Independent TD Noel Grealish

This morning in today’s Irish Times.

Solicitor and partner at Abbey Law Wendy Lyon has dissected Independent TD Noel Grealish’s claims about asylum seekers before writing:

If there is to be a debate on how Ireland responds to its international obligations towards people seeking protection, our politicians and media have a duty to ensure it takes place in a context where claims like these will be fact-checked and falsehoods exposed.

It is not enough to merely report what Noel Grealish says or ask him to “clarify” his comments – it must be shown that he is wrong.

In fairness.

Noel Grealish’s views of asylum seekers are based on myth (Wendy Lyon, The Irish Times)

Rollingnews

From top: Disgusted by the quality of cakes, Paul Hollywood walks out of the tent during last night’s Great British Bake-Off on Channel 4; Vanessa Foran

And the responsorial psalm is Full fat all the way;

I know he went home (and we’ll talk some more about it later) but for many of us that’s pure gospel; maybe a truck driver called Phil is my Patronus; maybe not, but he speaks to my spirit anyway. Full fat all the way.

There’s so much to talk about in last night’s Signature, but first I want to just bring us back to our own Bakesheet interests.

The first bake I did from the new kitchen here was Millie Murderlarks Buttermilk Sponge from last season’s Bakesheet; I remember her saying it was a Friendly Cake.  I didn’t share this with ye before because, well, nobody was really in the humour for cake least of all a Friendly Cake at the time.

Anyway, it was a no brainer for me to follow through with because I usually have a litre of buttermilk in the fridge just for baking.  Just like a baker will always have both plain and self-raising, and a range of sugars from caster to dark muscovado to icing.

And of course tubs of sour cream for just about everything else.

I was delighted with myself following the Signature last night, like there was more going on than just cultured dairy to share with the bakers at home; I loved that it was Cake, and pretty much all of them are easy, well the four here are tagged easy.

I wouldn’t be so sure about Helena’s spooky sponge or Michael’s Sour Lemon sponge with cheesecake filling – but feck I would have ate it, all of it, even the plate it was on, no matter what condition it came in.

The only difficulties are, and by way of an Ask a Broadsheeter – oil spray or butter for those fancy Bundt tins?

It is well established by now that I hate to promote anything here that requires kit that isn’t already in the everyday kitchen baking press.

But since I’ve a healthy suspicion it might be on a lot of bakers Christmas wish list; and I’m getting one anyway, so I thought I’d ask and share a Mary Berry’ism that I live by myself; get the very best you can afford.

So if you have fifty yoyos – spend the fifty, and not go home with one reduced to twenty.

And in fairness, Steph’s Rasa Chocolate Fudge was made for it.  Shur you’re worth it.  (and if someone can post up a reliable source for the freeze dried rasas’ you’ll be on the short list for the hamper.)

Another whinge for what was a great mutual Signature collective experience is that Rosie’s homemade Limoncello isn’t included in the recipe for her Limoncello & Basil cake and I think we are being short changed here.

OK, I know we are getting the recipe for free from the producers, but in fairness she got a brag and they got a telly moment out’ve Prue sneaking it away. It’s a Just Saying, that’s all.

The Technical; so bad it was good.  Even the Hollywood turned his backside to it.  Good in the sense we were introduced to a bake we’d never heard of, and one we wouldn’t dream of, Mary Anne Boermans excepted of course (who has the best bake blog going – @wotchers btw.)

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she came up with that technical for the producers.

Is it any wonder I’m now gagging at sharing this, I’d say that tent smelled like baby’s vomit – in the back seat of a ten year old car, in July.  And no matter the state of it was, Steph was the best of the lot.

Showstoppers; would ye?  Definitely not for me, boiling milk and stirring and stirring? I’d rather change the beds.

So I’ll be leaving it for the milk sweet experts and the lovers of Mishtie, the only interest I had in it was hoping Helena’s lemon sherbet recipe would be shared, and shouting you silly boy! at Henry to leave the freezer closed.

Jesus he couldn’t leave it alone, I was convinced he was going, I really was, so when Phil got called out, I too was shocked.

But you know, he wasn’t going to progress all that much further anyway; and it’s worth remembering we don’t get to see everything in the tent or witness the full depth of the judging.

Yet even from my own viewing of this year’s bakers, I would agree that Henry the tie man and Pirya deserved another round of challenges before being culled.

Big shout out to my fav from the start, Steph , Star Baker was well deserved last night.  She’s enjoyable and endearing; and good telly , also my pick for the final, along with last week’s Star Baker Michael.

Another great night for Helena who is clearly thriving.

I’m not getting Michelle or Dr Rosie but they deserve to be taking seriously in fairness.

Roaring Twenties next week.  Cocktails and Custards apparently.

I think I’ll have to go all out and put feathers in my hair.  Till then; BAKE!

Pic: Channel4

Kacey O’Riordan, of Newstalk and Today FM, tweets:

The scene near Aghamore where a man was shot dead last night.

A man in his 80s fired warning shots after he thought he heard an intruder.

A man from a neighboring parish who was in the area was killed.

Man (60s) dies after being shot in Co Mayo (The Irish Times)

Joni Morris – When The Party’s Over

Tá ‘s ad nach mbeidh mé riamh gan thú
A fhad ‘s go mbeidh mé n-ann análú
Toram deis breathnaigh mo éadan
Is tú an chúis mé beo ar éigean

Pop goes our mother tongue.

Teenage sensation Joni Morris has already racked up over 20,000 views on YouTube since she posted this mesmerising video of her singing Billie Eilish‘s hit as Gaeilge.

Named after Joni Mitchell, the 14-year-old from Greystones, County Wicklow, cemented her love affair with the Irish language during trips to Colaiste Lurgan in County Galway.

Joni also sings in a trio called Fuze.

Nick says: Billie Irish, anyone?

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions this afternoon

This afternoon.

In the Dáil…

In response to questions about the Public Services Card from Sinn Féin, the Taoiseach spoke glowingly about the PSC – telling the Dáil he himself has a PSC.

It follows the eventual publication of a damning Data Protection Commission report about the card by Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty last night and her department’s refusal to comply with the DPC’s orders in relation to the card.

Mr Varadkar told the Dáil that “like the majority of people in this House”, he’s a “big supporter” of the PSC and he thinks it’s worked “extremely well”.

He added:

“Over three million people in Ireland now have a Public Services Card, including me, and when people are asked what they think about the Public Services Card that they have, over 80 per cent of people are satisfied with it and prefer it to what they would have had before which would have been a number of different books and passes – pension books, children’s allowance books, free travel passes, social welfare services cards – it’s replaced all of those and given people one simple card which enables them to access public services.”

“And that’s exactly what the Public Services Card is. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s what it was intended to be in 1998 and in 2005 when it was introduced in legislation. It’s there to assist people to access public services  and to make public services more efficient to deliver.

“It is not primarily about fraud but it does have benefits in terms of deterrence, reducing fraud aswell but it’s primary purpose is to make it easier for people to access the public services and benefits that they’re entitled too and also makes it possible to be more efficient for Government departments and agencies and to provide those public services.”

“…in terms of legal advice, it’s not our practice to publish legal advice, either from the AG [Attorney General] or outside counsel, we won’t be doing that. But obviously, if this case goes to the court, goes to the circuit court or the High Court thereafter then of course that legal advice will be made public at that point and that is normal procedure when it comes to litigation.”

He later added:

“…In relation to the National Childcare Scheme, as you know, that’s coming into effect later this year to provide increased subsidies for childcare for tens of thousands of families across the State and for the first time about 10,000 middle income families will qualify for childcare subsidies for the first time. The vast majority of these families, about 80 per cent, have the Public Services Card already and will be able to apply for those subsidies and increased subsidies online.

“And I think the vast majority of them will do that because they will see the convenience of just being able to take out your Public Services Card, apply for those childcare subsidies online and get those subsidies without going through the rigmarole of filling in forms, getting in photographs, producing banks statements and all of that. However, for those who want to, that option will be available.

“So, there will be an option for those who don’t want to get a Public Services Card. But mark my words – people will vote with their feet and their keyboards and the vast majority of those parents will use the Public Services Card to apply for that subsidy because it makes sense.

“Moving online, digitisation is the future, providing public services to people in this country but the alternative will be there.”

Mr Varadkar went on to say that the department has yet to receive an enforcement order from the DPC and that the DPC has declined an invitation to meet with Ms Doherty’s department.

He also said “this is a democracy” and “the right of appeal is part of a democracy”.

Watch live here

Earlier: The Regina Monologues

Bit windy round your way? Count yourself lucky.

Behold: one of the largest and longest-lived storms ever recorded in our Solar System. To wit:

First seen in late 2010, the above cloud formation in the northern hemisphere of Saturn started larger than the Earth and soon spread completely around the planet. The storm was tracked not only from Earth but from up close by the robotic Cassini spacecraft, then orbiting Saturn. Pictured here in false coloured infrared in February, orange colours indicate clouds deep in the atmosphere, while light colours highlight clouds higher up. The rings of Saturn are seen nearly edge-on as the thin blue horizontal line. The warped dark bands are the shadows of the rings cast onto the cloud tops by the Sun to the upper left. A source of radio noise from lightning, the intense storm was thought to relate to seasonal changes when spring emerges in the north of Saturn. After raging for over six months, the iconic storm circled the entire planet and then tried to absorb its own tail — which surprisingly caused it to fade away.

(Image: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA)

apod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLnz20b9pshclGx8uUK1MSnSG5EgGXBaEz&v=PdvE85OTFQQ

This afternoon.

In the Dáil.

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said:

“We now have a situation where sex for rent is becoming a reality for a lot of tenants. We don’t have data in this country but in England, the Shelter organisation reports 250,000 women have been propositioned by landlords in this way.

“I’ve had a young woman who was renting a bedsit, in all but name, in the Rathmines area, who was a victim of this and I’d like you to listen to some of the messages that she was sent.

“When she said she had to leave as the rent was too expensive, the landlord said ‘are you coming to live with me in my house?’

“She said ‘are you being serious?’ and he replies ‘yes, I think you’re beautiful. Maybe you could stay there for two months at half money and we go for dinner and see what happens’.

“When she rejected this, he said ‘I’ll make you a better offer. You can stay for free until Christmas if we can agree something. Now, I have the text messages here and I seriously think that it’s high time that we collated data in this country because you’ve allowed a situation where young women, in very vulnerable situations, thankfully she was able to move on, could actually be put under undue stress and pressure because the landlords rule in this Dáil and you’ve done nothing about it.”

In response, the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said earlier this year, the Government enacted “the most substantial reform for protecting tenants that had been enacted since we brought in rent controls in the first place”.

In relation to the specific case raised by Ms Coppinger, he said:

“That sounds disgusting and a horrible thing for someone to have to go through. It is absolutely a matter for the gardai and a criminal matter and I hope it is being addressed in that way.

“But in relation to the wider point you make – and research being done in the UK – I will of course talk to the Minister for Justice about what might be possible in relation to these types of situations women might be finding themselves in because it’s reprehensible.”

Via Oireachtas.ie

Pics via Ruth Coppinger

EARLIER:

Thud.

Leaders’ Questions will get under way at 12pm in the video link above.

Carlow Weather Guy tweetz:

This photo sums up the [National Ploughing Championships] @NPAIE #Ploughing19

Beautiful lines (if sloppy ‘ripple’), In fairness.

Not like last year then.

National Ploughing Championships 2019

Broadsheet.ie