64 thoughts on “Sunday’s Papers

        1. eoin

          “The FAI will fulfil certain notice and pension obligations as agreed between the parties.”

          How MUCH.

          And Sunday Times, hahahaha. Did the FAI deliberately withhold the announcement until the Sunday Times (above) had gone to press, knowing that other outlets, RTE, even the Sunday Times durty sister paper, the Sun has the story.

          1. Slightly Bemused

            “How MUCH.”

            My first thought! Why are these things not linked to performance? You know, maybe you should leave the organisation in a better place when you leave., not a worse one! But does not matter, you still get the perks!

          2. eoin

            Does he still keep the €160,000-a-year (plus perks) role at UEFA? If he had to be kicked out of the FAI because he mismanaged the finances and oversaw accounts which have been disclaimed by the auditors, then how can he remain involved in UEFA? I mean, John Delaney is not leaving the FAI because he wanted to or his tenure was up, he’s leaving a pile of poo behind him.

          3. V

            That’s a question that must definitely be answered Eoin.

            Because my understanding is that the UEFA post can only be held by someone who is a Director/ Officer whatever of their own domestic affiliated member (of UEFA) organisation; in this case, The FAI.

            So any financial settlement with the FAIs former CEO and Director may well have to take that loss into account

            Whatever way this falls, John Delaney is getting a seven figure settlement.

            And there’s no doubt about that.

  1. Steph Pinker

    I never realised how unobservant I am; there seems to be subtle difference between thoughts and comments on BS.

    1. Cú Chulainn

      Yes.. it’s true.. those who observe the great game and comment with thought… and those who want to make a point..

      1. Steph Pinker

        …or maybe, there’s a different Admin on duty this weekend? Sometimes the difference is so subtle it becomes indifferent.

      2. Slightly Bemused

        I recommend Daughter of the Empire as a read. Not being facetious: it explains lots, though unrelated. Also, a great book, so a great afternoon read :)

    1. eoin

      The Sunday Times “exclusively” reports “Boris Johnson has personally apologised for embarrassing the Queen by requiring her to approve the unlawful suspension of the House of Commons. Royal sources have revealed that there was huge disquiet in the Queen’s household about Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks, even before the Supreme Court ruled last week that it was unlawful.”

      The Times also reports the busty ex-model to whom Bojo gave £100k+ grants and other perks has claimed to friends that “Arcuri confided to four friends that she was engaged in a sexual affair with Johnson while he was mayor of London. ”

      The Commons is back tomorrow and you can expect fireworks over an anti gambling law for Northern Ireland (the DUP will not be happy, not happy in the slightest despite their bible thumping ways)

    2. Otis Blue

      “not so much a statesman as an Oxfam donation bag torn open by a fox”

      Johnson brilliantly described by Marina Hyde in The Guardian

      1. Lilly

        Or ‘Arlene Foster, who still has all the warmth of the matriarch of a remote farm who retains the passports of her labourers.’

          1. Cú Chulainn

            Brilliant description: Perfect description of what the unionists have been doing for 100 years.. and so perfect for Arlene..

  2. eoin

    Remember last weekend’s Sunday papers and the urgent headlines about the CCTV and the boyo buying bleach in the attack on the Quinn executive, Kevin Lunney? Remember the comment on here about what a “ruthless” organised crime group might do to a member who was identified and might finger the rest of the group? You do? Well, that’s inconvenient, because next, you’ll be asking if the Gardai have made any arrest in the past seven days [they haven’t] and you’ll be scratching your head wondering why not, and then you’ll find yourself doubting the “Irish” “security” “sources” cited by certain crime and security journalists who are a bit of a laughing stock.

    1. freddy

      A question no one is asking is are the gardai infiltrated by certain republican elements?
      And is the police in the north also infiltrated

      Maybe this might be a thing to look into as if this is the case ?

    2. some old queen

      As the country folk say- there is raisins for everything and currents for bread.

      There is no chance of Quinns getting control of those companies again so what was the objective of the kidnapping? He was tortured so what was it they were they were wanting to know?

      1. eoin

        The Irish Times reports this afternoon

        “[parish priest for Ballyconnell close to where Kevin Lunney was found on the side of the road after being severely assaulted] Fr O’Reilly said ….“There would be some here who would be supportive of the paymaster and that is the reality,” he said. He [Fr O’Reilly] declined to say who the paymaster is.
        “The dogs in the street know who it is,” he said.

        As for the nature of the assault, it could have been just as much to send a message, or to put someone out of action, as to obtain information. There’s been no report that Kevin Lunney was interrogated so chances are, the object of the assault was the former.

  3. eoin

    I was half-expecting there to be a “front page” from the news website launched by Kehoe/Lyons last week. And failing that, I was half-expecting there would be an attempt at a “Sunday” or weekend paper online, but no, it’s a bunch of stories and columns from last week, Maybe still worth a look.

    https://www.thecurrency.news

    The thing about Kehoe and Lyons, if they were unable to properly investigate the entity which bought the SBP last year, do they really have what it takes to do proper investigative journalism at all.

    1. V

      Well they definitely have a unique take on Transparency, and the definition of Independent practice.
      Unique to mine anyway.

      And they’re not afraid of hypocrisy either.
      Unless getting the Communicorp Fatwa trending amongst their usual circles was simply pre-planned launch day high- jinks.
      Of course

  4. eoin

    Finished the Edward Snowden book “Permanent Record” which was published last week. It chronicles the whistle-blowing by the former worker for the US intelligence community, and the revelation the US was indiscriminately collecting data on its citizens. The book is #2 in the USA; it’s #8 in the UK where GCHQ ran the OPTICNERVE project which was similar to the NSA’s, but alas, the book is no-where at all in the Irish book charts. Shame because it’s relevant.

    The Edward Snowden story is centered on the USA of course, but it indicates the problem of illegal mass surveillance is likely a problem in other countries too, and not just the autocratic usual suspects. What about Ireland? Well, we have the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 which allows telecoms companies to retain your data for two years. You’ll recall such data was used by the Gardai and the prosecution in the murder trial of Graham Dwyer who was ultimately convicted of murdering ElaineO’Hara.

    There is an appeal in this murder case which has, so far, focussed on the lawfulness/constitutionality of the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 and the High Court has already ruled effectively in Graham’s favour. The State has appealed that ruling and the Supreme Court is expected to hear the case in December this year. The Irish Times reported last January “Mr Justice O’Connor held the 2011 Act provides for an indiscriminate retention regime, and said the ECJ had found such regimes were prohibited under articles of the European Charter. He found Garda practices of applying for and obtaining mobile phone data were not enough to satisfy the decisions of the European courts in regard to access.”

    It’s a rotten case to test the law because Graham Dwyer is an evil little so-and-so who was convicted of murder, with the jury deliberating for just 7.5 hours after a complex 9-week trial and they unanimously found him guilty. He can rot in prison as far as I am concerned, but he has raised valid issues about mass surveillance of our communications.

    Should telecoms companies be able to collect and retain your data? Does anyone truly believe the tech companies delete-delete the data after two years? Or they simply archive it someplace? And what about the data when it’s handed over to Gardai? Would you trust the people who falsified 2 million breath tests, 1 of 4 of whom is facing disciplinary proceedings or worse for failings with juvenile prosecutions, Sergeant Maurice McCabe, 15,000 unsafe motoring convictions, unreliable crime data for seven years etc etc.

    There should be far more focus on this surveillance in Ireland. Shame it will take Graham Dwyer’s appeal to shed more light on it.

  5. eoin

    It’s the one about RTE in this Sunday’s SBP.

    Micheal Martin wants to commit hari-kari and introduce a household charge to save loss-making RTE, home of the €495,000 a year sliver of urine.
    There’s a sympathetic profile of Dee Forbes, the RTE boss, who has turned a financially stable organisation into one which has lost €40m in the past three years and is set for another €10-15m loss this year. Eeejit.
    And there’s another kite flyer about RTE disposals of crown jewels to fund the madness, this time, they’re ruling out selling the entire Montrose site.

    1. V

      Now now Eoin

      There’s a Board of Directors even more responsible than the CEO for the stewardship of RTÉ
      And since you love to mention RTÉ payroll, it’s a mystery why you keep neglecting to remind us that the Chair gets over 3 grand per board meeting. Moya Doherty, bless her.

  6. eoin

    The British Mail on Sunday is adopting a pro-Bojo position, even referring to the “surrender bill” as it accuses, without the slightest shred of evidence, of senior Tories being supported by the French to frustrate Brexit.

  7. eoin

    “Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have stopped promoting greyhound racing as an attraction for visitors after warnings from minister Shane Ross that the sport could damage Ireland’s reputation as a holiday destination. ”

    reports the Sunday Times.

    Has anyone noticed that RTE has begun broadcasting an hour of greyhound racing during prime time on RTE 2? If I didn’t know better, I’d say RTE is either getting the material for free, or is in fact being paid to broadcast it. Even if that’s wrong, it’s a curious development, particularly given RTE’s recentish expose on the greyhound industry.

    1. V

      Firstly
      And I think it’s fair to say RTÉ 2 doesn’t have any primetime minutes to sell

      Secondly
      They have always featured the Dogs, live from the tracks
      Well, for the last 25 years or so anyway

  8. GiggidyGoo

    I see the Dublin teams are having a homecoming today. Home from where? Were they away long?
    Having said that, if the men’s team started shifting the women’s team, in 18 years you could have an unstoppable superior race of footballers as a result .

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      It’s the homecoming of the Sam Maguire and Brendan Martin Cups.
      Or ‘home-affirming’ if we’re gonna get technical about it.

  9. eoin

    This morning, protests by workers and supporters outside Wrightbus and the adjacent church.
    As of today, there’s no evidence of wrongdoing by the owners, directors or auditors. As the church says, the funding, £15m in total was paid when the bus business was doing well. The £4.2m donation in 2017 still left the bus business with a healthy balance sheet including £6m cash on hand. In fact the 2017 results for the bus business are quite good, and even with a £4.2m million donation to the church, the loss was just £1.5m which was insignificant when measured against the business’s retained reserves. It’s a private limited company and there’s no suggestion shareholders were oppressed.
    However.
    Since the end of 2017, the company has announced it is facing difficulties. How did the healthy 2017 position deteriorate so badly? We don’t know. The 2018 accounts might provide answers. And given the surprise at the deterioration, there are, of course, naturally, questions about directors, owners, auditors and naturally, there are questions about the 3-partner local firm of auditors in Ballymena and the soundness of the 2017 accounts. However, the problems could have arisen after those 2017 accounts were signed off – in 2018 and the first half of 2019 – and that might be clear when those accounts are published. Until then, we’re jumping the gun and possibly grossly impugning the probity of those who don’t deserve to be impugned.

    1. Cian

      “Until then, we’re jumping the gun and possibly grossly impugning the probity of those who don’t deserve to be impugned.”

      That has never stopped you before.

      1. V

        It didn’t yesterday anyway
        But did Wrightbus’s business enable them to make a donation of £4.2m in 2017, plunging the company into a £1.5m loss? And are the 2017 accounts sound? They were audited by a teensy accountancy firm from Ballymena and I’m sure they did their best, but I can’t understand how such a financially sound business in 2017 with a good balance sheet has turned into a basket case in mid-2019.

        In any case
        One thing I’m establishing is that it’s a good business and it’s day to day operations are sound
        It’s failure was in their Board Room and the decisions, obviously the donations to a Church interest held by connections, weren’t in the Company’s best interests.

        And that is something the Directors and Dominant Shareholders(s) won’t be able to walk away from.

        1. some old queen

          One of two things happened- either there was a sudden withdrawal or cancellation of orders OR their supply chains got skewed.

          There would be a lengthy period from order to delivery so putting workers on 3 day weeks is the norm- then phased redundancies. The answer there is to look at their biggest clients- would that be London and Dublin bus? Both would have reasons to feel aggrieved these days.

          The supply chain I expect includes a lot of European suppliers and they may not be renewing contracts with British manufacturers because of the Brexit uncertainty. Even just one part of the same quality which could not be found could seriously affect their production schedules. If that is the case, it is a story which will be repeated again and again across UK manufacturing plants soon.

          Something definitely happened- I do not believe the Wright family deliberately ran their business into the ground. They would not have made that donation if they knew this was going to be the result.

          1. V

            I’m well aware of the cost of production; from customer order to delivery. Labour, raw materials, and overheads etc. Direct and indirect.

            In fact, old school Accountants, like myself are well trained in this particular area of Cost Accounting; Process Costing.

            As well as valuing, and financing the working capital needs. Along with Bottleneck accounting, and anticipating slack periods.

            I suspect the breakdown happened there.
            In the Working Capital accounts and the providers / source of the WC.

            Another place to look at within the WC cycle is by going back to the ledgers (Sales and Purchases) and measure the days taken by Debtors to pay (free credit offered by WrightBus) and the number of days they take to pay their own Creditors. Month on month from 2017 – that’s where you’ll find the breaking point imo.

            A payroll of 1400 payees week in week out is not easy to finance if your customers are taking the p155, and your own suppliers are delaying delivery until their own invoices are paid; and causing breakdowns in the production line.

            Overdrafts are the most expensive form of finance
            Especially if your own customers are extracting free credit by not paying on time.

            Ah here
            We’re litigating this to death
            Especially when Deloittes are billing by the hour to do the job

            This company will be bought, as to whether the new owners keep it as it is, and where it is, is a matter for them.

            What is a matter of Regulators, and the community -at-large, is whether the Directors acted in good faith and in the best interests of the Company; at all times.

            The same applies to the Independence of the external Auditors.

          2. some old queen

            Well, I have only had exposure to one semi state and they always paid on time- mainly because they would get badly rapped by their own external auditors if they did not. State sector organisations have an obligation not to put businesses under undue financial pressure- then again we don’t know the full client list so it may be majority private.

            I just find it a strange coincidence that Boris arrives blowing his trumpet and they go into receivership so soon afterwards. What is certain is that something went badly wrong- whether it be orders, supply chain or as you say unapproved credit terms but their monthly aged debtors would flag that pretty quickly.

            I know it is better than being on the joe dole but assuming it is bought- those workers will have new contracts and as the new employer will have the upper hand, probably- nowhere near as good t&c’s as they had.

          3. Cú Chulainn

            OQ, You’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome. They are hard core ulster unionists who hate their catholic neighbours. They despise you. I know you only want the best for them and their families. But being ground down by their own intolerance and hate is what’s good for them. Good riddance.

  10. Tea And Brexits

    The usual SINDO “strong writing” cliimate change reactionaries ready with the bitter nonfacts I see…

    Niamh Horan….

    … so, it’s not just men who find Greta Triggering…

    1. bisted

      …not just the Sindo…the Irish Times did a knife job on Greta yesterday…not just the attack dog from Iona but Fintan ‘smartass’ O’Toole’…his forensic detailing of Gretas speech…all those clever tropes and rhetorical devises that only people as clever as Fintan would recognise…his repeating of the sun that only people as smart as he and not small girls who had not completed their education could possibly understand…and that angry triptech of Greta images in the manner of screaming popes…he would hate you Fintan…

      1. Tea And Brexits

        I saw the O’Toole article on Greta’s language, with his crib notes, undergrad-level deconstruction, etc.

        What came to mind was one word: onanist.

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