Category Archives: News

news as it is happening-ish

15/10/2013. John Gilligan released. Convicted gang

Irish Mirror journalist Cathal McMahon doorstepped John Gilligan at his welcome home party in Clondalkin, Dublin today.

“I had nothing to do with Veronica Guerin’s murder. I couldn’t wait to get that trial [Veronica Guerin assault charge] on in Kilcock.

Mrs Guerin, Lord have mercy on her, she never wrote one word about me.

I won’t be hiding from nobody. I’ve no problem with anybody.”

Watch here

Video World Exclusive: Gangster John Gilligan first interview on his release (Cathal McMahon, Irish Mirror)

Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

20/5/2013 Health Committees on Abortion

(L-R) Dr Darach O’Ciardha, Kieran Ryan CEO, Dr Margaret O’Riordan Medical Director, and Dr Seamus Cryan President, of the Irish College of General Practitioners

The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) today reacted to the confirmation from the Government that it plans to go ahead with taking over the cost of paying for GP care for under-fives from parents. Kieran Ryan, CEO of the ICGP, said, “It is the policy of the ICGP to support mechanisms for the provision of care where ability to pay is not a barrier. However, the proposal that parents of all under-fives would not be charged directly for GP visits represents a major change to how early years health services are currently organised and paid for. There has been no discussion with the profession on this.

Dr Darach Ó Ciardha said, “If paying for this is coming from the medical card scheme, without that pot being increased considerably, then other vulnerable groups will be affected most. It would not be fair or reasonable that someone on a high salary, who can afford to pay for GP care for their child, would now get it for free, but that vulnerable people who need medical cards would lose them to pay for it.”

ICGP statement on free GP visits for under-fives (Irish College of General Practitioners)

File pic: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

noonan

 

So we were fortunate that we had colleagues in Europe that were prepared to support us. We were fortunate that we had the IMF that were prepared to support us because if we didn’t have those lenders of last resort everything that we have done over the last four years or so would have to be done in one fell swoop, in one budget where the living standards of everybody in the country would’ve been cut by about 60%. And if you want to see what happened elsewhere, have a look at Iceland where 40% of personal savings were wiped out.

Have a look at Argentina who defaulted twice in the last twenty years or so. They still can’t access money in the international markets and at each default it got so bad that middle class decent people who lost their jobs were searching in dustbins to get food to feed their families. So we were lucky we had our lenders of last resort.

 

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan speaking at the afternoon session of the Fine Gael national conference in Limerick on Saturday.

Watch the full speech here (Scroll to around the 1:51 mark)

Apologies for the sound quality.