Author Archives: Bodger

Outside Government Buildings before presenting Budget 2022 to Cabinet are Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath (left) and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe

Mammy’s boys assemble.

This afternoon.

Further to Budget 2022…

…Via RTÉ News:

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath has announced a €5 increase in weekly pension payments in today’s Budget.

The Minister also said he would raise the living alone allowance by €3 to ensure the well-being of many thousands of the country’s older citizens are protected in the year ahead.

Overall, the Minister announced a social welfare package worth €558m.

This sees an increase of €5 for weekly payments for working age, while young jobseekers will also be paid another €5.

the weekly rate of the Fuel Allowance will increase by €5m with the rise due to apply from midnight tonight.

…the Minister said he would increase the duration of Parent’s Benefit by two weeks to seven weeks from July next year.

…To support carers and people with disabilities, from January next year the Domiciliary Care Allowance has been increased from three to six months and the rate of Wage Subsidy Scheme for people with disabilities will rise by €1 an hour.

From June next year, the income disregard for Carer’s Allowance will rise from €332.50 to €350 for a single person and from €665 to €750 for a couple.

The Capital Disregard for Carer’s Allowance is also rising from €20,000 to €50,000, while the earnings limit on Disability Allowance will increase from €350 to €375.

The general weekly means disregard for Disability Allowance will up from €2.50 to €7.60 a week…

Earlier: In The Zone

Old age pension and fuel allowance to rise by €5 (RTÉ)

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

 Sally Rooney

 

This afternoon.

Via Sally Rooney:

“Firstly, I was very proud to have my previous two novels translated into Hebrew by Katyah Benovits. I would like to thank everyone involved in the publication of those books for supporting my work. Likewise, it would be an honour for me to have my latest novel translated into Hebrew and available to Hebrew-language readers. But for the moment, I have chosen not to sell these translation rights to an Israeli-based publishing house.

“Earlier this year, the international campaign group Human Rights Watch published a report entitled ‘A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution’. That report, coming on the heels of a similarly damning report by Israel’s most prominent human rights organization B’Tselem, confirmed what Palestinian human rights groups have long been saying: Israel’s system of racial domination and segregation against Palestinians meets the definition of apartheid under international law.

“The Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement is a Palestinian-led, anti-racist and nonviolent grassroots campaign calling for an economic and cultural boycott of complicit Israeli companies and institutions in response to the apartheid system and other grave human rights violations. It is modelled on the economic and cultural boycott that helped to end apartheid in South Africa.

“Of course, many states other than Israel are guilty of grievous human rights abuses. This was also true of South Africa during the campaign against apartheid there. In this particular case, I am responding to the call from Palestinian civil society, including all major Palestinian trade unions and writers’ unions.

“I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision, but I simply do not feel it would be right for me under the present circumstances to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.

“The Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available, and if I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so. In the meantime I would like to express once again my solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, justice and equality. Thank you.”

Earlier…

This morning.

Shalom.

Meanwhile…

Translation: When God was doling out brains, you were asleep.

מַאֲבָק!

Getty

This morning/afternoon.

Latest vaccine uptake statistics for Ireland (with percentages based on total population). Over 92 per cent of the adult population have been double dosed, according to the HSE.

*cough*

Via Ireland Vaccine Progress

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

At top: Watching the Budget 2022 address in Buswell’s Hotel, Dublin 2

This afternoon.

Dail Eireann, Dublin 2

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has completed his Budget 2022 address which included a ‘zoned land tax’, €25 million to establish a ‘basic income scheme for artists’ and 50 cents on a packet of fags.

Daylight robbery.

Budget 2022: What we know so far (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Merchant’s Arch, Dublin

Rob Cross writes:

My restored and colourised 1969 photo taken by photographer Elinor Wiltshire featuring a couple browsing through books in Merchant’s Arch…

Name those jammers (and LPs), anyone?

Yesterday: Cobbled Together

Meanwhile…

Ah now.

UK Brexit Minister Lord David Frost

This morning.

Brexit: What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why are the EU and UK still fighting over sausages? (Sky)

Meanwhile…

Um.