68 thoughts on “Monday’s Papers

  1. john f

    It’s funny how so many of these secret cabinet memos and documents get immediately leaked to the media like a press release. It’s funny how there is never a major Garda investigation. It’s almost as if the government is trying to get ahead of legitimate concerns that people have by discrediting and pigeonholing them as being racist or xenophobic.
    Personally, I don’t really care about the refugee numbers, there is nothing I could do about it either way. However, it’s really annoying when politicians and civil servants lie to the public and tried to discredit legitimate concerns instead of addressing them.
    The simple truth is the supply of health/education/housing/whatever is mostly fixed. Adding to the existing levels of demand (for whatever reason) is going to cause shortages/disruption to existing services. That is a fact. A relatively simple one.
    If the numbers of publicly available hotel rooms largely decreases because the government has to rent them out as emergency accommodation, then the prices of the remaining rooms are going to go up. That is if there is any left in a specific geographical area, combine this with increased travel costs due to fuel price increases and other inflationary factors and how can tourism not be affected
    It’s hilarious hearing Eamon Ryan and the Green party bashing nuclear energy. Even if there were no obstacles to building a plant it would take 5 years at least. Given the current climate of legitimate public concern and the inevitable legal planning objections. It will take at least 20 years.
    I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but the state hasn’t got the best track record when it comes to capital projects. Look at the Galway city ring road, Children’s Hospital, Dublin. Metro et cetera et cetera.
    Fianna Fail needn’t worry about bot accounts discrediting them, their own policies and positions are doing a good enough job of that already. “accounts based in Turkey” have they ever heard of this thing called a VPN. It’s likely that the software being used by the bot makers is more and advanced and sophisticated than say Nord or the stuff that average home user gets American Netflix with!
    Once again a conspiratorial person might think that the government is trying to discredit legitimate concerns that some people have.

    1. Tinytim

      I think it’s weird that in the middle of a post about leaking documents and dishonest methods you sneak in a statement specifically attacking Eamon Ryan for something he communicated clearly and should not be conflated.
      He makes a fair point, he could say, as you suggest “sure it would take 20 years to get approval” but that could clearly be fast tracked if was absolutely necessary. But instead he makes a fair point that energy provision needs to be backed up by multiple sources. This should of course include wind from multiple ends of the country, amongst other source.
      There are plenty of reasons not to like Mr Ryan, but not this.

      1. bisted

        …oh look…another apologist for Eamon ‘blah blah blah’ Ryan…you lied on the doorsteps that you represented a party for change…

  2. TenPin Terry

    We start our day in the sun slowly and with fresh strong coffee after an abundance of Long Island Iced Teas stretched deep into last night.
    Even the thought of a nice breakfast is unappealing at this time.
    Instead we digest the morning news and a couple of interesting letters in the Irish Times deriding Ireland’s neutrality.
    Once again it strikes us that its readers are far more intelligent than the Establishment lackeys who produce the paper.
    Here’s Rebecca Crowley from Cork with a few home truths.

    A chara, – Eoin Dillon writes to reject the thought that Ireland (with one of the lowest per capita defence budgets in all of Europe, particularly compared to neutral countries) is free-riding off Nato in general and the UK in particular (Letters, May 10th). Mr Dillon makes several bold claims, the most surprising of which is that Ireland is of “no strategic importance to Russia”.
    This is surprising because Russia acts as though we are of great strategic importance to them. Although we are a small, neutral state at the opposite end of Europe, with minimal shared trade, Russia maintains the second-largest embassy of all nations in Ireland.
    To Russia, Ireland is so important that it recently sought to build a major expansion to its embassy, adding structures which were almost certain to be used for espionage and hybrid warfare. Russian military jets repeatedly violate our airspace, with their transponders turned off so they cannot be tracked, and only weeks ago a Russian fleet gathered in our waters for a show of force over the all-important cables which link Ireland (and Europe) to North America.

    What innocent explanation can Mr Dillon provide for any of this?

    It is comforting to believe that moral superiority can protect us from geopolitics. However, in the real world, we are a small, voluntarily helpless EU state sandwiched between Nato powers, and an extremely tempting target for those who seek to harm Nato or the EU. For hostile actors, Ireland is a weak link of great strategic importance, reflected by the size of the Russian embassy’s footprint.

    History shows over and over that neutrality which a nation cannot defend is worse than worthless.

    The closest we can come to Mr Dillon’s utopian vision of an Ireland free from geopolitics is a future where our Defence Forces are strong enough to protect this country without Nato.

    The second-closest is one where we earn Nato’s protection as a paid-up member.
    The last option is to continue our current policy of denial, hypocrisy, and free-riding, pretending we don’t need Nato (or even our own Defence Forces) and then shamelessly demanding Nato’s protection when the storm clouds inevitably gather. – Is mise,

    REBECCA CROWLEY,
    Cork

    1. E'Matty

      “Russia maintains the second-largest embassy of all nations in Ireland.” Actually, that place goes to Saudi Arabia who have the second largest embassy in Ireland after the US. They are currently using US and UK ordinance to bomb the poorest population in the Middle East resulting in what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

      Buzzing Irish airspace is merely testing RAF response times. The West does, and has done throughout the last 30 years, similar on the Russian side.

      The Atlantic cables are of strategic importance but Russia attacking those would not be an attack on this island and its people. Us being in NATO would not prevent any such attack either.

      Joining NATO would make us an active participant in any such NATO v Russia conflict and thereby a legitimate target. Joining the most warmongering group of military powers in the world in a military alliance is not a smart idea. We went the entirety of the Cold War as a neutral state. Can you perhaps explain why the supposed threats we face now are somehow greater than those we faced during the Cold War?

      I don’t think you or Ms Crowley will be the first to join up and fight any War. We’ve enough armchair generals happy to volunteer other people’s sons and daughters to die in wars that are really just the power machinations of the financial ruling class.

      1. Nigel

        I’m definitely opposed to us joining NATO, but it’s hard to see how any Russian attack on the Atlantic cables wouldn’t get a response from NATO.

        1. E'Matty

          Never said it wouldn’t Nigel. It would happen whether were members of NATO or not. We just may not be a target if outside the alliance.

          1. Nigel

            Well, as Ukraine has demonstrated, being outside the alliance can make you more of a a target than being inside the alliance.

          2. Nigel

            Well, no, if we were that close to the Russian border we’d be clamouring to join, too, but the risk is obviously nowhere near as great, but since we are talking abut the remote possibility – not being a member is what makes us vulnerable.

      2. TenPin Terry

        So what you’re saying is let’s keep on expecting everyone else to protect us and not pay a dime while we have a tinpot defence force that goes home for its lunch every day.
        GET.OFF.YOUR.KNEES™

    2. TenPin Terry

      Grilled sea bass and lamb chops with a crisp Italian white and gorgeous apple pie and ice-cream in case you’re wondering what we had for lunch in a delightful eatery overlooking the harbour in the old town.
      Marvellous™

  3. SOQ

    Interesting point being raised by Avi Yemini of Rebel News in Davos. He challenges New York Times Deputy Managing Editor, Rebecca Blumenstein on why people should believe mainstream media when they are actually invited guests at Davos. It certainly suggest a very cosy relationship. She refuses to comment of course.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hytDEOKFQQ

    Trudeau really doesn’t like Rebel News so they are obviously doing something right.

    Just on the WEF thing- has anybody collated a list of our own politicians who are stuck in it yet? The Irish office appears to be in London from what I can see.

  4. Gabby

    The yawning fox on the front of the Irish Times is obviously bored by politicians talking round and round about measures to limit environmental damage.

  5. SOQ

    A suggestion is being made that the Monkeypox is actually coming from the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This article says no- in a round about way- “there does not appear to be a link between chimpanzee adenovirus vector and monkeypox.”- but is does draw comparisons between smallpox and monkeypox and that an antiviral medication called JYNNEOS is used to treat both.

    The largest Monkeypox outbreak appears to be coming from Britain where AstraZeneca would have been the main CoVid-19 vaccine of course, which is probably why the suggestion has been made.

    https://health-desk.org/articles/do-vaccines-contribute-to-monkey-pox-infections

    1. Nigel

      No, the suggestion was made because there is a vocal anti-vaxx brigade that are blaming every single emerging health issue on vaccines.

      1. SOQ

        Page 6 of the Astra Zeneca leaflet states

        *Recombinant, replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the unmodified SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein (GP) produced in genetically modified human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells by recombinant DNA technology”.

        Nobody knows if there is a connection yet- it is all speculation- doesn’t stop you from being so sure of course. You are obviously an expert on monkey viruses too so.

        https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00060048.PDF

        1. Nigel

          Oh, I’m sure there’s a a vocal anti-vaxx brigade that are blaming every single emerging health issue on vaccines.

          1. Kin

            Join NATO Nigel and have double protection
            We are members of the EU who guarantee our protection all for one and one for all

    2. stephen moran

      Like nearly every item on BS – an editorial line in search of a story – journalism is meant to be the exact opposite.

  6. Johnny

    Congrats to Grafton a world class practice.

    “RIBA Gold Medal-winning studio Grafton Architects has been awarded the European Union’s annual architecture award for Town House, a colonnaded teaching building designed for Kingston University in London.“

    https://www.dezeen.com/2022/04/26/grafton-architects-town-house-mies-van-der-rohe-award-2022/

    Great piece in IT.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/the-two-irish-women-among-the-world-s-top-architects-1.4877712

  7. johnny

    simply amazing historical investigative journalism,now do Dennis.

    “The Haiti series-The Times this weekend published several articles on Haiti’s history, including:

    The reparations to enslavers are the root of Haiti’s misery, as the first piece in the series explains.
    Haiti tried to set up a national bank. In reality, a French bank controlled it.
    Wall Street called for an invasion of Haiti — and the U.S. obliged.
    Haiti’s president asked for reparations. Then the U.S. and France removed him from office.
    Here are six takeaways, a timeline”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/americas/haiti-history-colonized-france.html

    1. jonjoker

      Did anyone pay reparations to the people enslaved? Or their descendants?
      No, no need to answer, it’s a rhetorical question.

    2. Kin

      I remember Denny got tthe contract for running the Hyatt regency hotel built by the Clinton foundation to help the locals and got paid for mobile phones for all Haitian victims of the earthquake

      Maybe as Jon joker states
      Reparations for the enslaved with shares from a Denis o’brien company at a real bargain of 100% over the true market price

  8. jonjoker

    The Torygraph using the Ukraine ‘crisis’ to push the GMO agenda.
    Yeah, sure, we’ll all die if Ukraine doesn’t supply us with enough wheat this year.
    I wonder what happened to all those croplands that the US used to have, you know – the ones they used to supply the USSR when the USSR couldn’t produce enough grain to feed themselves.

    It’s as if they think we all have come down with a dose of the retards.

    1. Nigel

      People in north west Africa are dying right now because of drought and famine, and they are dependant on Ukrainian wheat. The vast majority of the world’s arable crops are used to feed farm animals.

      1. TenPin Terry

        The more worrying thing is that you’re one of the few people talking any sense on here these days.
        It’s like all the nutjobs have escaped the asylum.

      2. Kin

        Jesus Nigel you must have a gullet that could swallow a truck
        GMO Nigel engineered for todays new world order
        Ever wonder why we have the cancer rates we have today?
        You are what you eat

  9. TenPin Terry

    Well it’s been one of those days.
    A ferocious hangover to start, a nice lunch after a bit of a walk and then a sumptous dinner this evening.
    The fragrant Lady TenPin went for some sort of Indian-style chicken thing and I had an old favourite the seafood linguini.
    A bottle of Barolo helped things along.
    We heard our first Irish voice tonight – belonged to an obese, tatted ginger chap making a bit of a horse’s ass of himself in a bar.
    We hurried on quickly.
    Time for an early night.Tbh we’re both shagged out from the sun.
    Marvellous™

    1. Mad

      1. I ate some food
      2. I also drank something
      4. I hate the Irish

      Hoping for a full set soon!

    1. Mad

      Feargan
      “We dredge the bottom – the absolute dregs – so that you don’t have to”

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie