Celeb spotting from the window of UTV towers: pic.twitter.com/xrVrBjvGYn
— Kevin Purcell (@KevPurcellNews) May 15, 2014
Mayor Street, Dublin 1.
Barney Noooooo!
There is a better way.
I love you, you love me.
Etc..
Update:
11:45am, Kildare/Molesworth Street
Is someone having a giggle in the Dep of Finance with their wifi??? #gsoc pic.twitter.com/2L7tHt4bk8
— Stephanie Grogan (@StephGrogan3) May 15, 2014
Also….
Moody’s to upgrade Ireland rating tomorrow, according to 6 of 9 analysts. More on @BloombergNews
— Dara Doyle (@DaraDoy) May 15, 2014
Moody’s is upgrading its view as Irish employment grows, the government deficit narrows and the wider crisis which threatened the euro-region’s future passes…Irish mortgage loans in arrears by more than three months rose to a record 18.4 percent in the first quarter, Fitch Ratings said this week.
“Some investors may scratch their head about valuations for Ireland,” Rainer Guntermann and David Schnautz, analysts with Commerzbank AG, wrote in a note to clients this week, adding the economic backdrop was “mixed.”
We’re going from Banjaxed to Mahogany Banjaxed.
Yay!
Moody’s Set to Upgrade Ireland For Second Time This Year (Donal Griffin, Bloomberg)
This morning.
Heather writes:
“The Google Maps car is out and about today. spotted on Charlemont St, Dublin 2….”
Powerfully condescending report on the landmark 1933 General Election from the bountiful Pathé News/YouTube collection.
Paddy goes to the polls.
Stuffed ballots, stage Irish and dead voters.
FIGHT!
They’re lovin’ us.
Claire Murphy writes:
TODAY fast food workers in over 130 cities across the United States will go on strike for better wages and the right to form a union on the job. The strike will be coordinated by SEIU’s Fast Food Forward campaign. On the same day, workers in 33 countries around the world will hold protest actions at McDonald’s outlets in solidarity with the strikers in the USA and to call for living wages, an end to zero hour contracts and the right to unionise for McDonald’s workers everywhere.
Young Workers Network activists recently attended the first international meeting of fast food workers which took place in New York. The solidarity actions around the world were planned at this meeting. It was agreed that Young Workers Network would coordinate the Irish actions in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Never before have workers and their unions and allies co-ordinated an action involving this many workers around the world.
FIGHT!
[A section of a letter from the Office of the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to Mick Murphy, a Green Party candidate for Cork South West]
You may recall a post from last about how Mick Murphy, a Green Party candidate for Cork South West, lodged a complaint with the European Commission about the establishment of Irish Water. It has now been sent to the European Parliament.
Further to this, it’s emerged Mr Murphy has made previous complaints about Irish Water – this time to the Office of the Ombudsman.
On January 31, 2014, Mr Murphy made joint and separate complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman against the Environment Minister Phil Hogan, his department and against Irish Water.
He lodged his complaints under five headings:
1. The transfer of strategic infrastructure that was heavily funded by EU funding to a monopoly in breach of EU funding and competition law directives that prevent such funding being used for the ‘establishment of or support of a monopoly’.
2. Loss to Mr Murphy under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act.
3. Loss to Mr Murphy under contract law.
4. Loss to Mr Murphy over having to pay a premium for water to pay for the unnecessary/ excess staff that were transferred from local authorities.
5. Social justice grounds in that there was no provision in the establishment of Irish Water by the Government for the elderly poor who would be unable to pay the water charges.
The Ombudsman wrote to Mr Murphy on February 18 telling him that, before the Office of the Ombudsman could deal with his complaint, it would be necessary for Mr Murphy to first send his complaints to Minister Hogan and Irish Water.
Mr Murphy subsequently made formal complaints to the minister and Irish Water.
Irish Water responded to Mr Murphy on March 14 but Mr Murphy was unhappy with the answers and he complained to the Ombudsman about Irish Water again on March 25.
The Ombudsman replied to Mr Murphy’s complaint on April 7, saying Irish Water had been placed outside the remit of the Ombudsman and therefore could not be investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman.
On March 25, Mr Murphy received a reply from Minister Hogan in relation to his complaint to the Ombudsman.
Mr Murphy says: “In this reply the only issue I raised which was dealt with satisfactorily was the ‘social justice’ issue in that the minister had accepted that: ‘Restriction of supply will only be implemented where all other efforts to secure payment have failed and it is clear that there are no affordability issues’.”
Mr Murphy adds: “Unfortunately this is the only public record of the Minister or his agents conceding such a fact, and public announcements since, and before, this letter seem to revert to the elderly, poor and infirm facing the prospect of a reduction of water pressure that would be barely enough to sustain life.”
On April 9, Mr Murphy wrote to the Ombudsman complaining about the actions of Minister Hogan and on April 17, the Ombudsman replied saying: ‘As Irish Water is not within the remit of the Ombudsman, the functions of the Minister of Environment are also considered to be outside the remit of the Ombudsman.’
Mr Murphy wrote again to the Ombudsman, pointing out that Section 5 (3) of the Ombudsman’s Act allows a Government minister to prevent an investigation of his or her office, or they can demand for an investigation to stop once they do so in writing, and set out in writing the full reasons for the request.
Mr Murphy has since asked the Office of the Ombudsman if Minister Hogan sought to block an investigation into his office.
Previously: Once More Unto The Breach
(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
[Niall Horan and One Direction in Dublin, August 2011]
These celebrities shrugged off the crash,
And held on to their stashes of cash,
Though we really must stress,
This is all just a guess,
But it makes for a good front page splash.
John Moynes
(Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
Stunt professional Keith Ward writes:
Now I know you don’t normally do this but…Was wondering could you give us a mention or shout out on your page.We’re Stunt Register Ireland – an emerging Stunt Organisation whose members have been featured in 2 Seasons of Vikings so far with Season 3 just kicking off. I myself have been part of the core stunt team alongside Coordinator Franklin Henson, Asst Coordinator Richard Ryan and Paul Burke since its inception. We’ve really been kicking a** and taking names. I’ve attached 2 videos for you to have a look at which we coordinated, rigged, performed, shot and edited. Hope you like ’em…
G’wan the burning men!
The adventurous Marshall Miller leaps from a suspended zipline in Utah’s Moab desert with the obligatory pair of GoPro HEROs strapped on.
Duuuude.
Are you part of a real family?
All Families Matter is a campaigning coalition calling on the Constitutional Convention to progressively review the Irish Constitution in relation to the family.
Eight NGOs have signed up so far to All Families Matter to promote equality for all families – Barnardos, the Family Resource Centre National Forum, GLEN, ICCL, Marriage Equality, New Communities Partnership, One Family, TENI and Treoir.
On Sunday May 18, founding All Families Matter member organisation One Family hosts its annual free Family Day Festival in the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2 from 11am-5pm.
Bring the family.