52 thoughts on “De Tuesday Papers

  1. some old unicorn

    And so- strange bedfellows but we now have the most senior member of the Irish Muslim community and an iconic drag queen both seriously pee’d off by gemtrails and her machete wielding fascist thugs.

    Will an Garda Síochána get off their lazy asses and actually do something now?

    1. Cú Chulainn

      Depends how busy they are dealing with the ‘psychotic scumbag seagulls’.. where do you go with that..

  2. Observer

    Opening line of UK Daily Mail story on Johnson/Varadkar strikes a completely different tone to the Irish Daily Mail( so which is it?): “Boris Johnson laid down the law to Brussels over the Irish backstop last night, demanding it be axed completely from Brexit negotiations.”

    1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

      I found this on the Daily Mail UK website – I won’t be rushing back there.
      “Boris Johnson lays down law to the EU: Prime Minister DEMANDS Brussels drops plan for ‘unviable’ backstop and replace it with a new legal commitment to avoid hard border in Ireland”

      – They mention “alternative arrangments” – a nice way of saying ‘we don’t have a better option’.

  3. eoin

    It’s Daft.ie which indicates to me it’s a bit scumbaggy, but they’re claiming rents have increased to a new record high and there’s a record low number of properties on offer, though I personally know landlords who will no longer use Daft.ie because it has gained a certain reputation.Of course their figures are based on asking prices and on a tiny sample of the 300,000 properties that are rented in Ireland, but the figures are still bad news for the galoot from Ranelagh.

      1. Cian

        A reputation as a profitable website (along with donedeal) that generated €8million for the hard working owner-brothers, Eamonn and Brian Fallon.

          1. eoin

            “I find, pursuant to Section 25(4) of the Acts, that the complainant [the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission] has established a prima facie case of discrimination [by Daft.ie] on the grounds of family status, age and on the rent allowance ground which the respondent has failed to rebut and I am also satisfied that the respondent in permitting these advertisements to be displayed on its website has breached Section 12 of the Equal Status Acts. ”

            https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/cases/2019/august/adj-00005960.html

  4. GiggidyGoo

    What is Coveney appealing to the Irish in Britain to do? Very fluffy Irish World article. Very very short on detail.

    1. eoin

      If Jacob Rees Mogg has his way, he’ll solve the Irish issue and the UK’s housing crisis with one stone. Deport the 4 million Irish and seize their homes. Problem solved!

    2. B9Com From No

      probably afraid they’re going to go back to the 70/s in regard to the Irish over there

  5. eoin

    This is Boris Johnson’s letter to the EU

    “I want to mount my wife, and my mistress and my mistress’s sister-in-law [not to mention her still-perfectly-shaggable mater [and their nanny]]”

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/826166/20190819_PM_letter_to_His_Excellency_Mr_Donald_Tusk.pdf

    The Guardian reports

    “On Monday night Brussels sources once again ruled out any renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop. “There was a two and a half year negotiating process in which the EU compromised, including on the question of the backstop,” a well-informed source told the Guardian.”

    Bugger! Bojo’s nookie ambitions dashed.

    1. some old unicorn

      When an animal contracts Listeriosis, a disease of the central nervous system, which is caused by the bacterium Listeria moncytogenes, they walk around and around in circles- humans can catch it too.

      Has anyone tested the water in England for this?

    2. eoin

      Bojo’s letter to the EU does state that the UK is no longer honouring its own commitment in the December 2017 joint declaration, which included this key commitment.

      “49. The United Kingdom remains committed to protecting North-South cooperation and to its guarantee of avoiding a hard border. Any future arrangements must be compatible with these overarching requirements. The United Kingdom’s intention is to achieve these objectives through the overall EU-UK relationship. Should this not be possible, the United Kingdom will propose specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. In the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the allisland economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement. ”

      Bojo says in his letter last night “we cannot continue to endorse the specific commitment in paragraph 49 of the December 2017 Joint Report, to “full alignment” with wide areas of the single market and the customs union. That cannot be the basis for the future relationship and it is not a basis for the sound governance of Northern Ireland”

      So, the Brits are reneging on their own commitments. Bojo himself has reneged on his commitment not to have talks with EU leaders unless the backstop is abandoned. Reneging = “not continuing to endorse a specific commitment”.

      Flakes.

      1. Listrade

        The answer is always in the words used. If an answer is wanted that is. Ignore for the timebeing the waving of phallases that’s going on by all sides via their media of choice. The Withdrawl Agreement has been rejected, Hard Exit will negatively impact UK, us EU in that order. The question is whether there is a way of agreeing a better deal (for all) without anyone looking like they have lost.

        Probably not. So do we hold out on a position with the hopes that the Corbyn proposal will come about/enough pressure to force an election/second referrendum. Problem is we can’t guarantee the outcome of that process if it did happen. I’d go for the Jack Reacher model of prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

        Just for now put aside views on Boris, GB, Brexiteers, DUP, Daily Mail and all that. What did May put before Parliament?

        The letter has flagged up an issue, first being “full alignment”, second is the lack of a timescale. Now full alignment is a particular term. It means what is says, NI will not have its legislation decided by GB or even itself. It would have to fully transpose EU legislation. Problem there is whether or not it will have a say or an infuence on the legislation, after all it isn’t an official member state. Even if it did, it’s a very small minor player in a big pool. A big pool that may not be that favourable towards it.

        The upshot is NI’s legislation will be determined by EU, possibly without its direct input. For comparisson Norwegians are a nice bunch and adopt most of the EU rules, but not all (about 75%). They have a delegation that goes to the EU, but no formal say and no vote and no input. The backstop is implying NI is even more than that, it is full and continued alignment. That seems a bit extreme.

        Not a fan od the DUP, but even I’d think that was a bit of a crappy deal.

        Is it possible to have a bit more focus on the nature of alignment? I don’t see why not. Nothing like the Swiss model where each aspect is a separate trade deal, but it isn’t hard to come up with key areas of trade, manufacturing, etc standards that need to be maintained and have them as the “alignment” rather than full.

        It could be phased, and that’s where the timescale issue comes in. Continued alignment until the NI Assembly sorts itself out. Then a phased programme to “EEA” Alignment. Call it 3 years and be hopeful.

        It’s still a “backstop” it still has the border in the Irish Sea, we still have free movement, we still have the aspects of the GFA that provide for access to the ECHR, we can make sure that the Declaration of Human Rights is one of the areas that NI must align to. We get the win. NI ports can easily manage the border with GB, as can our ports.

        It’s all kinda reasonably possible. We’ll have problems with DUP. We’ll have problems with British Parliament. In theory there would be enough votes (if you include non-tories who fancy a Brexit), but would theey ever politically side withg Boris? Eeek.

        But if it were me, I’d be saying to EU and Leo, remove the word full. Have an asterix after alignment and then hidden away at the very back of the agreement, define alignment with limited scope and limited timeline. Which, if we remember a couple of weeks ago is sort of what Leo hinted at with his words about a potential for agreeing “political” definitions.

        We can still technically point to it and say there’s an Irish Back Stop, there’s still alignment. We won. We’re number one. We’re so tough. But the British Brexit media cam also run with Boris Churchill, fighting on the beaches, never flinching, shoving it up the noses of Herr EU.

        1. martco

          @Listrade to what you’ve said there I’d say that’s a fair possibility for all of this. just one problem in it as I see: “It could be phased, and that’s where the timescale issue comes in. Continued alignment until the NI Assembly sorts itself out…”

          I can’t see that EVER happening unless theres a massive change in the mechanics. Power Sharing? Shared amongst who exactly? It’s more Power Hogging.
          SF + DUP (SF v’s DUP)
          ffs. two sects that bottom line are diametrically opposed, are outside the usual expected responsibility of caring about NI itself & it’s citizenry. all either want to prevail is their narrow viewpoint. “we” win “you” lose. they literally hate each other’s guts, a fight to the death. world champion fundamentalists.

          where’s the representation of the citizenry up there really, those average joes who have actual real day-to-day skin in this Brexit game (as opposed to idealisic nonsense)???

          NI Assembly is dead and everyone is shuffling about around the corpse

          1. Listrade

            100% agree. It is a significant problem, not helped by the power May gave to the DUP.

            The simple result of Brexit is to confirm the lack of any political party to put aside their own individual or party power aspirations in favour of public interest. And that’s across the board UK, EU, here.

            But as a caveat to any “not a renegotian, it’s a re-defining and clarifying” there’d probably need to be some change to the enabling legislation for the Assembly anyway. At least in terms of the topics it would be allowed to legislate for itself (to align to the EEA stuff). You could get into changing some of the specifics of how it operates at that point. Some of those seem to maintain the status quo.

            They’d be controversial though. I’d favour some changes to give more power to the “others” and the middle ground parties, but they come at a cost of giving more power to the DUP, at least in the short term. Medium to long term it could weaken the DUP, but I doubt SF or any nationalist party would want to conceed on a short term loss of power even if it meant potential longer term power.

            In short though, we can’t even have any alignment without an Assembly.

            It’s all back to no politician has stood and prepared to make any sacrifice in the public interest.

            Dunno. I see it that there is no need whatsoever for a Hard Brexit. Nobody has to lose face, nobody has to suffer. It’s polticial personalities that are leading us all down a bad path.

          1. Listrade

            The backstop doesn’t exist. The Withdrawl Agreement wasn’t passed by UK Parliament, therefore no backstop.

            A clarification to the backstop could (but probably won’t) get the Withdraal Agreement passed and prevent a Hard Brexit.

  6. eoin

    Even on her own claims, Regina Doherty has the Data Commissioner’s report for six days [she’s had the draft for a year].

    Any response yet at all to the illegal mass surveillance of citizens? It’s up to nearly 4m now according to Leo, up from 3.2m when the investigation originally commenced. Sorry Regina, I don’t mean to hassle you so please don’t report me to the Gardai under the non-fatal offences against the person legislation. Wouldn’t want to be stopped at Dublin airport and detained until I sign a form to say I won’t be unpleasant to you again…..

  7. eoin

    The grandfather of Paul Merton [the comedian anchor on the long-running BBC series “Have I got news for you”] was in the RA reports the London Times.

    “When the British Army sent troops into Dublin to suppress the Easter Rising more than a century ago, one of those soldiers was an Irishman who later joined the IRA after being forced to fire on his countrymen.

    Paul Merton has discovered that his grandfather quit the British Army, handed back his medals and joined the IRA after what was a turning point on the road to Irish independence.”

    1. Papi

      He’s explaining who Paul Merton is as well, ah bless him. What’s a medal, eoin? Or the IRA?
      In for a penny, in for a pound (that’s a type of currency)

    2. V

      is it just me
      or did anyone else hear the voice of Nancy Grace there when they were reading that This is your Life, Paul Merton

    3. V

      is it just me
      or did anyone else hear the voice of Nancy Grace there when they were reading that This is your Life, Paul Merton

      btw, I didn’t know that about Paul Merton’s Granda
      So fair play Eoin

  8. eoin

    Midday today, the Oireachtas communications committee is meeting in private to finalise its report on the National Broadband Plan. Hopefully, it will kick the €5 (five) billion project into touch, but this government seems determined to pull Denis O’Brien’s nuts from the fire by awarding the contract to a consortium in which he features. Meanwhile, Digicel’s bonds are trading at new record lows and levels which suggest there is no equity whatsoever for Denis in what was previously called the “main source of his wealth”.

  9. bisted

    …yawn…rinse and repeat…the only thing at issue is how brexit will be fudged…and who will fudge it…

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      As Mr Wonka said, “That pipe doesn’t go to the marshmallow room. It goes to the fudge room.”

  10. Liam

    Irish Daily Mail
    “Ireland’s Campaigning Newspaper”

    they should change that slogan to
    “Out of both sides of our mouth”

    as they’re peddling the exact opposite message in the UK version of the rag.

  11. eoin

    Will SF be issuing a statement commenting on the masked gunman who fired shots over the coffin of a Provisional IRA member at his funeral in west Belfast yesterday? This wasn’t dissidents [they’d be lyched at a PIRA funeral]. This was PIRA.

    The PSNI says PIRA is still in existence and in October 2015 said “PIRA members believe that the PAC [army council] oversees both PIRA and Sinn Féin with an overarching strategy”. It went on to say the Army Council ” has a “wholly political focus” and poses no threat to the British state or the peace process.”

    Yesterday, a masked individual fired shots from a pistol over the coffin of the deceased PIRA member.

    What has SF to say about this?

    https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/jim-allister-investigate-video-footage-showing-shots-fired-over-ira-killer-s-coffin-1-9040491

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