This morning
The interior of Mark Little-founded, Murdoch-purchased news gathering whatsit Storyful’s new offices/European HQ/Death Star on Lower Baggot Street, Dublin..
Carpets.
Chairs.
Wooden ‘cubby hole’ shelving.
A facsimile machine.
What the fupping fupp are we doing wrong for pity’s sake?
Previously: Anything Good On Storyful?
Pics: Áine Kerr
“An Post spent €2.4million preparing the way for it and the Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources tell me “An Post were actively involved in every stage of Eircode, from design through to dissemination.”
“So I asked An Post how many people were using Eircode as part of their addresses. Now they initially said to me, in their response that the usage was low.”
“And I suppose low could mean several hundred thousand pieces of mail, so I went back to clarify what we’re talking about in terms of low and they did say that ‘we’re talking about single digit usage in percentage terms’ so less than 10% are using it.”
“I asked An Post how does it work actually, in practice, because I was being told by a number of postal workers, off the record that they don’t have any way of interpreting the code... Postal workers were telling me, Seán, that sometimes they might use their own smartphone to check the codes from time to time.”
“But that really was about it. And I asked An Post how it worked out. For example, if you have an address that’s incomplete but if there is a postcode on the letter, how does it work? And they said that the Eircode on the address can be recognised by sorting equipment, so that’s centrally, and from then on the post person uses the postal address, not the Eircode, to complete the delivery.”
“And they say that it was never intended that the postal address, that postal staff would spend time checking every letter, or any of them, as part of the standard delivery work procedure…”
RTÉ One journalist Brian O’Connell during a report on the controversial Eircode system for the Today with Seán O’Rourke show
Following on from Mr O’Connell’s report, Minister for Communications Alex White was interviewed by Mr O’Rourke.
Seán O’Rourke: “This is something that you feel is worth the, well it now seems like a €50million investment?”
Alex White: “Well I don’t know where the €50million comes from but…”
O’Rourke: “Well €38m and the €12m between the…”
White: “Yeah…I don’t know about the…”
O’Rourke: “€38m from the Comptroller and Auditor General..”
White: “€27million was paid out and then, you know, the Comptroller and Auditor General pointed out that you have to add in the cost of external consultants, you have to add in, you have to put a price on the cost of my staff, the staff in my department, which wasn’t in factored in, and there’s VAT. So certainly there’s a cost here and I don’t doubt that there’s a cost but I think that it’s a very, very worthwhile investment for this country, a critical piece of public infrastructure…”
Readers may wish to note that Mr O’Rourke never asked Mr White about the particular concerns raised in the C&AG report in relation to non-competitive tendering during the hiring of consultants for the Eircode project.
Good times.
Previously: Eircode And A Pattern Of Non-Competitive Tenders For Consultants
Listen back to the report in full here
Gaelscoil Bharra, Cabra, Dublin 7
Lewis Kenny writes:
GaelscoilBharra in Cabra has been taught out of freezing cold prefabs for the last 20 years. Many promises have been made in the past about funding for building an actual school but never happened. Last year funding was granted for work to begin this week.
Two days ago, the gaelscoil recieved a letter stating that funding was ‘under review’ and all funding has since been removed, a day before work was to commence. Complete shut out from [Dublin central TDs] Joe Costello [Labour] and Pascal Donohoe {Fine Gaelon the matter
Anyone?
Previously: Another Prefab Sprouts
This morning.
A new Banksy outside the French embassy in London – depicting the tear gassing of refugees at the so-called ‘Jungle’ in Calais – being covered up.
Banksy’s artwork included, for the first time, a QR code beneath it – allowing viewers to link to and watch an online video of a raid on the camp by police on January 5.
Related: Banksy’s new artwork criticises use of teargas in Calais refugee camp (The Guardian)
Previously: ‘We’d Settle For Animal Rights’
Via Jon Scammell
‘sup?
Reppy writes:
Mrs Brown spotted at the [Australian Open] tennis in Melbourne…
1. Longford/Westmeath.
The first in a new series.
By Mick Flavin
Related: Geographical perspectives on the Longford/Westmeath Constituency (Aidan Kavanagh)
Yay!
Googlepuns writes:
Spring has sprung at last in Arbour Hill [Dublin 7]….
They’re just weeds.
Thanks Amanda
Daffs in YOUR area to Broadsheet@Broadsheet.ie marked ‘Daffs’
Previously: Rise Of The Daffs
Update:
This afgternoon.
Muireann O’ Neill writes:
My friend Bridie Brittain and gardener extraordinaire is delighted to see her garden coming to life. Incidentally, you’ll find these Daff at Jack’s Cottage, Aglish, Waterford…
Recently removed from Amazon.
Customers are advised to make alternative not-for-cocaine deluxe snorting arrangements.
https://soundcloud.com/rte-ie/enda-kenny-refuses-to-rule-out-seeking-michael-lowry-support
On RTÉ Radio One’s This Week yesterday, presented by Colm Ó Mongáin, Taoiseach Enda Kenny refused to rule out – several times – making a deal with Independent TD Michael Lowry after the general election.
How it played out…
Colm Ó Mongáin: “Why would you not, after all that’s happened, rule out Michael Lowry as somebody to support in Government?”
Enda Kenny: “Well, first of all, let me confirm, to you quite clearly and categorically, there are no discussions, no connections, no contact with any Independent, from the Fine Gael party. I don’t envisage having to do business with any Independent, with any Independent.”
Ó Mongáin: “OK.”
Kenny: “Because the proposition I’m putting forward to the people is that they have the choice…”
Ó Mongáin: “But just on this specific point, on this specific point, you’ve ruled out Fianna Fáil, you’ve ruled out Sinn Féin, so you are in the business of ruling people out, why not just add Michael Lowry to that list?”
Kenny: “My proposition is to to say to you that I want the people to make a choice, to give their verdict to decide if they want this recovery kept moving forward, if they want the impact of that developed into appointments, services and…”
Ó Mongáin: “With respect Taoiseach, now we’ve covered that in the first half of this interview, but, on the specific question of Deputy Michael Lowry, would you rule out supporting him in Government?”
Kenny: “I have no intention and no connections and I don’t envisage having to do business with any Independent after the election.”
Ó Mongáin: “But that’s a prediction, would you not just take him off the pitch, given that you said in the Dáil, in March 2011, in response, the Tribunal finds serially, serially against Deputy Michael Lowry. You used adjectives like ‘arrogance’, ‘unseemliness’, ‘danger of the public reaction’ and, I quote, ‘I cannot a mandate from the Irish people or true democrats anywhere that would involve an order or desire or permission for the behaviour outlined in that report.’ Now that surely puts Michael Lowry beyond the pale for your Government?”
Kenny: “Let me bring you back to what I said to you here. First of all, I confirmed categorically there is no connection…”
Ó Mongáin: “With respect, Taoiseach, that’s not the question. I asked you would you rely on the support of Michael Lowry..”
Kenny: “I don’t envisage having to do business with any Independent member of the Dáil. Who the people elect is their business. My proposition is for the re-election of the Fine Gael/Labour government. This recovery is very fragile. Now is not the time to mess around with it. Now is not the time to disrupt the progress that the people can clearly see. I want…”
Ó Mongáin: “Taoiseach, can you give a Yes or No answer. Is Michael Lowry a potential person to support the Government? You don’t envisage it but if the numbers came down to it, could you rule him out?”
Kenny: “I have no intention of having to do business with any Independent, I hope that that’s clear.”
Ó Mongáin: “It’s not, with respect, Taoiseach, as to whether or not you’re going to do business with Michael Lowry after the next election. You don’t want to do business with any Independent but you’re not going to rule out Michael Lowry?”
Kenny: “I have no intention of dealing with speculation about the outcome of the election. I don’t intend to have to do business with any Independent. I hope that that’s clear.”
Listen back to the interview in full here
Kenny has no intention of doing business with Independents (RTE)
