Just the guests on #JeremyVine comparing being unvaccinated to drink driving and applauding Austria…
Who let these people on TV?! pic.twitter.com/6YY4M4YlQr
— Sophie Corcoran (@sophielouisecc) December 9, 2021
This morning.
Jeremy Vine Live on ITV.
Hic.
‘sup?
This afternoon.
Molly in Ranelagh Gardens, Dublin 6.
Meanwhile…
‘sup?
This morning.
Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Luna hits the streets in her Christmas jumper.
My pet at Xmas to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘My Pet At Xmas’.
Meanwhile…
YIKES!
This morning.
‘Penny’ also in Ranelagh, Dublin 6 casts a hex.
*shudder*
Last night.
An Post Book awards
Fintan O’Toole on winning Non-Fiction Book of the Year for ‘We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland since 1958’.
A full list of winners:
Eason Novel of the Year: Beautiful World, Where Are You – Sally Rooney
Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year: 56 Days – Catherine Ryan Howard
Eason Sport book of the Year in Association with Ireland AM: Fight Or Flight: My Life, My Choices – Keith Earls, with Tommy Conlon
Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year: Snowflake – Louise Nealon
Odgers Berndtson Non-Fiction Book of the Year: We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958 – Fintan O’Toole
Dubray Biography of the Year: Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? – Séamas O’Reilly
Bookselling Ireland Cookbook of the Year: Everyday Cook – Donal Skehan
National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year: Aisling and the City – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year: Décor Galore – Laura De Barra
TheJournal.ie Best Irish Published Book of the Year: The Coastal Atlas of Ireland – Val Cummins, Robert Devoy Barry Brunt, Darius Bartlett, Sarah Kandrot
Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Junior): A Hug for You – David King, illustrated by Rhiannon Archard
Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Senior): The Summer I Robbed a Bank – David O’Doherty, illustrated by Chris Judge
Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year: The New Girl – Sinead Moriarty
RTÉ Audience Choice Award: Your One Wild And Precious Life – Maureen Gaffney
Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year: Marian Keyes
Writing.ie Short Story of the Year: Little Lives – Deirdre Sullivan
Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year: Longboat at Portaferry – Siobhan Campbell
The Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year: Madame Lazare – Tadgh Mac Dhonnagain
The An Post Bookshop of the Year: Kennys Bookshop and Art Gallery, Galway
Fight!
This morning.
Government buildings.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD announcing plans for ‘enhanced support for businesses’ who qualify for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) for December 2021 and January 2022.
Via RTÉ News:
The Government has dropped a planned cut to the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in an effort to aid businesses hit by new Covid-19 restrictions.
At a press conference, the Minister for Finance said an earlier proposal to use the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme to help firms had proved “very complex and very costly”.
Paschal Donohoe said speed was vital to help the hospitality sector.
Instead, he said, he had decided to maintain the enhanced rates of subsidy under the EWSS for a further two months and said it was a more efficient and effective way to support businesses affected in the short-term.
From 1 February 2022, the original two-rate structure of €203 per week and €151.50 per week will apply; for March and April 2022 the flat rate subsidy of €100 per week will apply and the scheme will end on 30 April 2022.
He has also decided to extend the end date of the CRSS to the end of January to help nightclubs and discos which have had to close until 9 January.
Govt announces two-month extension to wage subsidy scheme (RTE)
Isolating got me back into my old hobby of painting stones! huge collection to add to🎨 pic.twitter.com/Qz7AGpscJy
— Trish (@Trishweld) December 8, 2021
Stones.
In fairness.
This morning.
Croke Park, Dublin.
60 to 69 year olds attend the Croke Park vaccination centre for a third covid ‘booster shot’.
Earlier: Glitch, Please
Meanwhile…
From @mandydublin at the UCD vaccination centre at 8am this morning. There’s no lack of enthusiasm for the third shot, the system is just a mess. pic.twitter.com/G1SieU5nWd
— Karl Brophy (@KarlBrophy) December 9, 2021
Meanwhile…
Had both Covid jabs but had heart inflammation after the 2nd one. Not just a tightness of the chest but thought I was having a full on heart attack ending up in hospital. Extremely fit & healthy then then broken overnight so you can poke that booster right up your arse.
— Andy72 (@alavelle1) December 8, 2021
Oh.
Yesterday.
Dail Eireann.
Independent Galway West TD Catherine Connolly spoke during a debate on the extension of Covid regulations under the Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021.
Ms Connolly said:
“At what point will this stop? I do not mean the ever-changing virus. I do not mean the need for us to make our people safe and have a public health structure on the ground that is fit for purpose and hospitals that are fit for purpose. When will the never-ending regulations without scrutiny stop?
“I mean the ones that give the Minister unlimited power to decide I need three boosters to have a cup of coffee or I need five boosters to have a pint or six boosters to stay a couple of hours to have dinner. At what stage will that stop or has the Minister ever even thought about that?
“They are very serious topics that should be discussed. We should discuss where we are going with the pharma solution to this, which should be only one part of it. Of course, all the while the rich countries, including this one, seem to have endless pockets and the poorer countries have no access, and there is no equity of access for them.
“I indicated on Second Stage that I was against this Bill. I was keeping an open mind about amendments, but it seems that the Minister has indicated by his silence that he will not accept any of them. That is entirely unacceptable and undemocratic.
“The approach of the Government poses the most serious threat to our democratic system and to the sense of solidarity we all should have with one another in dealing with the public health crisis.“
Earlier: Beg For Pause
This morning.
Via RTÉ News:
Non-Irish EU citizens living in the Republic will have to apply online for pre-travel clearance from the UK in order to cross the border on the island of Ireland, under proposed new British immigration laws.
Under the Nationality and Borders Bill, they will be required to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before entering the UK, including when crossing into Northern Ireland.
The Bill has cleared the House of Commons and now heads to the House of Lords.
Meanwhile…
Yesterday #UK commons passed a bill that would make it illegal for a non-#EU citizen living in Letterkenny (🇮🇪) to drive direct to Dublin (🇮🇪) without applying for a UK visa! @Andrew_Adonis & other Lords stop this madness!@vonderleyen @MichealMartinTD https://t.co/lWZe3MYkSP pic.twitter.com/lPKE3lMj5x
— Mr Fring (@fringy00) December 9, 2021
Non-Irish EU citizens need travel clearance to cross border under UK plan (RTÉ)
This morning.
Via Irish Times:
As the nation blindly rolls into a second week of our children’s faces being masked in primary school, I beg for pause.
As a play therapist and social worker I am currently experiencing a daily dread as we unbelievably ignore the essential role of our faces; for connection, for communication, for emotional regulation, for learning, for play.
This essential role is more significant with decreasing age. Lest we forget the infant experiencing all of its world through the face of the mother.
The recent recommendations of our Government is further disproportionately burdening our children, their communities and future.
Our faces are not disposable. The short-term harm is evident and long-term harm unfathomable.
Liz Barragry, Kinsealy, county Dublin
Booster jab queue at Citywest vaccination centre last week
This morning.
Via RTÉ News:
People are getting multiple booster vaccine appointments because of a glitch between the Health Service Executive’s vaccination database and the IT systems used by pharmacies and GPs.
The HSE has confirmed that people are being issued with HSE booster appointments after they get booster vaccinations at their GPs or local pharmacy, because of the “gap” between the computer systems and databases.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and Irish College of General Practitioners said the “gap” is caused by a time lag as long as two days between their information technology systems and the HSE’s.
In a statement to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the HSE said that because “GPs and pharmacies operate on different IT systems, there may be a gap in notification of the vaccination which can, from time to time, result in multiple appointments”.
Anyone?
IT glitch causes multiple booster appointments, HSE confirms (RTE)
Meanwhile…
Dr Cliona O’Farrelly just said on RTÉ @drivetimerte that the boosters will likely not stop transmission in vaccinated people.
At the end of the interview the presenter Cormac Ó hEadhra told her she “was painfully honest”She said “I hope I haven’t got you into trouble”…..🧐
— Tom O’Hanlon (@TomOHanlon17) December 8, 2021
