Leveller on the Liffey

Au revoir

2010-08-02T09:49:00.002+01:00

I SHOULD have explained that I haven't been blogging for a while as my new job might produce a conflict of interest (as long as the job lasts, of course).

Apologies.

That said, to paraphrase the Governor of California, I hope I'll be back.

Eamonn Lillis murder trial: Media victims

2010-02-06T09:18:00.009Z

AM I the only one to be amazed at how far the Irish Independent will go to milk the story around the murder trial of Eamonn Lillis, found guilty this week of bludgeoning with a brick his wealthy wife, a former model and James Bond movie star, at home in the upmarket County Dublin suburb of Howth?

Celine Cawley (46) appeared with Roger Moore in the 1985 James Bond movie A View To Kill.

Her husband has been sentenced to six years and 11 months in prison for her manslaughter. He was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter despite trying to cover up his crime with a string of lies to police investigators about her being attacked by an intruder and naming a former gardener as a possible suspect.

Behind the trappings of successful professional careers in the media, the couple's marriage was on the rocks and the 52-year-old Eamonn Lillis had embarked on an affair with a beauty therapist 20 years younger.

Admittedly, it's a real life and death story that will undoubtedly be made into a TV drama but was it really necessary for the Irish Independent today to go to the home town of Lillis's young lover, highlight who her siblings are and where they are working, and look to local councillors for a comment on the case?

As even the piece by Barry Duggan all but admits in a quote from one neighbour, being a mistress is not a crime and being a relative of someone unwittingly caught up in a murder trial is not a crime.

What would journalists think if people aggrieved by their reporting took to highlighting all their relatives' backgrounds in responses to false or intrusive reporting?

Six Nations rugby: Ireland welcomes Italy

2010-02-06T08:09:00.000Z

EVEN though I used to play rugby union at school (and enjoyed it), it's seldom excited me like this Six Nations campaign that kicks off today.

Ireland welcomes Italy to Croke Park in Dublin this afternoon and with a strong Irish-Italian community running the domestic takeaway food trade, the craic should be mighty in the chip shops of Ireland today.

The North: At last, DUP agree on transferring policing and justice powers from London

2010-02-05T08:06:00.006Z

RTÉ reports:

"The First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson has said his party's representatives at the Stormont Assembly have backed a deal with Sinn Féin on the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster.

"The breakthrough follows lengthy negotiations involving both governments at Hillsborough Castle over the past two weeks.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will travel to Belfast this morning to put their seal on the agreement."

Watch the press conference live from 10am

1 in 3 Brits thinks 'Family Guy' leads BNP

2010-02-04T23:31:00.015Z

ONE in three members of the British public matched a picture of Nick Griffin (far right), the odious and oily führer of the neo-Nazi British National Party, with the name of Peter Griffin, the protagonist of the TV cartoon sitcom Family Guy.

A money-saving website survey of 1,498 people found more were able to identify a picture of Alex Reid, the new husband of Katie Price (aka Jordan), than recognised Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Explains a lot.

System beliefs

2010-02-04T09:45:00.011Z

HAVING spent my formative years in Suffolk, England, and still with an attachment to the county, I was pleased to see this letter from my old home county about the Pope's visit, also in Wednesday's Independent (London).

'PEOPLE of faith' have every right to exert their influence, using our democratic system, but they must not be allowed to invoke their beliefs to trump that system.

Patrick Smith, Beccles, Suffolk

My sentiments entirely.

Papal Bull

2010-02-04T09:37:00.007Z

THIS letter appeared in Wednesday's Independent (London).

THE Pope has confirmed that he will make a state visit to our country but doesn't much like our equality legislation for gay men and women. Surely he must be familiar with the maxim "When in Rome..."

Roy Askew, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire

The Pope: Against Equality Bill

2010-02-04T09:26:00.007Z

THE Pope has set the tone for his visit to England by publicly attacking Britain's Equality Bill because it will bar the Catholic Church from discriminating against gay people (that's not how the Pope said it but that's the gist of it).

More than 4,000 people have signed a Facebook petition protesting against the Pope's visit, one of the organisers pointing out that taxpayers will be faced with a bill of £20m for a visit in which the church leader "will attack equal rights and promote discrimination".

Human rights campaigner and gay rights activist Peter Tatchell is quoted as saying that the Pope seemed to be demanding that churches should be above the law

And he's right, isn't he?

Junket jolly: Central Bankers did it

2010-02-03T23:48:00.013Z

THE Central Bank in Dublin has confessed that it was the state body that paid for 52 spouses of staff to go on foreign trips over a two-year period at taxpayers' expense.

But while it was admitted that there were 49 trips (and not just one giant junket jolly, as previously reported), the Central Bankers refused to give any details on who went on the trips or how much they cost.

Why not? What have they got to hide?

Junket jolly: 'State bosses used taxpayers' cash to take 52 spouses overseas'

2010-02-02T19:07:00.021Z

JUST what the XXXX is going on? Is this report about an Irish state organisation using taxpayers' money to bring the spouses of 52 staff members on a foreign trip actually true?!!

Not surprisingly, no one wants to own up to the big days out – they must be still getting over the jet-lag.

So, if no one will step up to the plate (unless it's for a free lunch on a junket overseas), each Irish Government minister should be tasked by Taoiseach Brian Cowen with getting a solemn declaration from each agency under their department's umbrella to state categorically that they are not the guilty holiday party.

Then maybe we can flush out the culprits and make them pay, if not in hard cash but in public opprobrium.

And where are all the ministers who love banging on about getting tough on social welfare claimants taking the taxpayer for a ride? Or, for that matter, the Green Party ministers? They should all be putting their own houses in order.

Robbie Keane: Off to Glasgow in the green

2010-02-02T02:35:00.018Z

GOOD to see Robbie Keane joining Glasgow Celtic on loan from Spurs as the transfer window closes.

Celtic need some firepower up front and perhaps Robbie can inject some vigour into the Bhoys' attack.

Another reason to visit Parkhead on my visits to Glasgow's fair city. I wonder if Celtic would take me on loan.

Jeremy Paxman's Newsnight Challenge Quiz

2010-01-31T14:25:00.014Z

JEREMY PAXMAN'S Newsnight Challenge Quiz in last week's Media Guardian has gems such as:

Which presenter complained that they were having a difficult time on air because "I've got Ian Smith coming in my ear"?

Go on, test yourself.

FÁS Failure: FÁS boss pockets half a million while community groups axed, FÁS training budgets slashed

2010-01-31T12:26:00.023Z

FIANNA FÁIL Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has defended the huge pay-out to former FÁS Director General Rody Molloy (left) who was given a "larger than necessary" severance package because the Government wanted to "move the organisation on and make sure it changed".

Molloy retired on a pension of €111,245 per year and also received a once-off lump sum of €333,735 and two other separate payments of €55,622. He was also allowed to keep a car.

This is all at a time when Community Development Programmes are axed and people trying to get back to work through FÁS jobs training and employment programmes are having their training budgets slashed.

RTÉ says in its report headed Coughlan defends Molloy severance package:
"[Rody Molloy's] departure in November 2008 came after months of criticism at the excessive expenses incurred by executives of FÁS.

"The Tánaiste said his package was agreed following advice from her officials and under sanction from the Department of Finance." (My emphasis.)

So the Fianna Fáil minister and her advisers are responsible for the half-million pay-out to get rid of someone who, it appears, wasn't up to the job.

Whatever happened to the sack?

Andy Murray: Great Scot Swiss rolled by Federer

2010-01-31T12:08:00.007Z

A VALIANT effort by Scotland's Andy Murray in the Australian Open tennis final but Switzerland's Roger Federer is in a class of his own.

The Scottish tennis ace squandered five set points in an agonising tie-break on his way to losing to the Swiss champion in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13/11).

During the closing ceremony in Melbourne, Andy made a tearful apology to the fans who faithfully supported their hero.

Bloody Sunday, January 30th 1972: The British Army's elite Parachute Regiment massacres Civil Rights marchers

2010-01-30T10:13:00.011Z

Sunday Bloody Sunday - Wolfe Tones

'Bloody Sunday' movie trailer

Roy Greenslade: Death of Spanish editor who defied Franco | World BB News

2010-01-28T23:30:00.005Z

Roy Greenslade: Death of Spanish editor who defied Franco | World BB News

Tabloid Watch on: Media fosters hate crimes, says University of Exeter report

2010-01-28T14:49:00.009Z

Report says media is a motivating factor in anti-Muslim hate crime

A REPORT published today by Dr Jonathan Githens-Mazer and Dr Robert Lambert MBE, from the European Muslim Research Centre at the University of Exeter, looks at anti-Muslim hate crime and Islamophobia in London. It is, they say, the first report in a ten-year project to look at these issues in cities across Europe, Tabloid Watch writes.

Lambert, incidentally:

headed Scotland Yard's Muslim contact unit, which helped improve relations between the police and Britain's Islamic communities. The unit won praise from even long-standing critics of the police, and Lambert was awarded an MBE.

So he's well-qualified to write about such issues.

Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: a London Case Study reveals:

how perpetrators of hate-crimes against Muslims are invariably motivated by a negative view of Muslims acquired from mainstream or extremist nationalist media reports or commentaries.

So not something that is going to widely covered by the tabloids then?

No...

Missing in action

2009-12-08T17:53:00.004Z

WHERE, oh where have I been (as Tiger Woods might say to himself)?

All I can say is that I've been up to my teeth (as Tiger Woods might also say) but I'm back.

Did you miss me? Yeah, right.

In England, vote Green to keep Nick Griffin and the BNP out

2009-05-30T09:15:00.010+01:00

http://www.stopnickgriffin.org.uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4a5B4ysJJY

FRANK Cottrell Boyce, the Liverpool-based screenwriter and author, whose acclaimed films include 24 Hour Party People, Welcome to Sarajevo and Hilary and Jackie , explains why after voting Labour all his life, he's backing the Greens in this election to stop the BNP.

Vote Mary Lou to fix Fianna Fáil

2009-05-30T08:44:00.010+01:00

OKAY, if it's a battle between Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil's Eoin Ryan for the last European seat in Dublin then it has to be Mary Lou Number 1.

And keep voting Left to fix Fianna Fáil.

In Europe, I'm voting Mary Lou/Sinn Féin, Joe Higgins/Socialist Party, Patricia McKenna and Labour.

The same goes for the local elections too. In my area, I'm voting Sinn Féin, Labour and maybe Independents (if I can find out what they stand for and they're not wing-nuts).

Whatever you do, don't stay home – use your vote to make the Government sit up and listen.

Child abuse by clergy in state homes – Reflection on a Sunday

2009-05-24T10:46:00.008+01:00

I WAS going to wait until Monday before posting on this but the sheer horror of the child abuse that was rampant in so-called schools and state institutions run by religious orders is so overwhelming that I'll put up the link on the report itself and return to it again.

http://www.childabusecommission.ie

It's Sunday, a day when Christians are called to prayer. I'm not a Christian but I respect those who do believe. I hope the Catholic Church takes a long hard look at itself, stops hiding in the shadows and does the right thing by exposing the guilty and making whatever reparations it can to the victims.

Made up in Britain

2009-05-24T00:45:00.010+01:00

THE British National Party has been caught out in its election ads extolling the very Britishness of its campaign, 'British Jobs for British Workers'... by using foreigners in them.
The World War 2 Spitfire aircraft in the BNP's 'Battle of Britain' fund-raising drive is actually Polish, the builders and doctor are American, and the elderly couple who are 'voting BNP' because they've seen Britain's decline are actually Italian – and they've lived all their lives in Italy!

Shamrock Rovers v Bohs and growing up

2009-05-17T16:02:00.004+01:00

I MADE one of my now infrequent forays to a League of Ireland match after some years being a regular attender last night to the Dublin derby between bitter rivals Shamrock Rovers v Bohemians.

The occasion entailed a cross-city trek to the Hoops' new Tallaght Stadium, still a work in progress but at least a permanent home for one of Ireland's famous football clubs.

On the pitch, Bohs went 1-0 up from a penalty in the first quarter of an hour but we were stunned – in an otherwise lacklustre game in which Bohs had looked (too?) comfortable – by two goals by Rovers in the 88th and 89th minutes. Rovers ran out winners 2-1.

Throughout the match, in the stands, there were distractions, which caused me to miss the second Rovers goal.

I had mates in both sets of supporters and there are many passionate fans on both sides, but why are there 'crews' imitating their English hooligan counterparts with an apparent need to prove their 'manliness' by swearing and abusing the opposition if not getting to physically attacking them.

My experience at LOI and English matches makes me think twice about taking my young son again even though he's obsessed by 'The Beautiful Game'.

The journey home on the LUAS with many of the still-boisterous Bohs fans was good-natured, even with the up-close and personal presence of the Garda and LUAS Security's 'Men in Black'.

Earlier, a lot of the stuff inside the stadium was handbags at 40 paces but why do grown men – and many were adults, not 'teenage tearaways' – have to do this? Why don't they rent a backroom in a pub somewhere and have a big cage fight – and stop giving going to a match a bad name.

I'm back

2009-05-17T15:49:00.007+01:00

THE TROUBLE with not having posted in more than six months is that some people think you've been doing a stretch in Mountjoy. I haven't. The simple reason is that I've been an idle blogger.

There's been so much personal stuff going on that blogging hasn't been one of my priorities but with the elections a mere matter of weeks away and the state of the nation, I've given myself a metaphorical kick up the arse to post in the interests of, if nothing else, therapy.

Here goes.

40th anniversary of police attack on civil rights marchers

2008-10-05T23:04:00.007+01:00

TODAY is the 40th anniversary of the vicious attack by state paramilitary police on peaceful civil rights marchers in Derry City, in the North of Ireland, in 1968.

'Northern Ireland' is an artificial statelet carved out of the nine counties of Ulster in 1921 and made up of six counties with an in-built unionist (pro-British) majority to guard against any momentum towards reunification with the rest of Ireland and British withdrawal. It was, as unionists boasted, "A Protestant state for a Protestant people," (i.e. pro-British people).

In 1968, drawing their inspiration from student protests around the world but particularly from Martin Luther King and the black civil rights movement in the USA, marchers took to the streets to end unionist state discrimination against Catholics.

Speaking today in Derry City at a rally to mark the anniversary, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, a former commander in the Irish Republican Army and now the joint First Minister in the power-sharing government in the North of Ireland, said:

"Forty years ago on the streets of this city, men and women from different backgrounds, from different generations, from different political roots came together as equals and we demanded our rights.

"Some unionist voices courageously spoke out. They knew what was happening was wrong and that the writing was on the wall for unionist misrule. But political unionism wasn't listening. They weren't interested in change.

• Unionism controlled the parliament
• Unionism controlled the cabinet;
• Unionism controlled the police force;
• Unionism controlled the justice system;
• Unionism dominated business and controlled local government;
• Unionism dictated housing policy and allocation.

"And unionism would try and cling to all of this and use violence and intimidation in defence of its interests."

On 5th October 1968, the Royal Ulster Constabulary viciously batoned peaceful civil rights marchers who had been singing We Shall Overcome. But this wasn't Alabama or Kent State University; this was part of the United Kingdom, supposedly under the control of and answerable to the 'Mother of Parliaments' in Westminster.

London had turned a blind eye to almost 50 years of government-approved and enforced sectarian discrimination against Catholic citizens. On 5th October, though, the eyes of the world were opened when TV cameras caught the state police in action.

Things would never be the same again.

Sarah Palin's 'terrorist pals'

2008-10-05T10:37:00.008+01:00

SARAH PALIN has sunk to new lows in claiming that Barack Obama 'pals with terrorists' because a former member of the Vietnam War-era US Weather Underground supported Obama's first run for public office 13 years ago.

Leaving aside the fact that you can't stop people from supporting you, Sarah Plain conveniently overlooks the fact that her party leader, George W Bush, renewed diplomatic relations with Libya only two years ago. Only last month, Condi Rice visited the 'pariah state' and met Moammar Gaddafi, whom former President Reagan once labelled "this mad dog of the Middle East".

Does Sarah Palin think Dubya and Condi now 'pal with (former) terrorists'?

I think we should be told.

***

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1005/uselection.html

Palin says Obama pals with terrorists - Sunday, 5 October 2008 09:37

The US Republican vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, has accused Democratic candidate Barack Obama of being pals with terrorists.

With the Republicans trailing in the polls a month before the Presidential election, Ms Palin said the time had come to take the gloves off.

Speaking yesterday at a fundraiser in Colorado, Ms Palin told supporters Senator Obama 'is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.'

Her comment referred to William Ayers, who supported Barack Obama's first run for public office in 1995.

The relationship between Senator Obama and William Ayers, a member of the radical 1960s group the Weathermen that committed bombings on the Pentagon and the Capitol, was highlighted in The New York Times yesterday.

Governor Palin's sharp jab is in step with recent Republican campaign statements that the McCain camp plans to launch a fierce assault on Barack Obama with the presidential election only 30 days away.

The Obama campaign described the attack as 'desperate and false.'

'Governor Palin's comments, while offensive, are not surprising, given the McCain campaign's statement this morning that they would be launching Swiftboat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation's economic ills,' said Obama-Biden spokesman Hari Sevugan.

'What's clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy,' he said.

ENDS