Alternatives for Ireland..... me eye!

It is very rare I write a piece professionally criticising an individual, but Declan Ganleys twitter feed and public meeting have forced me into a corner.

"Alternatives for Ireland" is a bold proposition these days. We, the Irish people have been promised much but given less than nothing, as it could be argued than Fine Gael have actually been worse that Fianna Fail, over the last number of years. This very fact has made us more cynical of politics and politicians than probably anytime in our history.

But every now and then an independent voice comes along, every now and then a person or group outside that political world and the insulated walls of Dail Eireann proposes a new way of doing things, a new way of treating society with something other than contempt and arrogance. For these moments my ears always prick up as I yearn to witness or take part in that ever elusive "change".

As most of the nations people know, Declan Ganley proposed that "change" recently as he organised meetings in various urban areas around Ireland. To say he is attempting to rally up political support by misleading people would be an understatement. To say that when questioned on it by myself he portrayed more arrogance than many seasoned government politicians would be accurate and to say that he proposes nothing new but an anti democratic "Ganleys Way" type of politics is bang on the money.

Firstly, this "alternatives for Ireland" meeting was just a prolife meeting in disguise. Ray Kinsella, an economist spoke about nothing other than abortion. That's right, an experienced economist who is most likely beyond the years where a partner will ever need an abortion on medical grounds somehow professed to know more than consultant obstetricians? It is fair to say, Declan spoke about more than abortion, but the entire meeting was so abortion focused some people heckled and some even left, obviously proving the fact that we were being misled. Of course when I questioned Declan on this, in true political arrogant fashion I was demeaned and made fun of. Quite the change in attitude there from Declan.

Frankly though, the more disturbing aspect of Declans new found attitude to what constitutes "change", lit up my timeline this morning. I remember many a time Declan, quite rightly, lambasting the government for European referenda being put to the people a second time, when it seemed the scare tactics of the initial referendum propaganda had not quite worked. How short Declans memory is! After two referenda on abortion, both of which gave democratic answers Declan is not happy with, wait for it, Declan proposes we run a third. But the best is yet to come. Recognising his hypocrisy and obvious distain for democracy when it doesn't suit his agenda, Declan quite "eloquently" set out his reasoning on a public forum;

I started out this piece expressing my regret at having to criticise an individual on a professional basis, however, this time it is imperative that people know that rather than offering change, all Declan offers us is arrogance, spin and more anti-democratic conservatism than we have ever experienced! Please don't be drawn in by the empty promises of change, when all we will receive is "ganleys way" spun to us by an equally arrogant mcguirk.

Shattergate

I haven't wrote a piece on here with a number of months for a few different reasons, but what better reason to come back and commence writing again, than to express my absolute outrage at the carry on of Alan Shatter and the boys brigade in Fine Gael over the past number of days.

Unless you live under a rock, you will have heard by now, of Alan Shatters gross abuse of power, whilst being interviewed on national TV. I am not going to express my anger anymore, than I already have, at this abuse of power and the slippery slope it puts politics and the policing of this nation on. It shines a further spotlight on how the police force and politics of this country is at best, being mismanaged, but at worst succumbing to corruption at even the highest level. It honestly does send shivers down my spine but that's not what this piece is about so I will desist going on a rant.

What I find to be an even more worrying aspect of the last few days debacle, is Alan Shatters and Fine Gaels response to this outrageous abuse of power. Yesterday evening, as I watched the Dail session live, where Alan Shatter was supposed to be answering questions on this whole debacle, yet another large piece of my confidence in this country and its future was eroded. I don't think it surprising that on the government side of the house, not one woman sat to back up their man, just the usual suspects of hecklers and wafflers, ready to blindly support their man, whatever the degree of severity of mismanagement he had engaged in. They didn't disappoint  Much is often said of the IQ of backbenchers and how it must take a special individual to succumb to a whip day in, day out. Well people, hold the press, cause they didn't disappoint either. After the usual heckling and the token crusade by one backbencher to get one word retracted by the opposition we had the most ironic and frankly disturbing episode of the night.

After dodging questions all evening, Alan Shatter stood up and read a private correspondance that Luke Flanagan had wrote him, much to his own amusement and to the amusement of the old mans brigade of chuckling, low IQ, backbenchers. Only an absolute idiot could not note the glaring irony of a justice minister and government party reading a private letter out loud to the public to discredit an opponent, in a session where he was supposed to be answering questions on revealing private business of an opponent in order to discredit them. What in the name of good God have we got governing us? Where is this change in the way we do politics gone to? It has taken just two years for Fine Gael and the old boys club to get more corrupt and arrogant than it took Fianna Fail fourteen years to do. I am on the verge of giving up on this country, a country I hold so dear in my heart. Enda, Alan and co, walk now for the good of our nation. Hang your heads in shame for you walk all over the dreams and aspirations us, the young generation, have for this great nation of ours. If you truly do love Ireland Fine Gael, leave it to us with ethics and morals to govern!

A new low for the "Pro Life" Campaign

Since the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, a nations people have been polarised, once again, into two significant, opposing groups. There are those, like myself, who believe women should have a choice to have an abortion within certain, distinct parameters, and there are those against any type of abortion, even if it involves an imminent still-birth, and therefore believe they are better placed than the many obstetricians, psychiatrists and even the women themselves to make a judgment call on the individual pregnancies that women have.

I believe in free speech and democracy. Therefore when a pro life vigil was held just a few weeks ago, I did not take to social media to discuss my rage that a group of people were exercising their democratic right. They have the exact same rights to exercise their opinion and value system in a peaceful protest, as do any of those advocating free choice for women. However, I found a much more horrifying element of that protest to be deeply disturbing and quite frankly grossly hypocritical.

At this very "vigil" the Unite for Life / Youth Defence contingent thought nothing of placing children at the very front of their protest holding placards with a very forceful position text line on a topic they would, or at least should know nothing about. It seemed to me at the time, to be grossly irresponsible, hypocritical and shows that many within the pro life movement believe that a child's rights end when they leave the womb; A child's most fundamental right should be a right to a childhood once born, to enjoy the short-lived innocence that comes with the early years of a life! Furthermore, I have since invited any pro life advocate to give me a differing opinion or logic behind why they use children in their propaganda and the circulation of their quite severe values, to no reply!

But the madness did not stop there. On the week run up to Christmas, just a mere 5 days before Santa Claus was due to bring presents to all the living, breathing children of Ireland, a quite vile element in Youth Defence decided to hang posters outside primary schools and on the busy streets of Dublin of fully formed foetus's with Santa Hats on, for all the children of Ireland to see. Is there no low they will not stoop to, to get their point across? Dublin City Council ordered them to remove the posters, thankfully, but yet again it goes to prove how deluded many pro life advocates are. Some seem to think because they have their perfect lives, with their perfect pregnancies that that entitles them to lecture the rest of the women of Ireland, I have news for you, it doesn't!

* I have a picture of the Youth Defence poster of the ultra sound of the foetus with the Santa hat on for anyone who wants to see it, however, it is so horrendously offensive I refuse to put it up! It shows a fully formed foetus (which legally could not be aborted in any advanced society on the planet, as long as it was not having a detrimental effect on the mother or was in some way unhealthy itself), therefore totally misrepresentative and grossly infactual) with a Santa Hat on, with the tag line - "Enda, all I want for Christmas is my right to life".

I want to be very honest in this piece and I am about to share something many of my friends do not even know, but which I believe to be fundamental to my point. In the past, a woman I was seeing, fell pregnant. After an initial shock I was actually pretty happy with the idea and in any case, even though I have always been pro choice, I could never see myself choosing an abortion for a pregnancy I was responsible for. However, over the course of a number of weeks it became apparent to the woman in question that she was not in a position to go through with it, for quite a few absolutely genuine and fundamental reasons and in her eyes abortion was the only logical step. I was genuinely very upset and I would have been quite happy to go ahead with the pregnancy, but I respected her wish, which came from a very honest and genuine place and supported her, as best I could, in what was a very difficult decision for her to take. That's what gets lost in all of this. Women do not make a decision to have an abortion lightly and no one, least of all conservative men and pampered women, need lecture any woman on the ramifications of their choice. I wanted to go through with that pregnancy but recognised who was making the sacrifices and who's choice it really was, the womans.

I am not "pro abortion" and I am not "pro abortion on demand", as both are quite frankly ludicrously loose, vile and inaccurate terms. I believe abortion should be legal for health and medical reasons, inclusive of psychological issues, and I believe it should be widely available up until 12 weeks, but not after that when a baby will begin to form. I believe we must stop exporting our problem and I believe we must have a calm, reasonable debate, not one where people like Caroline Simmons, Iona and Youth Defence blow things out of all proportion and are grossly inaccurate and presumptuous and certainly not one where children are used to peddle propaganda or are in any way involved in the debate - eg. putting a Santa hat on a poster outside a school 4 days before Christmas. But it seems my opinion is not shared by those in the "Unite for Life" group or at least their social media administrators. I have posted the exact same comment on their Facebook page 3 times in the past 48 hours and each time it has been removed. I merely asked them, in a very reasoned and polite manner, why they insisted on using children in the promotion of their view? It seems democracy and morals are things that many pro life groups and individuals may need to brush up on before they lecture us all on their right to impose their own views on the rest of society!

Cyber Bulling - A childhood Phenomenon?

Just yesterday, the news broke of yet another young girl, of twelve years of age, committing suicide in Kildare, of which cyber bullying is being spoken about as the root cause for such a tragic event. In recent months much has been spoken and written across all media of the devastating effects bullying can have on the human mind. I personally link the increase in accessibility to the internet to the rise in the dramatic and horrific outcomes of bullying in recent years. Only ten years ago, when I would have been in school, if someone was being bullied in the schoolyard or classroom, home was a safe haven where respite from the onslaught of the bully or bullies was forthcoming. The home is no longer that safe haven. Now children and teenagers are targeted just as much, if not more, in their own homes and now the bully victim is subjected to 24/7 intimidation and mocking. So what can we do?

I genuinely believe education and example to be the main solutions to this growing epidemic. But there is a massive problem. While education will be relatively easy to roll out should there be the willingness to accept that we have a problem on our hands, example is a trickier issue. I am loathe to suggest that people use the suicide of any person, let alone a child, as a bit of PR for themselves, but I am growing ever more cynical of the voices of descent of supposedly responsible, well renowned people to this problem. I use twitter regularly and also read and comment on the news sites. I have observed cyber bullying, sneering and clique mentalities on all of these sites and just today 5 prominent twitter users, four of whom are respected journalists attack and jeer someone, who could be classified as a disenfranchised colleague. In the childrens referendum debate, people like John Waters were called names and jokes were made about his mental well being by these same commentators and many more media types whom now are aghast at the epidemic of cyber bullying and the detrimental effects it has on our youth. The hypocrisy and delusion of it is truly something to behold. Perhaps these people think young people aren't influenced by the actions of their parents and peers? Perhaps they think it is ok to mock and jeer someone with the "wrong opinion"? Or maybe they just are no better than the school yard bully and need to be made aware of this?

I took it upon myself to inform these 5 people today that what they were doing was a form of cyber bullying. I am sure a minnow such as myself addressing 4 well respected journalists went down like a lead balloon in the clique of the media pals. Nevertheless, it had to be said. What all this illustrates is that we have a much bigger problem on our hands. Our young learn predominantly from their parents and the tone set by adults around them. Perhaps we should be looking in the mirror before we cast stones at the children who perpetrate such dreadful acts of bullying!

More Manure from Eddie

I read a piece in todays Wall Street Journal by the nationally infamous Eddie Hobbs, that has truly hit a nerve with me. His piece started off by making some keen and factual observations about Irelands current predicaments, and, upon reading it I have to admit that I was warming to Eddie, a man whom I have had a few heated Twitter interactions with in the recent past. Nevertheless, true to form, he unwound any good will quite rapidly, in the second half of his piece.

I am anti Croke Park, I think frontline public servants deserve protection, however, a one size fits all approach to cutting services and pay across all grades and disciplines in the public service is frankly, moronic. I have never worked within the public service and recently set up my own business, so I know all too well about the difficulties experienced within the private sector. However, my parents are both retired public servants, a teacher and nurse respectively, the two disciplines Eddie Hobbs decided to single out for particular attack in his piece this morning.

This blog entry is going to be somewhat personal, something I regret, however, something that is necessary to illustrate the absolute hypocrisy that Eddie claimed was journalism and a taste of public discourse within our nation, on a world renowned newspaper this morning. Eddie, a man who earns handsomely from the public purse himself, through his various RTE stints, seems to think that my mother was overpaid at €40,000 per annum, inclusive of increments, after 38 years of service, working twelve hour shifts, at night, in a job she eventually was forced out of, when she was attacked and almost killed by one of her patients, when they tried to strangle her at three o clock one morning before being disturbed by a security guard. My mother, still suffering years after her attack and appalling treatment at the hands of her employer now supposedly is too well paid earning a pension of just over €20,000 per annum, a fee Eddie and a few of his cronies in RTE probably earned from one appearance in some over the top production for music week from our esteemed public service broadcaster.

This manure is peddled by a man who only two years ago hailed these same public servants as being patriotic for signing the deal he now condemns them for adhering to. This is the same man who was keen to be bedfellows with these "overpaid" public servants so he could grab their cash for his Brendan Investments schemes. This is the same man who produces a series every year on RTE encouraging us to "Buy Irish" regardless of quality and price.

As you have gathered by now I am very annoyed by this blatant generalisation and in-factual and un-informed guff. These nurses and teachers who go out to work every morning are real people, with real problems, with real responsibilities who in many instances risk their lives during the course of their work and they deserve a bit more respect than to have to read and listen to the ramblings of an utter hypocrite who drains the public purse more than any of these REAL public servants. I would ask all Irish people to ignore the ramblings of this man and his like and show some solidarity with our fellow people, friends and families. Just yesterday I attended a clinic in the CUH and the care and attention I received in a ward completely over-run was second to none. The efficiency I witnessed in difficult circumstances is a world far far away from Eddies fairyland. When Eddie Hobbs can reveal what he earns from the public purse via RTE and when he ensures that both his and all professional fees are on the same level as our European partners I will listen to his rumblings, until then Eddie, you're a hypocrite and deserve to be treated as such!

The Insiders

An overview of the pensions drawn by ex politicians published this week, has proved that now more than ever, Ireland is a holiday resort for insiders and the truly delusional.

In the past number of weeks and months, much has been spoken of the great progress of the Irish EU/IMF programme, of how the Irish nation have taken a "mature" approach to the pain dished out and the inevitability of more to come. I will admit to having taken such a "mature" approach initially. Bigger fool me, I was under the impression that we were all equals in this supposed democracy and that no citizen, other than a common criminal, would pilfer their fellow, hard stretched people, so they can dine out on the fruits of cosy cartel relationships and self avoiding but dictatorially imposed austerity.

Just this week an extensive piece appeared in a number of media publications on the ministerial pensions paid out by the hard pressed Irish citizen. I gazed upon column inches of mind boggling annual pension payments, gulping intensively to ensure the nausea I was experiencing remained metaphorical. John Bruton, a self announced Charlatan, the head of the IFSC, receives €141,849 in pension payments at the same time as he continues to earn handsomely from daily activities, at a time where he insists on the need for all of society to experience pain, yet continually lobbies to ensure our financial services sector and corporate sector remain protected. The delusion and arrogance certainly does not stop there. You have the likes of Peter Sutherland drawing his pension, while simultaneously leading the charge of the biggest criminal empire on the planet, Goldman Sachs, all at a time he insists our €188 a week social welfare payments are too "lavish". Dick Spring, the "cute houre" socialist seems to take no issue in drawing nearly €90,000 in ministerial pension payments alone while 6 young people in his own ex constituency commited suicide due to unemployment and mental health cuts in one week just recently. The list goes on and on, with some of the biggest failures in Irish political history earning the most money in pension payments. One has to ask oneself, why do we continue to stand for it? Why are we not out ramming the gates of the houses of the insiders, Leinster House. I would never encourage violence of any means, however, with the exception of the "Ballyhea/Charleville" group of protesters it seems that Ireland cannot even whimper a verbal response to the gross abuse of her people. Why?

How come the GAA fraternity and the people of Cavan can rally around a family who made their businesses fork out (no pun intended) €100,000 for a wedding cake? How come they can rustle up a mere €2,000,000 to protect the interests of a former billionaire family still with extensive assets and cash who blatantly disregard the court of this very state, yet, these same people pay scant regard to €1,000,000,000 in a bond payment paid for by the Irish people, though not incurred by them, at the same time as their "protest rally". Young men and women in their fellow counties emigrate and commit suicide and receive no such support or displays of solidarity. People in the west can mobilise over turf cutting yet pensioners get robbed and murdered in their own home in the same region and no such anger is vented.

Have we become extremely passive as a society due to centuries of plundering at the hands of other nations, religious orders and now vested interests and banks? That argument doesn't stand up, because as illustrated above, we can mobilise when we want to. If I am perfectly honest I think we are an enormously immature society, as was prevalent this week more than ever. A politician genuinely interested in reform and working diligently has had to resign due to the inadequacy and frankly borderline corrupt actions, of a senior colleague. What have a huge percentage of Irish society and media done? Rather than embrace and encourage the actions of this brave woman, they have questioned her motives. This same week a minister has grabbed the headlines for acting like a bigot and writing letters, encouraging a county council discriminate. Just this morning, members of a "societal representative" panel on Newstalk claimed that none of us would like to live next to travellers. Sorry folks, I don't want to live next to trouble makers, this quiet traveller family can come live next to me anytime. But most illustrative of our immaturity has been the reaction to the Pro Choice march which took place in Dublin yesterday. I have always been pro choice, I believe a woman should be left decide what to do with her own body, but only up to a certain stage in a pregnancy, however I would hope that would never cloud my wider judgement of the facts. Last night, after this march, the opposing factions didn't seem to possess such clarity. They weren't debating the morality or immorality of abortion nor the rights of the unborn child versus the rights of the woman, last nights debate centred around who had more people at their representative marches. At stages it appeared that this enormously important topic was being debated by a group of children in a creche, such was the level of intelligence of discussion being heralded. All these events and our reactions go to prove our immaturity.

Every day we complain or listen to cribbing about inequality, bond holder payments, the public service inefficiency and private sector greed and lack of integrity. We love to shout and scream amongst close friends but leave the protests and implementation of change to someone else. Our own minister for public sector REFORM cannot even carry out the role his entire department was assembled to do. While he fobs the tough decisions, we accept that yet again nothing has changed, public servants starting out their careers get squeezed and bashed by the media, yet the whole time top level public servants, unions and politicians continue the gorging aboard the gravy train, happy in the knowledge that Irish people are too dim to kick up a real fuss. Yet modern Ireland rolls on, young people commit suicide every day, families are torn apart every day through emigration and discrimination and now with the exception of a small few media commentators and journalists like Carol Hunt, Constantin Gurdiev, Harry McGee, Stephen Donnelly TD and Vincent Browne, the media circle their wagons around their own crowd to create their own positive spin. It makes me sick. Next time you complain about that bond payment or cut in some vital service, just remember, it's time to stop the blame game, because your and my immaturity have led us to this point. Our passive nature is to blame. We elected these people, we accept the corruption, discrimination and inequality with open arms, time to face up to that reality.

Have we forgotten about our elderly?

This week I welcomed the announcement of the date for the upcoming referendum on childrens rights. For too long, a small percentage of our children have been abused and ignored by either the church, the state or wider society and sometimes by a combination of these. It is to be welcomed that we, at long last, have recognized that children are more than objects, which should be seen and not heard, they are after all, our future.

This announcement combined with recent news events have got me thinking about how we care for all groups within our society and more importantly those groups most at risk of depravity and neglect. Due to the decades of misery and torture, institutionalized children were put through, societies minds have focused, quite rightly, on ensuring past mistakes are never made again. However, I personally believe in our haste to protect children, minorities and other perceived vulnerable groups, we have forgotten about one of the most vulnerable groups within our society, the elderly.

I read a piece in one of the national newspapers just today about the case of the sixty five year old man in Sligo, who was tied up, beaten and left to die in the hallway of his own home. I was shocked to read within that same piece of other crimes committed against elderly people in the past two months. It was truly shocking. For years the elderly have been cast into nursing homes, only for us to discover in the last number of years that many of these were run more like concentration camps than homes to care for the elderly. We also have a massive issue in Ireland with the elderly living in isolation. We always hear how mental health cuts are going to impact on my generation, in particular men. No one ever considers how an elderly man or woman, coming to the end of their lives and living in isolation on a day to day basis must feel. The government and the HSE seem to think that once you wheel some home-help in for a few hours a week that that somehow constitutes a fulfillment of their moral obligation and that once an elderly person is assisted physically that they’re being well looked after. Quite frankly, I believe that to be absolute nonsense. But whatever about all of these, the thought that some animals are now targeting the elderly in their own homes absolutely sickens me.

In that same story there were six other stories of elderly persons getting attacked and robbed within the previous two months. The Government has abandoned the elderly, the HSE has abandoned the elderly and now we seem to have a justice system, which can no longer protect them either.  I could of course stop the blame game there and place the responsibility for the their care at an institutional level but as we all know, yet choose to ignore, we are all responsible for the care of our elderly Irish people. I believe it is incumbent on every single Irish person, to stand up to anyone or anything, that threatens their safety or health, whether that be the Taoiseach of the day or a low life criminal.