Author Archives: Bodger

This morning.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Paddy Driver (top) and his son Reece (pic 2) and daughter Savannah (above), of the Mica Action Group, deliver mica-affected building blocks from homes in Donegal to Dail Eireann. Victims whose homes have been destroyed by the defective concrete are demanding 100 per cent redress from the government.

Sam Boal/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Inner City Helping Homeless HQ, Amiens Street, Dublin 1.

Meanwhile…

…yesterday in Dail Eireann…

…Responding to Social Democrats housing spokesman Cian O’Callaghan who said there should be vetting and a national quality standards framework for all services and emergency accommodation for homeless people “and not just some providers as is currently the case”, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:

“I do understand that legal processes are ongoing in relation to the future of the organisation.

“They [ICHH] operated outside the scope of mainstream homeless services provided by local authorities, who are subject to minimum standards and that’s an important point.

“There are a lot of accommodation providers and we have to be alert to new groups appearing overnight and that’s an ongoing issue.

“They did receive statutory funding from the local authority for their homeless services and I think that issue will be raised with the charity regulator.

“The issue you raised around the Garda vetting, I think the time has come to examine that issue.”

Taoiseach: Garda vetting should be looked at for agencies, volunteers in homeless services (Irish Times)

Yesterday: Dissolution

RollingNews

Michael Noonan

This morning.

Via The Irish Examiner

Two interim reports seen by the Irish Examiner from the Farrelly Commission into allegations of abuse of Grace and 46 others who stayed in the home identified specific failings by health workers who were charged with Grace’s care.

However, the investigation cleared former Health ministers Michael Noonan and Austin Currie over their handling of the case in 1996, after a decision to remove Grace from the home was controversially overturned after the foster father wrote a letter to Mr Noonan.

…it concluded that the actions of Mr Noonan and Mr Currie did not constitute an interference in the case and their actions were “within the scope of accepted custom and practice at the time”.

“There is no evidence of any nature seen by the Commission or brought by any party to suggest that improper influence was brought to bear by the ministers of their officials in the manner in which any of them performed their functions,” the report states.

In evidence, Mr Noonan’s private secretary told the Commission that he had no recollection of the letter of reply to Mr X being shown to Mr Noonan.

The report states that Mr Noonan told the Commission that he had never seen the correspondence from Mr. X.

Mr Noonan gave evidence that he did not know Mr and Mrs X and he had no contact with them other than what was apparent from the correspondence.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner this week, Mr Noonan said he had no comment. Mr Currie similarly had no comment when contacted.

‘Grace’ foster parents had criminal convictions (Irish Examiner)

Previously: Michael Noonan And Grace

RollingNews

Bob Geldof on The Late Late Show in 2019

On The Late Late Show

…Linda Pototzki writes:

The Late Late Show will celebrate the 70th birthday of rock star and philanthropist Bob Geldof

Ryan will be joined in-studio with Bob and his wife Jeanne, children Pixie and Tiger and sister Lynn. Also, Bob will receive a special birthday wish from President Michael D Higgins.

The Chair of the Elders and former Úachtaran na hEireann Mary Robinson will speak about her relationship with Bob, his vital role as a humanitarian and his well-known powers of persuasion!

Also paying tribute on the night will be The Boomtown Rats, Midge Ure, Andrea Corr, Imelda May and many more.

There will also be special contributions from Bob’s illustrious friends across the world of entertainment and beyond including Sting, Van Morrison, Tony Blair and Ringo Starr to name a few.

The Late Late Show on RTÉ One tomorrow at 9.35pm.

Pic: Andres Poveda

Tonight.

The Button Factory in Temple Bar will see 450 people in attendance for a pilot nightclub event

Digital Covid Certs and antigen tests will be required.

Anyone?

Pilot Nightclub Event (Button Factory)

Pilot Nightclub Event To ake Place In Dublin (98FM)

Pic: Button Factory

Update:

This morning.

DJ and spokesperson for Give Us The Night Sunil Sharpe and Button Factory promoter Will Rolfe spoke with Aine Lawlor.

Towards the end of the interview:

Aine Lawlor: “And can people, like, to put it bluntly, can they kiss?”

Will Rolfe
: “So, in terms of our ventilation, everything has been checked and it will be checked, CO2 levels will be monitored on the night. In terms of people’s romance and enjoying themselves, we won’t be preventing anyone.”

Lawlor: “So, it won’t be like the nuns used to be going around at all those school discos…”

Rolfe: “Absolutely not.”

Lawlor: “Nothing like that.”

Good times.

This afternoon.

Earlier…

A Labour frontbencher has criticised the BBC for focusing on “identity issues” and effectively stoking a row over trans rights in the party.

In an interview on Wednesday morning shadow justice secretary David Lammy said Today programme presenter Nick Robinson was “deliberately asking me about an issue that you know does not come up on the doorstep.”

BBC stoking row over trans rights, Labour frontbencher David Lammy says (Independent.co.uk)

Meanwhile…

Andrew Marr (left) and UK Party Leader Kier Starmer on last Sunday’s  The Andrew Marr Show on BBC 1

This afternoon.

Via Pink News:

Labour MP Emily Thornberry has expertly demonstrated how the question “do only women have a cervix” should be answered without feeding into a toxic debate.

The reductive question has become the centre of political discussion since Labour leader Keir Starmer said it’s “not right” to say only women have a cervix during an interview with Andrew Marr.

That question was put to him in relation to a tweet posted by Labour MP Rosie Duffield in August 2020, where she claimed only women have cervixes. Following Starmer’s interview, health secretary Sajid Javid wrongly suggested that Duffield’s initial statement was a “scientific fact”.

Instead of discussing any of the real issues facing trans, non-binary and intersex people – such as the ongoing healthcare crisis – journalists have instead rushed to add fuel to the fire.

The debate was raised during an interview with Emily Thornberry on Politics Live – and she responded in the best possible way.

Thornberry told the hosts that claiming only women have a cervix is “factually inaccurate”, adding: “There are men who have cervixes – there are men who are trans and they’re men. It’s just factually wrong.”

Grilling politicians on who has a cervix isn’t journalism – it’s toxic, transphobic theatre (Pink News)

BBC

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Earlier…

Anti covid response protest in Dublin city last month

This morning.

Via RTÉ News:

The largest number of Covid-19 cases were seen in those aged 0-12 years in the two weeks to last Monday, latest figures show.

Of the 18,524 cases reported, 5,103 were in those up to 12 years of age.

The 5-12 year age group represented over 21% of all the cases reported, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

Under-12s account for more than 20% of recent Covid cases (Fergal Bowers, RTÉ)

Meanwhile….

RollingNews

‘sup?

Last week, with a Dogs of Dublin print (above) by John Rooney (available at Jam Art Prints) on offer we asked you for your funniest/most memorable dog story.

Mark at Jam Art chose Janet’s multiple, Paris-based, slightly mucky, canine recollections, which included:

“OK, let’s go with the star of the 11 Arrondissement, a little Jackie named Kitcha, when she wasn’t working the decks she was quality-testing the Guinness (she knows to let it settle) and working the door as the best bouncer in Paris. People new to Paris I warmed to and liked who’d stray into my bar, I liked to take out to get ‘Janeted’. One young pup from Liverpool who is now a fast friend, I invited out to go clubbing after work, he says, ‘What about the dog? OK this is your bar but we are never going clubbing with the dog?’

“Kitcha led the way sans lead, as usual, always stopping before crossing the road for an ‘OK, Go’ sign, skips the line at the club and all you can hear are two huge bald bouncers screaming “Kitcha!” as she legs it in ahead of us to join the madness on the dance floor. She showed that Liverpool lad how it was done and he never looked back.”

“A dog is a good litmus test of any man or potential partner, herself snuck in when I was test driving a new lover and licked the poor sod on his arse mid coitus. The screams! She was right he had to go.”

Splutter!

Well done, Janet and thanks all.

Jam Art Prints

The Jam Art Prints competition runs here every second Thursday.

Last week: Woof! There It Is

From top: Retired Kerry District Court Judge James O’Connor; Paul Murphy TD

This afternoon.

Dail Eireann, Leinster House.

Paul Murphy TD asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin:

“On the 14th of July, I raised with you the gross abuse of power by retired Kerry judge James O’Connor.

“I explained how he had abused his position to persistently and completely inappropriately pursue a woman – a vulnerable woman – who was before his court on a family law matter for a sexual relationship.

“Over the summer I was contacted by another woman who told me a very similar story relating to the same judge.

“She was again before him on a family law matter. He approached her repeatedly, he got her number, and then he persistently pursued her.

“There were multiple incidents. I won’t go through all of them. I’ll just quote one incident she told me about.

“She said: ‘He rang me another day and said he had stuff for my case. He told me to meet him at the back door of the courthouse. I went to the back door. He was waiting. He said he didn’t have the paperwork with him. He brought me in there to get the paperwork. Then he lunged at me. I pushed him and left. He obviously felt he could have done anything he wanted to’.”

“There is clearly a repeated pattern of abusive behaviour by James O’Connor, the question is what is the Government going to do to stop this sort of thing happening again.”

Micheál Martin replied that he will consult with others on “how we deal with this”.

Taoiseach says allegations against former judge are ‘very serious’ (RTÉ)

Previously: A Menace In The District Court (Village, June 2021)

Top pic: Valerie O’Sullivan/ Killarney Today

Meanwhile…

Um.