John Lydon

Blaise Gilburd writes:

I am currently studying Creative Writing at NUIG. Recently we had an assignment for which I wrote a poem tackling the sudden onslaught of ex-punks turning to right-wing politics.

Anyways, only this morning did I see the headline saying that now John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has endorsed Trump, so I like to think my poem has suddenly become quite topical. Although I did in fact dedicate it to Tony Parsons of NME fame…

Punk Song

for Tony Parson and the Aged Punk

Don’t stab his eye, just leave it alone,
why make such a big deal of it all?
The kids are too radical, the kids can’t make change,
revolution was so much simpler in the seventies.

Leave out rioting for the trees and the grass
I’ll rock out about this rising carbon tax,
just forget about any slow rising tides
and you know Boris really ain’t so bad.

London’s calling in too many artsy types
who loved this stunting European hole,
too many fell in love with something they shouldn’t’ve fallen in love with,
Jesus there’s just anarchy in the UK.

Someone needs to disarm these crazy ladies
with their wet ass body parts,
when did music get so crude and graphic,
where did all the poetry go?

Fuck those bloody fucking sops,
those big ol’ drifts of snowflakes,
offended by everything we used to say
when there was a good fight to fight.

Three chords was all we needed
to make an absolutely tone deaf song,
now when I rock I’ve Facebook on my lap,
“Thatcher was actually pretty Punk you know”

Blaise Gilburd

Pic: Rex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egnDl3ZlecI

An insanely skilled martial artist shows off his nunchaku skills on Douyin – China’s version of TikTok (hence the portrait aspect).

That final move though.

awesomer

The Space Between Lace exhibition

St. Fursa’s Hall, Headford, Co. Galway

An international exhibition of lace, comprising artwork selected from 34 artists, from 11 countries across 4 different continents, including Ger Hasset, whose A Black Mark (above) commemorates the 796 children who died at Tuam Mother and baby Home.

Ger writes:

‘796 black marks in a watery grave. A strip of white bobbin lace commemorates mothers, all interconnected by their experience of the home. Marked for life as ‘fallen women’ yet where are the fallen men?

A strip of pink/blue bobbin lace remembers the babies denied their true identities robbed of their childhoods and their mother’s love. The white lace envelopes them now as they never knew a mother’s embrace. The pink lace represents turmoil.

The crossing and twisting of threads illustrates the controlling conditions under which the mothers were detained and restrained. The purple vein signifies the authority of the Church.

Did they ever recover a thread of self? All are united on this canvas.’

Headford Lace

Thanks Breeda

This morning/afternoon

In 2015, the [Supreme Court] ruled that evidence obtained unconstitutionally could be admitted if a garda claims to have had no knowledge of the breach .

Via The Irish Times:

[The so-called “green garda/good faith” exception) in practice means that a garda can inadvertently breach a citizen’s fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy from the government, without there being any repercussions in relation to the evidence gathered.

….The Irish Council for Civil Liberties  (ICCL) commissioned a report on the impact of the new rule five years out from the decision.

Practitioners said that the greatest impact of the decision is before the case ever gets to trial. Two-thirds of practitioners said they changed their advice to clients after JC because “you know they are not going to win”.

As citizens in a democracy, we may well wonder whether the “real chilling effect”, strong sense of inertia and defeatism that JC has reportedly induced, are qualities we may wish for among criminal law practitioners. Rates of guilty pleas, according to the DPP’s most recent report, now stand at 92 per cent in Ireland.

“While several referenced a drive towards professionalisation of policing in recent years, there was also an acknowledgment that not all elements within the force adhere to high standards.

Experienced practitioners referred during interviews to gardaí lying when giving evidence, threatening to arrest close relatives, planting evidence and physically assaulting clients.”

Ill-effects of change to law on evidence starting to manifest (Irish Times)

RollingNews


Fiachna Ó Braonáin – Bottle Of Rum

Float on.

RTÉ broadcaster and Hothouse Flower Fiachna (top) has just released the four-song Winter Sun EP with self-penned seafaring folk tune Bottle Of Rum as the single.

Niall Meehan provides the hypnotic wave footage while musicians Clare Sands and fellow Flower Martin Brunsden also feature.

Nick says: Raise a glass.

Fiachna Ó Braonáin

Ah, McNulty.

This morning/afternoon.

He’s in so much trouble.

Dominic West and wife insist ‘our marriage is strong’ after he was pictured with Lily James (Telegraph)

Meanwhile…

Um.

UPDATE:

The High Court has granted an injunction to the provisional liquidators of the Irish arm of retailer, Debenhams, preventing unlawful actions and any interference with efforts to remove stock from its former stores.

The injunction applies to anyone with knowledge of the order. Copies will be put at the entrances of the stores and shopping centres.

Debenhams liquidators granted injunction in High Court (RTÉ)

Earlier…

This afternoon.

The Four Courts, Dublin 1.

Former Debenhams workers protest while the store’s liqudators, KPMG, seek a High Court injunction to stop picketing at branches. Ex-staff have striked since March and stopped stock being removed from stores without their agreed redundancy being paid.

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Oh.

Yeah, well.

I mean, are they happier?

YöKESYöKESYöKESYöKESYöKESYöKESYöKES

Previously: Herdy Gurdy

Fine Gael Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe (right) and Fianna Fáil Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath

 

This afternoon.

Government Buildings, Dublin 2.

Budget 2021 is HERE!

What can beat the excitement of budget day?

Except pretty much anything.

More as we get it.

RollingNews

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