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Protest outside the INM egm, Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2 on Monday

We have come to a dividend in the road.

David Wall writes:

As the Christmas approaches the Gardaí have issued a well-timed reminder to be vigilant about theft. Key times for shoplifting and bag snatching are identified as being afternoons on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

This time of year is busy: Christmas parties, Christmas shopping general goodwill and merriment doesn’t come cheap so we do need to be careful with our possessions.

What the Gardaí did not give a warning about was pension snatching. Understandably so, because this is not illegal; morally reprehensible but not illegal. What makes it worse is the reasoning behind the theft: dividends.

These pensions are not being abused to save a flagging business, nor are they simply gone. No, instead they are being used to pay dividends. To create a payment that is unnecessary. Who the share-holders are is interesting, but irrelevant. What matters is the action they are taking.

Interestingly, Leo Varadkar has spoken to the Attorney General with regard to this but little has come of it yet. Is this Leo’s chance to ride in on his steed and save the day, just in time for Enda to retire?

But Varadkar’s heroic actions shouldn’t be needed. Why are the board members of INM allowed to steal from a pension pot that was already agreed? They don’t have to offer the defined benefit scheme to new entrants as their business model evolves, however surely there is a moral obligation to honour such a longstanding agreement.

This is an opportunity for the men and women who run our country to take a positive strong stance and actually take a strong role in helping the people they represent.

The government could finally take affirmative action against white collar crime rather than setting up toothless, costly inquiries. Now is the time for the government to show that democracy works and that the government can and will work for the majority.

I commend Leo Varadkar for taking the public step of discussing this with the Attorney General, I only hope that this is not a fruitless discussion.

David Wall is a 31-year-old ‘sheet reader.

Previously: Worse Than Murphy

Rollingnews

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Ross O’Mullane, at Energia, writes:

we’re now into the voting stages for Ireland’s Most Christmassy Home – there are some amazing efforts, and most entrants dress their houses up for charidee – thousands of people have already voted via our Facebook page – and would be great to get your loyal readers involved also! Whichever 3 photos [at link below] get the most likes make it in to the grand final…

Top 20 Christmassy Homes (Energia)

Previously: Festive cribs For Cash

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Last night.

GPO, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

Carol-singing pro-choice protestors, including Vivien Daly (above), from the Abortion Rights Campaign [ARC] alongside members of the Artists’ Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment and the Resistance Choir host their annual ‘Carols For Choice’ concert.

Abortion Rights Campaign

Leah Farrell/Rollingnews

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Tomorrow.

At noon.

A Christmas vigil for Mary Boyle will be held at the gate of the Gallagher farm in Cashelard, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal – where she was last seen.

Mary Boyle was six years old when she went missing on a visit to Cashelard on March 18, 1977.

Meanwhile, Gemma O’Doherty – who wrote and directed the documentary Mary Boyle: The Untold Story – writes:

Some months ago, Margo [O’Donnell] and I travelled to Cashelard to try to speak to Mary Boyle’s uncle Gerry Gallagher, a member of Fianna Fáil and the last person known to have seen the little girl alive.

When she disappeared in March 1977, he claimed that Mary had followed him across remote fields but vanished somewhere along the way.

Margo, Ann Doherty [Mary’s sister] and I believe that Gerry Gallagher holds important information about what happened to his niece.

While Margo and I were in the isolated townland of Cashelard, we came upon a jeep being driven by his wife Eva Gallagher.

Eva lived on the farm where Mary was murdered and was there on the day she went missing. We saw the jeep pull into a local shop. Margo decided to approach Eva and ask her if she was willing to talk about the case and what she thought had happened to her husband’s niece.

However, Eva refused to speak to her and left the car park at high speed, before returning briefly to collect a gentleman she had accidentally left behind.

Margo and I later went to the home of Gerry Gallagher but were refused entry by him and Eva who spoke to us from behind the door and told us to leave.

When I was making my documentary about the case, I rang Gerry Gallagher and asked him if, as the last person known to have seen Mary Boyle, he would be willing to take part in it.

He refused.

I then asked him if I could film on his land where she went missing and he agreed. One day, when I was filming there, we met Gerry Gallagher. The retired detective Aidan Murray, who appears in my documentary, was sitting next to me in my car when Gallagher approached. Garda Murray asked if we could film on the land and he said we could.

The following day, I went back to the farm alone with the camera crew and Ann Doherty. The cameramen went on ahead to set up their equipment but, as Ann and I approached, we could see them walking back towards us.

They said that Gerry Gallagher had approached them and told them to get the f*** off his land and to tell me to do the same. We left immediately.

Shortly afterwards, we went to the house of a neighbour we know to download our footage. Eva Gallagher arrived at high speed and in a temper. She attempted to corral us into the neighbour’s courtyard with her car.

We were able to leave with just inches to spare.

These are just some of the many disturbing incidents that have happened to me and Margo O’Donnell involving members of Mary Boyle’s family in recent months, as we try to expose the truth about her murder which continues to be covered up to this day.

Previously: For Your Consideration: Mary Boyle – The Untold Story

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Ireland’s wildlife by Irish youngsters.

In card form.

Eileen Burke writes:

I founded the Wild Postcard Project with my friend Angela earlier this year, whilst having a pint and talking about our love of Irish wildlife.

This is an initiative to raise awareness of Ireland’s biodiversity, via an artwork competition for kids and teens…

After receiving nearly 1,300 entries, a judging panel selected 12 winners, and we converted the winning artworks to postcards (above)… So now, it’s finally time for Irish biodiversity to go global via a long awaited digital detox: postcards!

The packs of 12 postcards are now available for purchase, for the super reasonable price of €8. 100% of sales go to fund next year’s project (we’re not making a cent off of this ourselves!)

They can be purchased at our Etsy shop (link below): bit.ly/WildPostcardProject We’d be delighted if you shared this, as we’re eager to see these postcards sent to all corners of the globe!

Full Set Of 12 Postcards: Wild Postcard Challenge (Etsy)

Wild Postcard Challenge

Irish-made stocking fillers to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘Irish-Made Stocking Fillers’. No fee!

Broadsheet.ie