What's in the Sunday Papers ?

[goatstoe]

The Sindo reports that Gump has demanded that teachers work a 40hr week.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...k-3230132.html

He might find that teachers will support him in that and cut all the stuff they currently do in their own time.

Good will from the staff is a valuable commodity in any workplace and employers who rashly destroy it may discover to their cost that it takes a long time to earn it back.

Can't see that happening, the usual talking shop much ado about nothing stuff that the government are always coming out with. Scaremongering the teachers perhaps in case they get any ideas about strikes seems to be the only practical reason to concoct such stories. That and distracting the media with something pointless to write/talk about.

[Baron von Biffo]

Can't see that happening, the usual talking shop much ado about nothing stuff that the government are always coming out with. Scaremongering the teachers perhaps in case they get any ideas about strikes seems to be the only practical reason to concoct such stories. That and distracting the media with something pointless to write/talk about.

Probably not too much of a threat to teachers as many of them would be doing more than 40hrs. What could happen is that if the government tries to push a 40hr week the teachers will just say 'fair enough, 40hrs and not a second more'.

Then it's bye, bye to all the extra curricular sports, drama, trips away etc and an end to out of hours PT meetings.

[C. Flower]

Thanks Richard,

No need to cast lots for my raiment just yet though, we biffos are made of stern stuff.

There's a level of ugliness to the attacks on pensioners that I never encountered before. Perhaps it was always there and people were reluctant to speak out before but there are no inhibitions these days.
'What do they need it for anyway?' 'They don't have mortgages so they don't need big pensions'. 'They are robbing their children'.

Pensioners are 'they'. Something less than human. An intolerable burden on society. A pot of loot to grab.

It's the propoganda machine at work. Pick off one section at a time - unemployed, pensioners, public sector, householders, etc. etc.

[Greengoddess]

Thanks Richard,

No need to cast lots for my raiment just yet though, we biffos are made of stern stuff.

There's a level of ugliness to the attacks on pensioners that I never encountered before. Perhaps it was always there and people were reluctant to speak out before but there are no inhibitions these days.
'What do they need it for anyway?' 'They don't have mortgages so they don't need big pensions'. 'They are robbing their children'.

Pensioners are 'they'. Something less than human. An intolerable burden on society. A pot of loot to grab.

It's the propoganda machine at work. Pick off one
section at a time - unemployed, pensioners, public sector, householders, etc. etc.

The scapegoat theory of intergroup conflict provides an explanation for the correlation between times of relative economic despair and increases in prejudice and violence toward outgroups.[5] For example, studies of anti-Black violence in the southern US between 1882 and 1930 show a correlation between poor economic conditions and outbreaks of violence (e.g., lynchings) against Blacks. The correlation between the price of cotton (the principal product of the area at that time) and the number of lynchings of Black men by Whites ranged from -0.63 to -0.72, suggesting that a poor economy induced White people to take out their frustrations by attacking an outgroup.[6]
Scapegoating as a group however, requires that ingroup members settle on a specific target to blame for their problems.[7] Scapegoating is also more likely to appear when a group has experienced difficult, prolonged negative experiences (as opposed to minor annoyances). When negative conditions frustrate a group's attempts at successful acquisition of its most essential needs (e.g., food, shelter), groups may develop a compelling, shared ideology that - when combined with social and political pressures - may lead to the most extreme form of scapegoating: genocide.
Scapegoating can also cause oppressed groups to lash out at other oppressed groups. Even when injustices are committed against a minority group by the majority group, minorities sometimes lash out against a different minority group in lieu of confronting the more powerful majority

[homer]

GG

There is a Tommy O Brien over in Politics.ie who describes himself as a political scientist . He specialises in arguments such as this, altho in greater detail and length.

As you are a practising politician, you would need to get up very early to equal his output lengthwise.

[Baron von Biffo]

Gene Kerrigan often does it by the numbers these days but he hit some of his old Irish Press form this week.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...g-3230006.html

This line probably sums it up best:- "We are ruled by the children of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher."

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...g-3230006.html

[DCon]

early Winter?



Pint or a transfer, Tory style

[PaddyJoe]

Frank Fitzgibbon of the ST:

Enda Kenny has other matters on his mind tomorrow but the leaders in the SunTimes, SBP and Sindo all agree on last week's shambles...

Reilly all over papers again. Sun Times reports on medical negligence claim against his practice...

SBP and Sindo report story from Fingal Independent in June that he promised local care centre before officials drew up list...

SunTimes News: Public sector union can't believe government left allowances untouched. Neither can FG backbenchers, writes @sob999

SunTimes News: Public to pay flat fee water charge until 2016 as meters will not be fully installed before then...another fine mess for Phil

SunTimes News: Dermot Desmond wrote to Lucinda Creighton, telling her not to "ostracise and denigrate" his friend Denis O'Brien...

SunTimes News: US congress members write to Kenny urging government not to legislate for abortion, writes @smissmac...

According to the Sindo Denis O'Brien wrote to Joan Burton telling her to back off with the criticism as well

SunTimes Biz: State’s attempt to secure up to €615m from auction of high-speed 4G radio spectrum facing further delays...

SunTimes News: US congress members write to Kenny urging government not to legislate for abortion, writes @smissmac...

..Brian Hayes describes intervention of Congress members as "unhelpful"

SunTimes News: Forum Partners severs links with former Nama executive Enda Farrell - @JohnMooneyST reports

Gardai also confident of finding out who else got the Nama info that Farrell downloaded

SunTimes Biz: Bord Gais disposal moves closer as British advisors to sale are appointed by government...

Sindo splashes with trade union bosses and their salaries...Jack O'Connor is the only one to respond...

Sindo says wife of Labour chairman Colm Keaveney has been on state payroll since July 2011...

..statement on Keaveney's behalf says it was always clear she was working for CK on job share basis until full-time appt "in recent weeks

SunWorld has prison pix of Catherine Nevin. They're even fuzzier than the Kate pix in the Star. No wonder snapper wasn't credited

And the Sindo claims that Eugene 'Dutchie' Holland "almost certainly" murdered Nevin's husband Tom. Dutchie drank in the pub, it seems

SBP says Irish judges are second best paid in Europe after Scotland. And why not? Sure don't they provide us with acres of copy...

SunTimes and SBP both profile Richard Desmond, the British publisher threatening the future of the Irish Daily Star

Sindo picks up Telegraph interview with Dolours Price on what she told researchers for the Boston College Tapes...

Price makes loads of claims about Adams's involvement in numerous atrocities. SF press officer calls her "anti-peace process republican"

Sit down for this one: Eoghan Harris agrees with the Shinners...that there should be "one clean increase in income tax"

Carol Hunt says we must stop bickering (not me and Carol...) and take on our common enemy...(drum roll) the public sector. Curtain falls...

https://twitter.com/FrankSunTimes

[PaddyJoe]

Sunday Telegraph:

[C. Flower]

Gene Kerrigan often does it by the numbers these days but he hit some of his old Irish Press form this week.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...g-3230006.html

This line probably sums it up best:- "We are ruled by the children of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher."

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...g-3230006.html

Yes - on the nail. The whole language and accepted ideology has been occupied by Thatcher's children. The commentariat doesn't even understand basic concepts like equality and social rights any more. At least, it pretends not to.

[Baron von Biffo]

The Sindo is starting an anti union campaign today with two attack dog pieces on teh salaries of union leaders.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-3237072.html

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...d-3237083.html

All but one of those named is a workers representative. The token business rep gets a bland two lines at the bottom of the piece.

"Danny McCoy of Ibec refused to disclose his salary details and they did not feature in financial statements to the Register of Friendly Societies, which were lodged this year."

There's no mention of Callan of the SFA or Fielding of ISME.

[PaddyJoe]

@FrankSunTimes

SunTimes has best Reilly splash. Our revelation.courtesy of former HSE exec, may require Reilly to revisit his Dail explanation of last wee

Sindo leads with Roisin's RTE interview on Saturday morning and SBP has Lucinda saying Reilly needs to provide fuller explanation of actions

unTimes has sources claiming Labour concerned Roisin planning to take Gilmore out. Sources close to Roisin claim that's the plan...

Sindo says cake at 2007 wedding of Ciara Quinn cost €100,000! Was prepared by a specialist chef in New York. I'm a Tea Time Express man...

Hogan watchers:SunTimes reports that Big Phil personally contacted Kilkenny county manager over that housing matter...

SunTimes FoI s

SBP publishes interview Niall O'Down did with Denis O'Brien

hows that nurses hired from agencies by HSE are costing 50% more than staffers...

Denis says there's a lot of "hare coursing" of people in Ireland. Chasing...photographing...following...putting them on the front page...

O'Brien: "These people made mistakes...but they're also human beings. Remember that". Okay Seanie, we forgive you

Denis didn't like Cowen being chased by media while he was at college in the US. I predict BIG changes at the Indo.....

SunTimes reports that Maureen Gaffney has rejected €50,000 severance payment after her quango was dissolved...

Maureen Gaffney has not accepted the offer (she was paid €104,
966 to lead the NESF in 2008). Peter Cassells waived his €20k from his quango

And Mario Rosenstock is finally getting a TV series on RTE. Starts in November, Monday nights

[musashi]

Denis says there's a lot of "hare coursing" of people in Ireland. Chasing...photographing...following...putting them on the front page...

O'Brien: "These people made mistakes...but they're also human beings. Remember that".

Denis didn't like Cowen being chased by media while he was at college in the US. I predict BIG changes at the Indo.....

The mogul utilizing his latest asset.

[DCon]

seems so simple!

In an important new book, Irish Governance in Crisis, edited by Dr Niamh Hardiman, the authors put forward the hypothesis that the root cause of this malaise lies mainly in the fundamental structures of the Irish political system. They illuminate how the political system, as designed, prompts even conviction politicians to adopt a set of priorities that almost inevitably lead to cronyism, and pork-barrel politics.

Priority number one is 'my own re-election'. We see this preoccupation most clearly in the continuing practice of ministers showing favouritism towards their own constituency.

Having first made sure to look after their own constituency, second in order of priority is 'my party'. Party loyalty reached shocking levels in Fianna Fail, such as when his ministers continued to support Bertie Ahern as he imploded before the tribunal, telling fairy tales while under oath. Today, for example, the Labour Party's uncompromising defence of the Croke Park Agreement is not unrelated to the traditional bonds between the party and the public service unions. Fine Gael is seen as defending the interests of the business community and farmers. Sinn Fein is unlikely ever to support cuts to social welfare. All parties fear offending the 'grey vote'.

Coming a distant third in the order of priorities is 'policy', that is, doing the right thing for the short and long term benefit of all citizens, having taken account of all interests and not just the interests of 'my own constituents' or 'supporters of my party'. Whatever about an ordinary TD prioritising his or her constituency, a minister is responsible for coherent and fair national policy.

The central conclusion of Irish Governance in Crisis is that this rank ordering of political priorities is the root cause of the catastrophic failure of vital institutions and the consequent economic and social crisis.

The five institutional reforms required to break the grip of "amoral localism", as the late Peter Mair called it, and instinctive subordination of good national policy to party interests, are:

1. Reform of the legislature, such that the Dail has the capacity and power to hold the Executive (ie, the Government) to account. Only Britain and Greece have a parliament which is so disempowered that it can do little more than rubber stamp ministerial decisions.

2. Practices of recruitment to government: Again, Ireland is at the extreme among OECD countries in drawing ministers exclusively from the pool of elected TDs. As a result, we end up with governments comprising a proportion of ministers who have little expertise in their particular sector, such as finance, and, equally detrimental, who cannot give their full, undivided attention to the job because of the need to keep a close eye on their constituency. So long as they retain their local TD seat after they have been appointed minister, the temptation to use ministerial office to favour their constituency will be hard to resist.

I would add that having Ministers (in Finance especially) who have little expertise places a lot of power in the unelected Department. Who in the Department are pulling the Ministerial strings and why?

3. Delegated governance

4. Public sector reform


Hardiman adds a fifth essential reform, tackling crony capitalism, which needs no explanation here, and then concludes on a deeply depressing, but realistic, note: "Although many of these features of the Irish political system have long been recognised, reform requires an incumbent government to implement changes that directly limit its range of influence... It seems we are all, people and politicians, trapped in a profoundly dysfunctional system.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...s-3244192.html

[Baron von Biffo]

seems so simple!

I've just ordered the book so I can see for myself what it says rather than the Sindo spin. I don't want to place too much weight on the opinion of someone who can't count to five.

I would add that having Ministers (in Finance especially) who have little expertise places a lot of power in the unelected Department. Who in the Department are pulling the Ministerial strings and why?

In the current cabinet the minister with the greatest experience in an area related to his brief is James Reilly. Not exactly a great advertisement for switching from government to management of government departments, is he?