A very impressive 1:8 scale die-cast model of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, complete with essential details including working lights, pop-out machine guns, flipping license plates, ejector seat, bulletproof rear shield and more.

The catch? It comes in 86 parts as part of a 22-month magazine build-up series from Eaglemoss.

And not for the first time, either.

First two issues (plus parts): €1.75. Issues 3-86: €9.75. Total cost: €822.50 (+P&P).

Alternatively, you could have five and a half LEGO DB5s with no wait, or (for €2.33 million) the real thing.

awesomer

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy; latest homelessness figures from the Department of Housing

This morning.

The Department of Housing released it’s homeless figures for April.

It found that a new record of 10,378 people (6,584 adults and 3,794 children) were living in emergency accommodation in the final week of April.

Some 1,729 families were also recorded as living in emergency accommodation in April.

In March there were 10,305 people accessing emergency accommodation – 6,484 adults and 3,821 children. There were also 1,733 homeless families accessing emergency accommodation.

Therefore, this morning’s figures show there has been an increase of 100 adults, a decrease of 27 children, and four families living in emergency accommodation since March.

Asked about the figures this morning, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said:

“It’s hugely disappointing to see the numbers up again but we have seen a decrease in the number of families and children in emergency accommodation month-on-month. It’s a small decrease but it’s still a decrease.”

Depaul CEO Kerry Anthony said:

“The increase in those experiencing homelessness, the fourth in as many months shows that something is still very wrong with the way we are dealing with homelessness. We know house building is the real solution but in the interim we need to take measures that stop people entering homelessness.

“Depaul recently launched our awareness campaign ‘Real Doors of Dublin’ highlighting the on-going homelessness and rough sleeper crisis. We are urging people to stay sympathetic to those experiencing homelessness.

“There is a danger with such high numbers that the public may see homelessness as an issue that cannot be solved. That homelessness is simply a part of everyday life. This cannot happen.”

Read the department’s report in full here

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Eoin, in comments, writes:

Disappointing”, where have you heard that word or minimal variations thereof before?

Looking back at the comments accompanying previous month’s homeless figures, all [bar the first which is Leo’s] from Eoghan Murphy since he’s been the housing minister (June 2017):

March 2019

“The situation is “disappointing and very depressing”. [Leo Varadkar]

February 2019

“The increase in homelessness in February is hugely disappointing.”

January 2019

“It is very disappointing and we remain in a very difficult situation where homelessness is heavily impacting on the lives of families and individuals.”

November 2018

“It is very disappointing to see more children in emergency accommodation as we enter into Christmas week.”

September 2018

“We are still very much in the midst of a crisis in homelessness in this country.”

August 2018

“Earlier this year a number of categorisation errors were identified and corrected in the March and April reports.”

July 2018

“Any increase in the number of people accessing emergency accommodation is unacceptable.”

June 2018

“Obviously any increase in people accessing emergency accommodation is unwelcome but it is good to see a decrease in the number of children and we are seeing a continued stabilisation of the numbers of people in emergency accommodation.”

May 2018

“Any increase in people in emergency accommodation is very disappointing.”

March 2018

“A number of local authorities have erroneously categorised individuals and families living in local authority owned or leased housing stock, including in some instances people renting in the private sector but in receipt of social housing supports, as being in emergency accommodation.”

January 2018

“The increase in homelessness in January was anticipated to a degree.”

November 2017

“Obviously the increase in November is disappointing.”

August 2017

“While the number of family presentations nationally in August has increased by 13 overall, the figure for Dublin has fallen by 32.”

Spotted on Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, at the weekend.

It follows reports that up to 130 trees may be cut in Ballsbridge and Donnybrook areas to allow for roads to be widened for the BusConnects programme.

Related: BusConnects: 130 at-risk D4 trees festooned with red ribbons (Olivia Kelly, The Irish Times)

Previously: Someone Shout Stop

Thanks Edmund McCann

 

Lois Kapila, in the Dublin Inquirer, reports:

The biggest difference between the mammoth shared-living blocks being put forward by developers such as Bartra, and cohousing models, boils down, in a sense, to who gets listened to.

Shared living is mainly speculative, said Padraig Flynn, of Self-Organised Architecture (SOA), on Friday, in a meeting room at the Fumbally Exchange in Blackpitts.

“People who live there have no agency or input of the design or the long-term management of the building,” Flynn says.

Cohousing is the opposite: it’s resident-led, from design to management.

“It gives people an opportunity to decide where they cut costs, what’s important to them, and what they don’t actually need,” he says.

“They’re two completely different concepts. But the wording is almost identical so it becomes very confusing for people,” said Flynn.

The CoHousing Here! event [in Dublin] in mid-June, organised by Flynn and others at SOA, should help get that message out – and further open up debates around future affordable housing in the city.

READ IN FULL: An Upcoming Conference Offers Cohousing – Not Coliving – as an Affordable Housing Solution (Lois Kapila, Dublin Inquirer)

Previously: Co-Living Dangerously

‘Never Drink & Swing’

A topical new game by Simon Darcy.

Play NOW

Thanks Bibi Baskin

Meanwhile…

From  left: Maria Bailey, Kate O’Connell and her sister Mary Newman-Julian

Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell changed her Facebook photo mere moments after her friend and colleague Maria Bailey’s interview with Sean O’Rourke.

The Dublin Bay South TD’s ‘cover photo’ was a picture of her with her sister Mary Newman-Julian, a Fine Gael election candidate for Tipperary, and her close friend Maria Bailey.

It had been her Facebook ‘cover photo’ since March 24.

But at 10:32am on Monday morning she switched it for a group photo without the now-controversial figure.

De-profiled: Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell removes Facebook photo featuring friend Maria Bailey minutes after RTE interview (Independent.ie)

Former chief executive of Rehab Angela Kerins

RTE reports:

The Supreme Court has declared the actions of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee as unlawful in its treatment of the former chief executive of the Rehab Group, Angela Kerins.

The court said by conducting a public hearing in a manner significantly outside of its terms of reference and which also departed significantly from the terms of the invitation issued to Ms Kerins, the committee had acted unlawfully.

The Supreme Court also noted that issues raised in these proceedings about the conduct of Dáil committees were capable of being remedied by the Oireachtas.

Supreme Court rules PAC acted unlawfully in dealings with Kerins (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

UDPATE:

From 2014.

Thanks Bebe

From top: Frenzy and Betrayal (top) by Alan Shatter, above right with Leo Varadkar in 2010

 

The ex-Dublin Rathdown TD writes at length about a now infamous speech given by Mr Varadkar at a road safety conference in March 2014.

Mr Varadkar called on then Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan to withdraw controversial remarks he made about the two Garda whistleblowers, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson.

The commissioner used the word “disgusting” in relation to the leaking of details of the scrapping of penalty points by the two men.

By contrast, Mr Varadkar described them as “distinguished” and suggested the Department of Justice was not properly investigating the allegations.

Mr Shatter was in Mexico on government business at the time and felt “ambushed” by the comments.

In his book, he claims Mr Varadkar chose to “entirely ignore” briefings from the Department of Justice on the actions being taken and the fact the issue had been referred to the Garda Inspectorate.

Mr Shatter says the RSA event was used “as a platform for a publicity-seeking piece of self promotion”.

“The speech also clearly promoted the false narrative that both Callinan and I had ‘turned a blind eye to McCabe’s complaints…”

“I believe that Varadkar was opportunistically reigniting a controversy, despite knowing the background to be more complex than the public could have understood or as presented by Opposition politicians and media commentators.”

He continued: “Varadkar was depicted as the handsome hero, Luke Skywalker, and Martin Callinan and I joined at the hip as Darth Vader, with the shadow of Maurice McCabe cast across the whole stage.”

Leo Varadkar betrayed me to win power, Shatter claims (Independent.ie)

Previously: Revenge Is A Cold Canapé

Frenzy In High Places

Thanks Bebe

Rollingnews

Broadsheet.ie