Category Archives: News

news as it is happening-ish

90324032Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton

 

Stephen Rogers reports in today’s Irish Examiner that less than 10% of the Government’s target number of positions on the Gateway initiative have been filled.

With just 270 positions filled on its Gateway job activation programme, the Government has had to change the criteria for access to the scheme to try to attract more participants.

Under the terms of the Gateway initiative, dole claimants who have been on the Live Register for more than two years are paid an extra €20 per week on top of their jobseeker’s allowance to work for local authorities. An average of 19.5 hours per week is on offer in areas including village enhancement schemes; landscaping; tourism ambassadors; animal control; and libraries, and each placement lasts for 22 months.

The Government set a target of 3,000 positions to be filled by the end of the year. Yet by the end of this week only 270 had been taken up since the scheme was introduced more than 18 months ago.

Poor uptake prompts Gateway reform (Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner)

Previously: Withholding The Dole

Forced Labour

Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

norabennis

90303535(Top) Nora Bennis of Catholic Democrats, RTÉ broadcaster and psychoanalyst Michael Murphy

The Broadcating Authority of Ireland has rejected a complaint made by Nora Bennis on behalf of Catholic Democrats that statements made by RTÉ broadcaster Michael Murphy on RTÉ Radio One’s Mooney Show were “misleading and offensive and were seen as an incitement to hatred towards heterosexuals“.

On ‘The Mooney Show’ of January 20 2014, the complainants claim that Mr Murphy was allowed on the issue of civil partnerships to label a whole group of people who hold opposing views to him and there was nobody on the programme to bring balance to the discussion. Mr Murphy said in relation to the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality:

“…if I could quote the Church – [homosexual people] are intrinsically disordered with a tendency towards evil.”

Mrs Bennis states that Church teaching is clear on the matter:

“homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered [because] they are contrary to the Natural Law”…..”men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies…Must be accepted with respect”.

In reaching its decision to reject the complaint, the Compliance Committee was of the view that Mr Murphy’s interpretation of the teachings was reasonable and did not require a counterbalancing perspective.

Nora Bennis is the general secretary of Catholic Democrats and was listed as a substitute for Theresa Heaney in the Ireland South constituency.

Listen to ‘The Mooney Show’ here.

Download the BAI’s decision here.

Previously: Rightest Of The Right

Avert Your Gays

Good Gurl Theresa

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

noone

Senator Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) has called for the regulation of ice cream vans due to the aggressive selling of ice cream in a Wexford housing estate.

She said:

“One [parent] in particular in Wexford told me that there is an ice cream van that visits her estate up to four or five times a day. It is leading to loads of rows between her and her children in particular one child, you know as to whether or not she should allow that child to have either ice cream, slushy drinks, chewing gums.

It does seem frivolous on the face of it but it relates to an issue of pester power.

It’s not that I’m anti-ice cream but the persistent use of chimes in public streets and in estates is an aggressive form of selling.”

How long? How long must we sing this song?

Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone: Ice-cream van chimes are an “aggressive form of selling” (Sarah Bardon, Irish Mirror)

Previously: Raise The Price of The Morning-After Pill, You Say?