Abortion Preferendum results in full from the Option B campaign. #trinitydecides
No Danske
at
McGeebers writes:
I just logged onto my Danske Bank account. Normally, the homepage screen features a photo of a blade runner (not Pistorious) waiting to burst out of the blocks and declares in the caption “The New Normal”. Not
unsurprisingly this photo has disappeared overnight
Sandycove, Co Dublin, minutes ago.
Meanwhile, in Dublin city at 7.25am:
Thanks Tara Murphy and Tara Fakhry
Minister for Foreign Affairs John Baird holds forth on the country’s international zombie strategy at a debate in Canada’a House Of Commons on Wednesday.
This is why Canada is, arguably, the best country in the world.
Former taoiseach and Fine Gael leader John Bruton has created a political headache for his successor, Enda Kenny, by declaring the Government’s planned abortion legislation is contrary to the Constitution.
Mr Bruton claims it is “not consistent with the plain words of the Constitution” to include the threat of suicide in the terms of the legislation that will permit abortion where a woman’s life is at risk.
The Coalition has committed to introducing legislation to give effect to the Supreme Court judgment in the X case which found that a threat of suicide constituted a threat to a mother’s life.
Minister for Health James Reilly is due to bring the draft heads of the Bill on the subject to the Cabinet shortly.
‘Fresh divisions within the coalition’ ahoy.
John Bruton says Government abortion legislation contrary to Constitution (Stephen Collins, Irish Times)
(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
De Papers
at
Via Mike Hogan 4FM
For the night what’s in it.
An inter-generational companion for our unfortunate Victorian gent from earlier.
‘The Lady on the Bridge’, Dublin,1956.
Thanks Wally Cassidy
Fine Gael’s deputy spokesperson on Enterprise and Trade, Kieran O’Donnell and Fianna Fáil’s Senator Thomas Byrne (above) spoke to Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio One this morning about the property tax.
They debated whether the property tax should be based on market value or square footage. Mr O’Donnell defended it, saying the Coalition were bringing in the new tax in the fairest way possible. Mr Byrne disagreed.
And then there was this:
Pat Kenny: “This is a new tax for a generation. It’s something that (the Government) they’re designing now. They will have to tweak it. They know that.”
Thomas Byrne: “Here are those anomalies, Pat. I mean the average property say in Dunboyne (Co. Meath) last year, according to the property price register, was in that band between €250,000 and €300,000. They’re going to be paying €495 a year. In Longford, a similar house, maybe a three-bed semi, or a good four-bed semi, might be only in the €90 property tax band. I mean that’s over five times’ that, Pat. That’s wrong and it’s unfair. Another anomaly in the council houses. There are TDs in Dáil Éireann on the record as living in council houses.”
Kenny: “Who?”
Byrne: “I’m not going to name them Pat. But you can check the record yourself. The fact that they’re on a very high salary is not taken into account. It’s simply the fact that they live in a council house. And this, relatively small amount, compared to other people, compared to their constituents…”
Kenny: “Hang on a second. No, no, no, this is important. If they’re on high incomes and they’re occupying local authority housing that should be there for people who are less privileged.
Byrne: “Yes.”
Kenny: “That’s not acceptable.”
Listen here
(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)