Africa/Debt
Africa Again
Greens Give African issues Momentum
G8 Communique 2005
G8 Debt Relief
Hear Africa 05
Hunger and Poverty
Live 8 opening up our Eyes
Poverty Weekend 2005
So How Was Live 8 For You?
Too Many African Solutions
We're At You not With You
Blogging/Indulgences
Dining With Terrorists
Im Back
John Gray - Heresies
Lets Get Them Thinking
Lucky Me
Current Affairs/Ireland
AIDS in Ireland, The Domino Effect
----
Airport:
Bertie Bowl II- The Airborn Sequel
My Goodness, My Airport
----
Brian Rossiter:
Brian Rossiter Again
Village and Brian Rossiter
----
Behind the Employment Figures
Cheerio Cafe-Bars
Immigration
----
Morris Report II/Gardai:
Conroy: Only a Few Bad Apples
Garda Reform
Garda Bill 2005
How Corrupt Can One Institution Be?
Looks Like a Pile of Crap
McBriarty, Morris, Accountability, Corruption and the Gardai
Morris Debate
----
New Libel Law?, 2
Q&A Tonight, 2
Smoking Ban Spreads
Uk Smokers
EU
CAP and Fog of War
Democracy and People Power
EU Constitution
EU and International Disintegration
French 'Non'-Now What?
It's the Narrative-stupid!!
Like Kids at a Party
Maggies Ghost, Blair's Rebate and CAP
Rudderless Europe
Sugar Regime
Tony Makes His Move
Where To for CAP?
Working Time Directive
Globalisation/Corporate and State Power
International
$60 Oil is Bad NEWS!
Africa Comes, Iraq Goes
Bush Privatisation Deal Dead
First US presidential Candiate (maybe)
Grade-A Arseholes!!
G8 Communique
G8 Moves on Terrorism
Iraq?
Impeach Bush?
Insomniac Reaction to Bush Speech
Iranian Election, 2
No Action on Environment in the UK
North Korea
Reclaim Internationalism
----
Shell Pipeline/Rossport 5
Rossport 5, 2
Shell Ruling
----
U.S. Acts on Rogue States
U.S. Block inquiry into Uzbek Revolt
A Good Move for Palestine
London 7/7 Attacks
London Bombings
The Problem With Terror
UK Terror Attacks
UK Under Attack
Media
Lord Puttnam and interesting thoughts
Northern Ireland
Bertie's Northern Noises
Post Election in the North
Northern Bowel Movements
The IRA are Going Away
What About the UUP?, 2, 3
Politics/General, Theory
Assault on Parliament
Democracy Audit
Heady Ideolody
Information Society? Nope!
Only students Get Better Holidays!
PR in the UK
Well You'd effing Know!!!
Politics/Government
Bertie Bowl II- The Airborn Sequel
Bertie Don't Do Questions
Childcare Moves Afoot
Diability Injustice
Great Expectations
More Inept Governance
Oversight and Iraq
Poll Reaction Hasnt Got My Mouth Watering
Tax Evasion and Loopholes
This Government is Sick and our Democracy Disabled
Politics/Opposition
Do People Want Party Unity?
Enda Kenny, Ready To Govern
FG Attack Government over Decentralisation
FG/LAB Coalition Update
Greens and Government
Greens Give African Issues Momentum
Labour and THAT Pact
Rabbitte Chasing Greyhounds
YFG Suicide Campaign
Social Issues/Justice/Health/Transport
ASBOS
Child Poverty, 2
Childcare and Children
Disability Legislation and More Government Nonsense
Health Again
Health and Children Commission Divisions, 2, 3
Leaving Cert and Social Value
Light At the End of the Health Service?
M50 Completed
M50 Tolling
Kylie and its Meaning for Us
Stem Cell Research
Suicide, 2
6.30.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Some very provoking stuff from Harry on the attitude of the left to the insurgency in Iraq. He is of course quite right in his assertion that we should support the forces of democracy in Iraq while also being prepared even expected to criticise Bush, Blair and so many others who have led to such a mountain of human suffering.
I myself fully support all efforts to create democracy in the country but in saying so we must also countenance the prospect of failure which looms large over the whole project. It seems that democracy will never be accepted if it is seen as an american/collaborator fait accompli and stitch up.
Harry is right, to side with the monsters who are inflicting harm on innocents in Iraq is indefensible. To speak only against one side who is doing the damage is equally wrong. The way through the iraq problem as with Africa and most other states is to let them decide and own their system. There is no clear way for americans to do this so the status quo continues.
This self-defeating spiral of violence can only be ended by iraqis. I am fuly behind all attempts to reign in insurgents, including negotiation. The violence must end before democracy begins.
The democracy needs to be home grown and without undue influecnce to enshrine trade/economic liberalisation if the iraqis do not want it. I fear that in this regard the temptation to meddle may be too much for the US.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Today heralds the extension of the large commuter car park that circumnavigates the city. There are still grave questions however that havent been answered over issues relating to the section.
Who exactly owns the land at Carrickmines where the road goes through?
Who benefitted from the rezoning of land to accomodate the M50?
The tribunals are of course dealing with this themselves and many of us have lost interest in the whole enterprise. We shouldnt though. This matters greatly for drawing a principled line in the sand in irish politics, we must stand and say the corruption of the eighties and of the broader FF establishment cannot go on. Ireland must be willing to stand tall against the vested interests of developers who have so hindered proper development of Dublin and created a maze of traffic and misery for so many.
Standing up requires facts and apologies. We must support the endeavours of our tribunals to secure truth and justice in the face of apathy and carelessness.
The future of irish politics is in bad hands if we cannot defeat the epedemic of corruption and self-interest in our planning and civic activity.
incidentally when cullen accuses those who object to motorway routes as robbing tax payers money, it is funny that the same accusation is not levied at our former and in some cases present establishment and certain business interests.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The jailing of five Mayo farmers for having the nerve to protest at the construction of a pipeline through their land is a sad day for all of us.
The protests by these people to protect their land from the havoc which accompanies the extraction of oil and gas in the presence of a multi-national.
unsurprisingly the lot over at indymedia have been first to arrive at the scene while RTE and other media outlets online are quiet. There take on things is here.
apparently the judges position on all this is rather disquieting and not reassuring for the broader state of things in Ireland at the moment.
I for one think all who can should attempt to make the protest at mountjoy only that it has actually started. Whoops. My bad.
Anyway the affront to our right to protest has just been binned today. According to Noel Dempsey speaking on 5-Live there is no ministerial authorisation for building to begin and as such the men are in my eye full justified in protesting. The problem here is that the big corporate again commands the loyalty of an establishment that is willing to siphon off E10,000 in taxpayers money daily to finance US overflight. This place is rotten to the core and when a man decides that building a pipeline which is unprecedented in format and style shouldn't happen on his land he is landed in jail.
My sympathies go to the family of these men tonight as they could be in for a long stay in the Joy.
More background to this case is located at shellfacts and the full Joe Higgins Statement from outside the court today is also posted on indy .
As Higgins points out, Shell are not paying royalties and securing valuable tax write off s to exploit the site. This is because the site is so bloody difficult to work and the corporation has backed the government into a corner. This is unworkable in the face of such malpractice across the world and particularly in Africa this cannot infest our working at home. Taking the people from the picket line is not on. There is a clear need for Dempsey to reexamine the whole set up of the project in light of the fact that it is not the best available model and so much danger is posed to those living in the region of the pipe. Bear in mind oil majors have a terrible record of cleaning messes from pipeline breakage and also a terrible record on actually maintaining those pipes.
This whole mess stinks and we should all get behind the protest at this injustice.
RR
6.29.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The ombudsman for children yesterdayrelease her first report but there are a number of points that she made, which i think we should all be taking on board.
The first is that our childcare initiatives take little or no account of the welfare of the child and are merely functions of labour and work, this is a wholly unsatisfactory situation and is requiring of a broader government strategy on childcare and children. THe fact that both Mcdowell and Harney can legislate on chilcare is anomolous and unhelpful.
A genuine concerted effort to improve the standard of living for children must also provide for some early education which according to esri is very bad in ireland.
This means higher taxes for all of us but in my view its a price worht paying.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Reading more of the fallout over the proposed reform of leaders questions in the Dail in todays Irish Times, I cannot believe that this government has the audacity to mount such an attack on oversight in our state. Whatever power the DAil may have is weak enough at enforcing government transparency and serious reform of practice and method should be introduced.
Having said that current government proposals that Bertie need not attend leaders questions should he so choose are preposterous.
I understand that the government are offering more prime time to opposition but what is the point of having loads of time to speak to an empty chamber with no government minster present? There is clear and present need to upgrade the status of the Dail as the representation of our interests in the face of executive power. No amount of argument can nor should be able to dissuade us from our need to maintain oversight on our government. Understandably all opposition parties are fairly angry and i mentioned Emmet Staggs response earlier.
Alongside this proposal however are some other serious proposals made by Chief Whip Tom Kitt, the idea of having interesting debates at sensible hours seems to be a no-brainer to most of us but in Dail this is real progress. There can now be televised debates at hours when people are awake, on topics which are current and needing discussion. This move however will only be of benefit if it is adjoined with reform of reporting criteria on the Dail. If RTE or TV3 were to be given more leeway in camera shots allowed and also a decent list of debates etc there would be little excuse for one or other to refuse to air dail proceedings. The BBC parliament model is probably unfeasible but certainly a daily dail show taking in topical debate and leaders questions is in order.
The moves by Kitt however are, as usual, unilateral and devoid of any braoder strategic vision for the Dail outside of rubberstamping Law and not asking too much questions.
Well the questions must be non-negotiable and these reforms should be part of a serious package of proposals to bring both activity and coverage of the DAil into the 21st century and attempt son reengagement with the electorate.
Im sure all leftwing parties will have something to say and a genuine commitment to Dail reform owuld garner more momentum and support for the opposition coalition.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The great PResident that lead the states in a new-era of post-september 11-tough love-warfare etc etc is in Fort Bragg. Bush is trying to rally the people of the US to the cause in Iraq with talk of founding fathers, democratic zeal, and the rights of each person to representation.
My late night reaction is to tell him stop furrowing and raising his eyebrows like a shit-eating second hand knife salesman. My head however wishes he would tell us all that he went to Iraq to secure the last region of the world where oil production can be ramped up.
Why wont he tell the people of america how many iraqis need to die to secure their way of life. Why doesnt he tell them that there were no WMD?
Why doesnt he tell them that Osama never liked nor worked with Saddam?
Instead he talks rambling about the new iraqi democracy, which has control of all of the green-zone in Baghdad and no more.
I am currrently reading John Pilgers 'Paying The Price' in his book "The New Rulers Of The World" it makes a speech by the PResident of the US on Iraq seem almost orwellian in its manpulation.
More detailed reaction tomorrow. For now i am sad. America still doesnt know about nor care to apologise for the 100,000 innocent people and children killed since the Gulf War II and over 1.5Million killed since Gulf I. Thats genocide in anyones language.
This man is a war criminal and so are his henchmen. The iraqi democracy is to be a puppet regime busy trying to control sectarian rifts while the states busily extract oil.
We should all bow our head in memory of those who die in our name.
For once the people in the US have it right. The war is wrong and america is a pox on the lives of so many in the middle east.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
There is an interesting take over at openDemocracy on the recent convulsions in the EU over the Constitution and the Rebate debate. The commentary, written by “Simon Berlaymont”, is a piece which chimes closely with my own reading of the situation facing Europe currently. The point of the fact is that the EU is not and never will be a Super-State and in representing this as its goal, both Euro-sceptics and Euro-federalists are misrepresenting the more global cases in favour of the EU.
These cases are the peace and prosperity offered by the EU since 1945 to citizens of what was once the most violent continent on earth coupled with the stabilising force which western EU provided to the Eastern countries following the fall of communism.
Of course most of us living in the EU are nominally aware of our cultural inheritance stemming from the formation of the EU and the post-war settlement across most of Western Europe. We have moved farther and farther away from the EU though as time has passed. The foremost of its achievements is no longer considered with gravitas among the younger EU generations. The threat of violence has not hung over us for a long time. Instead we take for granted the rule of law and the power to determine our movement across a continent that many see as naturally united.
It was not always so and the majority of our history is divisive and violent. Our current penchant for communal markets and regulation is an aberration from history and perhaps the best example of progress in our society.
The commentary from OD, perhaps obliquely or in abstract, suggests that the EU has now begun to lose its narrative and lost sight of its greatest strengths. There are and always will be a need for the EU to regulate and instigate shared relations and commerce between European states. It provides us with the greatest of platforms from which to spread or develop democracy and freedom for people.
At its finest the EU can act as the buffer between corporate interest and exploitation and the free individuals of Europe. There is a move it seems among those who are in or around Europe to finally move to reconnect and develop a narrative. By bringing the EU debate to the social aspects, by taking the debate away from the purpose of the EU and its natural domain and into that of the Nation state the leaders of the EU may be setting in train a process of encroachment that may do more harm than good.
I agree the EU bubble has probably now burst, but demographics ensured that EU was always going to lose touch or become irrelevant with the younger voters/citizens. A period of reflection, as Blair called it, is just the thing. I hope that on reflection those in Brussels decide to read what we are saying and writing about the EU.
By listening and developing a narrative for the next generation of Europeans, the EU may pull itself out of its nosedive.
Where does it go from here? In terms of policy that is a matter for national governments, in terms of purpose vision and direction the EU must be put on the track of employment, democracy and protection of individual freedom from corporations (that latter is my own hope and not currently the EU raison detre.
By creating a Europe wide consensus on the good work a large regulator can do, it’s the only way to cope with multinationals, and further increasing our democratic stake in controlling our common market and thus our interests, the EU can make a lot of headway. Here’s Hoping, but not too much.
RR
6.28.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The Green Party are using their private members time this week to attempt to refocus attention on our responsibilities to other third world countries. For those who are living in a cave, tomorrow at 6.30 is the Make poverty history rally at the Spire.
These issues are bread and butter to the green party and a very opportune time for them to come to the fore and offer some leadership on the issue. The move somewhat sidesteps labour and also seems to be the result of not being tied to a coalition. I say this because in not being tied to any one wagon they can gorage their own path policy-wise and force the agenda is a few select areas. This would be stymied by the need to stay on-message in any coalition arrangement.
So the greens hard nosed electoral politics seems to be in osund affairs following their decision ot stay independent. Now on an issue like this they could do a lot of running in their traditionally strong affluent areas.
In terms of their core statement to the Dail and comments by the leaders, the greens are looking for some major scores.
Some of the main points in the motion are
a)forcing government to commit to a date by which time we will be contributing .7% of GDP in Aid. This is standard enough opposition fare although the comment from John Gormley that berite was only holding it out in order to get on the Security Council must sting with the Taoiseach. Having said that we made a commitment, foolish or not we must in all seriousness examine how and when we should meet that promise. the sooner the better, especially in terms of moral credit and fair play.
b) This is where the greens move from the standard fare to show why they are so associated with lefty causes. The motion calls for recogntion that debt and aid are only part of any wide ranging solution and call for proper agricultural market access and subsidy structure which promote growth and development abroad aswell as secure livelihoods here. In this Dan Boyle reckons that bogey man Blair is an ally and that the government cannot compromise on its view of 100% debt cancellation.
c) The restriction of Arms trading to promote peaceful initiatives and try to cut down on the strife and civil war which is ripping the south to pieces and renegotiation of Kyoto to encompass restraints on developing countries as well as the west.
Overall these are classic green areas of interest and a well timed piece of good publicity for the green party. The policies are ones both FF and FG may wince at but certainly wouldnt restrain anyone from entering government with them. Principle is a wonderful thing to have in a party but more than this when the greens actually talk up their principles they score very well in the affluent south dublin and leinster constituencies.
ITs all huff and bluster in front of the DAil but in staying out of any coalition arrangement the greens have space on the left which labour are moving out of that they can now move into. voters on the left will be pleased to see someone doing some independent running on the issue of debt and poverty.
It may interest people to know that the greens didnt have much to say on financing of the initiative on the GDP, in terms of CAP and Agriculutre reform they do seem to be on top of their brief.
Its a rare week they get to do some running in the dail but this could stand to them long term.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
For those who miss their politics with a bit of passion perhaps a trip down under is what you need. This from today's Sydney Morning Herald, is an extract from the recently deposed Labor leader Mark Latham where he looks back over those who brough him down.
For those on the left it might make tough reading, his assesment of the Labor prospects arent good and fans of universal social justice may all be disappointed. However as political outbursts go, it makes for some great reading.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Well I suppose since the election of Reg Empey there has been a spark of interest re the UUP and what is required of them in order to get re-elected. I really couldn't get my head around why no one was bothering to profile leadership candidates at all because I felt it was important to have an idea of what the key debates were and their attitudes to them.
So I read since the election contest of a purely chatterati consensus about what it is the UUP need to do. Empey needs to reclaim center voters, needs to motivate the electorate. Most of the solutions however sound like things all politicians need to do in these days of apathy. There has been little call for a clear and unambiguous interaction with the peace process. For a clear commitment to power sharing and to equality and justice.
Voters in the center don't concern themselves much with extremist views. They want to know that their cars and house are safe at night and the guy next door is looked after in times of need. Security is where its at. The UUP must appear to become the party that can provide the unionists community with the social security which has seemed so lacking this summer.
rebranding exercises are all lovely but a reengagement means meeting people at street level, talking to them and acting on their will. The DUP know that and use it to stoke their passionate brand of sectarian politics. The UUP were more aloof but now they have no excuse.
Its my simplistic reading but I think the papers are all being quite lazy in approaching this problem. The UUP are and will be again the party of Unionism. They need to be onside. If we don't understand them we will never make peace with them. The media attitude to them as past it and over the hill is hubristic. History will always bring back the center ground.
So we should be prepared and ready. More examination of a UUP rehabilitaion may help to promote calm in unionist areas.
The violence engulfing the marching season (4 stories on NI Violence on rte.ie this morning alone) must be put at rest by parties committed to peace and cooperation. I think the UUP need a strategic review re dealing with the Shinners and could steal a march on the DUP by being successful.
Anyone interested should watch the quite heated debate on slugger. Interesting analysis by watchman but the comments reveal the mindset up north right now.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Two different stories from the same party and along the same theme so lazy me decides one post should do for them. The theme is the ongoing governmental attack on the power and influence of the Dail and unsurprisingly the party is Labour.
The first outburst comes from Emmet Stagg yesterday regarding new proposals being laid down by government whip, Tom Kitt, that would alter the current ineffective set up of leaders questions for an even worse looking set up. Apparently the Taoiseach finds Leaders Questions to be a frightful burden, what with all the tough questions and meanies looking for some accountability over decisions taken. So he has proposed through the whip that leaders questions now become, "whichever-minion-is-available-to-fob-the-opposition-off-questions".
The idea that the government leader should be allowed to duck the few mandatory appearances he has to make before the dail at a time when he is doing less parliamentary work than any of his predecessors is an abomination.
The strength of parliament is the strength of the people to constrain the overarching power and greed of a hungry executive. This is not some neo-American creed but simply that facts before us that this government has done a great deal to undermine scrutiny, accountability and responsibility in the process spreading disillusion and apathy with public life. Now the Head of that government is trying to reduce further the role opposition TDs may play in overseeing the governance of this country. Of course, there is probably a simpler explanation, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are good days for opening off-licenses.
The erosion of the powers of parliament is a dangerous precedent for no matter what they say any opposition that comes to power is unlikely to restore to parliament the power it deserves. We should oppose these measures and others this government may attempt to try and subvert the remaining health of our democracy.
THE SECOND story comes from the seat of our Tanaiste in waiting Mr Rabbitte. He is understandably upset over the attempts to shut the dail in the face of such serious legislation that still needs time to be brought through the dail. He has a point. This is not simply point scoring although I find it sick that my taxes papa wages and pensions of people with at least three months holidays and a terrible record of delivery in office. Talk about rip off Ireland. But I digress, the Dail is about to shut its doors with some serious work still on the agenda. The revelations regarding Brian Rossiter yesterday only add to the urgency of seeing the Garda Bill through in a form which reassures the public of the power we hold over the Gardai. We need to feel that there is an attitude of fairness and an abhorrence of corruption in dail eireann and if the attitude to the Garda bill wont give it to us neither will the attitude to the new disabililties bill.
This is the latest in a litany of upsets for disability campaigners who have been let down continually by government. By refusing rights based legislation, the government has refused to adopt responsibility for care and standard of living of the most needful in our society. In a country of unprecedented wealth we have elected a fat, mean and lazy leviathan to oversee the minutiae of our lives while ignoring those that most need intervention. I for one am disgusted at the inaptitude and ambivalence shown by government to the needs of the people instead opting to ignore us and go on three months holidays.
RR
6.27.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Apparantly the NRA are looking to make all tolling across the west link electronic. In my opinion the best way to deal with the west link is to blow it up. It is the last great relic of governmental malpractice stemming from the 80s. There is not the network to support tolling in that there is no alternative should one decide not to pay the toll. This is becoming a cash cow and a source of easy revenue. Any move on M50 tolling should be to abolish it.
This country owes its workers a decent standard of living. By imposing the unfair and exorbetant tax on communters at the M50 they are ensuring hours of endless drudge on the way to work and the way home for those who contribute so much to the irish economy.
This government shows little or no respect for those who put it there and through whose work the government can invest in the necessary infrastructure build.
One way to restore that respect would by abolishing the yolk on commuters collective necks.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
From RTE via the Washington Post this morning comes news that the caped crusader of the white house is tilting at the next windmill. This comes in the form of a crackdown on the US assets of those doing business with Regimes ordained to be rogue states in the eyes of the Worlds-only-superpower TM.
Just a few issues I have, and I encourage all right thinking individuals to consider this point, who exactly decides and on what criteria just what is a failed state. How about those in Africa like DRC where war has been waged for years and over 4Million people have been slaughtered? I don't see assets being frozen of the Diamond and resource corporations doing business in a failed state and breeding ground for hardline fighters.
Nope it is the usual lazy assumption that only the axis of evil need to be considered and none of our messier allies like the shower over in Uzbekistan need to be fingered in the crackdown. The states has made an art-form out of hypocrisy in recent years, freezing PLO accounts etc etc but this smacks of undiluted stupidity and crass double standards. The businesses doing most harm to global security are those which undermine state structures in pursuit of profit while condemning local inhabitants to poverty. It is from this poverty that stems an affinity for hardline Islam or nationalist support for a dictator.
The usual near sighted solution from Washington is to tar them as with us or against us and of course no country which supports corporate bottom lines could be a rogue state.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Story in the Sunday TImes today suggesting that FG and labour may come to a compromise regarding th enumber of candidates FG will field so as to allow LAB to increase its seaat numbers aswell and thus not feel too robbed by FG in terms of votes etc. This is all part of the increasing number of feelgood stories around the coalition partners in waiting at the moment as the government lurches from one ineptitude to another.
Reading further through the article it becmoes clear what the true purpose of the story/leak is. As noted by the talking head in the article, little if any advantage will accrue to labour even in the event of FG cutting candidate number, thus its a win/win for FG again. This though is not what i meant by the 'true purpose'.
That is reserved for the tail end of the article which suggests that things in FG are really looking up becaue hey are reconnecting with voters through the Anti-Social Behaviour roadshow currently being conducted by FG. This article like the one regarding Kenny's penchant for cycling and hard graft scream of electability.
The target for seduction though is the FG voter who has left the fold and still has to return. THis is the magic four or five percent that are missing in Poll data from historical trends, i.e. the number of FG voters that left them in the GE of 2002 and have yet to be rewooed.
The opposition is certainly trying to appear to be gaining momentum and all political atrategy aside there is a concerted effort to present things as positive, different and healthy.
The beginning of the FG path to electability in the eyes of voters starts here, methinks.
RR
6.26.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
For those who were slightly bemused by my utterings on iran's election here then this might interest you from iranScan. As i said earlier the division of Irans candidates into pro-west reformers and anti-west conservatives is disingenuous to the real reasons iranians voted as they did.
All elections are local and this is no different. The result was a funciton of social inequality and disillusionment with the ability of reformist candidates to achieve equality and success in their goals.
Not that the result has no impact on us, merely that the electorate didnt have us in mind when going to the polls and that is the real issue here. Inequality at home is abhorrent to all people and breeds apathy. This suits the establishment in tehran but it will also breed other threats under the guise of the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Iran is not always outward looking, if at all. Politics is local but reporting this election was a tad iffy for my liking.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
For those who read both myself and Irishcorruption.com on the Brian rossiter case but couldnt track down the story in Village there is a condesed version of the article in today's SBP by Vincent Browne.
Again the questions ring loud and clear. Again the seriousness of the allegations are far in excess of anything levelled at Frank McBrearty. There is a 14-year old boy who may have died as a result of Garda abuse while in custody. There are far too many signs of an attempted cover up and even more signs of the Minister Michael Mcdowell trying to divert all attention away from such a damning series of events.
If, in any way shape or form, the gardai are responsible for the death of Brian Rossiter then heads will roll all over the shop. This is a story that looks likely to rumble on and on. If it does then the lid could blow off it right around the time of the General Election.
Finally i am concerned by the seeming blanking of coverage of this issue except by Browne and the Ireland on Sunday today. This seems to me that again our crime correspondents ave let us down by being so intertwined with the Gardai in the hunt for leaks and stories. For those not aware it is this cosy relationship that keep bad headlines for Gardai off the Airwaves except in extreme cases. The return for the journos is that they get privelaged leaks. Well sadly they have again doused themselves in glory by not building p momentum or public concern over such a serious issue.
This issue looks to me like the potential death knell for mick Mac, he is trying to ignore it. It certainly wont go away though. Nor should it.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The furore that is erupting around the Justice Dept/Gardai following the publication of the summary of a report made by present Garda Commissioner Conroy in 2000 to the then Justice minister. The revelation that in 2000 Conroy appeared to know, or at least have an inkling, that there was serious misbehaviour going on in the Garda Forces.
This is a serious blow to the credibility of both our police forces and our whole government. As far as McDowell is concerned he is unlikely to be resigning soon, however as is always the way with the stubborn politician events may overtake him. Joe Costello was correct in the Dail recently when he said we had entered resignation territory. There is likely to be a sustained and, in my view, justified campaign for the scalp of ministers who at the time allowed the ongoing victimisation of the McBrearty's and by extension the Barron family.
A politician knows that there is nothing worse than the drip drip of bad news. It has a way of building momentum and doubling the controversy by virtue of its sustained momentum. As McDowell introduced the Garda Bill 2005 with its raft of new Amendments this week, i believe, in agreement with Drapier that he was trying to preempt further drip drip by having already taken remedial action. Only that the action is not really remedial. The foremost of people involved with policing, Senator Maurice Hayes, was never consulted by the Minister. Neither was Howlin involved as he should be, since he was deeply involved with this issue.
The whole thing stinks of a stitch up. McDowell and O'Donoghue knew in 2000 that there were suspicion s at the very least hanging over the heads of the Donegal forces. They were aware of attempts to finger the McBrearty's wrongly. Yet no tribunal was forthcoming until 2002 and further remedial action (in the form of institutional reform) not here until now.
Many of you are familiar with my unhappiness at some of the Bill's provisions, i don't believe they go far enough to curb the free hand this state has granted the gardai since the founding of the state and latterly in the fight against the IRA. Today's report is more in the inevitable drip of bad news for the justice department.
If however Bertie is moved to remove McDowell, it could precipitate the end of the current coalition arrangement although perhaps not an election. What he must replace McDowell with is a genuine person of vision, belief and a minister who presides in a governmnet intent on reform and remedying the rot in our state. I don't know many on the FF backbenches who fit that bill. There is little option for Bertie in this one.
RR
6.25.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The victory for the Tehran Mayor Ahmadinejad over the ex-president Rafsanjani, allowed many media outlets to paint this fight in particularly black and white views. On the one hand we had a "reformer", on the other we had a religious "conservative" or depending on your outlet, a "hard-liner". As with most cases of black and white media reportage, it seems likely that the broader mass media missed the point completely. The assumption that one can simply divide candidates in an Iranian election according to their wiews and attitudes toward the west is disingenuous.
The Iranian election, like all others is a myriad of narratives occuring in the local body politic at any given time. We can see here, that the platform adopted by Ahmadinejad was one of liberator of the poor. Such revolutionary zeal is what erupted in Iran all those years ago, instead of tarring him as some religious fanatic, which he may well be, there is further onus to explore why religious fanaticism marries so well with the poor in Iran and the middle east.
This election was not won on theoretical debate over division of powers and balances nor the interference of the Guardian Council in election conduct.
This was an election of rich and poor, employed and unemployed. The west may have fitted that narrative in terms of talk about oil and jobs but it certainly wasnt through genreal foreign policy. The middle east is like most other electorates, elections tend not to be won on foreign policy, although talking down america is a bonus, it is not the vital cog in an election victory.
While much of the reaction will be the effect on current nuclear negotiation with the IAEA and others, talk could also center on the reason Iran chose to embrace more religious revolutionary fervour. How come when iranians went to the polls, they saw the Imams and religious leaders as more qualified to provide jobs and a living standard?
Perhaps most worrisome of all is why so few turned out. The apathy toward democracy is not confined solely to the West it seems. How can Iranians be motivated to vote? Lower turnout lowers the threshold for extremism to gain power. In iran this is especially dangerous.
So what do we do? Wait and see? Hope for another colour coded revolution? Intervene? This election is about Iranian issues and the voters were not voting with us in mind. Reportage should represent that fact and give insight into the socio-economic climate that yielded this result. As we can see here at IranScan, this was an iranian result on local iranian issues. most of my coverage has revolved around the democratic theory, institutional debate and foreign affairs, issues least likely to decide electoral outcome.
It is the aftermath that gives us insight into the need for 2-Dimensional labelling on the international stage.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The dail recess is on its way. On june 30 the curtain will come down on this term, a wonderful success for government and a bit of nagging from opposition benches harping on about hte work the government still have to do etc etc.
They will not return until 27 SEPTEMBER!!! Only students have better holidays, and they work through them.
I for one am glad to know that all the problems highlighted in the Gardai in recent times has been ironed out with sufficient and suitable legislation
I am glad to know that our helath service can cope with the demand for service without recourses to trollies or other forms of chair.
I am delighted to feel that the gridlock in our country has been sufficiently alleviated to allow for a break for our hard worked minister.
Luckily for us enought child places are available to tide us over till the Government gets back.
I could go on but i think ive made my point. Sure a politician has a thankless job but its well paid and i am pretty sure there is a lot left to do.
Dont forget your suncream.
RR
6.24.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
I see that IC has started looking at the case of Brian Rossiter which made headlines in Village last week, i thoroughly agree that in a country which claims to be a democracy the case is a travesty. unfortunaltely the village magazine holds no archive online so a link is difficult. Simply put we see the Mad Mike move to the Dial and say that hte Garda is a great and good organisation that requires only a nominal and ineffective ombudsman to ensure its virtue is unsullied by the few "bad apples" who may act indpendently in the wrong.
Nonsense from as far back as Plato the question has always been who guards the guards? how can we ensure that as power corrupts absolute power cannot corrupt absolutely. While the facts of the Rossiter case are a travesty and another great black stain on Irish history, it points the way to a far deeper institutional malaise rampaging through the heart of hte Cetic Tiger. It is the wnaton disregard for power and the unceasing abuse ofo it to further narrow self interest.
I am going to get tired of saying this but so long as Mcdowell refuse to listen we must keep speaking louder and louder. The present system is failing the people of the irish state. no one can guarantee the sanctity of public life and noone can make clear and transparent hte workings of state institutions. We are again back to the enlightenment and the struggle to break the yolk of feudalism. We cannot allow such corrupt and blakc institutions to run our public lives. the power of the state is reenforced by public confidence. Democracy is a two way street.
Reform is needed, not small and piecemeal, large and strategic. I want an obudsman, less powers to do more work for Gardai and a strong committe and oversight system. And thats the least of it. If we cannot trust the Gardai to care for a 14-year old boy in their custody without beating the head off him then we are in a bad state.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Any of you who have been following the chatterati fallout from the G8 Debt relief proposals will no doubt be aware that there are literally hundereds of various voices supporting a variety of solution on Africa. Todays altest contribution comes from the esteemed pages of the Guardian and perhaps one of the more sensible proposals Ive seen recently. Literally this guy is proposing a boost to African based incentives and intitatives. This seems to be insanely practical and full of common sense Of ocurse it is likely to be ignored by government as they will never ever act against their own interests. These interests are best served by ensuring corporate dominance and access to mineral rights. Africas interests arent served by such a position. The dichootomy is thus clear to all that most of the furore surrounding the piece meal and unilateral initiatives coming from the G8 are mostly smog which can be used as a conscience appeasment exercise while affecting little in the general scheme of things.
For those of you who think you might have read his argument somewhere before, i.e. that nothing in Asia followed the neo-liberal prescriptions for growth and development but instead embraced intervention and protectionism in order to secure competitive growth before liberalising, if at all, then it is probably George Monbiot's book Age Of Consent. The major point in all of this is that much of the prescriptions circulating in wetern circle of comment come from western sources. Many government are acting unilaterally in most cases in the bilateral debt programmes etc. There is no consensus on where to go and nor is there any solace to be taken from the belief in the primacy and sanctity of free markets in lifting all boats as the tide comes in.
The local African solution is that which is best for all of us who desire a strong and serious solution to Africa. The local solution allows states to evolve their own strong states, strong democracy but not of the one size fits all variety. It most of all goves asense of possession and ownership too those who reside there. This will mean the retaking of reosources and the west will never let that happen.
Its a crazy mire of mess and fudge. one which creates little confidence of solution being reached and one which certainly obscures the tough solutions and clear dialogue necessary. By getting in first and framing hte debate around CAP, Markets, Debt and Aid, we are not cultivating local solutions but again embarking on the utopian projects of free marketing and debt peddling.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The moves to purchase Unocal, a us mutinaitonal oil corporation by CNOOC, a chinese business for over $18 billionis the beginning of a process that was recently flagged somewhere i dont recall.
The main thrust of this idea is that china is only bereft of one modern element to become a global power which rivals the US, that element is Brands. The purchase byLenovo computers earlier this year of IBM personal computer business shows that china is ready to begin taking on board larrge corporations which it feels will give it identity abroad. No longer will it be a halting site for goreign business but a hive of local corporate activity which peremates the activity of the broader world around them.
I think we are all sick of hearing the chinese are coming to get us etc etc. But the fact of the matter is that coming they are and doing so in a prodigious manner and feeling no responsibility to give ground to democracy or even human rights. The chinese miracle will put paiid to tow fundamental beliefs,
a) Free-market evangelism brings about democracy naturally by promoting some sort of natural evolution of man. Rubbish such a correlation is merely coincidental.
b) The US is powerufl enough to withstand any challenge to its supremacy. Again this is nonsense, it is the most indebted country in the world, mostly to China. The fact is that shold any major holder of US treasuries decide to sell or change to Euro the staes whole global dominnce collapses. Unlike the Brits before them and now the chinese, the US doesnt send out good and capital around the world it actually takes it in. Thus it is overdrawn and actually in a pretty unhelthy state.
It is against this background that China is buying an oil company. Soaring demand in both the US and china could make this a Stand off to rememeber and even draw up the battle lines for future resource wars of trade or military. ITs not unlikely and indeed probably going to happen.
The changes we see before us are the prescott-esque tectonic plates shifting.
RR
6.23.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Interesting to see Mick Mac yesterday take some notice of the full title of his office and bring forward plans to invest in some form of School-Age childcare initiative for working parents. I'll come clean and say that childcare is not a topic which affects me yet but at some stage i will desire astrong and caring system available to allow me to work etc.
The proposal seems to take a few ideas from Ruth Kelly in the UK and try to implement a scheme which uses schoools as after care facilities aswell. THis on paper is fine but the points raised by labour make for some discomforting reading.
The implication in their release is that much of the care in this sector is unregulated and that it is not part of some broader strategic vision but merely a play as you go approach to child care. To be honest this is an unacceptable government position should it be the case. however to give some benefit of the doubt at least there is some support for around 5000 kids in 41 places and projects aorund the country.
Yup 5000 that to me is a small number, i think there are far more that require supervison and care in a sound environment. In the UK they are stting aside around 600 million to provide this service of opening up schools early and leaving them till late to provide an environment for homework and sport. I fully support such action where parent have an option which is of benefit to kids. The point is in the UK they reckon 600 million is not enough. We got E40 million (30 Million Pounds).
THis project pales in comparison both in terms of vision and of commitment. The delivery of childcare services is expensive but on any evaluation always worthwhile. I understand that through the NDP we have 400 million set aside for capital provision but it makes sense to consider that much of that is directed at school development aswell as they will now operate a dual role.
It is the accusation that government lacks a direction or even a big idea on child care that is most deeply damaging to the credibility of this project. I agree with Labour that regulation must be ensured to protect the child and more places provided.
As always the best way to do this is through a strategy and planned delivery. Of course the places are going to be welcomed by those who get them but it is provision of affordable and even state paid-for care that is the requirement for those who are squeezed and cannto afford it.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The Bush privatisation scheme for social security seems to be dead in the water following a meeting with GOP comngressmen. Fair play to them they struck a hardy blow for the public sector as guarantor of the security of the poor. Its about time that someone stood up against corporate greed and interests that has so badly infected the entire american political establishment.
There are alternative proposals on the table and to be fair the amount of money spent in Iraq could easily cover the deficit predicted at some stage next year. The democrats are implacably opposed to the last deconstruction of the newDeal by the Rebpublican party. However there is not just feeling opposing privatisation for the sake of it as TPM has been covering and arguing since the inception of the plan, the state can and should retain full responsibility for proteciton fo the weakest in america's deeply divided society.
Just a few links and posts but i intend to return ot this later.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
not content with tabling an impenetrable number of amendments to the Garda Bill, the government now wishes to call a vote without actually debating over 200 of them. This is the current state of our democracy, a government introduces unpopular legislation that broadly agreed doesnt actually tackle the problem properly and then refuses to discuss or defend the proposals. AFAIK presenting laws as a fait acompli is more a characteristic of an autocracy of dictatorship.
The house is falling down.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Interestingly it is both the Farmers of the EU and Africa who look unhappy with the reform to the EU sugar regime. It has been forecsat yesterday that the outcome would be too simple to deal with poverty and take little or no account of the substance behind the WTO ruling. However when they released the statement most development campaigners realised the raw deal that was received by everyone but those with the power to cut costs on a massive scale, i.e. the "Sugar Barons". There is a broader point here, simple free market deregulaiton only benefits the biggest of those in business that can absorb the risk and reduce costs accordingly.
The reform of the sugar pact seems to have been a simple revision of price, little or no attention paid to export subsidy and other trading standards such as access. This is shameful and the wilfull determination of the EU to not reform CAP and Agriculture policy may take a more malignant form of disinterested and lazy reform. At present the doomsayers reckon no one wins and my rudimentary knowledge of economics tells me that they might be right.
Certainly this is nothing like the Wholistic and global solution that is needed to remedy the current regime in favour of small farmers who trade in the EU. Big farmers are benefitting from big corporate interest and economies of scale. Small farmers need our help in ensuring that they can sustain a livelihood.
Back to the sugar reform, it seems that oxfam(2) aint happy. And why should they, for once some farmers were getting some benefit from the EU regime on sugar and agriculture. It seemed clear to anyone with a conscience that this reform is an abysmal disregard of global responsibilities to use the vast wealth at the disposal of the EU to guard the small and the poor from harsh and exploitative regimes of pricing across the trading field. Yet all they have done is simply chop the price floor. It lack imaignation andengenders little confidence in the EU's drive to support development and progressive causes like tempering the harsh effects of the markets on the weakest of the sector.
The uproar in ireland will probable focus on the farming lobby and the perceived wrongdoing done to them. There is no moral ground for subsidising the rich, on the other hand those in ireland who struggle to make ends meet due to size, price or capacity and those who suffe similarly across the EU and the South deserve support in the struggle to be self sufficient.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Here is an exerpt from Brendan Howlin's speech last night on the topic of the new garda bill, bearing in mind the fact that the minster saw fit to add in over 100 amendments at the last minute its strange that these quite sensible proposals were dismissed as being reactive in a white heat of anger. STuff and nonsense and only the state wins. "
From Howlin's contribution;
a)“the establishment of a new Garda Authority, to set the priorities for fighting crime at national level, to make the key decisions relating to policing more open and accountable, to be responsible for senior appointments in the Garda Siochanna and to receive and consider reports from the Garda Commissioner on operational decisions.
b)The establishment of county policing liaison committees, to agree a county or city policing plan, with regular meetings between the committee and local Gardai to monitor progress and address the concerns of local communities, and
c)The abolition of the Garda Complaints Board, the role and functioning of which is widely agreed to be unsatisfactory, and its replacement with a Garda Ombudsman to be responsible for investigating complaints against the Garda, such an officer to be provided with his own staff and to be responsible for a new, independent system for ensuring Garda accountability;”
Again these proposals were considered to be reactionary and not neessary. especially when, i suspect, such proposals might make ignoring the will of the people quite dificult. I think all of us appreciate the contribution of both Howlin and Higgins to this issue over the last few years and it strikes me that such is their involvement that they are probably more qualified than Mcdowell to furnish the solution, which incidentally is available here.
McDowell was again caught red handed in trying to subverty our democracy to suit his own designs and will. We do not desire a state where those who guard usand our institutions are insulated from accountability.
It has nearly got so far that a public oversight commission made up of a sample of the electorat must be put in palce and given statutory power to summon and oversee all aspect of our executive and legislature. Now that is a sad condemnation of the state of things.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
News that last minute changes to legislation on the Garda Bill 2005 should be met with laughter. Its wonderful to see the commissioner has the power to dismiss ranking gardai for misbehaviour or corruption, but who gets to fire the commissioner and the minister for the same offences and more serious crimes of lying to us about prior knowledge?
Still no sign of decent ombudsman and no sign of serious cultural change at the DOJ or Phoenix park.
The more things change.....
RR
6.22.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
There are a number of stories in today’s IT that are worth drawing attention to for those who don’t read it. The first is again regarding the ongoing difficulty of Lewis o Carolan and his family. Yesterday Bertie refused to make funding available for his specific care in Wales, if there is one thing this government is going to avoid doing like the plague in regard to disability legislation and treatment of the disabled, it is setting precedent. There can be only one reason for intransigence on the part of the government to the plight of societies most vulnerable, that is cash.
This government has in its Health ministry a minister who abhors the raising of tax to fund care for those who require to protection of the state. This situation means that the state of the health services is never debated in an atmosphere of payment and maintenance of standards of care. If the O’Carolan family are wrong to look for top quality care for their son then I am moving abroad. The attitude of the establishment in this country has grown sick and hubristic with power.
This leads me into the other article I wished to bring to your attention. Vincent Browne’s response to the TASC Democracy Audit which I mentioned earlier is likely to get many people hot and bothered. However for any dislike of leftie thinking, the fact is that he is correct in his assertion that the people responding to this article are responding in aspiration and the will they display is seriously detached from the reality of our democracy. Genuine government is pie in the sky, and the potential enshrining of social rights is never going to happen while the government are unaccountable to the people.
Again I think we are all going to be forced to stand up to government and reassert our sovereignty in the face of overwhelming political disinterest and abuse of power. The government feels neither shame nor any sense of accountability in winning a fight with a 14-year old autistic boy over the semantics of the constitutional obligation the state has to care for him. And we lift not one eyebrow.
The veneer of public service is visibly gone form our present government and lets face it the opposition are unlikely to offer much improvement. The only way to ensure that the government acts in our interest is to hold all the aces and simply elections are not that effective. If our TDs cannot influence government but rarely then we have no chance. It’s a simple proposition, are our politicians glorified middle-manager and the state a national corporation or are they the effective representation of our interests in the face of predatory practice by those who wish to exploit our workers?
Following the response of government to disbility legislation and to the plight of the elderly in Leas Cross, following the reneging on a promise for 200 more full medical cards and a responsive health system that meets the needs of the population, following the tales of corruption in the institutions of state, I am forced to believe that again we have allowed “accepted common knowledge” to crowd out the truth. Our vast wealth has not been tempered with any social progress nor has it made us a better or more inclusive society. we are narrowly focussed on profit and nothing done about people.
We need reform, much reform and any hope this country has of realising the aspiration of equality and fairness will not be achieved until a process of democratic renewal is put in place.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Just finished readaing Heresies by John Gray, a philosopher at LSE. Its a most powerful work of 24 short essays which were commissioned by the newstatesman. The essays date from 2002-2004 and encompass topics from general political theory and ideology through Iraq and terrorism, onto Europe and 21st century politics. Its a lucid and very tough account of the vainities and faith of being either right or left. He goes to town on the ideals of progressives as a faith based culutre.
For many who are supporters to this day of either Marx or Smith then this guy is a very challenging read. Many of my core assumptions re politics were challenged by the reality of his thought and the insight into its motivations. His agruments about the new religion of secularism sournds like a warning to all of us to open our eyes. At the end however i am still erring on the side of striving for better not accepting inequality in its current form etc.
On Iraq and the UK he gives again a lucid and at the time quite prescient account of the motives and potential fallout from iraq.
The beuaty of the book is the short essay style allows him to make a myriad of seemingly unrelated points which certainly challenge world views. Also his work is grounded in history and ideas of historical movement as such the reading is some of the most illuminating ive picked up for a while.
FYI Moved on to one of those new mini penguin jobs; The Economics of Innocent Fraud by J.K. Galbraith. So far its excellent. the only word for it. Buy it now.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
this across at the BEEB suggests that the Government in the UK is only paying lip service to the problems of global warming and more focussed on jobs. Personally i reckon its a little more comlex and that the UK government is focussed on votes aswell. there is no votes in trying to change peoples behaviour and it is a long ahrd trek of a debate ot have with an electorate. Many in the departments (esp the Treasury) have eyes on the big prize post-Blair and one cannot be surprised to see hard nosed calculation taking place.
However this is one of the many opportunities presented to our incumbents to do something necessary and constructive, if they squander it we may not enjoy the fruitsof their failure but our kids will. Doomsayers tend to be ignored but Global wrming is no longer doomsaying except in the white house.
All of us need to pay attention to the environment and governments need to get active in changing behaviour patterns in electorates.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
News over at RTE reports a survey suggesting that economic migrants are actualy a plus not a minus to the economy. this is nice to hear and offers a further larger basis to calls for asylum applicants and others stuck in the system to be allowed temporary green cards. It also backs up what i was suggesting about the employment figures earlier this month, i.e. that there is a growing discrepency in job creation between high and low pay jobs with little or no middle goround. We have imported the american McJob culture and the irish are not very ahppy about working these jobs, so we need economic migrants. that fact has been plain for a while.
The other issue regarding immigation is that nowhere have i seen a government official stand up and say to us (or the minority of boneheads) that current levels of immigration are good for hte economy and necessary if this country is to remain moving. Personally, i think that most of this competitiveness stuff is nonsense and using immigrants to fill cleaning positions is a condemnation of the hubris and inequality so pervasive in freemarketism.
However there is no solid argumetn left for the neo-loony racists bith right and left who are calling for caps and other draconian actions to be taken to curb immigration.
The only cure for immigration is making the home state a welcome and profitable place to remain. the only way to do that is encourage selective protectionism and in some cases hand over resource rights. No that is more unlikely still than cutting immigration.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Its not exactly my area of expertise but it cant have escaped many of your notice that the price of oil has moved toward all time highs today of $60 in New York trading. The knock on effect of expensive oil is myriad and even economists struggle to predict the impact it will have on the world at large particularly industrialised states.
I only have a number of small and perhaps obvious contributions to make but I seriously welcome anyone’s contribution on this hot topic. Its preoccupying many of the worlds top states so that’s reason for us all to have a position on it.
So my points, in no particular order;
1) The rising price of oil has the potential to guarantee a vast amount of wealth to any nationalised oil company. Most of our new oil discoveries are coming from African exploration in Nigeria and the Atlantic coast. The rising price of oil dramatically increases the paper value of Africa as a whole. However the majority of people in Africa have ZERO access to their own resources or the wherewithal to ensure that the government can renationalise the oil industry to an extent and redistribute the wealth. It is a key component of any democratisation process that mineral rights are addressed. On the current terms of trade with the West, Africa all but gives up its right to its own natural mineral wealth. This is an obscene culture but the reality of global politics means that the G8 China and India are going to resist any democratic movement in Africa that supports retaking oil wealth and redistributing it. The resulting insecurity in access to oil makes states quake.
The only conclusion to reach is high oil prices are bad news for any hopes of a home grown re-/evolution in Africa similar to the one in Bolivia at the moment.
2) The Euro has sunk to near three year lows against the dollar recently and any insulation that Eurozone countries had against oil price rises have now dissipated. This is bad news for Eurozone economies and particularly bad news for states struggling with manufacturing industry. Its also bad news for the gas-guzzling nation that is the Irish republic. There has never been a bigger onus on government to start some strategic thinking and forward planning, but then how good have they been at it so far??
The fact is that majorly expensive oil means that the spread of industrialisation as the cure to all other countries ills is at best impractical and at worst impossible. IT also ensures that currently industrialised nations are on the edge of a major recession with every spike in oil.
I reckon the US could be in major trouble domestically if Gas prices keep rising. No politician will survive the backlash of the irate consumer.
3) The increasing price and diminishing amount of oil should be screaming to us all that the world is about to call time on our lifestyle. Those who are waiting for technology and science to provide a panacea answer are living in cloud cuckoo land. Its time to have a genuine chat as people of the world about what the hell we plan to do when the black stuff runs out. Its no longer pie in the sky and it also is likely to hit poorest countries first. Those who are poorest will be the first to be unable to afford enough and so on.
4) Kind of related to point 1, taking on again from the book im reading by John Gray, resource wars are about to become inevitability again. Iraq may have had the veneer of spreading democracy and so forth but it will not be long before China, Russia, India, the US and Europe square off over land on central Asia and African and the era of empire is restored. Or human nature could take a startling turn and react before we reach crisis point.
5) In this race to consume oil the big winners should be those who have the oil, however the era of free trade and liberalisation has ensured that countries literally sold themselves to corporations. So well done to all those economic theorists for ignoring reality.
8) OR the price of oil goes back down. Many of you will cling to this possibility as the saving grace. It’s unlikely to occur though. The world requires 81million barrels of oil a day. Current refining capacity is in and around 81 million barrels a day. This is a tight margin and any event of any magnitude will push oil only one way. UP.
7) We are well screwed by oil dependency. FACT.
Still keep the faith, as I said I am no authority and these are only logical musings not hard fact. I really would like some replies to this one for above all else this will become the defining feature of 21st century international relations and social development.
Solutions to the world crisis on a post card to the usual address.
RR
6.21.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Many of us got very irked at the debacle of the Health and Children committee report into the Travers Report. The divisions put on display that day were a condemnation of our present committee system which fails to encourage oversight and merely promotes divisive party political positions.
The report today from the PAC goes some way to renew my own confidence in the whole committee process and provides some welcome oxygen for dissent within the government ranks. It is nice to hear the PAC which has proven itself to be the best example of a cross-party committee providing oversight and collective argument and critique. We should be desiring more of this behavior from across our parliamentary body, a fear of speaking the truth to power is a crippling deficiency in any parliamentary democracy.
Fair play to the FF member of the committee, TD John Macguinness for getting on board and calling a farce a farce. The usual government prevarication in the face of overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing cannot be allowed to go on. I am a firm believer in the power of a good committee system to generate public interest and the ideal of good governance. The whole debacle of the Health committee made a joke of the notion that the Dail can adequately oversee government. Again the case is becoming stronger and stronger for a reform led government to tidy up the mess that years of laissez faire have done to our houses of oireachtas. Its a sad but not irrevocable situation.
Government in this country is basically an exercise in spin, damage control and ineptitude. Its time a genuine and honest government came into power. One who realises the need for reform of the dail and who can take control of the institutional malaise in this country. A root and branch evaluation of the way this country is run must be undertaken and the whole democratic system dragged into the 21st century in its outlook and responsibilities. We don't want more laissez faire we want some guarantees that society can benefit equaly and a fair society is not mutually exclusive with a wealthy one.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
For those who arent regular Guardian readers, an excellent pullout feature is available here with a special report on Africa. Must read stuff.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Last night while posting about the interesting Q&A we were all watching, I mentioned the whole EU thing again and the thoughts of John Gray (Professor of European Thought at the LSE) on the whole Britain in Europe paradox and the direction of Europe generally. While the timing is a little out of date his analysis is incisive. He argues that the purpose of the EU is most certainly to rebalance the power currently held by the states as a global superpower in doing so it can outline differing approaches to international and internal issues like social provision and cultural identity. By offering a second major rallying point for international actors some of the damage done by the US globally can be undone. Culturally the EU is far closer to the consensus driven and often war torn history of much of Asia and South America.
In striving toward this goal, which he argues is essential for balance of some sort in the world order, the EU is best served by Britain remaining on the sidelines. Thus the latest scene of divisiveness only serves to offer more opportunity for the EU to respond to voters concern and define Europe, give it a narrative and make it relevant to people.
From the look of it, Tony reckons he can start to hammer his way out of this in the same way he hammered himself into Iraq and a series of other messes. I am amazed by the man’s belief in his own ability to make the world see things his way. He should be busy tidying up the mess left by his forces in Iraq and his labour party. Not picking old fights with France again.
Still its unlikely France will ever follow a British ideological lead. The divisions within Europe are startling. For the first time in years the voters have asked “what is the EU for?” The political response was naval gazing and turf wars. This nonsense will get sorted out, it always does.
On a similar vein, isn’t it funny how the lack of direct democratic accountability has actually insulates the EU from the devastation of two ‘no’ votes? Were it a regime of elected representatives, heads would have rolled and paralysis set in at all levels. However because it doesn’t answer directly to us the EU can carry on regardless. A wonder of progress and modernisation.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Sparing a thought for the much overlooked tribulations of the O’Carolan family, the awarding of costs today is among the least of their worries. Again this government has fought long and hard to try to convince us it is doing the least possible to live up to its constitutional obligations.
The disability legislations has become so watered down that it now enshrines little or no actual rights for the disabled of our community.
Since disability campaigners walked out of the talks with government there has been little concerted effort by government to get them back onside. Surely following the fact that a boy with severe autism cannot be catered for in the institutions of the state it is time again for someone in the government to put up their hand and say that enough is enough. Disabiltiy rights are part and parcel of the equal society that most of us believe in.
This government has moved a long way from promising rights based legislation for last November in 2003. Now most groups are waiting to see what the legislation looks like having little or no input unless rights will be guaranteed.
Having seen the trauma that the O Carrolan family endured at the hands of an inept state care system, one can only be moved to agree with campaign groups when they argue for rights and legal recourse to ensure proper care is given. Since no government is required by statute to give adequate care it must fall to interpretation of the constitution to give it. Having come such a long way economically in such a short space of time, we really need a reform based government who are willing to tidy up the mess left by the whirlwind of economic globalisation and the devastation it wreaks on social cohesion and care.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
just watchng the unusually interesting Q&A this evening and il tell you this, i am convinced now more than ever in my pet theory that following the departure of Bertie from the FF kingship his replacement will be his namesake Dermot. The man is perma-tanned, polished, eloquent and inoffesive to most. above that he comes across as genuinely thoughtful and able to conduct himself internationally. I dont aim to become a cheerleader for FF nor for any single policy of faction therein.
However i am constantly returning to Ahern as the man to take FF in a new direction. its a pet theory and you can all call me up over it if he fails.
Alongside this i am struck by the degree to which yer man stokes reads opendemocracy. His whole reply on Africa resembles the Article on African Democracy i linked to earlier.
Also its impossible to conceive of Mairead Mcguinness not being parachuted into a constituency for FG in the next GE. *hat tip*-phoenix
Also on Europe i was coincidentally reading john gray this evening and am swayed by the argument that Europe will be better off with britain throwing stones at it rather than trying to influence it. More on all this tomorrow.
Finally back to Q&A where again the African problem was discussed in the vacuum which failed to advocate a wholistic solution to Africa requiring action on Democracy, Governance, Debt, Aid, privatisation and Trade rules.
Talk to ye all tomor.
RR
6.20.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
TASC released earlier today the results of the Democratic Audit which they had been carrying out. What i thought might be some institutional evaluation or oversight report, turned out to be a survey of attitudes of irish voters.
Still some interesting highlights and insights into how the electorate sees its system.
1)interestingly only roughly 5% of the electorate see a full free market economy as the major factor in a democracy (roughly equal to PD support surprise surprise)
2)Most voters value a fair society highest at around 40%
we always knew there was a progressive consensus there to be forged!!
Incidentally also very interesting is the result that 66% of the electorate support extending social and employment rights to non-nationals in this country.
Im going to keep perusing it and from time to time make some major profound points. or you can simply read it yourselves.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Over at Salon.com we got news of the first democrat to formally jump into the 2008 race with both feet. unsurprisingly it is the uncompromisingly straight Joe Biden. Harry's place picked up on his comments over iraq earlier in the interview on CBS but failed to spot the senator on page 8 where he reckons he will kick start the deomcratic process of nomination a few years early.
We have ourself the first candidate of what are likely to be a lot of runners in this race. being in first gives Biden little advantage but he has considerable nous on the Hill, though most may remember his debacle in 98 where he was accused of cogging a Neil kinnock speech.
Anyway folkd sit back and enjoy the fireworks for the next 3 years as the ambitious among americas finest fight on up the greasy poll.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Looks like the observer called it right and there will be a few unhappy bunnies over at harry's place.
Still its nice that for a very odd time in our political existence we have exported a major policy position to Britain and not the other way around. I chersih the thought of Mcdowell arguing the case for mandatory ID cards on the grounds of a terrorist threat to us from Algeria. You might scoff but if he can chance his arm with those bloody ASBOs then he will have little quibbles with enforcing state observation and interference.
Look out also for the election tactics being imported for 2007. one wonders why the brits still see us as part of the empire...
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Over at slugger, its back to africa and the point being made across the board by development commentators that resource wealth needs to be fairly distributed if poverty is to have any chance of being abolished. I thoroughly agree with the point that Live 8 has opened our eyes to the problem but on a deeper level, i am again drawn back to the arguments over CAP etc.
As i stated earlier the issue of Africa requires a wholistic solution, none of the propsals to alleviate poverty will work on their own. For real progress to be made, many of hte peoples of Africa need to feel ownership of their systems and states. the biggest hinderance ot the spread of democracy in the region and the cultivation of democratic thought is the interest of big business. the reason signing off on debt is easier than aid/trade is because the issues of aid/trade require us to explore the state of governance and ownership of resources. Africa is a hugely wealthy continent which is riddled with corrupt leaders opening the floodgates to big business resource interests. they profit in the meantime and the loser is the people at large. an excellent article on moves toward a phase of 'humanistic enlightenment' and democratic spread is located here.
The major point i am making is that in everything we do in the west we are prescribing solutions uni-laterally and not giving fully what is desired or needed by those on the ground. Similarly in abolishing CAP we are likely to benefit big business far more than we are small farmers. The global price system will again fall and unless tariffs are lifted, which is unlikely, the effect will be to make it easier and more profitable for big organisations to force privatisation on us all and move most small farmers along the poverty line. I am wholly convinced of the need to reform CAP to the advantage of the poor in both the EU and Africa but i will not support the mindless and directionless abolition which opens up the vacuum into whihc jumps private interests.
Africa needs help from all corners and EU farmers should do their bit, tariff reduciton and active competition as well as resource owenership reform and stronger democratic governance is a good start. Corruption indeed is right. And solutions are hardest for the most corrupt.
It is about Fair trade not free trade. Protection for economies that are not comptetitive on a global scale and openness for developed countries. However recent policy moves by EU and USA suggest the idea of Panacea global free markets have been dropped in the national interest. France will not share CAP funding. Ever. Moves to reform are essential but cannot be dictated or motivated by corporate interest or big business profit.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
In the mood for a bit of a rant at government policy this morning so I alight on a story from the tail of last week regarding the artist exemption from tax on income. Many leaked stories are flagging this as a new government initiative in the coming few months. This is a sad state of affairs for anyone who believes in the value of a thriving writing scene. Of course the usual names were trotted out as spongers coming to our shore to steal our wealth, DBC Pierre, John Simpson and even mistakenly Freddy Forsyth.
However Labour always quick to pounce on philistines accused the government of trying to cover the fact that far more serious loopholes exist in the Irish tax system whereby the richest in the country pay the least in percentage terms in tax. I agree it’s not fair, as the title of the site suggests, I support a fully progressive taxation system.
If government is insistent on removing the artist exemption or placing a cap on tax free income, it can only come and we should only accept it as part of a broader review of tax policy and loop holes. One recalls a recent budget by Biffo where he committed to review tax break loopholes. Tax avoidance costs us all. The merit and national value of a reputable Arts scene is a price worth paying for artist exemptions within reason. The same argument tends not to apply to other more shady breaks and loopholes.
while on this topic I came across news in the IT of one of these social attitudes survey regarding behaviour toward the law. By the looks of these results we should be more focussed on those more likely to rip off the state and us as taxpayers. not artists who are by and larger relatively poor and not on a fixed income.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Much activity taking place in response to the Observer's scrap the CAP campaign and many are talking about it. Most of the responses have been for the unilateral dismantleing of CAP in all of its current forms. However i am not so sure of this as a complete solution. I thoroughly agree and more so since reading the observer report that the CAP is distorting trade and not working efficiently to support poorer farmers. The fact is that CAP in its current state is nothing more than a large pork-barrel offering to wealthy western EU voters.
The breaking up of CAP would i feel be nearly as abd a solution in the long run as having it was in the first place. Much of the CAP goes and will stay going to the rich French annd German farmers, this is obscene as the poorer new states must wait until 2013 to gain full access to subsidies. This reeks of a stitch up by the rich even within a supposed community. The deal agreed in 2002 is not and should not be set instone and in the post-constitution era everything must be on the table to attempt to move the EU forward.
The abolition of CAP however has two effects which i am unsure are so positive,
1) in abolishing CAP we lose one of the single largest funds for redistribution in the world. It is obviously not being used in this way currently but any measure of CAP reform will have to take account of wealth gaps and become a means of equalising farm incomes rather than blindly subisidsing them. If reform is to make it onto the agenda the French and Germans will be unhappy about any call for redistribution as both countries have their own problems with rural to urban migration.
2) In abolishing CAP we lose much of our food security in response to the idea of global market and free trade. While the EU is unlikely to run out of farmers any time soon, the idea of trusting much of your food supply to global free trade is a bit far fetched. Much of the CAP is predicated on the importance of food security and like in most cases REalpolitik decisions make for bad policy.
I am not a cheerleader for farming interests nor am i a cheer leader for the CAP either, however i think it is essential for some formual of CAP to remain, it should be directed at redistribution of wealth within the sector and across the continent-i.e. take more of a role as a structural fund and less as a production stimulator.
Any moves on CAP reform should take account of the needs and intersts of Africa but simple free-trade will not suffice, Africa must be afforded protectionist measures for as long as they need them until they too can compete. Scrapping the CAP is not the answer, reform of it and giving it new purpose and structure is. It is not modern and dynamic.
The CAP is in need of reform but any reform should take account of the future needs of all of Europe as well as the moral obligation toward Africa.
Free Trade and scrapping of Tariffs are the first major move away from protectionism. Scrapping overproduction inducing subsidies is the next. One must then find a balance between the EU's own sustainable farming and the trade level with Africa.
The more i write the more i realise that the CAP needs to go in all but its most redistributive of funcitons. I am deeply suspicious of trusting our food to vagaries of global markets and also allowing major corporations to force down farm prices globally.
In scrapping CAP wiht no move on tariffs and barriers the only winners are the corporations. The problem is so enmeshed that it requires a holistic solution.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Spotted this a few days ago but forgot to post it, G8 ministers have agreed to pool information in an effort to clamp down on terrorism. Its a wonderful idea but another section caught my eye.
"Our research will go through all possible sources of recruitment for terrorism and analyse from the bottom up how this happens and why it happens," said Mr Clarke. "We want to work more closely on understanding what the motivations for terrorism are."
Thats great stuff but one would think that almost 4 years after September 11 and a further 12 years since the first attack on the WTC that some concerted effort would ahve already been made to 'understand' terrorism. Slow and unresponsive, yup thats our international system.
RR
6.19.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
While many of our readers would have turned to the very serious interview with Kenny in the SBP today regarding the recent boost to the prospects of our alternative government, i was taken by the first of the crafty "political leaders are human too" stories to make it before the election. Apparently Kenny likes cycling. Vote for him.
i trust as election day nears more and more of these nonsense human interest stories will be surfacing. cringeometer at the ready.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Debate across the pond is heating up following a report in todays observer of an irish style Ban on smokingin public spaces for the UK.
Harry aint too happy and neither are his readers.
This looks like carbon copy arguments to ours. have fun guys it will be tedious work trying to defeat a ban proposal.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Apparantly this is because Sir Reg has it sewn up.
Began rummaging for stuff that might help me make sense of the UUP election found this in todays Sunday Times by Liam Clarke. Typically sycophantic but at least he gives some look at the positions of the leaders. Empey is to only one im familiar with and he can be very tough when he needs to be (here and here). I wanna know which one has the vision to move forward and recapture the center ground. Still no sign of life on planet UUP election but il keep searching.
As usual its Slugger which makes some sense and none to little laughs out of it. Ive officially been bored to tears by UUP naval gazing only bettered by that of their blue bretheren across the pond. Collective tory naval gazing is no fun.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
I waited till this morning to post regarding the forthcoming election for the UUP leadership contest. The reason being that I was waiting until the talking heads of our Sunday mornings got their teeth into it. Well following a tiny article in yesterdays IT outlining the final candidates the story simply faded away. No one seems overly perturbed at the apparent crossroads, which mainstream unionism finds itself at. This is again a very hubristic state of affairs from our media outlets. Much will be done to relay fact but no one seems bothered about the implications for the North of this move away from Trimble.
There are very different candidates out there, and many differing agendas within the UUP party. The current state of affairs in the North is not guaranteed to continue in perpetuity. It is indeed highly unlikely that the DUP post Paisley will be the same force as it is now.
The understated response to the UUP election is understandable but again a signal of the mass media dictating the agenda. Many of us in the South and many more up North need to be aware of what we are getting with the new UUP leader, another hard ass anti-agreement candidate means curtains for pro-agreement unionism. They have no option but Alliance or even SDLP. I am no northern expert which is why I think those that are need to focus on the global issues affecting the North.
Coverage has obviously become biased twoard the two largest parties in the respective camps but certain points in the course of events merit consideration and even reportage in depth. If the IRA make a move it is important to know who from the UUP is responding and where he sits on the spectrum of NI politics.
RR
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Reading the Guardian Blog and blatantly pilfering a source or four i am intrigued by the new campaign to impeach Bush over the Iraq war. we all remember that implicating memo which appeared in the Sunday Times in May that suggested both Bush and Blair were committed to military action a year before the war became a genuine issue, this campaign are attempting to mobilise the wheels of congress to garner support for a motion to impeach bush.
A recent event in congress had the attendence of over 30 congressmen. All democrats needless to say.
No doubt the white house is cacking its impeccably pressed pants at the prospect of a Kenneth Starr figure hounding the final years of a Bush presidency and scuppering efforts to remake the world in their image.
What is surprising is the degree to which this story is developing legs. it seemed to have died rather quickly after the Times scoop. Its heartening to see such momentum being built up to call actors to account over their actions. i have little expectation of seeing bush and the neo-cons hauled before a congressional hearing but i can hope.
Going by the follow up to the blog post from salon.com, there does seem to be movement among the constipated and supine american media to ask questions (shock) over the issue. The retort of dredging up history sounds eerily familiar to those who followed the UK election. nonetheless it is this line which put into my mind the strongest asset this campaign has going for it:
"'Many of us find it unacceptable to put our brave men and women in harm's way, based on false information,' Mr Conyers said."
Simply, the americans have a cultural intolerance for body bags and the more men and women that are flown home in coffins the stronger the weight will become for inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Iraq war.
The Republicans are talking and fighting dirty by scheduling important votes at the same time as this hearing/meeting but eventually the power of will and the inexorable force of American culture could bring about unforseen consequences. With the neo-cons moving off to pastures new (the WB and rich lobby groups) it oculd be the Bush family dynasty that suffers most in this process.
RR
6.18.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Obviously one can gather from the last post that I am irate at the manner in which a sovereign decision of citizens of two states in the EU to reject the provisional constitution have been hijacked to satisfy political gamesmanship rather than addressed by those appointed to do so. However I am not posting here to again berate the Kids at the party.
The Modern EU is founded on a principle of peace and shared resources and prosperity, this is our common tale of how the EU was founded and suitably romantic for all Europhiles, however a major factor in the foundation of the EU was realpolitik. The French wished to devise a means of tying Germany to Europe and preventing the strongest nation from terrorising the continent for a third time. To do this the French bit a diplomatic bullet and along with the other core states pooled resources into the coal and steel community.
The EU has come along way since then but if anything the recriminations emanating from the recent constitutional process (from conception to painful abortion) points to a failure of vision for the institution.
The EU has long been divisive for left leaning types. The hard core tend to dislike it while the middle class liberal left tend to benefit and enjoy its presence. However the EU is and will be an essential unit of protection in the new century for those of us who enjoy and believe in our political system. Economic and social arguments can and are had within the EU framework but what it guarantees us is unity in democratic principle and ideal. The romance of the EU as such is probably a major contributor to leftie affection for it.
And yet here we stand with two no votes not inconsiderably influenced by the left and by the disillusioned. This is a situation that calls out for more than a national politician; it calls for person who could come to define another European generation. The union needs vision and ability and not least a romantic ideal which the peoples of Europe can adopt, or swallow depending on your own views of the EU.
Yet this has all been lacking and what came forth from the French is perhaps a more damaging prospect still for the EU. Here's why, the EU entered this Budget summit knowing that it has at least another 9 months before panic sets in over completing the budget, as a result it provided a free meeting to try and forge a Euro consensus on the way forward, from things like increasing democracy, increasing its profile and relevance to ideological topics such as the role of the market and the division of power between state and EU at a local and national level. Obviously no major summit would talk such high and flighty talk unless it was necessary. What we lose sight of is that in this case, it is.
The world is faced with the increasing trend toward violent fundamentalism within the political sphere, not just in the east but also in the west. Christianity can be as violent when oppressed as Islam. The State has engaged in two decades of economic integration and barrier reduction aimed at some utopian free market project and emancipation of people from need and thus from war. This nonsense has been undermined since 9/11 and Madrid, and Afghanistan, and Iraq, and Israel etc etc and also the neo-Bolivar Chavez. The world is no longer simple. States and entities are redefining themselves in the wake of the cold war and new divisions are emerging. The EU is the body which can best insulate Europe from geo-political conflict while also fostering accountable and genuinely responsive government. At the moment it is unwieldy and completely uncared for. States do not see it as of essential national interest to promote the EU. They need to bash it for the good of votes and elections. This is short sighted and wrong headed.
The EU is not perfect and many people point to the effect CAP has on keeping African farmers poor. However CAP is not about market access it is about artificially inflating prices to ensure food security and also to encourage rural farmers to stay in the countryside. As one mandarin put it to me;
"They get dole in the city or CAP funding in the country".
The CAP in principle can be a redistributive and progressive policy which maintains food production standards and allows us to control our own output. This structure allows the EU to take funding from across the 25 states of east and west and distribute from rich to poor, it might not do that currently but it can should proper reform be done in a hard headed manner. It makes sense to keep poor farmers in business and promote their welfare. It makes none to give CAP funding to Prince Charles. These anomalies are the EU’s problem. I am a big fan of giving Africa trading access to markets but it might suit them to gain access to a market with high prices than one which is competitive and racing to the bottom of the food chain. Again the CAP falls to the feet of ideologists who desire to rid the potential for human error and inequality from their factorings.
Europe faces a broader problem than CAP or the British Rebate, with the passing of the VE day veterans’ generation and those who remember WWII falling into demographic obscurity, it now lacks a NARRATIVE. Finding one of those is much trickier for 25 states and indeed more difficult than rebate and budget divisions. I’m a fan of the EU and also a fan of EU reform. They don’t seem mutually incompatible.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Well the whole party just collapsed in a heap of messing as the children in attendence couldnt keep their eyes from the cake for long enough to enjoy the games of musical chairs. Such is life in the EU one supposes and any media outlet that dares to project this current impasses into history as teh way things will be forever is foolish.
The messing about on the Rebate and on CAP is perhaps the best example of vacuous and meaningless dialogue in existence. never once was the argument engaged with and hard facts traded, merely insults and generalities which suited either side. This past summit is a major reason why people disengage with Europe so what do they do? More of the same.
I would have liked some discussion on action on issues that affected the actual noes of France and Holland and some of the Prospective noes of other states. This place is becoming crazier and crazier. genuine concerns exist within electorates of EU member states, some are concerned about wealth Gaps and others about farm subsidies, some are perplexed by the democratic deficit and many many many wonder what the hell the EU does.
Time to wake up gentlemen in you suits and ties and realise that EU citizens wish to call the shots and international posturing only makes one look like a Turd. The issues of the day i shall come to presently, right now i am angry at the wasted opportunity to take EU in a new direction and give it renewed impetus. Shame on Chirac and Blair for turning this into a vanity project.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
This is an extract from an article in Today's(Friday's) Business This Week in the Irish Times, Link tomorrow when im awake.
"If you had a choice between implementing a zero VAT rate on Children's shoes and clothes and offering a lower rate of VAT on restaurants, which would you support?
Logic would tell you that the former is much more important..."
The author of this wonderful piece is none other than Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell. With none too little irony a member of the same party that presided over a Budget which proposed to do just that with VAT on childrens shoes, and was subsequently defeated in the Dail. Wonderful stuff.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The CAP debate is becoming a tad irksome for those of us who genuinely believe in the EU as a body. FOllowing the French rejection the fog of war descended between the british and the French and allowed everyone to forget the collective failure of 25 states to connect the biggest peace porject in history to its citizens. the EU cannot live off its historical heritage forever and the rejection in France and Netherlands proved that. the european body politic has moved on from WWII but the EU hasnt.
Doubtless many in the EU blogosphere are quite upset, the main cruz of the nest year or two should be getting the EU back to a position of public legitimacy and support. the only way open to them before was through economic prosperity, however now some new ideas are called for in light of the Euro and common interest rates etc. The economy is simly difficult to kickstart for the EU, they need the member states to actively pursue employment policies which national politicians are unwilling to countenance.
The CAP issue is in and of itself not up for debate, the agreement on the CAP budget sealed in 2002 effectivley makes this a quixotic tilt at windmills for TB and Chirac. To be fair TB never asked for this, he hasnt gone hunting down CAP in any explicit manner, chirac is playing petty politics and againg doing more harm than good to the EU project. The issue at hand is and should be a combination of the EU budget and also EU direction.
on the Budget:
1. The EU in the course of enlargement has created a disparate group of countries in wealth terrms, the budget should turn its focus to redistributing wealth along and through the common market into the countries that need to be brought up to speed. this would mean some pain for other countries feeding of the structural funds, ours included. however the reasons for devloping strong state structure has never been so serious in this world. we must do all we can to promote integration of new members and equalisation of standards of living and wealth throughout the EU. Inequality and a rich and poor europe are not options to be considered no matter how much states may wish so.
2. in promoting the development of the new members, the eu cohesion fund and CAP are going to be integral in bringing states in line with the rest of the EU. the solidifying of existing states and the generation of growth in the East is not a matter of competition for western Europe it is a matter of imperative to create an internal market dynamic of growth which can be managed and regulated, becoming a driver for EU wide sustainable growth.
3. Exisiting projects on War crimes and standardisation and also existing projects which operate as a buffer between the peoples of the EU and corporate interest/exploitation.
Regarding the CAP/BRitish rebate, i cannot even claim to be an expert on CAP and i do hear a number of people who consider themselves to be experts criticise it for its Pork-barell traits. Having said all of that i was talking to a member of the Dept of AG and he put it quite succinctly why we need CAP, foood security and maintenance of the country/agri lifestyle.
CAP is not an investment in some glorified past lifestyle of farming etc, it is an attempt to retain secure european foodsources and not be behoven to world markets and other countries for our food. it may not be perfect by REalpolitik dictates that we must maintain some form of subsidy for those who produce food and would otherwise migrate ot the urban centers and remain unemployed there. this is a serious and fundamental issue for EUrope going forward for the CAP is exploited by an awful lot of people to ensure maximum profit. thus reform is needed however compltetely scrapping it is a little extreme. i shall return to this more fully later on.
Red Rover
6.17.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Well the dail finally got the government to stand still for long enough to throw some mud at them over the Morris report, it makes for some entertaining stuff. Since the report I have long whinged about the lack of genuine parliamentary process for taking account of the report. Well today McDowell showed up in his Teflon suit and attempted to blame everybody else. Its a nonsense again from a man with little or no feeling of responsibility for his office.
There are serious and genuine concerns to be addressed in both the political and institutional aspects of our Justice and police bodies. This debate saw McDowell move from tarring the opposition to their faces on to attacking the gardai as a dark and mean organisation.
If he knew this for so long (i.e. the two years the gardai spent covering up the internal Carty report) why didn't he go public? Why didn't he take a case to government for reform along the lines of Patton?
WHen he got to office, why did he not act to curb the worst excesses present in the Gardai? Why above all did he not support he Mcbrearty and Barron families throughout the whole procedure when from 2002 he knew they were victims of a likely cover up?
I think its because the Gardai in this state are the tail that wags the dog. There is a serious culture of impunity (as Martin Ferris pointed out in the Dail) present in many of the garda branches statewide. The whole body politic has a deep distrust of the Gardai and sees them as the worst embodiment of abuse of state power. They can abuse this power because minister after minister has singularly failed to stand up to them.
Having spoken to an ex-guard or two i am aware of the practices employed to keep some of the politicians quiet and maintain the status quo. i cannot go into detail but always remember from which force ministerial minders and drivers are drawn and how much they might see or hear.
This is the most serious justification for the belief that we are living in a police state, and to a degree we are. It is more seriously that the police are free to act as they wish. We cannot allow this to continue, when elements of the state are free to abuse the trust and power placed in them we must reclaim their authority and reign in their worst tendencies.
Having said all that one cannot but agree that we have a system that is inherently human and never going to attain perfection. This is proof of the fact that democracy is never a fait acompli and must be constantly revised, revisited and renewed.
This is another in a long list of factor that must be addressed should we ever move our democracy and society forward toward fairness equality and honesty.
the culture of accountability and of responsibility for action is a peculiarly Christian/moral value, however it has been accepted almost universally that one accounts for what one does/doesn't do. This is a simple tenet of life that rarely applies to government in Ireland. There is a genuine need i feel to begin a process of rebuilding our democracy before it decays irreparably.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
this from CS monitor exposes again the impossible double standards of US foreign policy. The states are blocking any attempt by NATO to inquire into the shooting of civilians last month in what other international groups are terming a 'massacre'. this is unsurpirisng but hugely disheartening for advocates of international justice. the positioning of a US airbase in southern uzbekistan seems to be causing headaches but its nothing the us is unused to.
The more things change, the more the us reverts to securing tin pot and repressive dictators at the expense of the saftey and security of the civilians. Of cousre such realpolitik calculations are necessary only because of the idealism and revolutionary zeal of a neo-con strategy to reform and 'civilse' much of the world in the image of the USA. There are also energy considerations to look after no doubt.
Having said that these excuses make little or no difference to the people who desire justice and basic freedoms and rights in Uzbekistan. The us could have put a lot of muscle behind democratic rhetoric but again when it came to the crunch it is found wanting. imposing actions and/or sanctions is a very difficult step for the bush Regime caught in bed with the enemy. while there is little moral credit left to spend for the US it is completely gone now.
That shouldnt stop calls for an inquiry and even involvement of the ICC at some stage.
International politics is rehularly a decision between two evils, but for a government hell-bent on defeating evil and terror it might be best to look in ones own closet first.
Red Rover
6.16.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
as an afterthought to the last post, it goes without saying that Mcdowell will need to stand up to a rowdy backbench with license to cause trouble. FF are not so foolish as to invite oversight of what they engage in in our name. this is irrelevant for the most part, however the mass media has shown little or no interest in regulation of principle and content and any libel reform will have to ensure that a freer press is more bound to publish in good faith and truth. the principles of democracy have long held out the value of press freedom, however a free press is a little like a free five-year old. they are handy but need to be taught their place.
the media never really engages with ideas of them as the fourth estate in any meaningful manner. it is simply a tag they accept and do their own thing anyway. the opportunity presented here is to set up a framework where the media can act as genuine overseer of public behaviour and complement our Dail system. we need to overhaul the Dail but such a move seems a long way off. This will undoubtedly become messy but there is an onus on the blogger community to watch all sides and ensure a victory for free speech and responsible reporting of government.
I am however not going to hold my breath that the need for accountability culture on this fair isle will be satiated by Mcdowell legislation. however i wish him all the best in his next crusade
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Just to prove that their is some principle behind this blog and not simply some major desire to lampoon alll those who disagree with me, i am welcoming moves by Mick Mac to examine libel law governing the media in this state. Mcdowell is certainly not promising anything at this early stage but it is nice to see a member of the government following through on a pre election promise for once. THose who read Mcdowell in the Sindo before he left for government recall the man did an awful lot of running on the situation regarding libel in this country.
It is effectively feasible to gag a great number of our journos in matters which may be important to the national interest. it is not surprising that he is doing much of the review in the face of opposition from the FF tds. they ahve certainly set about savaging much of what he intends to get done in the next few months. however this is a point where i will be proud to stand beside the minister if he puts forward a genuinely reforming piece of legislation that pbalances the right of a private individual to some protection while also opening up the whole public sphere to scrutiny and observation. this is a big call and a tough balance to secure, one wonders if at the end any hopes will be disappointed as those of us were regarding the Garda Bill for 2005. This is a golden opportunity for the government to place some trust back in our system by guaranteeing the media a fair hand at reporting public life. it is also removing some of the power from central government regarding spin and other tools affecting discourse in this country.
There are a number of other thoughts that occured to me however when considering mcdowell's move.
The first is whether this is the move of a man who doesnt expect to have to operate under his own law, the timing of this move is in keeping with those who are betting on an early election and fallout with the PDs. By putting this in place at the end of his term, Mcdowell may well be leaving a stinker behind for those in the FF backbenchs who have made a bloodsport of hounding him. no turkey votes for christmas an this uncharacteristic move to promote openness in government and public life reek of a mission of vengence before being exorcised from government.
This is also a move which seems to be potentially hijacked by FF as a matter of course. one wonders if MCdowell will be able to handle much more of this 'weak-minded' protectionism before lambasting those in FF more publicly than his recent outburst reported inthe Sindo.
All signals point to a return for Mcdowell to the SIndo columns, if he does he will be there with renewedvigour and legislation that allows him to discuss whatever he wishes about puublic life. never underestimate the power of a minister scorned.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The Bertster was in London yeserday to meet the Rev Paisley for a bit of a natter about the prospect of peace and power sharing in the north. the aftermath of hte meeting yielded some interesting noises from bertie regarding his own expectation for the IRA in the run up to a Statement next month. the rumblings seem very SF positive and mark the continuation of a substantial move by Ahern to bring the Irish government back onside with sinn Fein and balance the relationship.
Having said that desiring the IRA to turn into an old boys club or "commemorative organisation" is a fair request, simply a nationalist orange order. However the moves are also likley to indulge a popular conspiracy theory in the next few days that FF are grooming SF into electorally supportable sucessors to the PDs as coallition partners and its is hard to deny that bertie doesnt seem as scared by them anymore electorally. perhaps he is engaging in a bit of electoral gamesmanship as a means of keeping the PDS in toe.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Another day and another thundering burst of labour party principled outrage. Today however there is more than just background noice to the warm up to a general election campaign. There is a serious point to be made, i feel. Todays topic of ire is none other than the falout from teh morris reporrt into gardai in donegal. It is a hard and fast rule of politics that the opposition tries to force the governments hand in the name of 'the interests of the people' and not hardcore electoral politics.
Rabbitte's point is that the governemtn has done nothing but running from the findings of the morris report. they have singularly failed to defend their action nor account for it. there has been little or no effort to assure us that they are willing to engage with public concern over garda corruption. above all they have shown their ritual disregard for parliament by refusing to be held accountable to the DAil in debate or committee in hearing. the Justice minister on whose watch all this occured has done little else but snivellingly apologise to the Mcbrearty family with power to bring him down. the government only bows to pressure to its tenure and has little or no other defining principle.
the apology from McDowell, while appropriate, was a function of self preservation and avoidance of accountability. he is not a man for defending his action-a general characteristic of all Bullies. The government then cut and ran from all other light that may be shone on the shady activites of its parties. This opposition has done very well from the Mcbrearty situation especially Howlin and Higgins and now the party leaders.
There is little or no defense for not having a full and accoutable debate without descending into the blame game. could this government become mired in the sleaze allegations that befell the government of John Major? Unlikely and probably hyperbolating, however the response from the government to the report has been underwhelming and completely childish. This blog is getting repetitive in calling for accoutability but the more tha government acts in a manner resembling autocracy then the more we must hold them to account for their actions.
The only beneficiary in the long term from this fallout is the apathy party. Its all of our losses if this situation doesnt change and FF/PD realise that power is more than simply occupying office but hold genuine moral and political responsibilities. We entrust them to do our work and administrate in good faith. they need to reciprocate because sovereignty is a two way street.
RAbbitte is right and indeed so are all others who seek to promote transparency and accountability. this government is human and will not function perfectly, we must learn and discuss when things go wrong and prevent them happening again.
this currently means garda reform in the manner of the Patten proposals andaccording to the Senator Maurice Hayes line. Genuine accountability and trust.
Red Rover
Red Rover
6.15.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
With the rejection of the EU constitution and the whole G8 hulabaloo taking place this June, it seems that, albeit post-election, Tony Blair and his fellow compadres are finally runninng from Iraq. The international momentum has been moved very forcefully away from the ongoing chaos in Iraq. the spotlight over the last few days has been on the obscenity of seven men being able to sign off over $50Billion in debts of poor countries and perhaps rightly so. however any of us who open our newspaper probably glance over the bottom corner of the international pages detailing the latest horrific acts taking place in the post-war Iraqi state.
Today we had
1. 23 Civilians Killed
2. 5 Iraqi Soldiers Killed
3. 2 American Soldiers Killed
4. In excess of 150 People injured in CAr Bombings
5. The bodies of 24 Iraqi Men killed in an ambush moved to Baghdad
In anyones language that kind of activity is nothing short of slaughter. It is slaughter that is carried out in the name of securing peace and stability in the middle east and preventing terrorism that could cause so much harm to the west. it doesnt seem to be going all according to plan unfortunately. Of course this is a great opportunity for the equally unhelpful naysayers and handbaggers to say i told you so. Yes we all know that over 2Million people marched in London in opposition to the war, the thing is were there and now what can we do?
What i am trying to highlight is that the modern mass media have engendered in us a frightfully short attenton span, because iraq is a travesty it gets airtime, because it has been so for two years it gets less time at the top of the agenda in newsrooms.
People in Iraq are being wantonly killed and injured in some of the worst violence since the fall of Saddam. The bad planning of the US and the obvious lack of authority held by the UK in decision making is not serving anyones interest especially ours. the longer this goes on and the longer it seems like the west is allowing people to die, the more resentment builds against us.
there is now a real and genuine need for the forces of the Coallition of the Futile to remove themselves from the excrement into which they ahve dropped themselves. this war is bankrupting a state that can ill afford to go further into the red. this war is a geopolitical risk in more ways than securing oil supplies. the iraqi regime needs to be propped up by other actors from the middle east. Women and other sectors of our society need the support of the west in making reform and revolution in both Iraq and possibly Iran long lasting and exemplary for hte middle east. Islamic states need to be allowed to develop alongside the western image of the nation state. this is not to condone the tyranny of some rulers but to say that the position of the US would be best served by securing a stable state reflective of the make up of its culture and society. The US has failed to force iraqis into peace and now have created miles of bandit country and no-go areas. the redevelopment of this state lies in the hands of all international members. we must call the US to account for the way it has mishandled the lives of 100,00 iraqi civilians and how it has presided over so much bloodshed.
I am genuinely angry over how the coallition have let the rot set in in Iraq and it is spreading out from its hubs of Baghdad and Falluja.
Alternatives are not climbdowns but acceptance that theirs is not the best way. another way is possible and we need to explore these options. In the meantime i am sure that Iraqis will keep dying unnecessarily while we focus on the moderate measure focussed on by the G8 and the EU. The international agenda cannot lose sight of another failure of western imperialism. We are slowly turing the world back into the Feudal states of the middle-ages.
This game of ping pong with the international agenda is a callous manipulation of the peoples attention in order to shift focus from such a disaster.
Red Rover
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The release of figures relating to HIV/AIDS in this country is a veritable mixed bag, chock full of support for any side of the argument;
Heterosexual contraction is down, but not definitely
Sufferers of African origin make up nearly 50% of cases where geography is known
Overall contraction is down nearly 10%.
As I said, a mixed bag. However it is undoubtedly the case that many of the vested interests in the AIDS debate are preparing their stance accordingly. The problem with the AIDS discussion is that it is going the same way as the abortion debate. No longer are we examining in a cool, rational manner the case before us, no longer do we seek the best solution for us all. We now sit in a black and white argument of morality and religion. The AIDS debate has been hijacked by religious groups and anti-immigration lobbyists. ThatÂs not to say they cant hold a view on the topic but by drowning out the centre ground and by framing the debate in such Armageddon style and language they are giving little help to finding ways through the greatest threat to humanity in a long time.
The general consensus is that a case can be made for testing of immigrants for HIV on entry to this country. The localised view is that there is a need to insulate against the problem not promote a solution. This is nonsense and AIDs is the first truly globalised catastrophe, meriting a truly globalised response.Timee now for those little-irelanders/free-merketeers to put some money where their ideology is and see it as a global phenomenon requiring global solutions and movements.
To get any genuine movement on AIDs some gesture on condoms will be required from the Vatican and some moves on educational spending is required from the holders of conditional debt I.e. IMF and WB and western governments.
TB has already written off debt but he has not guaranteed that African countries can now spend money on health and education when they need it most. Conditionalities raise their heads again and none can deny the part the west is playing in killing off sub-Saharan Africa.
I am not some bleeding heart liberal, but any plain thinker can see that a batten down the hatches solution to AIDs is futile, we cannot build a wall around our island, nor can we ignore the incidents of it in Irish people. This is a disease borne out of ignorance. Our sex education in this country is abysmal because the vested educational interests (I.e. catholic providers) do not support sex-ed in schools nor the promotion of condoms. We are human and humans will have sex and reproduce, in order to affect change in our behaviour one must either invest in a guard for every citizen and legislate or educate a change in our behaviour.
The faith in medicine and globalisation to bring about solutions to these problems is sorely misguided at the present time. We need to change our attitude and take the lead in promoting sexual health not just in Ireland but in Europe and the World. The leaders of world religions have no right to condemn people to death by refusing to tackle AIDs on grounds of condoms/homosexuality and they should be told so. The fight must be maintained and strengthened, we need the government to actively force through genuine sexual health measures not piece meal attempts to inform and reliance on under funded voluntary groups.
It is one of the real moral imperatives and an indictment of human nature to leave people to die. If Museveni in Uganda becomes one of the best African leader at dealing with AIDS then think of the potential for non-despotic regimes to do good. If we let them.
Red Rover
6.14.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The release of figures relating to HIV/AIDS in this country is a veritable mixed bag, chock full of support for any side of the argument;
Heterosexual contraction is down, but not definitely
Sufferers of African origin make up nearly 50% of cases where geography is known
Overall contraction is down nearly 10%.
As I said, a mixed bag. However it is undoubtedly the case that many of the vested interests in the AIDS debate are preparing their stance accordingly. The problem with the AIDS discussion is that it is going the same way as the abortion debate. No longer are we examining in a cool, rational manner the case before us, no longer do we seek the best solution for us all. We now sit in a black and white argument of morality and religion. The AIDS debate has been hijacked by religious groups and anti-immigration lobbyists. ThatÂs not to say they cant hold a view on the topic but by drowning out the centre ground and by framing the debate in such Armageddon style and language they are giving little help to finding ways through the greatest threat to humanity in a long time.
The general consensus is that a case can be made for testing of immigrants for HIV on entry to this country. The localised view is that there is a need to insulate against the problem not promote a solution. This is nonsense and AIDs is the first truly globalised catastrophe, meriting a truly globalised response.Timee now for those little-irelanders/free-merketeers to put some money where their ideology is and see it as a global phenomenon requiring global solutions and movements.
To get any genuine movement on AIDs some gesture on condoms will be required from the Vatican and some moves on educational spending is required from the holders of conditional debt I.e. IMF and WB and western governments.
TB has already written off debt but he has not guaranteed that African countries can now spend money on health and education when they need it most. Conditionalities raise their heads again and none can deny the part the west is playing in killing off sub-Saharan Africa.
I am not some bleeding heart liberal, but any plain thinker can see that a batten down the hatches solution to AIDs is futile, we cannot build a wall around our island, nor can we ignore the incidents of it in Irish people. This is a disease borne out of ignorance. Our sex education in this country is abysmal because the vested educational interests (I.e. catholic providers) do not support sex-ed in schools nor the promotion of condoms. We are human and humans will have sex and reproduce, in order to affect change in our behaviour one must either invest in a guard for every citizen and legislate or educate a change in our behaviour.
The faith in medicine and globalisation to bring about solutions to these problems is sorely misguided at the present time. We need to change our attitude and take the lead in promoting sexual health not just in Ireland but in Europe and the World. The leaders of world religions have no right to condemn people to death by refusing to tackle AIDs on grounds of condoms/homosexuality and they should be told so. The fight must be maintained and strengthened, we need the government to actively force through genuine sexual health measures not piece meal attempts to inform and reliance on under funded voluntary groups.
It is one of the real moral imperatives and an indictment of human nature to leave people to die. If Museveni in Uganda becomes one of the best African leader at dealing with AIDS then think of the potential for non-despotic regimes to do good. If we let them.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Just watched TB there at the Elysee Palace this morning again talking Development with a bevvy of French Privateers present. It am struck by just how much this is a case of were talking at Africa rather than with it. The only presence of African origin present was Kofi, and he is perhaps more international than African. There are no African Voices wheeled out to support the G8 solutions nor to contribute ot the debate, outside of Ken Wiwa in the Guardian/Observer and he is usually opposed to many of these measures.
It is another case of colonial intervention and the West Knows Best. There must come a time when we just allow the continent to take charge of itself and try to deal with them as equals, to do this we ould need to hand over control of vast resource plots and that is unlikely. Blair's mission is a complex third way between corporate interests and whats best for Africa. right now he is probably pleasing nobody. Like Live8 there is a lot of criticism for the lack of Black voices.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Perhaps I should get out more, but I spent the weekend bombarded with talk of Blair and Chirac locked head to head in a fight for the soul and direction of Europe and other miscellaneous bull. The fact is that this is not nor shall it be a permanent issue. Like all things in the present tense it is treated by the media as a tangent to a curve, continuing indefinitely in the one direction, not the curve which meanders through its existence. Enough maths theory, what I am saying is that history has not reached some climactic point regarding the EU, if anything it seems to be a holding pattern, haunted by the ghosts of EU past and EU future.
The ghost of Maggie Thatcher has stalked Blair’s premiership like a panther. Her ideological and economic legacies have been one of the defining points, ironically, of a labour government. The love of markets and the belief in their primacy come from the first chapter of Thatcherism. As such Blair has never seen much need to distance himself from the Iron lady on the ideological spectrum; however one can get too used to playing a character and unused to being thyne own self. Such a problem now seems to beset Blair in dealing with one of Thatcher’s more awesome achievements-the British Rebate.
We all either know or have little interest in the circumstance and detail surrounding the deal struck by Mags when she hand bagged a load of Euro-Federalists into giving Britain back the money it paid into the EU to subsidise French and Irish farmers. This deal was seen at the time as a modern day appeasement policy. By the time they needed to revoke it, ironballs (as PI has now taken to lovingly calling her) would be out of office. No one reckoned that so long down the line, Thatcher’s ghost would still haunt the thinking of 10 Downing Street in Europe.
So came and went the rejection by French and Dutch voters of the deeply complicated and totally oblique constitution. There have been rumblings since from the Elysee Palace that Jacques has been looking for a scapegoat. He alighted for some reason on the British Rebate, a modern-day totem pole for British Euro-sceptics and now sacred cow for Maggie junior. The Chirac crew are vexed deeply by the fact that the Brits have some piece of concrete Euro-bashing that they can present to the voters when times are hairy while they have a piece of tatty ex socialist nonsense to present to French voters. The rift is clear and the wound deeply cut.
The French have now valiantly strode to the aid of the Netherlands, who have for a long time been carrying the heaviest per capita burden of EU contribution. They have argues that the British Rebate is grossly unfair and the French have miraculously converted to their cause. This is not at all coincidental with the French feeling of security over the CAP which was put to bed as an issue by the 2002 agreement to cap it at 40% of the EU budget by some time in the next decade (!!!!).
So we come to the crux, a match of Real- and Geo- Politick in the fight to save face after bringing Europe to its knees. The British Rebate has become hot diplomatic discussion and the source of much action in an attempt to recover from the losses of France and Holland. This is fog and should be seen as such. The Chirac presidency has no intention of dealing with the social and economic problems that fed into a sense of detachment from Europe which led to a ‘non’. They are instead playing games of national pride with an old and willing sparring partner. The two men are in the twilight of their careers and need some defining moments to add to the history archive.
Of course the major loser in all of this is the CAP reform party. There has never been a better time to reform the greatest tribute to pork barrel politics than now. However the chance to have a genuine and meaningful discussion on the pros and cons of a CAP policy seems to be hostage to the egos of two men in suits. Well for my two cents, I think the case for reform is undeniable. The EU has been the creator of dreadful human misery in the form of dumping in foreign third world markets of subsidy driven over production. The need to rectify our agri policy is clear in the light of so much talk on debt and aid responsibilities before Gleneagles.
This is not so say that all aspects of CAP must be scrapped, there is a clear and present need to encourage sustainable and localised agriculture, this however must be done in a spirit of almost purely Anarchical non-competition. Subsidies which harm other localities need to be eradicated, our farmers must be rewarded for the value they contribute to our society and done so in a manner which encourages others to follow their lead. It’s a fine balance and one which Green thinkers have devoted a lot of time to, for now however it seems likely to become a background figure to the war f ageing legacies.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
So brings to an end the saga of the café-bar. What a wonderful idea they might have been on their own as a cultural addition to the nation. However when it comes to the dubious logic of propagating café-bars as a cure for the Irish “binge-drinking” culture I am going to have to query whether McDowell was chasing headlines and a fight with the FF party’s favourite backer-the vintners.
The idea of café-bars, in the context of a drink problem, was that by normalising drinking habits and making booze available with food, one could promote responsible drinking behaviour and the more virtuous form of drinking found on some mythical idealised continent. AFAIK countries with café-bars like getting pissed too. However it is not precedent from which I draw my criticism of the plan, it is from the logic. McDowell’s brother Moore would have been some help in heading off this nasty impasse if he had informed Mick Mac that his was the wrong approach to solving a culture of over-indulgence.
By promoting the deregulation of licenses and/or café-bars McDowell was, in economic parlance, prompting a supply side solution to a demand side problem. The problem in Ireland, if indeed we agree that we have one, is not that people cannot get drink in a civilised establishment and environment. It is simply that there is a deep desire to drink as much as we can. Nowhere has it been proven that drinking in a café bar reduces the desire to get flamed. Indeed it is probably a perverse pleasure to get pee-eyed in the suave surrounds of Ireland's freshest trendy import.
The cause off the Irish problem is the demand present within the society. There is issues regarding supply but these are not going to cure demand, merely equalise the satisfaction of demand that is already present. The café-bar solution is a nonsense. It a nonsense made all the funnier by the fact it is being proposed by the economically “astute” PD party. Any solution to Irish drink culture must take account of the roe played by Brewers and other bodies in promoting the use of alcohol. High minded talk of opening a new avenue in our culture is arrogance. It’s no wonder FF rebelled because even those back benchers can see there is no benefit to a plan that could wipe out a lot of valuable vintner support and make little impact on the national desire to consume.
I’m glad that we are back to square one, McDowell’s solo runs are becoming tiresome and irksome. Cullen got it into his head that he was a man of great wisdom and ideas when he was merely a gonk. It looks like Mick Mac has the same notions but he is in the more dangerous position of being at the top of the Justice Department and the Gardai tree. McDowell needs to learn how to consult and how to do things of benefit to us not to his bloated and unrepresentative self image which is propagated in an adulatory media. Let’s get real, this guy is ineffective in his job, implicated in the worst cover ups of Garda corruption for a long time and certainly trying to pick fights with Human Rights groups over Asylum. Above all else he is a bully who sticks to his job by bullying people into carrying out his work. I’ve heard all the arguments before about how hard it is to be a popular reformer etc. his work is not reform, its more of the same with a more dangerously statist attitude attached.
This is the latest in a long line of bad calls, bad decisions and failed initiatives. He is quickly becoming the figurehead of an inept government and offering valuable cover for an equally dodgy FF party. Once we wake up and read behind his headlines we can see the man does more damage than good, one quick example;
If these café-bar licenses were implemented, your local chippie might apply for a license, in doing so no child would be allowed in there after nine o’clock. However we must believe he is making a positive difference to our law agenda. As I have said already, nonsense.
Red Rover
6.13.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
There were a few chunky morsels in yesterday’s paper and even a cordial invite in the SBP to joint the kick-McDowell campaign. However I must first turn my attention to the report that there are “problems” being experienced in sections of the northern Brigades of the IRA relating to the disbandment. I have been checking up with sources close to the top and I can tell you certainly that the process is going according “to plan” and along with Adams’ expectations.
The IRA are going away and soon enough we will be hearing movement. That’s what I am led to believe and that any trouble is momentary and will not become a stumbling block.
Just thought you would all like to know.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Was struck by the teeming arrogance displayed by the guests on Sam Smiths sunday bullshit this morning. Apparantly they cant listen to the issues of Africa because Bob Geldof is such a 'turn off'. Get over yourselves. this is real not some pr nonsence. grow up and wake up.
Red Rover
6.12.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Does it strike anyone else as obscene that it is within the power of seven middle-aged western men to write off more than $50 BILLION in the debts of other countries? I cannot stomach the fact that such bloated and disproportionate power lies in the hands of so few people. This is not an article intend to bash the West for hundreds of years of oppression and exploitation of Africa and other empirical toys, but it is indefensible in our day and age to allow such a legacy of colonial power and global dominance to exist. Having said all this I broadly welcome the moderate use of such power for good, though doubtless the whole package was fought for tooth and nail in the face of American opposition. It goes to prove that life at the top of a greasy pole is a paranoid place and can stop the most sensible of people from doing the right thing.
there is more to this problem than simply debt relief and IM sure many of us are simply sick of hearing about these other factors. The work it takes to keep Africa poor is only matched by the effort required to comprehend the solution. The G8 have moved along the right track but it is without doubt that the hardest steps for any industrialised western state to take is open up its borders and markets to another potential competitor which can exploit cheap labour AND massive amounts of natural resources which it owns. Compared to this solution the G8 step of simply writing off debt is small change. It side-steps the broader problem of corporate access and exploitation of a weak and fragmented African political system. Any call for democratisation would spell the end of corporate profiteering as neo-colonial occupiers of the South.
I wont bore you all with ranting or details its Sunday after all, but needless to say the hard work is still to do. Canada is a genuinely left leaning country and should support such efforts as eradicating African poverty, the reason they haven't gotten behind such a deal is because the Canadian corporations of not are mostly major players in resources and currencies. These are the two industries that stand to lose the most from equalising Africa. The vested interests that face any concerted effort to make Africa equal are myriad and far more powerful than the governments supporting the cause.
to borrow a phrase, A lot done more to do.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Belatedly posting on the hot topic for today, the poll in the IT. It seems to be wonderfully positive for the opposition and hopelessly miserable for the opposition. However seems and possiblys are things which are but ephemeral in this political culture and rarely do short term anxieties stick. The government has long ago framed the debate for the forthcoming general election, by setting up the SSIAs and allowing budgetary policies which ensure a two year bonanza (or better still a one-off bumper crop of goodies). Whatever we may say about recent FG/Lab momentum the election will hardly be won today or tomorrow.
There are a huge number of variable which those outside of the chattocracy are more than willing to sit and wait on. There are many issues on which this government has failed miserably but for their core vote it is a simple issue of dollars and cents. There is no logic to many pro-government voters other than the benefit to their bottom line and the crackdown on law and order issues. This thinking will only have been affected by the Airport debacle and recent social issues like nursing homes, HSE executives, Travers reports and the Morris tribunal will weigh only temporarily on the grand conscience of the Celtic tiger. While there is a groundswell of opinion and much fact unveiled of crass government mismanagement and devious state behaviour it affects us only temporarily. No sooner have these issues come up than they will be buried by an acquiescent mass media. It stinks of cleaning out the closet in enough time to be clean for the voters.
None of this is to take away from the giant progress made by the “alternative government”, they, and particularly Labour, have done a lot of running on issues of major social importance. It seems to me that many in the Labour hierarchy have the choreography for the next two years down pat. There are a larger number of genuinely big players on the Labour front bench than currently in FG's. It is easer for a McManus to grab media time than a Twomey. The same applies across much of the spokespeople. This is playing to Labours early advantage, they can become associated with a large number of opposition campaign issues early and get major value out of this position by taking a leading role in the issues when in government. Surely it is a gamble and some in FG will resist once it becomes more aggressive, for the time being it is snatching voters away from the FF/PD axis and moving them toward an arguably more natural affiliation with Lab/FG.
If that is the case and many are happy to see a coherent Lab/FG front then one thing is clear. The current trend will continue for a while. There is a great degree of slack in the poll showings of Lab/FG compared to traditional trends. FG looks like it could gain nearly 4%-5% more before traditional levels of support need to be breached. Labour has even more before it regains its trend of 20%-odd. This means that right now the parties merely need to continue making political hay and capitalising on government ineptitude. This should bring traditional voters back easily enough when a viable alternative is presented. However the big ask is breaking past traditional support barriers. This requires a large amount of genuine thought, originality and effort. I have no doubt that had labour decided to go it alone a vibrant third party could make a serious move to rebalance our party system. As it stands we could fall into the same old routine of claim and counter claim. The whole Celtic tiger culture and ideology need to be challenged, I wonder if there is enough common ground between Labour and FG to secure it.
Overall it is a rewarding poll for those of us that hope to see major change come the next election, however we need to be aware that much of the current support already existed and had changed parties momentarily, the real test is moving on from traditional levels of support once the levels have been attained. To do this I argue we should all take social justice and democratic renewal to the people as our message. Forging a progressive consensus on child poverty, fairer health and education and an equal state of opportunities is what I hope to see. The alternative government is gaining momentum, now Labour must take the lead in forging and alternative Politics.
Much of the headlines have been grabbed by these findings, it’s too early to break out the bubbly, or to know if the alternative is any better than what it replaces. I am again unsure on the potential success of a Lab/FG government. As well as this many in the SF and Green camps will be rubbing their hand in glee at the prospect of becoming powerborokers for any prospective government in the next Dáil. Their gains are solid and for SF make very comforting reading after a particularly uncomfortable six months.
The point to be proved by both the boost for SF and for Adams is that the Irish electorate have goldfish-ly short memories. The alternative government will do well to remember this as FF look like they are cleaning out their closet in time for the big showdown.
Red Rover
6.11.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
just finished reading a book last week, , its called "Dining With Terrorists" by a guy named Phil Rees. it is intended by him to be an account of his experiences with the variety of conflicts over the past thirty years which have at some point been reffered to as involving terrorists. this huy has been shooting documentaries since the seventies and seems to have a keen interest in wars and war zones. it is an intersting account of the wya in which terrorism is bandied about by so many sides in a conflict with little or no value for its meaning. this is not some terror-sympathetic novel of heroic freedom fighting, it is an attempt ot balance the media hype with genuine accounts from both sides.
some particularly harrowing stories are in there but there is also a dynamic overview of the transition of terror from the freedom fighters and nationalists to the Islamists of the modern day. its a genuine attempt to get behind the blurb and the headlines and it certainly left me feeling that terror is a vacuous word, such is its misuse.
the category of terrorism has been used to defend some apalling actions by both states and rebel groups, this guy has tales from most of the hot-spots, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Ireland, Basque Country, Colombian, Algeria and of course Afghanistan and Indonesia.
Though the writing gets tedious toward the middle and the points get blurred more often than not, it is a genuine and thoughtful reflection on a life spent trying to define a terrorist. The sense is that such a word is useless as it takes no account of subjective context and renders discussion futile. Good book and hopefully some of you will read it.
if not spotted another book on TPM this morning, its called "The plot against social security: how the bush plan is endangering our future" looks like a nice piece of reading for the internationally minded of you.
These book review things will be iregular and only coming after i read a genuinely good book which i think is worth passing on. If you do read the second one let me know what you think, also if you read the Terrorist one, leave a comment and have a discussion with me.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The issue of the Health Committee report has been particularly vexing me, I understand the dynamics of party politics particularly for a group that are trying to begin creating momentum in the run up to an election, but the carry on of our democracy is beginning to come aground in farce and counter-farce. The whole debacle yesterday at the press conference was infantile and no matter which side of the fence you were on, your mind would have been already made up. Going after Martin was always going to blind the ambition of reaching the truth and figuring out some sort of consensus based solution. The glorified ideal of a decent committee structure is a bi-partisan or unpartisan forum for achieving cross-party solutions and making government account for its key actions. This culture never took root in the immediate years following 1937 and the result has been a Hobbesian attempt by government to rule as an almighty sovereign controlling all aspects of our state.
There have been calls for some time to give real teeth to the all-party committee on the constitution and allow it to seek a genuine process of evolution for a democracy which was born in the 19th century and machinery which is nearly seventy years old. Things have changes across the state and our society is a very different place, however we are still ruled according to the norm of the immediate post war period. Any genuine supporter of Irish democracy can only examine and conclude that there is a broad scope for a progressive evolution of our state. We need to remodel our democracy to cope with the pace of the 21st century. I am not advocating an abolition of human rights in the face of ‘terrorism’ however we must find a way of renewing the ideals set out in Bunreacht na hÉireann and shaping these in a format that takes account of nearly seventy years of progress in democratic theory. There are better options available to achieve the goal of a good and fair society. These options can be introduced piecemeal or the long term strategic view can be taken and the constitution overhauled or at least re-examined every twenty five years or so.
This process seems to me to be necessary right now as a genuine element of hubris and arrogance has swept the political system since the dawn of the Celtic Tiger and the Dusk of the IRA. These factors have had a fundamental impact on the shape of Irish society yet Irish democracy has failed to move with the times. Many of us may say that such an idea as renewing democracy throughout its life is unnecessary and wide open to failure, this is true but the alternative is a failure of a creaky and old system that never faced the realities of a new world and new demands for our lives. Any state that cherishes democracy should be encouraged to hold reviews of its system.
A forum such as this would allow for a genuine social consensus to emerge, forging a New Ireland and carving a system in the image of its people. There is no one size fits all democracy and it is best applied in a subjective and best fit fashion. There comes a point in the history of any institution when it must either re-examine and adjust or continue on in hubris and ultimately fail. There is no sensible option for us but to begin the process of redrawing our system to account for our needs. People can voice their expectations of government; those who would govern can voice the hard truths about the scarcity of resources and the need for change in our lifestyles. We can have and open and frank debate about the way our country needs to go. Our media can never facilitate such a notion being biased and wholly owned by the few.
This might seem hyperbolic and over the top, but what I wish to do is flag the early warning signs that our system is moving toward a point of no return. Reengaging with our society and promoting honesty, transparency and ownership is something that doesn’t have to be done in bloodshed. We have always been a nation of sensible people, now is the time to forge ahead in a new direction and open up a new world of democracy.
The 19th century model is beginning to be eroded by corporate power and global capital; we can full re-establish the ownership of the state by the people and the responsibility of society to the world around us only through new and reform based politics, pursued away from government. Democratic renewal is not some high minded ideal but a necessity for the ongoing life of our society and our culture.
Red Rover
6.10.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
I was watching the demi-god of American economics on the box earlier and Greenspan was quite coy about job creation and quality in the west. He was asked about the increasing chasm between job standard and pay rates in society, where a large majority of new jobs are "mcJobs" with long hours, low pay and no security while a minority of well paid positions are created. He went on to say that the only real hope that the States had of keeping a well balanced fair and evenly distributed jobs market was education. The states is notorious for letting kids down between the 4th and 12th grade and churning out many under educated students who fault o make or afford college. The repressive educational system has led to th two tier society we see before us today. I was worried when I saw these doyens of establishment thinking and neo-liberal policy exchange words on the importance of education, things must be bad over there.
So I turned my attention to today's publishing of the employment statistics for the year to march 2005. The trend that has been developing in the states has been passed like a virus onto us it seems. Job creation is no longer the big issue for many Americans and soon it will be the same in Ireland. Remember the campaign of 2004, Kerry was talking a lot about job quality for Americans .
on paper we seem to have a similar jobs boom in this country with 72,400 added in the year to March. However when one consider s the expansion of the cheap credit industry and the amount of immigrants needed to do the jobs available in this country (roughly 25,000 year to march) it points to a similar set of sociological trends as the states. I am not saying definitively that there is a McJob culture yet but most colloquial knowledge tells me there is. We have a race to the bottom taking place in the Irish labour market, job quality and security plummets as the private sector can cut costs and responsibilities at will. The result is an overworked and over stressed employee sometimes required to work a second job or take advantage of the cheap credit boom. Its a vicious cycle and were successful because we got in early. The only option is to begin to reign in big business but how does one do this on a global scale? The issue confronting most anti-capitalist/globalisation protesters is reconciling the need to control big business with localist protection. It is a long debate but one which will erupt very soon as work practice and standards become inhumane in the comfortable west.
the French face a dilemma over what to do about labour markets, big business will not pay big wages or be required to offer security. Thus the French find themselves with a 10% unemployment level. We long ago gave up that fight and welcomed big business with open arms. The likes of Theodore Zeldin have argued that job quality must improve if people are to continue to accept capitalism as it currently is. People need to feel value and ownership of their lives and work. This is a basic minimum to ensure stable society. The conflict over McJobs versus a job of quality and ownership is a deep one arousing much passion across the political spectrum. Today we see some reinforcement of the trend that moves us closer to an American employment/job model than to Europe. It is certainly profitable in terms of cash value for business but is this simply another symptom of our vertical value system singly equating value with cash?
these are admittedly rambling and perhaps babbling thoughts, I am no ardent anti-globaliser nor anti-capitalist yet but I am looking to the horizon and see much discomfort coming our way.
Red Rover
6.09.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The report from information commissioner Emily o Reilly makes sad reading for those who are advocates of open and transparent government. I believe that openness and transparency in all decisions is the main point of attack on the growing army of apathetic voters. the recent amendments to the FOI act make it much harder to obtain information from the institutions of state. O'Reilly seems to be doing her utmost to fight for the proper implementation of the FOI act, but when you consider how few TDs and ministers took up her call to release a register of interests as a gesture of good faith an dbelief in the FOI principle you see the size of her task in securing a direct flow of information between government, media and electorate.
i am hugely disappointed that the falloff in take up has continued since the increase of fees was implemented and 2004 submissions were down 30-odd% from 2003. the most scandalous factor about the process is that there is now a penalty for appealing decisions to O'Reillys office of E150. this has had the effect of cutting the number of succesful objectors/appeals an also hinering o'Reilly from adequetely enforcing the act by taking up her role as watchdog. the FOI act has slowly been stripped of all its initial power and teeth and been replaced with a whimpering shadow of itself. the government has again stopped all potential for meaninful oversight and displayed a crass neglect of the interests of good democracy and good government.
the more eyecatching of proposals from the commissioner regards the education department, which, incidentally was the recipient of the highest number of submissions in 2004. the reports of inspectors into schools should be released on a regular basis according to hte report, the inspectors reports show no obvious sign of clashing with the education act and would be broadly welcomed apparantly by unions as a fairer measure of judging school performance than 'crude league tables'. if it works then i think we should all advocate the release of special interest reports into the standard of provision in the public service across the board.
it i ironic that had proper FOI and transparency measures been in place for a long time much of the current Garda/Health/Education/Transport messes could have been avoided. The case for oversight and transparency is again strengthened by both professional opinion and government incompetence.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The bust up and division between government and opposition TDs within the Health and Children committee on the report on the Travers report belies the gross inability of our committee system to hold any of the major governmental and political player s to account. The simple reason for this is that a culture within the Dail is so ingrained as either pro or anti. There is little middle ground for TDs to remove their party clothing and accept the need for joint party cooperation on matters of accountability. It is our prerogative to elect members of Dail Eireann and to expect them to serve our best interests. This is a saddening move when two opposition members feel they cannot get a fair crack of the whip or feel the need to score party political points.
The committee system is intended to be a means of creating non-partisan groups of cross party TDs in order to best keep track of the workings of government. However when government holds so many aces with regard to the back benchers it seems unlikely that any will be so enlightened or indeed so morally motivated to wish to seek the truth and a fair deal for the electorate. This morning’s papers are full of the publication release yesterday by TDs McManus and Twomey which reveal a separate list of findings than those to be released.
Martin decided that again he is being vilified before full due process is completed. However what the move shows is that due process is so flawed within our house that no one can attain a fair hearing unless something radical is done. Many on the left have often argued for more oversight and power to be given to parliament and to put some of the restraints on government that it so badly needs. However some of the reforms are simple to put in place and would benefit more than just the abstract which is democracy. The issue of increased funding for parliamentary procedure and for due process would help things flow a lot better in Leinster House. No government is ever going to submit to extra oversight which infringes on the pure unrestrained use of executive power but the lessons from the recent weeks of malpractice in two of the major Departments of State in this country should give rise to an examination of conscience.
It is unlikely any in government are going to find some conscience out of the blue but a consensus of backbenchers would be us the start for getting some reform consensus in place. The Dail needs to be made a place trusted by voters to ensure our interests are upheld and good is seen to be done. Government will always stretch the limit of its power but we need to get genuine popular opinion behind oversight and proper conduct.
I think someone like Frank McBrearty could do well to headline such a campaign for Voter Justice in the face of gross negligence by the government.
it does seem that if anything is to get done it must happen on a cross party basis. i sincerely hope the FF backbenchers find some voice and the opposition can move from party politics to some grander vision of loong term benfit for the voter and electorate and even the health of irish democracy.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Following the past week of public service debacles at the hands f the PD I am moved to have the slightest piece of sympathy for their plight. They have presided over what others have helped create and reaped the poisoned reward of consummate state control and a vicious culture of self interest and non-regulation. Having said that, I am also delighted, that the self-propagated myth around the PDs that they are a reformers party full of morally correct individuals has fallen down around their ears. In moving to health Harney should have made plain the mess the place was in. if she did that it would have been more feasible to maintain that progress would be slow and come in small victories. Instead the PDs focus on the big policy and the big kill, a David and Goliath situation for the small party. There is a chronic lack of realism present in our political culture at the moment. Any time a situation or issue comes up; the government reacts in an unwieldy and over zealous manner. The result is an array of promises that crisis X will never happen again as we now have foolproof yet rushed legislation/policy.
This reaction masks two major pitfalls which have dogged government since Lemass.
1.) Is the vainglorious attitude of offering big solutions to big problems and not entering into an honest conversation and debate with the people. No one on the inside really wishes to outline the genuine difficulty of reforming a country full of self interest and an almost nihilistic attitude to public service.
2.)The second is accepting that the power of politicians is limited and can achieve gains in a fashion of stop start and slowly slowly. It is a sad indictment of the openness of our culture that we know this is happening and say nothing.
If a real progressive consensus is to develop in Ireland and take root in the national psyche the leaders must be led and vice versa. It is hard to tell the truth when it is underwhelming. It is hard to indulge in realism when it offers little short term gain. This government needs to begin looking at long term strategy and committing political and economic resources to getting a messy and slow job done. Perhaps akin to the port tunnel it will be inconvenient disliked and upon being finished receive a muted response but it will be worth it. A good country requires politicians who know more than how to grab a headline. The recent reports and perhaps the forthcoming result from the health and children commission show us all that a deep rot has set in and some serious strategy and graft is required to do the job.
My money is not on the PDs who look unlikely to be back in the bosom of government in two years and will derive little good from such decisions. However a party like FF could take the projects on with good people and reap genuine long term reward for their effort. Neither of the above think in terms of the good of the nation, unless you can measure such good in euros and cent. That is why I am pinning some hope on a good election campaign to bring such issues to the fore. Ironically an understated and not overly inflated set of promises from the new rainbow may be just the trick to get voters onside. Realism wins elections once in a while too.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
it is unsurpirising that FG and Lab have caused waves over the findings of the Report of the Commission of Health and Children into the travers report. Debate was particluarly ansty between government and opposition representatives across the desks. however i must say i am heartened to see the commission show flickers of real passion and fire although i suspect he proposition of an election (still two years away but FG are excitable) has a great deal to do with it. the government look likely ot be kept on their toes in coming months as a spate of outbursts are coming down the line from a new and invigorated opposition. the Dail doesnt have the best of reputations as a bastion of executive oversight so any time a commission shows signs of digging and independence it is a joy to behold.
a strong committee system should be able to hold ministers to account for present day activity not just retorspectively inspect the activity of past ministers. it is not likely this government will give way to any calls for increased parliamentary scrutiny. a strong and vibrant structure of commissions would require more funding and more staffing. this is a step too far for many in the government and would probably go down badly with TDs hwo value their constituency time.
however we cannot in good conscience allow the system to continue at the moment. i find it apalling that so little oversight is given to issues the media takes no interest in. It might be pedantic and anorakish to seek reform but reform of Dail eireann is much needed.
On the leaking of failed conclusions by the Two opposition members, its a slightly partisan move and the workings of a commission are there to protect the accused from unfounded tarring. however if one sniffs a cover up looming it doesnt exaclty seem out of character for this government. the move may be unpopular with due process advicates but if a process is in need of reform it is acts like these that will provoke it. on the substance of the allegations i shall return soon, still looking for their release online.
Red Rover
6.08.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
listening to Justice minister Mick Mac on the news at one, its striking how much the man is trying to keep a lid on the fallout from the Mcbreartys. it seems that the family of John Carthy hadn't half the teeth to go after Mac as the donegal family have. their high ocurt case is due up soon and Big MAc is floating the prospect of an apology for their hardship. while i am sure they would like one, he must believe they will get one in court if he is offering one now. on top of this it also seems that he is trying to get his boot in first and start framing the controversy in his own terms to delegitimise the genuine problem with costs and the inequality of their imposition.
Mick Mac is a great man for bluster and big talk, but on the issues that matter he has fallen down badly. he has lost control of the GArdai in key areas of the country and attempted to suppress all info surrounding this situation. It is patently obvious that they either knew of the corruption within the investigation or else had so little control as to be in the dark. either way its unacceptable and the time and excuse are here to establish genuine oversight and transparent policing in this state. the war is over with the provos etc. policing must evolve and become transparent, if Big Mac wont do it then someone should sack him.
i think all of us on the sidelines await with baited breath for the case which could define mcdowells career, and not for the better.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
The leaving certificate exams start today and I am just considering the effect that such a moment has on the psyche of a young person. It is an arduous task to complete the examinations and do quite well. I think anyone that has done it would never return to the horrible hard labour. However I am unsure if a progressive voice in this country can afford to support the system as it exists at the moment. Surely enough the CAO system provides a rigidly egalitarian and meritocratic means of deciding college place by academic ability. However I think, and I am sure many of you might agree, that the purpose of a leaving cert is to be a more fundamental experience that reinforcing our current value model.
It is this idea of a “value model” which has been vexing me for the last few days. It comes about as I consider the effect that the leaving has on the people who are sitting it. Not alone are the exams exercises in stamina and memory, they become a symbol of how to succeed and feel worth in our new society. The value in our system is assigned vertically if you will. By vertically I mean that value is assigned on an up-down dynamic, i.e. to achieve you move up and thus gain more value and to fail is to move down and achieve less value. The obvious point here is that not everyone can move up at the same time as there is not enough space at the top, like any greasy pole scenario.
The consideration I made regarding the leaving is that it acts as a reinforcer for such a situation. It demands of the students that they face upward and begin systematically doing, i.e. following pre-ordained instructions, in order to ‘succeed’ and feel value/worth at the top of the tree. The result is a vicious scenario of students being defined as value-laden or value-less depending on academic ability only. It is not that I disapprove of education, I will come to that presently, but I disapprove of the manner in which students at an impressionable age are systematically adjudged to hold some or no value. There is no middle ground in such a scenario, a student does well and feels valued or baldy and feels alienated. The decay in class behaviour can be psychoanalysed back to alienation and feelings of lack of self worth. I am arguing that it is from the imposition of a vertical value system, where direction is up or down and value is rigidly evaluated according to single criteria, on people so young only serves to create apathy, mistrust and most seriously division. The alternative is a very opposite type of value structure and would require broad social change on the back of educational change. Perhaps it might create it a bit of chicken and egg.
This alternative is my intuitively named “horizontal” value system. The idea here is that a system which spreads outwards can have a wide variety of criteria and even categories of value. The assigning of value comes not from the success of scrambling vertically up, it can come from expanding horizontally out. The expansion here is less stable and concrete. It can come from interaction and from learning; if learning is done horizontally a better emphasis is placed on interaction and understanding not on facts and arbitrary value judgement. The system thus manages to avoid arbitrary exclusion by encouraging student to be different and to understand, the more diverse your knowledge and the more complete your world becomes the more one can feel value, on the contrary one can also live a closed, introverted existence and explore themselves and the issues affecting them, or simply learn extensively on a topic of interest to them. it seems slightly hippy-ish but that is mostly due to my exemplary application of this idea to education. one can easily transpose my ideas of vertical and horizontal value on to a broader real life situation and find that ideas like money, career, government many of the pillars of our society are based on a vertical structure and I feel there are simply too many people now to be enforcing such a structure upon, i.e. not enough space at the top for the many at the bottom. The re-evaluating of our values to align ourselves with each other in an expansive broad value system would make a major change to the lives of so many. The feeling of value, ownership and responsibility can become aligned with the need for autonomy and tolerance. If someone doesn’t conform or match existing standard they can feel they are creating a new dimension of our broad value system, not subverting our vertically minded one. It’s a fluffy idea at the moment and I am working quite hard on making it more substantial. Let me know what you think. If I have inadvertently copied another thinker I apologise, let me know who you or they are and I’ll read up voraciously.
On the LC then it seems that for kids to be best served by society and its education the values need to be turned around 90-degrees. I feel that more kids need to feel included and able to attain and achieve value. It is a subjective but one which is neglected in a rudimentary two-dimensional system of fact and regurgitation. Change can only bring hope and opportunity to our children and I think something needs to be done about the way LC views its students and assigns them their value.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Reading the observer at the weekend it seemed some form of statement/movement will be forthcoming soon in response to Adams’ call for disbandment. The government is apparently preparing to be positive no matter what; this is IMHO a good sign. The Irish government has been on the back foot recently over the progress in Sinn Fein and its ability to mobilise a new voter. There has been a subsequent breakdown in the relationship between the Irish Government and the Nationalist/Republican side of the agreement.
Bertie’s positive preparation sends a signal that he realises the vilification of SF is a pointless exercise, their core vote will turn out anyway. The rise in the DUP may ironically make this the best point in time to get movement and an agreement. As I argued already regarding their
6.07.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
regarding the hope for the states to mesh the goal of security and humanitarianism, i think
the potential for restoring the US to its place at the heart of international action would be of benefit to anyone who believes a solution to poverty is possible. We can no longer afford to exclude or ignore those who wantonly allow their citizens to die. the right has stolen a march on the left in terms of international intervention, now we must reclaim an ideology as one which looks after the rights of citizens not safeguarding states and corrupt regimes. when the pope railed against relativism this is but one example of what he meant and i rarely agree with the pope.
it is the intensely relativistic activity of left wingers that needs to evolve. we cannot allow the right to commandeer the language of freedom and democracy to propogate some ulterior goal. it is time to move from iraq and begin to draw up goals and actions that positively define a progressive world view. we must focus on hunger, suffering and disease. poverty must be eradicated and to do this we need to begin to see a way around the relativistic position of non intervention in other states business. the republican right wasted no time in beginnning interfereing. it is only immoral and wrong when it benefits a cabal of rulers and big business. the progressive majority in this country needs to get behind affirmative dispersion of democracy coupled with education and fairness. the language and ideology of progressives has always been democracy without borders. we have allowed others to frame the new debate on what such a project and goal means but we must now come to the fore with a new progressive world view. the supporting of people over government and the elevation of all aspects of society to a fair and equal footing. we must reclaim this ground from those in the right and those who wish to follow differing goals using the same language.
RedRover
6.06.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
the U.S. last night threated to refer North korea to the security council for breaches of its nuclear obligations. does anyone think it might be motivated to take some action over the number of people that are currently atarving to death in the state? i see international intervention looming not to subvert any large scale loss of life but to make sure these people wont attain nuclear weapons. I understand anything needing done in N.K needs to go through China first but this is ludicrous. the international community can only act to restore lost faith in it by being concerned about BOTH humanitarian and security issues. if the US is willing to force the issue on nukes then why not go the whole hog and address the under development and hunger in north korean society.
it is funny how the states chooses to deal with a state that actually has WMD as opposed to one that we knew had none. that in itself should have set off alarm bells pre-iraq.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
Number ten has made its first move to officially kill any hope of this EU constitution surviving through an empty ratification process. Europe’s interests would certainly not be best served by enforcing an unnecessary vote on so many electorates. The hard headed Brits have done a great deal of damage to the EU in the course of their crusade to turn it into the EFTA, however this time they are bang on. The mood in the Downing Street is one of hope I think. TB sees this opportunity as one that may launch his Euro credentials about 8 years too late. If in 2002 he embarked on a major session of EU reform and took on a major role in the constitutional formation, things may look very different for him right now.
The EU is at a point in its history where it needs redefinition and direction. Those in Brussels seem to be suffering from some self-reinforcing group think syndrome. The advantage that the UK has now is that it is one foot in and one foot outside of the tent. It can play the role it always hoped to have of taking on Europe and remoulding it in a fashion of itself. While much of Europe will cringe at the idea of nakedly Anglo Saxon liberalism, there is a great deal of merit in the way that labour has gone about rebuilding a UK that was devastated by Thatcher. The NHS is a very different place now, as are the Railways and opportunities for poor children are expanding slowly but surely. This is not to say the guy ahs a few personal hang ups and problems, market provision is not exactly the answer of r everything and Lord Birt is a bit of a todger at the best of times. Having said that the arguments available to Blair with which he can tackle the EU presidency offer him a two-fold benefit. He can undertake a massive exercise of dragging the EU away from its current naval gazing and open the rest of the EU citizenry up to the relevance of a Single market and political integration. He can do this by defining himself finally as a social democrat who believes in social justice and progressive politics. This attitude would play well with his own labour party and play well with the electorate who felt he has abandoned the left. He regains a great deal of personal dignity, which will allow him to sail off to the sunset or even Europe.
If Blair uses the EU presidency to organise a major PR drive and connection with the people it will be a project that lasts past next December and on may see Blair move in to the role vacated by Gisgard to fulfill his own ambition of leading Europe into the next phase of its development. As I have just argued, his doing this is contingent on disarming EU wide worries about the Anglo-Saxon model and certainly requires him to come off the fence regarding social issues. The man may finally build the reputation he deserves for moving Britain toward the Left. This is the sort of work that should have been done in 97 and 2001 but it is being done now. Blair stands at a juncture where killing this constitutional mess right now simply opens up his presidency to becoming a major catharsis for the EU. It might sound idealistic right now but it is certainly an option open to him and if he succeeds in re-establishing a dynamic between EU and the citizens and making clear and distinct points on the relevance of an enlarged EU and the benefit of such collective bargaining that the EU provides both viz. corporations and the US and enforcing trade equity.
Blair and his conversion to Africa may make him just the man to take Europe forward. Chirac is out of ideas and certainly lacking in authority while Schroeder has made a mess of reforms in Germany. Blair’s spin may be long detested but a clear and engaging debate with the citizens of the EU and the core states must be led by the perceived devil of Anglo Saxon free market liberalism. If he can make social benefit possible then so can the EU. Blair is no social democratic doyen but he is certainly trying and in some cases succeeding. He must acknowledge his success locally and publicise it Europe wide. Then he can move to tackle the larger issue of connection, democracy and relevancy for an EU in 2005.
It wont be easy, this is a man who likes unbridled executive power and many other luxuries afforded by a huge majority in a supine parliament. He is the best they have at the moment, and this crisis in Europe offers him far more than anyone has yet contemplated. A way out, a definitive vision and voice of Britain and finally a legacy.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
We cannot let this continue. in 100 years this will be histories view of the wonderful dotcom boom and an unprecedented wealth. We have got to change things.
Red Rover
6.05.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
The granting of observer Status to palestine at NATO is without a doubt a postive move, while it grants some genuine legitimacy to the palestinians and their campaign for a state. it seems unlikely that many major moves will be made multilaterally toward palestinian statehood, but in the week when the EU saw some savage blows to its hopes of becoming a major international political actor NATO has grasped some initiative toward an inclusive conclusion.
it is possible NATO believes it is better to have them all in the tent rather than pissing on it from outside but one cannot deny the legitimacy, explicit or implicit, contained in the move.
isreal is not happy as this jump the gun on their lazy unilateral timetable for withdrawl from Gaza. Palestinians never lacked the ability to publicise themselves but Abbas seems to be making waves with his understated attempts to create a palestinian consensus among Fatah and Hamas. his moves which are necessary for palestinian unity and solidarity are forwned upon by isreal as encouraging terror infrastructure. the move by NATO has been interpreted as a carrot or reward for the PLO. this suggests some members of the international community are playing the long game and keeping a close eye on isreali atitudes as well as plo responsibilities.
this is not a groudbreaking moment in the struggle for peace in the middle east but at last some reward for palestine from a body other than isreal should help to reassure the PLO it is on the right track. if they can gain access to leaders who will support them then the solution to the two state problem may be forthcoming quicker.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
I had the good fortune of attending a lecture by Robert Fisk yesterday in Listowel and it was a truly awesome tour de force in middle east issues and a slightly bitter personal history. he is a supremely knowledgeable figure and i think we are all aware of the work he does in clarifying middle eastern issues for us. however his speech was far more than a topical overview of hte current state of palestine and iraq. his was a deeper and more thought provoking discourse on the abuse of state power htat has been so prevelant in that part of hte world for so long.
the degree to whihc the people of arabia nad isreal have been abused by th eincumbent suyper power is a long dark blemish on human history. ever since we realised the value of oil and became addicted to its benefits the people who live in the middle east have been the victims of our avarice.
We hav elong played games of empire and control with the se 'savages' in order to secure state interests against the will of the local population. to do this we employed regimes which are puppets, corrupt and violent in ensuring complete acquiesence in the face of corporate interests.
this is not set out to become a rant against middle east policy or the perversions of capitalism but to be a more concerned look at what the state can do to those in power. state power has the ability to diminish wihtin all actors who run it, any sense of responsibility or good. it replaces this with a morality of herd convictions and mutual selfishness. anyone who speaks against the meanss the state employs to follow its wishes is locked up and mistreated as being outside of the groups or herd.
it is saddening to see that this is the case in every state that has not given legal protection to those who wish to dissent from the cosy consensus. take mcbriarty and th morris tribunal, in most cases it is police activity whihc best sums up the bad nature of the state. progress in the name of social justice requires people to be stripped naked of their group. stripped of the very thing that protects them from accountability. stripped of the comfort of many people acting wrongly and no single person responsible. the state can be the worst form of actor or the best, to be the best it must strip itself of its power to coerce and manipulate it must be legally set up to broach the democratic divide and be truly accountable and responsible to its people. listening to fisk only brought it home that todays state no llonger listens to or cares about elections. the state is an entity of its own detached from the uncertainties of democracy. we must retake and recall the state to make it accoutable and subservient to people. if not then the human rights of all will be sacrificed for the gain of that few. we cannot in any mode of good conscience allow this terrible mistake of history to repeat itself.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
I have been thinking further on the idea of a mandatory national insurance as a measure which can totally reform our health system, it is a topic I am sure I shall dip in and out of regularly when stuck for other posting fodder. However my point of contention this time is the source of our insurance schemes. I am under the impression that no one is so inclined as to advocate that it it’s the state which provides the policy.
This means that we leave the provision of our national health insurance open and solely available to the private sector. I am always willing to consider these arguments on opening up to the private sector but for the majority of the time I remain unconvinced. This time it am dubious about two major points, though I am sure there may be more later on.
1. I am aware that labour are advocating this policy and have done much of the running in research terms. What I am unsure of is how exactly the policies are laid out. Is the mandatory state policy to be set out by the state as covering a basic minimum of care, then insurers are allowed to compete in terms of premia and included add ons? This system means that roughly 50% on the states scheme would be receiving the bare minimum of cover. Or are we going to lay out a rather more generous scheme which incorporates elements of elective surgery which may become necessary for the likes of the elderly and disabled? For it is precisely these sections of our society that will be most reliant on the state for their insurance. If the state follows the latter plan and introduces such a scheme of mixed cover then it will erode the profitability of the private sector that now only have approx 40% of the population to chase with a reduced set of coverages available to make a profit on. This system will possible discourage a vibrant and diverse insurance sector and may if improperly regulated lead to a cartel of premia guaranteeing a minimum level of profitability at the expense of cost effective health care provision. I support completely the idea of minimum national health which eradicates the divide between private and public but it is this divide that allows the present cost structures to operate.
Will physio be covered under the scheme? Or will it only be offered to those who can afford coverage? I understand that this is nit picking in an under developed policy but I am writing these as they occur to me. In introducing such a far ranging scheme the government ahs the chance to make certain treatments covered as part of some need weighted basis, or it can cut its losses and make services like these available to all. The basic mandatory insurance is a fine idea but we must consider its impact on secondary care and the coverage of those who need it most. Those who can afford insurance should pay, most people would agree with that however those who cant must be looked after. Where will the state draw the line? It is a tough and potentially emotive question. However I think that this also offers an opportunity to give the disabled a much better chance of attainting the care they so badly need and deserve but are starved of. Who gets what and who is in, or out, will pose a major headache to this project. We must look after those who need it most, first.
2. The other thing that concerns me is the degree to which funding will become liquid and dynamic. The likelihood is that because of patient empowerment and choice becoming a major operating principle we are likely to see hospitals abandoned because of bad standards but starved of funds to improve. This is an area of government responsibility and they must be able to sanction state intervention to protect vital health infrastructure form becoming swallowed up by market forces. Of course it cannot subsidise failure but it must have a turn around possibility. We are also likely to see vast sums made by private operators in profit from this system. I believe that all labour standards must be guaranteed from the off to preserve the public provision ethos of our system and to make patients feel like people not euros in a back pocket. I also believe that we must be able to temper the private sectors profitability by ensuring redistribution of excess funding throughout the health service at large. By creaming off the top to finance capital investment in training, university places and hospitals the new initiative can be made to work. We want the private sector behoven to us not vice versa in an area as socially sensitive as health.
Red Rover
6.04.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Moore McDowell was righting this morning regarding the health service and the absolute nightmare of a state that it finds itself in. I agree however with his fundamental point that things are so bad now that they present an opportunity for genuine reform and overhaul of the Health Service, though I reckon that we may differ on the form a revised service may take. The main crux of the problem is the complex and often frustrating funding structure that currently exists in the service. The current proposal by both McDowell and the Labour party is to reform the system using a national health insurance.
It is here that the issue gets really tasty, national health insurance is a very interesting idea; instead of the health boards allocating funding as it sees fit, the money follows the patient. This brings the whole choice theory into play. The idea behind choice theory is to empower a consumer against a sluggish and immobile service by offering them the option of exit, where a consumer threatens to exit from the service the threat is used to create improvements in the service that might not otherwise have been made. This boiling down of patients to consumers of health care may cut no ice with a cancer patient but it’s a big hit with the big wigs in Leinster House. Anyhow by abolishing the current funding structure, one can create a liquid and responsive health service that can see all patients as equals. The reason for this is that the distinction between public and private patient is abolished. The hospital or primary care provider receives the same amount of money no matter who the patient is or what status they have. It’s a wonderful sounding system and any progressive mind is surely going to be behind the labour policy of providing the poorest 50% of our population with free insurance and subsidising the next 10% while the richest 40% are allowed to pay their own way. It seems frightfully modern and progressive in its aspect. The poor and the rich all have supreme mobility to go and seek the best service from the best provider and providers only earn by making all patients better not just the lucrative ones.
It is however also a slight bit worrying, for it is not just the patient that must be considered in this equation. The introduction of private health care providers is the obvious tag on to any such reform of the state health system. Many would advocate the power of the private sector to deliver because it must return a profit. However when it comes to peoples health I am a firm believer that profit is and must be secondary to people’s health and the standard of their care. In a competitive environment than would be heralded by a new health service we must be careful to require government to guarantee a minimum level of provision for all population. This means that less profitable country hospitals must have the chance to remain open as the hinterland requires them. There must be guarantees regarding the status of A&E and above all the state must be able to avoid out sourcing and wage exploitation by private health care providers. In a social democracy one must be aware of the power of regulation to do well and in such a situation as the provision of health there is need for much oversight and regulation.
Trade unions should be encouraged in order to offset corporate drives to cut costs in the extreme and increase profitability. We do not need cuts in costs or corners in any health service. Therefore I believe a special labour commission should be established in order to settle special health labour disputes and be furnished with an inspectorate to ensure labour standards are met by outside providers. These standards extend to hospital cleaners also as these are the front line of any fight against MRSA and its ilk.
While many companies may accuse the government of stifling initiative etc, these arguments should be canned, peoples health is no place to become an entrepreneur.
The need for equity and fairness in out system is clear, it seems that a national insurance should be an option to follow but in pursuing this dangerous game of including business in the public realm a strong line must be maintained against the interests of profit. A strong hand and stronger guiding principles are required to ensure any reformed health service doesn’t fall to vested interests as this one does.
Not alone this but when money is no longer tied to geographical certainty some areas of the country are bound to fall behind, it is the job of a progressive to proactively seek equity and fairness rather than blindly trusting market forces to ensure we receive what we deserve.
Red Rover
» Author: Cian » Comments:
is it just me or is conroy's argument here that the action in donegal is only the work of a few bad apples similar to that used by the US defense Department regarding Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo abuses? similarities dont end there as many of those resoponsible have been promoted and the lackeys look set to take the blame. address the syptom not the underlying culture. good call.
Its not simply a few bad apples it is the knowledge that malpractice will be tolerated and covered up. the men in charge must take charge and impose stringent reform. however if todays news regarding the Chief Exec of the HSE is any indicator this government couldnt reform a band.
Red Rover
6.03.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
Doubtless it has escaped no one’s attention that Justice Morris has delivered what has to be one of the most damning critiques of Garda activity since the May Day crowd got their day in court. Having perused through some of the findings I am hardly surprised, many phoenix readers will already have some inkling of the degree of malpractice currently pervading our law enforcement agency. There are a number of points that are raised on the margin of the broader Tribunal debate itself and these relate to Garda policy, control and political accountability.
The report offers little solace to the McBrearty families who were already fully aware of their innocence; it is to the leader and grand political master of our own secret police that they will turn for some conciliation and apology. If I were them I wouldn’t hold my breath, I don’t readily support McDowell in most cases, however this time I find the surprise that filled his voice absolutely astounding. This man has full political control of our national police force; he alongside Noel Conroy must be the ones who above all else are aware of “the dreadful truth of what has happened in these events”. The justice minister has been accused by Morris of not taking account of his initial recommendations and must be seriously examined for his conduct in watering down legislation for police ombudsmen.
The second point regards the ombudsman. There is now more than ever a call and serious desire on all sides for genuine and powerful oversight of Garda activity. This is to ensure to innocence of the majority of Gardai remains untainted by a scandal that could forever sour relations between people and the states law enforcers. For too long the Gardai have been getting an easy ride from political leaders and the media, the first because too many secrets are known by Garda handlers to get on the blue boys bad side, and the second because a good guard is a great source of leaks and stories. This is sickening for the man on the street that is forced to read how a powerful core of Gardai nearly sent an innocent man down willingly. This is high corruption of morals and of any semblance of law and due process.
A sacking witch-hunt after those at the top may be a salivating prospect for McDowell is a lovely scalp to take, however in the course of desiring resignation we are going to lose sight of the issues which led to such deviance, i.e. that no single disciplinary system exists to discourage rouge elements from criminality or to allow whistleblowers to come forward and report wrong doing. Our Gardai are not some angelic sect of our social strata they’re not knights of the templar and as such a similar cross section of Gardai is likely to be deviant as society of a whole. The reform of the Gardai is long overdue and must focus on an accountability culture. This is not some means which guarantees lefties a chance to stop all required Garda activity on the grounds of principle, accountability is a need to ensure that our Gardai know whom it is they are serving and how much we desire them to do so transparently and in a manner which is of benefit to society. We are at a crossroads in this state. we have a decrepit parliamentary system which grants far too much executive power this power is channelled into area like the police force while the people stand sidelined in the process, elections are not sufficient in ensuring that our will is done and some in a correct fashion.
When we lose trust in the pillars of our democracy and in the integrity of our system the reform needs to be sweeping and radical. A new procedure of appointments must be put in place removing the incestuous link between politics and the head of the Gardai, a new oversight body run on a parallel power base must be set up it must be empowered and free to investigate all levels of Garda, top to bottom. Garda corruption must be acknowledged and addressed pro-actively. We do not elect McDowell and his cohorts to sit in Stephens Green ignorant of what their charges are doing until a judge does their job for them. If he didn’t know then he is a fool, if he did then he is incompetent as a reformer and as a source of direction. The force must be cleaned up and reshaped. Dedicated Community Officers would be a handy addition in such a reformation but the main focus must be on clear and sane policing not underhand and slapdash approach to crime and a disregard for the rights of the citizen in exercising their power. Power is a dangerous thing and this state needs more checks in place because if the tribunals have shown us anything it is the degree to which power has corrupted our ruling class.
I am minded by this report that the Civil and Human rights of people in this state have long become decadent promises and ideals. They sound lovely but no one actually believes that we possess them. The freedom bestowed upon us by our sovereignty and our place as the holder of democratic accountability, the entitlements to a free and efficient health service, to free and efficient education, to a police force that respects human rights, the rule of law and due process have slowly and surely been relegated to lovely things that we really cant have. I am appalled by the state of the Government response to all of this. Our government is completely incoherent in terms of citizen rights, when it comes to the rights of business and other interests they are sharp as a tack. This is a sickening approach to the rights of people which has infiltrated state bodies wholesale, resulting in careless and wanton abuse of power and the perpetration of great ills on the citizens of this country. We must make sure that our government’s response is not a reactive attempt to plug a hole but a wholesale revision of outlook and direction which attacks issues of citizen rights and governmental responsibility. We need someone with direction and integrity, not someone who only acts when covering his own ass.
Red Rover
6.02.2005 » Author: Cian » Comments:
