58 thoughts on “De Thursday Papers

  1. Free Comment

    Daily Torygraph picture. Everybody else’s caption: “Angela Merkel thinks you’re a vvanker”.

    1. eoin

      30 days for Boris to come up with a viable alternative to the backstop.

      Or what? Or nothing, that’s what.

      Why 30 days? What not 70 days? It’s practically meaningless. If Boris concedes on a border down the Irish Sea on 30 October, the EU will cut a new deal.

      And if Boris wasn’t able to come with a viable alternative to the backstop for three years, why does anyone think he’s capable of doing it in 30 days?

      But just look at all the British media, nearly every paper is plastered with “30 days to change the backstop”. That’s how far the British media has slipped in 2019.

      The British media and British politicians deserve each other.

      1. some old unicorn

        Yes but he has agreed to it and if he doesn’t come up with a workable alternative- he looks like a fool.

        1. Cian

          Or he burns another 30 days… Asks for another week…. Nearly there, a few more days. Then BOOM it’s 31 October and a no-deal Brexit — and no time for the Parliament to have a vote of no confidence + replace him.

  2. Cú Chulainn

    Meanwhile, do the English just not get what’s happening. I reminded of the Beatles song: I heard the news today. The English army had just lost the war..

    1. Cú Chulainn

      Apologies all, I was with those excellent musicians earlier, and have just listened to what Chancellor Merkel said: and I repeat, omsfj, bo jo snd his crew are so unfathomably our of their depth it’s actually become painful to witness. We have problems, but sweet Jesus…

      1. some old unicorn

        Merkel looks like a cat playing with a mouse. After all the bluff and bluster, the ball is firmly back in Johnson’s court.

        1. Chuckenstein

          it’ll still all be the uncompromising EU’s fault when it hits the fan over there. As Camilla Cavendish summed it up from the Tory point of view recently: ‘The 27 members of the EU stuck together and shafted us’. Imagine that, how bloody dare they?!

  3. eoin

    New edition of the Phoenix magazine in the shops and online today.

    https://www.thephoenix.ie

    There are, as usual, some tidbits that you won’t find elsewhere, as well as the best in Irish cartoon humour. Scrutiny of the Food Safety lot, the cutesy beauty contest Rose of Tralee is in financial difficulty and the press media trying to wield its dwindling influence on Brexit.

      1. baz

        Time to update their title to Cuck if that’s the case . Interesting about the cash fee, the lads always struck me as trying too hard, trying to prove they weren’t gay or some other weird and outdated quest.

  4. eoin

    12 midday today, the UK’s ABC will be publishing circulation figures for Irish newspapers in the first six months of 2019. This is the sort of thing they’ll publish, this is the old file for the Irish Time’s ABC for the second half of 2018.

    https://www.abc.org.uk/Certificates/49256125.pdf

    If you scroll down to the second page, you’ll get a summary of the daily circulation. You’ll see that for H2,2018, the Irish Times was selling 48,819 copies (43,695 plus 5,124) at full price. They’re giving away or discounting around 10,000 more copies each day.

    We’ve previously seen how the British papers have been performing in Ireland for the first seven months of 2019, so, the betting is, the circulation of Irish papers will be down 10-15% from a year previously. I’d bet the Irish Times will be down to around 45,000 copies at full price and the SBP down to around 20,000. In a country with a population of 4.9m, just how relevant are they anymore?

    From 12.01 onwards today, you can expect reams of columns by the newspapers themselves telling you how well they’re doing, how certain papers have maintained or increased market share (while neglecting to inform you, there is a decreasing market!) and how their total circulation is growing (while neglecting to inform you any growth is coming from free or discounted copies!).

    Remember the Irish Times in its 2018 annual report refused to give a breakdown of its revenue because it could pose a critical risk to the future of the business! That’s how bad things are.

    Poor old papi(ers).

    1. eoin

      Wow! Two days before their circulation figures for the first six months of 2019 were to be published, INM (which publishes the Indo, Sindo, Sunday World, Herald and regional papers) quit the organisation which has audited their circulation for decades. Were the figures really that bad?

      “‘Independent News & Media has made the decision to resign its titles from ABC membership. Effective from 20th August 2019, the Sunday Independent, Sunday World, The Herald and the Irish Independent ceased to be in membership. ABC figures for these titles were last published in our February 2019 Island of Ireland report for the reporting period ending December 2018. These figures have been audited’”

      http://www.ilevel.ie/print/the-end-is-nigh/

  5. GiggidyGoo

    Johnson is being shown up big time. Bluff, bluster, waffle. Merkel sent him home to re-do his homework ( same as was done to Teresa May).
    On the other hand however, Merkel did signal to Johnson that the EU are prepared to renegotiate the proposed WA, and consider removing the proposed backstop if Johnson comes up with some new proposals.
    That suggests that the EU has blinked, (Varadkar said much the same two weeks ago on the Sean O Rourke show),
    So, there’s no agreement on withdrawal, and no backstop.

    1. ReproBertie

      “Merkel did signal to Johnson that the EU are prepared to renegotiate”
      Except she didn’t. At all.

      She said that they had expected it to take about 2 years to work out the replacement for the Backstop, which would come as part of the future relationship but if Britain’s unelected teaboy Taoiseach can do it in 30 days (spoiler: he can’t) then good luck to him.

    2. SB

      Basically she just said “sure we can replace the backstop if you can come up with a better solution”. Which there isn’t. Unless they ditch the DUP and use an Irish Sea border. She’s just giving him plenty of rope to hang himself.

  6. eoin

    Yesterday, the British statistical agency was forced to admit its systems for counting migration are dodgy and in future, their estimate of migration will be qualified.

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/statementfromtheonsonthereclassificationofinternationalmigrationstatistics

    That’s worrying news for us here in Ireland, because we largely follow the UK methodology, don’t we? Next Tuesday, the CSO will publish migration estimates for 2018/9. How can we rely on their estimates which inform policy areas such as housing, health, education, migration and policing?

      1. baz

        Citation? Ha!

        When I predicted Conservative victory in last UK GE people asked for basis
        When I predicted a victory for Pro Brexit – people scoffed and asked for basis
        When I predicted Trumps victory- I was laughed off the stage and asked on what basis.

        My basis? Open your eyes and your ears. Talk to people, put boots on the ground.

        Last I checked neither Turkey or Pakistan were in the EU
        Go to any village or town in Ireland – you will find a Turkish barber if not 2 and late night fast food joints staffed with people from Pakistan
        Many other businesses I meet Brazilians…

        Now, tell me that our numbers aren’t flawed because I am giving you the highly visible observations

        We have no idea how many people have transited via the UK either because those responsible don’t , can’t or won’t be truthful.

  7. eoin

    Health scandal du jour on the front page of the Examiner.

    Staff shortages in the health service while health graduates are unable to find work with the health service.

    Actually, if any journalist is really interested in a scandal, go down to Portlaoise hospital and look at the waiting lists and patients dying waiting for an appointment.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Very few newspaper journalists prepared to travel these days. ( or Newspapers not prepared to pay expenses).
      It’s far easier to get information as a gift, or lift their material from social media. Journalism died in this country. Real journalists were murdered, or were stopped by their bosses (or their bosses bosses – FFGLAB ) from investigating wrong-doing.
      We are in the time of press releases counting as journalism, bought advertising being peddled as journalism etc. You only have to look at what’s appearing in the papers, what’s on the ‘news’ websites right now. All the same stories. Not one piece as far as I can see, being the result of investigative journalism.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          And another childish, immature comment from – from someone who is childish and immature – B9Com. Well good for you. There there there

      1. V

        Ah here
        Time for everyone to grow up and walk their own talk

        There’s more than one lad around here calling themselves a Journalist – so go and actually Journalist (sic) then
        Ye’ve just been given a heads up about a story that no-one is telling
        And there’s GeeGee blaming newspapers – and using words like childish and immature

        And Eoin

        Who or What is stopping you from writing it up huh?

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Maybe because we have our own chosen careers? That requires us to use our knowledge and experience to make that career work. And said career provides the income that we live on. We do our utmost to provide the best goods and service that we are paid for and take any flak if we dont.
          My career isn’t journalism for instance but if I’m paying for media, which I do, I’m quite entitled to question the lack of quality of journalism from people who have chosen that as a career.
          The ‘childish and immature ” referred to a poster here that makes one liner comments, which are directed towards other posters in the main. The post above a case in point.

          Who, around here, is calling himself a journalist?

          1. V

            I don’t work for you GeeGee
            Go over there to the contributors wall yourself and check out the lads that have Journalist in their bios

            In the meantime
            And this goes for everyone too

            My livelihood has absolutely nothing to do with why I write, comment, went on bs.tv; or my other activities i.e. Credit Union Movement

            My writing and commenteering has created difficulties with my livelihood, and my professional profile, I won’t deny.

            But I’d never use either as an excuse to ignore something that needed doing or saying, nor would I use my own job as a reason to wait for someone else to bother

            I’m not a bit afraid of who I am
            Nor am I a bit afraid of anyone else knowing it either

            I walk my talk
            No matter what I’m at
            And I’ll take responsibility for everything I do, say, write
            Including doing sweet f.a.

  8. eoin

    If Denmark is losing $700 million a year on Greenland and that’s a key reason for Trump offering to buy it, then maybe Bojo might offer him Northern Ireland. Imagine it, for the US, they’d have a major base off the coast of Europe, English speaking Christians, anti gay and abortion legislation already in place. A decent golf course.

    Bojo would solve the Brexit headache and maybe get some money for it, and frankly, after the border poll, it will be reunified with the rest of the island anyway.

    1. Cian

      If USA buys NI and then there is a United Ireland. Does that make us the 52nd State? Or do we get the USA as part of the deal?

    2. martco

      “and frankly, after the border poll, it will be reunified with the rest of the island anyway”

      are you on new drugs?

  9. f_lawless

    Apparently there’s been an unprecedented surge in the number of forest fires burning in the Amazon region. Over 9,500 new fires in the last few days according to satellite pictures. A ‘devastating blow to fight against climate change’ so they say. Serious stuff. Why isn’t it on any of the front pages?

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Saw a report on UK news last night. The President getting the blame for burning the forestry in order to make way for cattle production.
      Which may explain the reluctance to report it much here – Mercosur. The Irish farmers being told that they are causing too much pollution, while the EU opts for low cost, possibly low quality, beef to replace it elsewhere in the world, and further pollute the climate with the sea transport fumes.
      On top of that, the Amazon produces 20% of the earth’s oxygen , so a double whammy.
      Can’t be reporting that now can we?
      Journalism- wha?

  10. martco

    optics & population control

    bojo, rees-1837 & the cambridge analytica knobhead get what they want – the appearance of being shafted – media already told you this is going to happen, cue bulldog spirit we’ll fight them on the beaches nonsense across the board into a snap GE which they’ll win before anyone has a chance to react & seal the deal

    it’s all been a nice slooow summer of buildup, getting the message into the heads that the catastrophe IS happening, preparing the population. slowly, slowly, catchy monkey. strung out sloooow acceptance.

    have you asked yourself where have all the people on the streets gone?

    last reportage of mass protests was back in June. yeah sure loadsa nice cute social/twitter/useless as shite click petitions/led by donkeys billboards/radiotalk noise. there should be Hong Kong levels of unrest going on. hm?

    population control masterclass

    game over

  11. martco

    optics & population control

    bojo, rees-1837 & the cambridge analytica knobhead get what they want – the appearance of being shafted – news media already told you this is going to happen, cue bulldog spirit we’ll fight them on the beaches nonsense across the board into their snap GE which they’ll win before anyone has a chance to react & seal the deal

    it’s all been a nice slow summer of buildup, getting the message into the heads that the catastrophe IS happening, preparing the population. slowly, slowly, catchy monkey. slooooow acceptance, submission.

    have you asked yourself where have all the people on the streets gone?

    last reportage of mass protests was back in June. yeah sure loadsa nice cute social/twitter/led by donkeys billboards/radiotalk noise…..there should be Hong Kong levels of unrest going on?! hm?

    population control masterclass

    game over

    1. Cú Chulainn

      Except I’m not sure if it’s going to work.. it’s all to obvious.. then again. More likely the trenches are dug too deep. More stalemate, but nice try..

  12. eoin

    Where’s the report Regina?

    The Shinners write this morning:
    ““Last Thursday the Data Commissioner wrote to the Department of Social Protection asking it to confirm, within seven days that it would publish the report into the PSC either on its own website or agree to its publication on the Data Commissioner’s website.

    “Today is the seventh day and the Department has not replied. While they have until the end of the day, this request only relates to the publishing of the report, there is no excuse for this delay.

    “Within the past week elected representatives and the public have been met with a wall of silence from Minister Doherty and her Department, it now appears the Data Commissioner has been treated likewise.”

  13. james

    19 mini police forces in a country with the population the size of Manchester
    Kind of sums up the total waste of public money

    Its one efficient police force we need accountable to the people of Ireland not 19 miniforces duplicating management and no reform
    The army should also be merged with the police as a highly trained armed division
    And of course paid s decent wage online with gardai rates

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