Author Archives: Admin

They’ve wiped the tapes.

Ken Foxe writes:

Nearly ten years of footage of debates from Leinster House that was accessible to the public has been permanently deleted from the Internet by the Oireachtas.

The massive bank of footage was widely used by journalists, academics, members of the public, and was particularly popular on social media in catching out u-turning politicians.

However, the database disappeared from the Oireachtas website earlier this month without warning because they said there was “minimal traffic” looking at the files.

The move has been condemned by politicians who said it was scarcely believable that a valuable resource like that could simply be let vanish.

…The archiving of the footage had originally formed part of the Oireachtas’ eDemocracy Unit, which planned to use the web to open up politics to a wider audience.

The person behind the Twitter account newsworthy.ie, who has used dozens of the clips to show up contradictions or u-turns by politicians over the years, said the Oireachtas excuses for deleting the archive simply did not add up.

For finding clips in future, he must now make a formal request that must then go to an off site archive and takes at least several days to be returned.

A request he submitted for two clips of Leo Varadkar appearing to contradict himself on paying a Sunday premium to employees has still not been dealt with a week later.

Nearly ten years of video footage of Dáil, Seanad, and committee hearings taken offline by the Oireachtas (Ken Foxe)

Thanks Mari Maxwell

Update:

AfD supporters celebrate as exit polls are announced

Projected results put the AfD on 13%, behind Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led alliance on 32.9% and the Social Democratic party on 20.8%. The rightwing populist party’s delegates are expected to take more than 80 out of 631 seats in the next parliament.

While the result may not be on the scale of 52% of Britons voting to leave the European Union or 46% of US voters casting their ballot for Donald Trump, it nonetheless represents a landmark in postwar German history.

Germany’s rightwing populists will arrive in the Bundestag with the best result for any new party since 1949, a higher share of the vote than either the Greens or the leftwing Die Linke have achieved in several decades.

In the states that used to form East Germany, AfD looks likely to become the second-largest party.

AfD may not be the first far-right party to enter the Bundestag since the second world war: until 1960 a number of small nationalist groups took part in the coalition government under West Germany’s first post-war chancellor, Konrad Adenauer.

But it will be the first party with an overtly nationalist rhetoric and agenda to claim seats in Berlin’s Reichstag, a building that still echoes with the horrors of the Nazi era.

AfD leaders vow to ‘hound Angela Merkel’ after strong showing at polls (Guardian)

Here is the problem: A far-right party has achieved substantial support even in Germany, a country with a history that serves as a warning of what the far right can do in power, and a political establishment that has long paid attention to confronting the right.

Germany furthermore lacks many of the characteristics commonly associated with far-right populism — the economy is in good shape, the unemployment rate is low, and Germany’s power and prestige are at a historic high. All this says that citizens are more disaffected and populism has greater appeal than many analysts have recognized.

Behind the ‘boring’ German election are four deeply disturbing trends (Washington Post)

Feis Lebowski,.

Cork’s little Big Lebowski festival, returns to the Roundy, Castle Street this Saturday, September 30.

Ruairi O’Hagan writes:

Now in its third year, Feis Lebowski is a celebration of the Coen Brothers’ cult classic, with DJ El Duderino spinning some tunes (a strict “No Eagles” policy is in effect) while guests sip on a White Russian before a screening of the movie at 9.30.

The Feis Lebowski costume contest returns and The Big Fat Big Lebowski Quiz will test Achievers’ knowledge of the film with prizes on offer, and a special trophy for the overall winner.

We’ll also have a lot of Big Lebowski prizes to give away in our Lebowski Raffle – and yes, there will be a rug. Obviously. It really ties the night together.

The proceeds of the raffle will be going to Baby Kate Flynn, a remarkable young Cork girl who cannot breathe on her own due to a unique genetic condition.

Capacity is limited so come along early – we’re not pre-selling tickets and we won’t be keeping tickets on the night for anyone, so it’s first come first served.

The Dude Abides…

FIGHT!

Admission €10. Doors 8pm.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary at the airline’s AGM in Dublin yesterday

RTE reports:

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary has personally apologised to the airline’s workforce for reputational damage caused by what he described as the “mess” over flight cancellations.

Mr O’Leary has also pledged to meet all Employee Representative Councils over the coming weeks to discuss their grievances.

In a broadcast to staff over an internal channel, he said management were sorry for visiting the crisis on their frontline teams, including pilots, cabin crew, check-in staff and customer service personnel, and praised their work in recent days.

…He said Ryanair had not understood that rostering numbers were low – and had certainly mismanaged the allocation of the four-week blocks of leave to pilots in September and October when they were still running the summer schedule.

He told staff that management were being assured during the summer that they had enough pilots when they clearly did not have enough to be able to allocate leave during those months.

He confirmed that Ryanair will be writing to pilots over the coming days asking those allocated a four-week block of annual leave in October, November or December to please work one of those four weeks.

He pledged to protect the other three weeks of annual leave, and allocate the fourth week later in the year.

…Meanwhile the pilots’ deadline for Mr O’Leary to respond to their demand for negotiations on better contracts has expired.

So far 55 of Ryanair’s 86 bases have rejected Ryanair’s offer of additional pay and deferred bonuses to give back leave.

The next step by either management or pilots remains unclear.

O’Leary apologises to Ryanair staff over ‘cancellation’ mess (RTE)

Rollingnews

Update:

Eek.

A full page advertisement taken out by the Allied Pilots Association in tomorrow’s Irish Times weekend edition.

Every Friday, we give away a TWENTY FIVE Euro voucher to spend at any of the 14 Golden Discs stores nationwide.

All we ask from you is a tune we can play at at an unspecified time next week.

This week’s Theme: Autumn playlist.

What song do you reach for when the clock goes back, the leaves start falling and your conker gets twocked?

To enter, please complete this sentence:

‘I find my My Autumn mood usually lifts on hearing____________________________’

Lines Must close at MIDNIGHT Sunday.

Golden Discs

Rollingnews