Again.
Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s nomination for Taoiseach is rejected for the third time.
Results of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin’s vote to follow.
Earlier: ‘We Are Stepping Back’
Previously: Doing The Sums
UPDATE:
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin’s nomination for Taoiseach is rejected, also for the third time.
FIGHzzz….
Holden MaGroin writes:
A pleasing flower deployment near where I work.
Somewhere Small – a series of sculptural miniature treehouses constructed around houseplants and bonsai trees by artist and propmaster Jedediah Corwyn Voltz.
On view this month at Virgil Normal in LA if you’re passing.
The autograph book of Jammet’s restaurant which is up for auction
Foodie writes:
Jammet’s autograph book is up for auction for €1,500 – €2,500 on April 26 in Sheppard’s of Durrow. The collection includes the signatories of WB Yeats , Countess Markievicz and Sir William Orpen, KBE, RA, RHA, including a self portrait (in pencil!) of Sir Orpen.
The collection of autographs, drawings, and paintings were collected in the first quarter of the 20th century by Mary Margaret (Polly) Moore (1884-1924) while employed at Jammet’s Restaurant, Dublin.
From top: A signed statement released this afternoon by 14 Independent TDs; and Dáil proceedings starting with a prayer this afternoon
A statement released by 14 Independent TDs this afternoon states they will not vote for either acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny or Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin later today when the Dáil votes – for a third time – on the nomination of a Taoiseach.
More to follow.
Watch Dáil proceedings live here
Pic: Shane Beatty
UPDATE:
Fine Gael’s Noel Rock (top) nominates Enda Kenny for Taoiseach, for the third time, as Fianna Fáil’s Lisa Chambers (above) nominates Micheál Martin, also for the third time.
Environment Minister Alan Kelly
Was the introduction of new apartment size guidelines in breach of EU law?
Grab a crying chair.
Bonkers writes:
Back in December [Environment Minister] Alan Kelly did the bidding for Tom Parlon, former PD Minister and now head of the Construction Industry Federation, i.e along with IBEC one of the property developers lobby groups.
Kelly rammed through guidelines for even smaller shoebox apartments than we already have.
Apart from allowing 40sqm apartments (which is well below average sizes on the continent with perhaps the exception of Paris and French ski resorts) he also abolished the rule that apartments must be dual aspect.
Under the new guidelines new units can be single aspect only which means some poor suckers are going to end up with only north facing windows and a complete lack of natural light.
Then the architects came out and said his minimum sizes weren’t actually workable because you need corridors of a specific width for fire safety purposes.
So it seems that neither the CIF or Kellys Dept of Environment ever bothered to ask architects or engineers to come up with a minimum size that meets fire regulations. They just steamed ahead.
So recently I found out about a little-known piece of EU legislation called the Aarhus Convention.
This says that EU members cannot make major changes to environment policy (of which housing is a key heading) without first putting the plans out to public consultation.
Now I might be wrong on this but I’ve searched everywhere online for the public consultation on Kelly’s plans and I can’t find it anywhere.
I have emailed the Dept of Environment twice now to ask them and haven’t even received a ‘We’ll get back to you’ email in return which is making me suspicious that Kelly rushed this through in December when he knew Labour were likely to sustain big losses in the election.
I think this might be one for Legal Coffee Drinker to investigate. If there was no public consultation on permitting Irish apartments becoming children’s shoe boxes then AK47 has pulled a massive stroke here and is in breach of EU law.
Also I noticed members of the public who report compliance issues to the Aarhus Compliance Committee *might* get summoned to Brussels to present their case, all flights and hotel paid. Time for the Broadsheet commentariat to sample those 7% beers maybe?!
Anyone?
Rollingnews
Animator Adam Brown brings everyone’s favourite boy and tiger to life using key frames from the original cartoon strip.
The RSA driver test centre, Orwell Road, Dublin 6 before (top) and today (above)
This afternoon.
WhaddayaNuts? writes:
Orwell Driver Test Centre, near the village of Rathgar [Dublin 6] is being torn down to make way for luxury 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes. Glad to see the nasty 70s architecture removed.
