The MacGill Summer School in Glenties in Donegal has evolved into a major
jamboree for the political and governmental classes. It is extensively
reported in the press and makes the headlines. Many of the contributions
make important illustrative contributions to the national discourse on the
genesis and solutions to our problems.
Developers to face high-rise curbs as council agrees plan
OLIVIA KELLY
DEVELOPERS ARE facing severe restrictions on the construction of high-rise
buildings in Dublin city following the introduction of the new Dublin City
Development Plan next year.
Michael Noonan is the best export we have had from Limerick. His quality of contribution transends the usual party political mediocrity evident in most political contributions. He is the single best outcome from the recent heave in Fine Gael. The Lord Kitchener moniker “Your country needs you”
fits him accurately.
His article in the Irish Times on Friday 23rd July is here :-
Focus on people and jobs, not bankers and bailouts
Changes needed fast to stop scenes of weeping parents in Irish airports from becoming iconic image of this recession, writes MICHAEL NOONAN
IT DOESN’T matter how many degrees they have and it doesn’t matter how good their job prospects might be. When it comes to forced emigration, all parents break down and cry as they see their children off at the airport.
The PJ Mara School of Irish Politics dictates
Una duce Una voce
No More Nibbling at my leader’s bum.
But Il Duce should realise (and did) that
Sometimes it pays to listen to the message even if you dismiss the
messenger.
Keep in mind the cult of the leader. In Catholic countries the cult of the
leader lead to fascism in the 20th century. Franco – Spain, Mussolini –
Italy, Hitler – Germany and Ustashe leader Pavelic in Croatia. Then is
Protestant and Orthodox countries the cult of the leader was obvious during
communism – Russia from Lenin onwards, East Germany – Honecker,Kadar in Hungary, Ceausescu in Romania, Novotny in Czechoslovakia. Catholic Poland had Gomulka. Greece had the Colonels.
In other words, democracy is a precious flower under threat always from
centres of power.
Read more
On Thursday at the funeral of the late Aileen Donnelly at Terenure College
(where I often had the sh.. kicked out of me), I met former Minister Mary
Flaherty who is in great physical shape. She must be paying a fortune to a
personal trainer. It was my pleasure to talk to an intelligent progressive
woman with a lot to offer.
Miriam Lord and Cathy Sheridan are not the only brilliant sketch writers.
Andrew Gimson in the Daily Telegraph is simply consistently stellar. There
is a twinkle in his eye and a skepticism in his uptake that is refreshing
and wonderful to read. Reading sketch writing is for me one of life’s real
pleasures. I simply love it. Some is deliciously naughty and the kneading
of language is wonderful to appreciate.
‘I never dared be radical when young,” wrote Robert Frost, “for fear it
would make me conservative when old.” He was right to worry. The World
Values Survey, a study of 136,000 people in 48 countries, has found that
the old Marxist idea of false consciousness is alive and well – but that,
deliciously, it is self-professed Lefties who do not realise quite how
Right-wing they are. These middle-aged socialists may have voted Labour,
and marched for CND, but their views on redistribution show that they are
keener on keeping the wealth than sharing it.
Lunchtime with Eamonn Keane was a good programme on Newstalk which had climbed to 68,000 listeners. I am very very disappointed that Eamonn Keane has resigned from Newstalk Radio, not merely because I like and respect him but because the station needs people of first rate ability and Eamonn has that. He is up there with Sean O’Rourke of RTE at the top of the rankings.
Incomes per year:
English premiership? Salary cap £4 million
Irish Rugby ? 36 million
Leinster ? 4 million
Munster ? 4 million
France:
Albi ? 8.7 million – relegated from Top 14
Montauban ?10.3 million ? relegated from Top 14
Perpignon ?12.4 million
Biarritz ?14.4 million
Racing Metro in Paris 16 million
Brive ?16 million
Toulon ?17 million (Jonny Wilkinson, Filipe Contepomi)
Clermont Auvergne ?19 million
State Francais ?21 million
Toulouse ?28.1 million
According to the IRFU, if Minister Ryan goes ahead and makes the Heineken Cup involving Irish teams free to air the loss to the IRFU will be ?12 million or 18% of income. This will not be replaced by advertising and will destroy the pool arrangement with the other Rugby Unions.