Republic – Page 67 – Slugger O'Toole

Belfast is foreign enough for Aer Lingus

Pete Baker on August 28, 2007, 12:31 am

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Far be it from me to suggest that the trade union IMPACT are asking the Irish Labour Courts the wrong question deliberately – “The IMPACT trade union has written asking whether the reference in the recommendation to ‘foreign bases’ was intended to include Belfast.” And this isn’t the right question either. The correct question to ask is whether Belfast qualifies as a “foreign base”.. and being in a different political and legal jurisdiction, under a different tax regime and with …

Eoghan Harris ar a saol polaitiúil, Sinn Féin agus an Gaeilge…

Mick Fealty on August 24, 2007, 8:24 pm

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Thaitin an t-agallamh seo go mór liom ag an t-am a chlois me leis ar an clár raidio Bhlas. Go h-áirithe an dóigh go cheadaíonn an t-iriseoir Eoghan Ó Néill Seanadóir úr Eoghan Harris dóthain am agus spás chun a cuid freagraí a chur le cheile. Ní tharlaíonn sé sin go minic… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest …

Rabitte to resign Labour leadership?

Pete Baker on August 23, 2007, 5:39 pm

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From the Irish Times breaking news report Adds press conference at 3.30pm And you can ignore the question mark.. Adds Politics.ie claims the scoop and has the time-stamp to prove it. The Labour Party press office has announced that party leader Mr Pat Rabbitte is to make a major announcement at a press conference this afternoon. It has been speculated that the party leader may resign his leadership. Update Senior Labour Party sources have confirmed to ireland.com that party leader …

A cunning plan to heal the Belfast-Shannon rift…

Mick Fealty on August 23, 2007, 5:32 pm

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As the controversy over the proposed closure of Aer Lingus flights from Shannon continues, not least between the mickey taking East and the West [makes a change from odious wrangles over North Southery – ed], Newton Emerson offers a humble solution (subs needed) in today’s Irish Times:By Newton Emerson Following several days of intensive negotiations between airlines, pilots and unions, the government has announced a last-minute compromise on the Shannon-Heathrow issue. “We are confident that nobody from the Shannon region …

On the contentlessness of Irish politics…

Mick Fealty on August 23, 2007, 5:30 pm

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Nope, I’m not griping about Northern Ireland’s review commissioning, report reading, risk averse political classes. It’s the Civil War stupid. Or at least it was, according to Peter White, formerly a Fine Gael press secretary from 1984 to 1993. I’m not sure of his dates, it seems to me that his own party’s Tallaght Strategy was more like the actual point at which Fine Gael and Fianna Fail merged on policies, but he fingers the Downing Street Declaration as the …

Preview of Antony Gormley’s Dublin Docklands vision..

Pete Baker on August 23, 2007, 5:22 pm

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There was plenty of speculation on what, exactly, the winning commission by Antony Gormley for Dublin Docklands was going to look like, see here also, and today’s Irish Times reports that he has released some images of the proposed sculpture.. [subs req] although the only image I can find, from the IT report, is somewhat spoiled by the foreground image interfering with the perspective.. it will be 48 metres high remember.. Pete Baker

“Ours is a movement dedicated to upholding human rights, not specific theologies.”

Pete Baker on August 22, 2007, 7:14 pm

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Even before it met in Mexico at the start of August, the International Council of Amnesty was being urged, by representatives of the Catholic Church, to reverse their Executive Council’s recommendations on sexual and reproductive rights. Instead the International Council affirmed those recommendations, as noted in this press release – “Amnesty International committed itself to strengthening the organization’s work on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and other factors contributing to women’s recourse to abortion and affirmed the organization’s policy on …

Towards coherent government, or a well paid, but disorderly commune-on-the-hill…?

Mick Fealty on August 21, 2007, 6:37 pm

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Fintan O’Toole has a useful piece of research (subs required) in his column today, even if the premise doesn’t quite stick. It’s interesting to contrast it with the current situation in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein seems to be following a strategy of extraordinary candour regarding Executive discussions pf the work SDLP Minister in the new Executive, Margaret Ritchie (a key rival to one of SF’s hopefuls in the next Westminster election). O’Toole’s highlights the importance placed on collective responsibility, …

“The levels of hypocrisy involved in all of this are stratospheric.”

Pete Baker on August 21, 2007, 2:55 pm

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RTÉ reports on the ongoing discussions between Aer Lingus management and the pilot’s union and, while the Taoiseach’s inter-departmental group considers what to do next, Fintan O’Toole in the Irish Times [subs req] has some thoughts on the intra-governmental disagreements noted previously and on the Irish Government’s Minister for Defence, Willie O’Dea, in particular. As Séamus Dolan of the law faculty at NUIG has explained with admirable succinctness: “The concept of cabinet confidentiality flows from the notion of collective responsibility, …

Lord Puttnam delivers Collins oration at Béal na mBláth

Pete Baker on August 20, 2007, 1:16 am

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The Sunday Independent records it as “a measure of close Anglo-Irish ties and the growing determination to properly address historic issues between the two countries.” Perhaps. It is certainly significant in its own way. It is also worth noting that Lord Puttnam’s [or is it Baron Puttnam of Queensgate – Ed] invitation to deliver this year’s oration at Béal na mBláth to mark the 85th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins today was, at least partly, through his friendship …

Shannon (No) Show rumbles on..

Pete Baker on August 17, 2007, 7:41 pm

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Another Irish Government Minister, Eamon O’Cuiv, has decided to criticise [Updated O’Cuiv link via Limerick Blogger] the Irish Government over the Aer Lingus decision and the Defence Minister, Limerick TD Willie O’Dea, has been painting defeat as victory.. Perhaps he should have listened to the Aer Lingus Chief Executive, Dermot Mannion, more carefully at that meeting.. or even to the official Irish Government statement.. oh, and the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern is reported to be saying that the …

Intervention would be “inappropriate”

Pete Baker on August 16, 2007, 10:17 pm

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The latest on the Aer Lingus Shannon [no] Show comes via the Irish Times breaking news – The Irish Government has said it is “inappropriate” for it to intervene in the decision-making process of Aer Lingus and that to do so would “ultimately be damaging to the company and its customers” – That’s apparently an official statement.. delivered on behalf of the government by.. the Education Minister Mary Hanafin.. [Where’s Willie? – Ed] Adds Official statement here “As a listed …

More on the Aer Lingus Shannon (no) Show…

Mick Fealty on August 16, 2007, 5:27 pm

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They are not happy down in Limerick… But as ever they have lots of links to other blogs… The petition against the move out is over 8500 strong… Fine Gael spokesman Pat Breen makes it clear why the good folk of the West reckon they’ll get a result on this; ‘The furious response in Cork to Aer Lingus’s more recent plans to axe flights from Cork to Heathrow proves that the airline will respond to pressure. Yet the lack of …

Republic’s schools struggling with higher maths?

Mick Fealty on August 16, 2007, 1:09 pm

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Leaving Cert yesterday, A Levels today. And the Irish Times has it‘s usual ‘lovely girls’ picture on the front page. Yesterday’s results brought mixed news. Maths and Science performances were noticiably down on previous years: “Only 6,710 of the 50,000 taking the Leaving achieved an honours mark (Grade C or higher ) in maths. Four times this figure (24,136) gained an honour in English.” Yesterday, Olwyn Enright attacked Education Minister, Mary Hanafin: “Once again, the Leaving Certificate results have exposed …

Belfast begins to out gun ‘little Cork’…

Mick Fealty on August 16, 2007, 1:20 am

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As tipped by Conail on this thread, David McWilliams offers an unsentimental economist’s view of the Shannon-Belfast story. He puts the problem fairly straightforwardly: Belfast has the population — its conurbation is three times bigger than Cork. It has the airports, the motorways, the electricity grids and now the income levels. It is understandable that local politicians from the west are complaining about the Aer Lingus move. They are the ones under threat, not from Aer Lingus and its decision, …

Belfast shines whilst Shannon whines (redux)…

Mick Fealty on August 15, 2007, 8:31 pm

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According to Richard Delevan’s column in last Sunday’s Tribune having an international airport at Shannon is not the boon it once was to the area, and suggests that the area would have been better off lobbying for a datahub to run ‘fat data pipes’ out of. Otherwise, the Shannon project may find itself drifting into the same history books as Valencia Island, which once housed the key telegraph station linking the continents of Europe and America. Though here too, Delevan …

“If they don’t change their minds then there are other options.”

Pete Baker on August 14, 2007, 1:04 am

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Whilst RTÉ reports the Irish Government Minister for Defence, and Limerick TD, Willie O’Dea describing the Aer Lingus decision to end its Shannon-Heathrow service [in favour of Belfast – Ed] as ‘wrong’, the Irish Times breaking news has the actual quote.. and the Freudian slip “I’m not conceding yet that Aer Lingus can’t be forced to change – or can’t be persuaded, sorry persuaded – to change their minds. We will sit down and we will try and persuade them …

Police taking legal advice on extraditing murder suspects from Republic

Pete Baker on August 10, 2007, 6:36 pm

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The Belfast Telegraph has an update on the murders of Lisa McClatchey and Thomas O’Hare, beaten and burned alive at their home near Keady, County Armagh, in November last year by a gang of up to six men. Four brothers were admitted to hospital in Dundalk with burns injuries following the attack and later transferred to st James’ Hospital Dublin. By 1st February this year three of the four had been released from hospital and the Belfast Telegraph report suggests …

“the cost will be borne by the department”

Pete Baker on August 9, 2007, 7:59 pm

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UTV reports that the Irish Government’s Department of the Environment is to fund the cost, expected to be around £1000 [or €1,500 – Ed], of replacing a bronze plaque commemorating the birthplace of Edward Carson at 3-4 Harcourt Street Dublin. The report notes that the previous bronze plaque at the property went missing earlier this year and that the official Dublin Tourism body, which has responsiblility for such commemorative plaques, had said they had no funds to replace it.From the …

“a project that will improve journey times and safety for all.”

Pete Baker on August 6, 2007, 6:37 pm

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When it opened with a fanfare of publicity, and no less than three ministers from two jurisdictions, the expectation was that the £33million stretch of the new dual carriageway near Newry would cut journey times – indeed one of those minister’s declared, “This is an excellent example of Roads Service working across the island with their counterparts in the National Roads Authority and Louth County Council on a project that will improve journey times and safety for all.” But, with …