86 thoughts on “Saturday’s Papers”

  2. GiggidyGoo

    So ‘Probably’ Varadkar ‘Checked repeatedly’? Wait now…… this is the deputy leader of the government that introduced the legislation, and the fellow who was giving numerous soundbites about it over the past couple of months? And he ‘checked with the hotel’ to see if the do was in keeping with the legislation? Not the AG?

    This is the guy who, on 25th July (a few days after this ‘event’, but before the leak) called Twitter a sewer. Now we know why he did that.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=%23Leotheliar&lang=en

    1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

      I am reading the tweets and I see #BoristheLiar is trending. This might be a pattern of behaviour.

    2. Bitnboxy

      Fupp sake Giggz. Weren’t you whooping the antics at Danny Healy Rae’s pub and telling us all you’ll be off to join in the Kerry fun and show punters the aul GiggidyGut – one to rival Danny’s I hear.

      Yikes!

          1. GiggidyGoo

            Sure I know. His only comments so far are towards me. Such a sad life he has.
            He’s a kellys baby you know. So he was proclaiming last year, telling us of how he loves to be taken care of by institutions, and left in various children’s clubs all day while the mammy and daddy take long breaks to get away from him. Kinda like that Father Stone character in Father Ted, who was always counting the days until he returns to his favorite place.

  3. Formerly known as @ireland.com

    What amazes me is that none of these leaders had a look at the crowd when they arrived and decided that it wasn’t right and left straight away. Ireland needs better leaders.

    1. ManT

      The game is up, boris not self isolating, the gathering in the merrion. It’s clear our “leaders” dont believe this nonsense anymore

    3. Anton Chigurh

      Varadkar asked those questions so he could say he asked those questions.

      It wasn’t because he didn’t know the answer.

  4. Birdie

    Oh my God Molly Seidel, you absolute beauty! Incredible race. RTÉ commentators, she didn’t win the Olympic trials by the way, she came second. Do your feckin research.

      1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

        You should have heard the Aussies saying Haw-Hay for Siobhan Haughey, so frustrating.

      1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

        Sinead is a great ambassador for the Irish in Australia. I have spoken with her a few times, here in Melbourne. I hope she keeps going till Paris 2024. Top 10 is a massive result, for sure.

        1. Birdie

          She’s really incredible and I hope she keeps going for Paris too. Any podcasts I’ve listened to her in just shows how humble and hungry she is. Just shows you if you treat your body and mind well it can achieve extraordinary things.

          But my heart for this race was with Molly all the way. I’ve been following her for awhile. Overcame an eating disorder due to severe anxiety. Broke her hip as a result of her lack of proper eating but addressed it an came back.

          She’s so funny, down to earth and just runs with so much heart. I’d encourage you to look her up. I think there is some mutual respect and love going on between her and Sinead for awhile. She’s notre Dame alum too, a real fighting Irish spirit!

          And yes Fionnula ran incredible from start to finish, I hope she aims for Paris too. Such a honest and hardworking performance.

          1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

            Cheers. I will read up on Molly. Being in Oz, it is hard to track all of the Irish athletes.

  6. Berlingo

    Fionnula came 25th and seven minutes behind the winner.
    Seven minutes.
    How,by any stretch of the imagination,is that a great result?

    1. Birdie

      And we can’t forget Aoife Cooke, I know she didn’t complete the race but those conditions tested so many of those elite women. She did incredible to get there and I look forward to watching her achieve more with her running.

      1. Birdie

        The men’s now tonight, looking forward to Stephen Scullion performance. What I love about him is that he has such a strong big physique which is counter to the typical very slim physique yet can still move his body so fast. He’s great to watch and I believe just recently got dropped from a show contract so is now running without sponsorship as so many runners do. It’s not easy to support your passion when you don’t have the luxury of big bucks from a shoe sponsor.

        I know Molly Seidel was/is working in a coffee shop in Boston but I believe that’s more for her to manage her anxiety.

        Anyhow there are so many amazing athletes out there that are just scrapping by.

      2. Berlingo

        Aoife Cooke didn’t even make it to the half-marathon mark before dropping out.
        It was hot and humid for everyone,not just her.

      1. Berlingo

        You’d be wrong.But I never celebrate coming 25th or failing to complete a race.If you celebrate mediocrity and failure then you dilute the genuine triumph of success against the odds.The Olympics are not a school sports day where everyone gets a prize just for competing.

        1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

          @Berlingo – There is not much joy in your life if that is how brutally you judge everything. Making an Olympic team is a massive achievement. Being in the mix and/or winning a medal is an additional achievement.

        2. Nigel

          ‘If you celebrate mediocrity and failure then you dilute the genuine triumph of success against the odds.’

          Good thing those are not being celebrated.

        3. Charlie

          All sporting achievements should be celebrated. Celebrating only winners is why our world is awash with individuals trying desperately to be something they’re not and feeling inadequate. Being nice and being complimentary is part of that same positivity that takes us to our happier place.

          3. Charlie

            Charger!!? I shoulda known. C’mere, have I told you how much I’m still smiling since the Euro final.

    3. Birdie

      You obviously aren’t a running fan. She kept to her race plan and did a great run for her ability. Those conditions were insane, sure Chemtai Salpeter had to stop at position four with under 10k left and is a 2:17 marathon runner. So just cop yourself on and stop pouring negativity on a woman that has worked so hard and got a great result.

      With regards to Aoife Cooke, as mentioned before this conditions were borderline dangerous even Brigid Kosgei was obviously over heating. Runs like marathons usually happen in cooler temperatures for obvious reasons. If you don’t believe that girl worked her ass off to get there then you are deluding yourself. Running is about consistent work but sometimes your body isn’t right on the day and I’m sure she’s devastated but you can’t accuse her of not giving it her all. I just hate that attitude.

      If you want athletes that can compete in the top ten then we need more money in the sport, so take your grievance up with the government because those ladies did incredible despite the lack of top class coaching and facilities.

      1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

        I did Paris and it was 40 on the day, there were extra water stations, firemen hosing you down ( best part ) and it was still hell, it added onto everyone but the really elites time and I for one hated every step, I knew after first 10km I’d never get in the zone, and after my best times in training it was gonna be a washout, I finished but I was crying with frustration at the end, so fair play to everyone.

        1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

          well it felt like 40, just checked back it was 26 in the shade, way too hot

      2. Birdie

        She is sponsored so doesn’t need to work, she does that barista work for mental health reasons.

        She was a footlocker champion and top half marathon runner (which got her a pace in the Olympic trails plus she was running over 100 miles per week anyhow) so she had the pedigree and coaching throughout her career.

        You need to look at the break down of where the funding for the sports is going instead of a blanket statement of highest funding. It all starts with supporting the youth and older potential athletes (like Sinead diver).

  7. bisted

    …reassuring to see the Irish Times are following that noble journalistic tradition and keeping an eagle eye on Beijing…

  8. Bertie blenkinsop

    What the hell, it’s not every day a man is 50 so…

    Happy Bertie to me :)

    Have a great weekend fellow kids!

    7. millie bobby brownie

      Happy Bertie, Bertie! Here’s to another 50!

      Enjoy the day, me aul flower. Hope you get spoiled rotten ;) xx

      1. Bertie blenkinsop

        Thanks lads.
        Made the wish but not a trace of Maxine Peake all day.
        Maybe next year:)

  9. GiggidyGoo

    I see the Times has started the usual seed-sowing for lockdowns with the usual ‘could’ headline. Watch Sheeple ‘r Us all agitate themselves into a frenzy.

    1. Bitnboxy

      Fupp sake again mad auld lad low brow GiggidyGums. Sure, aren’t you in a frenzy yourself every day on here? Mindless hypocrisy! Still, every site does need its mad auld fella, nuttier than a tree of squirrels.

  10. GiggidyGoo

    Soooooo….. Any word on the progress of the Criminal Investigation into Varadkar’s admitted leaks of confidential material to his buddy?

    Maybe the Gardai should re-interview Simon Harris to see if he left anything out of his original statements, now that he’s in the mood for spilling beans.
    No sight or sound of him recently in relation to this Zapona matter. Maybe Patrick O’Donovan can get him to appear – maybe send a text.

    Mushroom Michilín spending a long time out of sight too. The BOGOF Taoiseach’s days as leader of FF are numbered. The days of FF are also numbered if they don’t deal with him as a matter of urgency.

    1. Bitnboxy

      Calm down you mad auld lad GiggidyGums. Barely a tooth left in your head. This government is now more than ever likely to last its full term. It would be madness to lynch either MM or LV (saving very compelling circumstances and so far they don’t exist) and thus provoke an election. LV would trigger a byelection at least – he is hardly going to sit on the back benches. FF are not in any shape for an election, no matter who is leading them. Neither are the Greens. And most importantly, none of them desire it.

      Sheesh! Your desperate auld lad wishful thinking Mr lowly Giggz does not correspond to reality.

      2. Berlingo

        In the interests of clarity and to prevent further embarrassment I think you’ll find the ‘auld lad’ doesn’t have a lad,if you know what I mean …

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Is the, em, cat out of the bag, or is it still in the bag?. Is there a cat at all? Or a bag even?

    1. George

      There’s been little else in the news for days so no I don’t think they’ve been quiet at all.

  13. Papi

    Ok, I’m now actually with the antis. Not you Micko, you’re a sprick of all kinds, but my girl got a *stabilizing* shot on Thursday, they said specifically not a booster.
    They lied.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      would you mind expanding a little Papi ?
      Between this and your eldest sounds like you’re having tough time

  14. f_lawless

    Remember about a month ago when 1,200 scientists signed a letter, which was published in the Lancet, urging the UK government not to ease restrictions on the 19th of July and not until ” much higher levels of vaccination” had taken place among the UK population “including high uptake in adolescents” otherwise “exponential growth” would occur leading to disaster. Also, according to various media articles at the time other “international experts” were saying the lifting of restrictions in the UK “posed a threat to the world”.

    It’s now 3 weeks since the 19th of July and if the restrictions were indeed holding the virus at bay, we should have seen some evidence by now of the “exponential growth” as predicted by those experts. But according to a recently-published large survey undertaken by the UK’s Office of National Statistics, cases have been trending downwards..

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15797447/covid-cases-falling-since-freedom-day-biggest-infection-survey/

    This is further evidence that the virus behaves independently of all these imposed restrictions – as has already been observed in countries around the world. They’re not holding the virus at bay in the way we’ve been led to believe.

    Also, there seems to be a lot of official experts out there who simply get things wrong. Could it be that their professional status/funding depend on them aligning their views to a certain orthodoxy – ie. groupthink – or in some cases down to outright corruption?

    1. Berlingo

      You might wonder how 1200 scientists got together to put their name to a letter in The Lancet.The operation was organised by the so-called Independent Sage group which is neither independent or sage-like.It was founded by amongst others Carole Cadwalladr or Correction Carole as the journalist has become known.Her bizarre conspiracy theories and the constant corrections to her published stories means few mainstream media outlets will now touch her with a bargepole.
      On the actual UK government SAGE group which is not the same thing,Professor ‘Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson today admits in The Times that his 100,000 cases a day prediction following the July 19th opening up was also hopelessly wrong.
      The reality is that in Ireland and the UK with more than 70% of the population double-jabbed and virtually all vulnerable people over the age of 40 innoculated this thing is over.The current restrictions in place here are simply NPHET being reluctant to hand back the decision-making which Martin and Varadkar ceded to them more than a year ago.

      https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/rights-law-experts-concerned-executive-power-on-covid-delegated-to-nphet-1.4638244

      1. Nigel

        I dont think f_lawless or other pandemic-truthers here would be partial to the suggestion that mass-vaccination has made it safe to re-open.

        1. f_lawless

          If you’re resorting to those kinds of labels to try to make a point, it’s a sign your point doesn’t stand up to scrutiny

          What exactly is it anyway? It appears you now agree that the group of 1200 experts were mistaken in their assertion that ”much higher levels of vaccination” needed to take place in the UK population – “including high uptake in adolescents”- (quoting from the Lancet letter) before restrictions could have been be lifted.

          It’s strange, because from previous comments you’ve given the impression that you’re proponent of the need to administer the Covid vaccines to children on a mass scale – a la the “no one is safe, until everyone is safe” mantra.

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