouldn’t have as much to eat.

          1. B9Com From No

            You’re welcome scottser
            I’ve been on holiday and had them on heavy rotation over here :)

  3. GiggidyGoo

    No mention on the Examiner’ front page of the asylum seekers being [secretly] moved into the Riverside Park Hotel in Macroom. Same methods they used to move asylum seekers into Courtown.

          1. GiggidyGoo

            Tsk tsk. Elaborate. How is it appalling to highlight the moving of asylum seekers s e c r e t l y around the country. Isn’t it appalling that its being done s e c r e t l y?
            Isn’t is appalling that the asylum seekers are being treated like meat, loaded up, moved on and with little or no notice?
            Isn’t it appalling that you, with your many identities here choose to attack a commenter and not attack the system? You’re like a chraw thumper who dresses for mass, takes the compliments on how you look receive the host, then backstabs your neighbour during the after mass gossip.

          2. eoin

            Isn’t the issue that moving significant numbers of asylum seekers into a rural area (especially) that there should be an impact assessment on schools, GPs and other services. And that locals should be consulted. It works out well in some west of Ireland villages, but it seems to be cloak and dagger elsewhere.

          1. Janet, I ate my avatar

            because they are people, why you need locals permission to help people just doesn’t compute

          2. GiggidyGoo

            I do not think anyone is looking for permission. Maybe a pre-advice so that preparations can be made locally for their arrival.
            Is that too much to ask?

      1. GiggidyGoo

        Batty – Well it took up an hour on a cork radio station- I’d reckon it’s newsworthy. Especially in Cork, home of The Examiner.

          1. GiggidyGoo

            Two sides to everything Daisy I suppose. I’m going on a radio program a hour long, you’re going on a tweet.

          2. Daisy Chainsaw

            Ooooh a whole hour? Wow, so much time dedicated to ranting wackjobs who hate brown people. How many of them were actually living in Macroom?

  4. eoin

    The circulation figures for the month of July 2019 for British newspapers in Ireland (which account for around 40% of our market) were published yesterday.

    No huge surprises as the market is down around 12% in the past year. The Sunday Times (probably the best of the bunch for real news) is now selling less than 62,000 copies at full price each week.

    http://www.ilevel.ie/print/abc-irish-newspaper-circulation-july-2019/

    Next Thursday, we’ll have the circulation figures for Irish newspapers in Ireland for the first six months of 2019. The betting is, the market will be down 10-15% compared with a year previously. I’d bet the Irish Times is now selling less than 45,000 copies a day at full prices and SBP is below 20,000.

    Poor old papi(ers).

    1. Ben Redmond

      We really need to discuss the future of printed newspapers, periodicals and books in our civilization. Would their disappearance seriously harm the quality of social and cultural life?

      1. eoin

        Oh, there is a future. Most Irish papers are profitable despite the 10% annual declines in circulation, and that ignores the money that changes hands in the murky world of lobbying.

        But, like beef farming, like pubs, like betting shops, traditional newspapers are in decline, much like stables to accommodate travellers in the past.

        It’s interesting though to see the perceived impact and the real impact of newspapers in 2019, there’s a gulf between the two which is widening.

  5. eoin

    Bye, bye Regina Doherty?

    “[Regina’s dept] will be required to stop all processing of personal data carried out in connection with the issuing of PSCs, where a PSC is being issued solely for the purpose of a transaction between a member of the public and a specified public body (i.e. a public body other than the Department itself). The corollary of this finding is that bodies other than DEASP cannot insist that a person who does not already hold a PSC must obtain one as a pre-condition of accessing public services provided by that body.”

    https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/dpc-statement-matters-pertaining-public-services-card-0

    1. eoin

      Regina Doherty goes to ground and refuses an interview with Ireland’s most listened to/watched programme, Morning Ireland. Coward.

  6. eoin

    McGregor must be getting used to the inside of a court by now….

    “The fighter faces a minor assault charge after the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was enough evidence to charge him.

    He is to be summoned to appear at Dublin District Court to answer the charge. If convicted, he will be required to pay a fine for the offence.

    The DPP made the ruling after investigators from Sundrive Road Garda Station in Crumlin completed their probe after a complaint was made against the sports star.

    It’s understood that the alleged victim has accused McGregor of assaulting him when he turned down the offer of a drink.”

    Reports the Sun.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Didn’t look minor to me. That could have caused brain damage. So can we all now go do t hat and get off with a fine? If a Garda was assaulted like that, it would be.more than a fine.

  7. eoin

    70% increase to a road upgrade in Cork – from €100m to €170m, with the upgrade now in doubt. Reports the Examiner.

    Are FG getting better? Compared to the 1,000% increase in the National Broadband Plan and the 100% increase in the National Childrens Hospital, 70% is impressive.

  8. eoin

    In the Examiner, one of our own rent-a-gobs is shilling for her frequent employer, RTE and the TV licence. To address three misleading statements.

    “The TV licence fee has remained at an annual fee of €160 since 2008. ”

    Inflation between 2008 and July 2019 is 0%. And there’s a 10% increase in households. So, RTE’s revenue from the TV licence has increased 10% since 2008. Quite impressive when inflation is 0%.

    “The evasion rate that year was 12.8%, down from 14% the previous year, still significantly higher than in the UK and other European countries. ”

    The evasion rate in the Republic of Ireland is in the same ballpark as Northern Ireland and Scotland, which both use bully boys to collect licences.

    ” In 2018, the station recorded a loss of €13m.”

    RTE recorded small surpluses in 2013 and 2014. Under Dee Forbes, RTE has lost nearly €40m.

    1. V

      While I know how you love to repeat how much RTÉ has lost while Dee Forbes has been at the helm Eoin

      Your reminders really need to be accompanied with the ould Additional Information
      Principally; Dee Forbes was brought in to craft the re-organisation and restructure of RTÉ; this – as it would in any other entity, is a costly and lengthy process.
      I suspect a lot of home truths about the place have only just come to light in the last two to three years. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s still trying to get to the bottom of historical deals, decisions and cosy contracts to try and unwind them.

      At the moment Dee Forbes is stuck in the U-Bend looking up at the sink hole.

      It is inevitable that the 5 years maybe 10 – given the state of the place she inherited, are going to be howlers. That’s a fact in all restructures.

      I’m currently at the end of year 3 of a 7 year re- org. We threw every dead and dirty charge into year 1 that we were allowed, and I mean everything. At YE 2, I convinced the External Auditor to let me keep a revaluation (premises) for year 3 – just so I could demonstrate a bit of a climb back at the next AGM.
      Our Balance Sheet is a 10th of RTÉs
      Our Staff complement is a 100th, and no one earns more than 100k.
      And our BoD are Volunteers.

      So while you love to repeat that RTÉ had surpluses in 2013 and 2014 – how do you know that costs and charges weren’t held over until they could be dumped onto who ever was coming in to knock the gaff down and rebuild the place?
      How do you know the previous DGs were a bit crafty with their own management reports – It’s not like their Auditors, Deloittes, don’t have form helping lads out.

      Re-organisation of the belligerent, self-entitled spoilt cartel of special interests that is our National Broadcaster is not going to cost less that 100 million. Good luck finding that from existing revenue streams.

      The other matter you need to include in your Additional Information is that Dee Forbes is sandwiched between a Board that just love themselves, and an Operational level that dictate up.

      She has to work with a Board that have direct access to producers, content commissioners and programme managers, and probably everyone else in operations from wardrobe to the groundskeeper. A Board that have no shame in helping themselves to all the promotion, access and commissions they can.
      There is Conflict, Bias and Influence present in every self produced content broadcasted by RTÉ

      And a Board that gets appointed by a Minister ……

      There is a very clear picture of a circle with Dee Forbes as piggy in the middle
      And not a structure that has line reporting or any recognised separation between Governance and Operations
      Ie- operations/ board are all pals
      When it should be :
      operations ->DG -> Board

      If you were really honest you would have to say that Dee Forbes had her work cut out for her – imo She never stood a chance when all the special interests and well fed out there can always rely on a pal somewhere to fling the oul’ dirt via question after suggestive question
      and it’s not like misogyny isn’t in the bloodstream either

      So you see Eoin, you are actually doing the Minister and the RTÉ Board and all the cosy Mountrosies a favour by slinging mucky questions and suggestions at the Woman, the Outsider, the former Granahan McCourt’er, Dee Forbes

      Like I said earlier in the week
      Nothings changed

      1. eoin

        Has loss-making RTE, which claims to be still shedding headcount in a bid to cut its cloth according to its means, just hired Niamh Lyons of the Times Ireland? She’s a fine journalist by the way, but how can RTE afford to add staff, especially political staff given the large existing political staffing?

        1. V

          More questions Eoin

          Why don’t you provide the answers

          Just once even

          In the meantime, note this;
          I am not privy to management accounts, staffing agreements, supplier contracts, HR records, Internal Audit Reports and Reviews, Strategy meetings or even minutes of Board meetings, so I am as deficit as you when it comes to factual and actual answers.

          However I would point out that the appointment of a Journalist to a vacancy that, for the purposes of this post, I am going to assume is a Journalism vacancy, would clearly be an operational matter, and hardly a decision for either the BoD or for the Chief Executive – unless of course there is a policy that requires sign off on appointments. However that requirement is only usually seen where the remuneration is at a particular level, solid six figures stuff.

          But what I can answer is that Dee Forbes is not the reason RTÉ is a shambles and now running at a loss. It was decades in the making, shurely ta’ _ú_k it will take one to knock it back into shape.

          I do have a few immediate suggestions that would immediately detox the organisation, and kick start it’s reboot.
          But since I wasn’t appointed by the Minister to the Board
          Nor have they, RTÉ, engaged me to contribute to their Strategy Team, I fail to see why I should volunteer for them.

          Back to you Sir

          1. V

            Hardly

            Additional information, or Notes to accounts are a requirement
            And I would argue this is where Deloittes failed the FAI

            I would also argue that any further information and back up that assists to user of the report/ accounts to form a decision or an opinion should be an automatic accompaniment, and if not, at least be made available.

            But shur
            That’s just me

          2. eoin

            + 1 , bore-the-will-to-live-excuses

            The proposition that RTE produced accounts which were professionally audited but didn’t show a “true and fair view” of the financial position, OR that Dee Forbes didn’t shout from the mountaintops if there was a change of accounting policy or valuation, especially when she’s shipping the flak, is, to put it at its most generous, preposterous.

          3. V

            It’s actually the Chair that signs the accounts
            After the Board have approved same

            And probably after Comptroller AG / Dept of Finance have already received them in Draft

            Again not *Dee’s call

            But shur’
            Whatever you’re having yerself

            *Totally responsible for budgets and variances from, likewise with the performance and competence of the finance function

        1. B9Com From No

          Same here

          Though why anyone even gives Eoin’s screeds the time of day at this stage …

          He didn’t even know how to answer this

          1. V

            It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of that type of outcome to my fondling

            Anyway folks

            Till whenever’ish

            In the meantime

            Hon’ Tipp

          2. Spaghetti Hoop

            Almost forgot de hurling what with all this burgers, beers, boggers and blues. Hon the Cats.

  9. eoin

    The Phoenix makes its main story from the latest issue free online today

    “But behind the optics there was sound and fury from [Irish Times] management, not so much at the document’s contents [an internal report which highlighted the gender imbalance at the IT] but at its leak to Goldhawk. And, in line with the IT’s traditional concern with journalistic ethics and the free flow of information, there have been frantic efforts to discover the source(s).”

    https://www.thephoenix.ie/2019/08/irish-times-image/

    The Irish Times has hurriedly promoted a couple of wimmin’ in an apparent attempt to dispel criticism about its gender position (the male/female ratio in the newsroom is 4/1).

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