Author Archives: Bodger

Italians singing from their balconies in Rome, Italy

*clears throat*

Julie Anne de Brún

Óró sé do bheatha abhaile

Solidarity balcony singing spreads across Italy during lockdown (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

This evening.

Via Wikipedia:

A national emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to perform actions not normally permitted. The 1976 National Emergencies Act implemented various legal requirements regarding emergencies declared by the President of the United States.

More as we get it.

Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus (BBC)

Arlene Foster

This afternoon.

The official report into Northern Ireland’s cash-for-ash scandal has been published.

This concerns a renewable heat initiative (RSI) scheme presided over by DUP leader Arlene Foster which may have cost British taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds.

Inquiry Chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin faulted the Northern Ireland First Minister for not reading her own department’s legislation.

Cú Chulainn writes:

In his report,  Sir Patrick  says the flaws and problems were not the result of “corrupt or malicious activity on the part of officials, Ministers or Special Advisers”.

He adds: “Rather, the vast majority of what went wrong, was due to an accumulation and compounding of errors and omissions over time and failure of attention, on the part of all those involved in their differing roles, to identify the existence, significance or implications of those errors and omissions.”

Remarkable that.

Cash for Stash.

FIGHT!

Cash-for-ash inquiry delivers damning indictment of Stormont incompetence (The Guardian)

Rollingnews

This afternoon.

Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings. Dublin 2.

Members of the press are seated 1.5 metres away from one another as Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys hold a briefing in relation to COVID-19 .

RollingNews

This afternoon.

A message to the kids.

It’s like being grounded for doing nothing wrong.

I hate you.

*slams door*

Alternatively…

FIGHT!

In times of isolation.

It takes a village.

John Murray (top) on the concept of meitheal, (an Irish tradition where people in rural communities gathered together on a neighbour’s farm to help save the hay) as it might apply to the coronavirus pandemic.

We all have a roll to play.

Roll.

Suit yourselves.

Thanks Helen O’Rahilly

The Temple Bar, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 this afternoon

Friday pints

A hooch-soaked death wish.

Anon writes:

There is a a live webcam of both inside and outside The Temple Bar pub.

Numerous people in a confined space? Check

People bumping into each other and ignoring social distance directions? Check

Plenty of touching their faces and continuing on as normal? Check

Any evidence of additional precautions by the premises? Ehhh

Watch the plague transmission in real time here