Or, alternatively, ‘when pigs fly’ – corresponding adynatons from around the world by James Chapman.
Category Archives: Misc
A ‘flotel’ in Norway
Further to reports this morning, that Labour Dublin City Councillor Mary Freehill has put forward a motion that the council look at the possibility of using “floating hotels” in Dublin to increase the availability of accommodation.
Readers may recall the same concept being mooted in response to the increase in asylum seekers arriving in Ireland in early 2000 – around the time the system of direct provision was established.
The then Waterford Minister of State for Public Works, Martin Cullen, even travelled to Norway to inspect so-called flotels while the Department of Justice looked at leasing up to six flotels in the ports in Dublin, Waterford, Galway, Limerick and Cork.
At the time the idea was proposed, the then taoiseach Bertie Ahern, on a trip to Australia, had just visited the Migrant Resource Centre at Campsie, outside Sydney and had caused controversy over comments he had made.
At that point, it was reported that some 3,600 to 4,000 “illegal immigrants” were being held in six detention facilities throughout Australia.
On March 14, 2000, Nuala Haughey, in The Irish Times, reported:
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was at the centre of a political row last night over comments he made in Sydney suggesting Ireland might learn from Australia’s stringent immigration rules, where illegal immigrants are held in detention centres.
There is mandatory detention for “unlawful non-citizens” under the Migration Act in Australia. Any such person found must go to a detention facility until granted a visa or removed from the country.
Refugee and human rights groups reacted with concern and anger to Mr Ahern’s suggestion.
…Speaking after his visit to the resource and language centre, Mr Ahern said he was anxious to see how the immigration policy was working there since it was said that “this is the best integrated system in the world“.
On March 27, Miriam Donohoe and Nuala Haughey reported:
Tension has arisen within the Government over the controversial proposal to accommodate asylum-seekers in “flotels” in ports around the State.
The plan is due to come before the Cabinet tomorrow following intensive discussions in recent days involving the Taoiseach, ministers and officials. However, clear differences have emerged, with the Minister for Justice, Mr O’Donoghue, facing stiff opposition from the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Mr Martin Cullen.
It is understood that Mr Cullen believes Irish ports – particularly his home port of Waterford – are not suitable for the berthing of “flotels”. He is seeking a meeting with Mr O’Donoghue.
The differences of opinion on “flotels” emerged after the Taoiseach intervened at the weekend to ensure that the radical set of measures to deal with asylum-seekers coming into the State would be ready to go before the Cabinet tomorrow.
The Department of Justice said on Friday that the asylum package, which includes proposals for dispersal of asylum-seekers as well as the “flotel” plan, would not go to Cabinet until Tuesday of next week. However, The Irish Times has learned that, on his return to Dublin from Lisbon on Friday evening, Mr Ahern let it be known that he wanted the plan ready for Cabinet tomorrow. Officials in the Department of Justice and the OPW have been working over the weekend preparing a Cabinet memorandum.
However, the idea never took off.
Meanwhile, up to 1,000 new bed spaces are due to become available for asylum-seekers in hostels, hotels and guest houses around the State next month. The OPW has been inspecting various accommodation sites on behalf of the Directorate for Asylum-Seeker Services set up by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The new accommodation stock includes the Parnell West Hotel in Parnell Square, Dublin, which was bought by the Department of Justice for €2.5 million. It is understood that the Department is completing deals to lease about 500 beds in two hotels in Co Cork, one in Rosslare, Co Wexford, and hostels in Tralee and in Co Carlow. The minimum lease on such properties is 12 months, but this is open to negotiation.
As part of the Government’s “direct provision” programme, asylum-seekers living in this type of accommodation will be on full board, which includes three daily meals. They will receive €15 per week per adult to purchase “extra comforts”.
Good times.
Floating hotels at docks could ease homeless crisis’ – councillor (Herald)
Sean Fitzpatrick
Agitprop specialists The Bogman’s Cannon today posted comments reportedly from the juror excluded from the trial of Anglo-Irish Bank’s Seanie Fitzpatrick, as reported last night by RTÉ News.
‘Juror 791’, who is a a member of People Before profit, writes:
RTÉ reported yestertoday on TV and radio, on the selection of a jury for trial of Sean Fitzpatick. The report referred to a woman selected for the jury panel, who said loudly in court that she “most decidedly was not neutral in the case of bankers”.
Had I known RTÉ would carry my comments, I’d have made more of them.
I might have said for instance, that the criteria used to out-rule potential jurors is preposterous, excluding as it does anyone who may have “..expressed themselves in public… whether on the internet, on social media, including FaceBook…concerning Anglo Irish Bank PLC, or the banking crisis or bankers in general..”. (These are the judge’s words, not mine!).
The judge also explained that a fine of up to 2000 Euros could apply if you failed to exclude yourself from the jury if any of the following applied:
if you had been strongly affected by the banking crisis,
if you had “been active in any campaigning groups, either formal or informal”,
if you had “..been involved in protests….anti austerity protests and such like..”.
So who is left? Who has not been affected by FEMPI, or USC or cutbacks in public services, and might feel that these were connected to the banking crisis and have strong feelings about bankers as a consequence?
Or suppose you ‘liked’ a post on Facebook put up by one of those hundreds of thousands who campaigned against Water Charges or other austerity measures, or supposing, heaven forbid, you were one of those protestors. Well sorry, you just couldn’t possible be a juror then, now could you?
Does this not seem to be a very serious flaw in our justice system? If having a sense of outrage at the wrongdoing of the banking elites, or a sense of social responsibility such that you protest about injustice, or simply disagree with government policy and protest about that, that if any of this applies to you, then you are unfit as a juror.
It put me in mind of a great song years ago by the punk band Stiff Little Fingers, called “Suspect Device”. The suspect device was… a brain – you got one, don’t apply for jury duty.
Objection!
Overruled!
Clear the court.
Etc.
Perspective
at
Scale-comparison composites by college student Kevin Wisbith.
Above: the prehistoric Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis or (Breathing Scorpion); a B-2 bomber; the Titanic (on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan); NASA’s 1950s M-1 rocket engine; the Mir mine in Russia (with the Sears Tower inside) and the Seawise Giant, the largest ship ever built (sunk during the Iran-Iraq war).
Going Clear
at
This afternoon.
Merrion Square, Dublin 2
Killian Raynor writes:
It looks like the Church of Scientology are opening their “National Affairs Office” at no.4, Merrion Square. Masses of furniture have been moved into it for the past few months.
Passed by it earlier, and was told not to look in the doorway by the guys outside – even though the Scientology logo is very clearly displayed on the inside of the reception area.
Better meet the neighbours so.
This morning.
N11 flyover, Belfield, Dublin 4
Members of ‘UCD For Choice’ launch a banner drop off in support of repealing the Eighth Amendment.
UCD For Choice’s Mary Hayes writes:
“We’re a group for all the pro-choice students, staff and alumni in UCD. We’ll be hosting monthly events to encourage active engagement from members in our campaign for constitutional change…”
Fight!
UCD For Choice Group Set Up To Campaign On Campus (The College Tribune)
Earlier: Eighth Days A Week
Thanks David Burns
This afternoon.
Lower ormond Quay, Dublin 1.
What the…. weird giant yellow feather over the Winding Stair?
Anyone?
A Daft ad in May
On Wednesday, October 22, at 6pm.
A Banter discussion at Wigwam on Abbey Street Middle, Dublin 1, will focus on the cost of rent today.
The panel will include Eithne Shortall (The Sunday Times Home Hunter column), Sive Bresnihan (Dublin Tenants Association), Lorcan Sirr (Dublin Institute of Technology) and Mandy Meredith (Associate Director, Sherry Fitgerald Lettings)
Banter writes:
Back in October 2013, Banter held a discussion about housing in the capital. After the boom and the bust, we thought back then that it was as bad as it could get and the struggle to find an affordable house to rent or buy seemed harder than ever.
Fastforward three years and the situation now is worse than ever before. Last week, figures from the Residential Tenancies Board showed that the cost of renting a home in the capital is now at an all-time high and that the average monthly cost of renting in Dublin in June 2016 was €113 higher than a year ago.
Rents are also increasing outside Dublin so there’s no escape. Add in record numbers of homeless families and you’ve a story which doesn’t appear to be getting any better, no matter what the Government promise or plan.
This Banter discussion will focus on the situation which exists in the city right now as regards renting, the possible solutions which could be introduced, the perpetual reluctance by the relevant authorities to do anything about this, the unwillingness to tackle social housing and how the current intransigence could play out.
FIGHT!
Banter: Generation Rent
Random Cork Stuff tweetz:
A currach gliding downstream at dawn in Cork this morning…
Picture taken by Niall Twamley
It’s not just wellies and muddy furrows you know.
Sinn Féin, on Facebook, writes:
The Irish Independent at Ploughing16 hosted a ‘Farmer’s makeover’. They’ve now removed all footage of the event from their website and YouTube account.
Watch as one of the ‘Farmer’s makeover’ participants criticises the Independent’s coverage of Sinn Féin and the microphone is immediately grabbed from his hand and sound is switched off…
Previously: RTE, Sinn Fein And Insidious Propaganda