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Somewhere on Dame Lane, Dublin 2.
(Thanks Oisín)
Author Archives: Admin
RTÉ Investigates reports on how a leading Irish charity deceived its funders. Prime Time, 9.35pm Thursday @RTEOne pic.twitter.com/gv2Z6EsZ6v
— RTÉ (@rte) June 22, 2016
RTÉ reports:
A report by RTÉ Investigates to be broadcast on Prime Time tonight reveals serious mismanagement and deception by Paul Kelly, the founder of Console Suicide Bereavement Counselling Limited.
RTÉ Investigates – Broken Trust – will reveal concerns surrounding the charity’s finances with regards to cash receipting, expense claims and financial accounts.
The report also shows that, when applying for State grants, the charity on several occasions altered accounts to omit the reference to directors’ pay and other benefits.
These amounts totalled over €215,000, according to accounts filed by Console with the Companies Registration Office for the three years 2010 to 2012.
…In documents submitted to funders, the charity also incorrectly claimed that certain people were board members.
One of these was former senator Jillian van Turnhout who told the programme that she was “stunned” that her name had been used and that it is “hugely alarming that any charity would purport that anyone is on the board who is not on their board.”
Serious ‘concerns’ about governance of charity Console (RTE)
Oi, Ref!
at
Coombe Women’s and Infants University Hospital
Jacky Jones writes that “A misogynistic culture pervades Ireland’s maternity services. A highly interventionist, disempowering model of maternity care still operates in all hospitals”.
I have tried to pass over these recurring slurs on our maternity services but the time has come to respond. I am an obstetrician in the Irish maternity service and am proud to provide skilled, compassionate, woman-centred care on a daily basis, day and night, Monday to Sunday.
I am joined by a workforce of dedicated midwives, obstetricians, anaesthetists, neonatologists, healthcare assistants, porters, receptionists, domestic staff, administrative staff, and others.
The staff I work with are vocationally driven and do everything in their power to ensure that birth is a safe and joyful experience and that when adverse events occur women and their families are treated with respect and dignity.
My experience of other maternity services within the country suggests that this approach is widespread.
Sometimes things go wrong in pregnancy and birth, and we grieve for the loss with our patients. Sometimes we get things wrong and we try to learn from these regretted outcomes, as individuals and as organisations.
We are human and flawed – we do not always deal with things as well as we could or should, but to shame our entire service on a regular basis within the media serves no one.
The response to media outrage is to increase the very intervention rates that Jacky Jones is so ready to criticise us for.
Take a look at the hospitals that have been publicly shamed for adverse outcomes and see what has happened to their Caesarean section rates – fear, criticism, and punitive actions result in unnecessary interventions provided under the guise of safety.
I would like Jacky Jones to offer a public apology to all the women and men like myself who provide safe, effective, women-centred maternity care to the people of Ireland.
By all means pursue the cause of safe termination care for distressed women, but to lay the blame at the door of “misogynistic maternity services” is a step too far.
Deirdre J Murphy, MD
Professor of Obstetrics,
Trinity College Dublin,
Coombe Women and
Infants University Hospital,
Dublin 8.
Girl Band – new single ahead of Pitchfork Fest appearance
What you may need to know…
01. Taut, noisy and perpetually bothered, Dublin four-piece Girl Band have ascended quickly from the ranks of the Irish DIY scene and onto the world stage of independent music.
02. Debut full-length Holding Hands With Jamie came in last year on a wave of momentum generated by relentless touring, and a string of singles & EPs. It’s received massive critical acclaim, including the affections of The Guardian, among others.
03. Streaming above is the newly-released video for single In Plastic, directed by the band’s longtime visual collaborator Bob Gallagher. A tad more focused than the band’s trademark surrealism, it still manages to take potshots at Trump-era paranoia. In Plastic releases on limited 7″ July 8th via Rough Trade.
04. The single releases ahead of the band’s appearance at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival on the 16th of July. Stateside readers might take note that the band also appears with GREYS at Baby’s All RIght in Brooklyn, New York on the 14th.
Verdict: You can love them or hate them, and they do tend to divide opinion almost effortlessly, there’s nothing quite like them. Absolutely white-hot live, also.
Your City
at
Outside Powerscourt, Dublin
Louise Heywood writes:
I’m a masters student in the National College of Art and Design [Dublin] and I’m in the middle of researching how city problems are resolved. I’m trying to get an idea of how people engage with their city. I would be very grateful if some of your readers could help me out by completing this very, VERY short survey.
Those who wish can take the 30-second survey here
Rollingnews
From top: British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn; Dan Boyle
If Britain leaves the EU you can blame the dilettente left.
Dan Boyle writes:
While the Brexit referendum has for the most part been a squalid squabble for the future of the Tory party (egged on by the Sun never sets on the Empire/Little Englanders of UKIP), a sub plot among the religious left has also been unraveling.
The British satirical magazine Private Eye (still miles ahead of its Irish copyist The Phoenix) has a regular character, Dave Spart, an irredentist anarchist/socialist who counter argues every issue, ridiculously, to conform to his obtuse orthodoxy.
I’m reminded of this character when I read the arguments of those in Britain, who position themselves on the left, and who argue for Brexit.
Except, as the contrarians that most of them are, that can’t even say the word Brexit lest they admit who their ideological bedfellows are. To overcome this difficulty they have come up with the term Lexit to maintain ideological purity.
Most involved are the usual suspects – the now cartoon-like George Galloway, the SWP in its People Before Profit incarnation, or Militant Labour/Socialist Party in whatever its current title is.
Add to that the tendency of the debating society left to constantly spilt, amoeba like, and you have all the elements needed for high farce.
I have read arguments from a group styling itself the Socialist Equality Party (is fascist equality possible?). The thrust of its arguments is that Brexit must happen to allow the conditions to exist to bring about a United Socialist States of Europe!
Even among Greens the temptation towards ridiculous argument exists. Its offshoot, no more than 5% of its membership, styles itself Green Leaves. Whether they eat and shoot is a moot question.
The most impenetrable character in this soap opera has been Jeremy Corbyn. I understand how he became Labour Party leader. The need to bury Blairite mendacity and blandness was necessary in that party. Had I been a member I probably would have voted for him.
The problem is he seems to have been voted for because of what he wasn’t rather than what he is. What he is is certainly decent. He is consistent in what he believes, even if much of what he believes should have been left in another era.
What he seems to lack is any degree of passion.Or maybe this is his Machiavellian trait, a half paced half whispered approach to conceal his true intentions.
If that is the case it seems to be working. Most people in Britain don’t believe that he does oppose Brexit. At the very least his style has been laconic. Many of his statements have been open to alternative interpretations.
I feel it has more to do with his accidental leader status. Whatever about his sincerity, or his philosophical consistency, he lacks a gravitas that may end up being the ultimate barrier to his ever being British Prime Minister.
If this referendum is close, and if Brexit succeeds, this dilettante left will have had a lot to do with that.
Dan Boyle is a former Green Party TD and Senator. Follow Dan on Twitter: @sendboyle
Martina Shannon writes:
I am a National College of Art and Design (NCA) BA hons student in my final year and doing my degree show at the moment.
I had one of my degree show pieces that I created for Newbridge Silverware in my car and it was stolen at about 1am on Wednesday morning in Portlaoise. My car was parked behind my house on the Mount Mellick Road.
This piece is approximately 16 inches high and 10 inches wide and is arch shaped.
They also took a gift I had for my dad for Father’s Day which was another piece of my art work. I am aware that I shouldn’t have left them in the car but I just forgot to bring them in!
Anyone?
