TRADE UNIONS are set to oppose the latest effort by the Government to eliminate a wide range of public service allowances.

Following last month’s climbdown on reforming allowances, the Government has reopened the issue and is seeking to eliminate more than 80 allowances currently paid to serving staff across the public service.

The move comes after only one allowance for serving staff out of more than 1,000 was removed last month following a major review overseen by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin.

Previously: Public Sector Win

Coalition targets over 80 public service allowances (Martin Wall, Irish Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Same stuff.

Different continent.

In a “scathing” submission [to a government inquiry into the church’s handling of clerical child abuse] Victoria’s police commissioner today listed the number of ways the criminal justice process was being hindered by the Catholic Church.

It says the church dissuaded victims of sexual crimes from reporting them to police,  and alerted suspects of allegations against them ”which may have resulted in loss of evidence”.

And, of course, it is accused of moving – from parish to parish –  known or suspected sexual offenders

The submission also includes this scene:

“Father [George] Pell was in the room when the victim told another priest what happened. Both times the victim tried to tell his story he was badly beaten, though not by the now Archbishop of Sydney, the submission says.”

 

Father Pell, now Cardinal Pell, is the most senior Catholic in Australia.

Police Slam Catholic Church (The Age)

Thanks Mark Geary


A surprisingly lucid breakdown from Youtube brainbox C.G.P. Grey of the tortuous backup mechanisms that kick into action in the event of an Electoral College tie.

You might want to take notes.

dailywh.at

RallyforChoice writes:

So Marie Stopes are opening in Belfast and will offer abortions to people from the whole of Ireland up to 9 weeks and within the legal framework (thought you might like to know).

 

Marie Stopes To Open Clinic In Northern Ireland (MarieStopes.org)

NI clinic to offer abortion services (Finola Meredith, irish Times)

Uploaded by 2birdswimming who sez:

Clip from Eddie Hobbs’ “30 things to do with your SSIA”, from 2006, where Eddie talks about gearing – instead of buying one property with your own money, borrow as much as you can from the banks to buy as many properties as you can, and failing that, invest in property via the stock market – punctured all the time, of course, with his dis iz nutttz clause. This guy is treated as a f**king financial expert in Ireland.

Broadsheet.ie