Topics

[40]

RedC/PaddyPower 23rd Feb:
FG 40 +1,
Lab 18 +1,
FF 15 -1,
SF 10 -1,
Green 3 +1
Ind 14

[37]

Irish Times Poll: 21/02/2011
FG 37 +4
Lab 19 -5
FF 16 +1
SF 11 -1
Green 2 +1
Other 15

[39]

Sunday 20-02-2011

SBP/RedC poll:

FG 39 (+1) 
Lab 17 (-3)
FF 16 (+1)
SF: 12 (+2)
Greens 2 (-1)
Ind 14

Milward Browne

FG 37 (-1)
Lab 20 (-3)
FF 16 (+4)
SF 12 (+2)
Greens 1
Ind 14 (-2)

Red C SBP 13.2:

FG 38% (+3)
Lab 20 (-2)
FF 15 (-2)
SF 10 (-3)
Ind 14 (+3)
G 3(+1)

Found this on www.politics.ie

A poster opened a thread based on an Irish News Article stating that Fine Gael intends to allow Northern voters particapate in choosing our Head of State.

http://www.politics.ie/fine-gael/151662-fine-gael-northern-voters-get-say-who-becomes-president.html

Just noticed this on politics.ie by a poster

"Yesterday, Martin was asked by Ivan Yates on Newstalk breakfast if he favoured a united Ireland, did he favour a unitary state, to which Martin replied "in terms of people, but not in terms of geography or state"

http://www.politics.ie/fianna-fail/149904-micahel-martin-no-united-ireland.html

Ahern shows his contempt for the ordinary people of Ireland. The Sniggering Slimey Snake.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/

Have you ever had to emigrate from the Island of Ireland?

Thought I would redirect you to their website

http://www.fiannafail.ie/

Prime Time Investigates - 20/12/2010 - The Developers

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1087511

Taken from politics.ie "Red C / SBP Poll FG 34, LAB 23, FF 17, SF 14 GR 2, Others 10"

Both Fine Gael and Sinn Fein have improved on their last Red C Poll, more losses for Labour and a continued poor performance for Fianna Fáil.

I was just wondering how many people on here feel they get judged a little unfairly both here and in real life based on the parties they align with or because they don't align with anyone.

Here are some thoughts of fair or unfair comments against some of the main political movements on this Island

Fine Gael
- West Brit
- Partionist
- Country & Western
- D4

Irish Labour
- Trade Union Pawn
- Beholding to FG, FF and now SF
- Not a real Left Wing Party
- Bluffers (FG, FF and SF have laid their cards on the table and Gilmore waffels)

Sinn Fein
- Terrorist
- Thug
- Lacking in Proper Economic Policies
- Northern Irish Party pretending to be All-Island

Fianna Fail
- Corrupt/Traitor
- Gombeen
- Clientelism
- Galway Tent/Bankers/Builders & top Trade Unionists.

SDLP
- Castle Catholic
- Cap in hand
- The Past
- A wasted Nationalist vote

Ulster Unionist
- Orange State (its all there fault)
- Sell outs
- Would join the Republic for the right price
- A waste of a Unionist vote

DUP
- Religious Zealots
- Right Wing
- Cruel
- Not real Unionists, actually Northern Irish Protestant Nationalists (Independent Ulster (Imaginary Northern Ireland))

UKIP
- Anti-European
- Anti-Irish
- Irrelevant
- Spoils the Unionist vote

Irish Green
- Flaky
- Fianna Fail pawns
- D4
- Hippy

Socialist/Left
- Unrealistic
- Unpatriotic (International Socialism)
- Communist
- Irrelevant

Alliance
- Flaky
- Undecided
- Who and what the f**k do you do
- Closet Unionist

Independent
- One Issue wonders
- Anti-Irish/Anit-British democrats because they are local issues ahead of their country
- Jackie Healy Rae
- Michael Lowery

Non-Aligned
- Uninterested
- Unimportant
- Easy to manipulate with a good budget
- Politically illiterate

Others
- WHAT?

So when someone gets a sniff of your view you get judged before you even speak.

Why do Northern Irish Nationalists call St.Stephens or Stephens Day, Boxing Day? Cannot understand this, have met quite a few recently who didn't even know what I was talking about when I said Stephens Day.

Is it more common up in the 6 to call it Boxing Day rather than Stephens Day?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1215/pay.html

Details of State bonuses revealed
Updated: 16:04, Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Dept of Finance - 100 extra payments made to officials
O'Dowd gathers Public Service bonuses information

Details of bonuses awarded to civil servants and State officials across a range of Government departments and semi-State agencies have been revealed.

The information was given in response to parliamentary questions tabled by Fine Gael Spokesman on Education and Skills Fergus O'Dowd.

Up to 100 extra payments were made to officials in the Department of Finance.

Former Chief Executive of the National Treasury Management Agency Dr Michael Somers was paid €200,000 as a performance-related bonus for last year.

Mr O'Dowd, who got details of the payments in a reply to questions to the Dáil, said the payments are unjustified at a time when social welfare payments have been cut and others in the public sector have already seen their wages reduced.

The Department of Finance said that these payments were made only to assistant principals and principal officers in their department, under the terms of the 1994 National Pay Agreement and that their pay has actually been cut by 17% in the last two years.

The revelation comes two days after Finance Minister Brian Lenihan tried to force AIB not to pay nearly €40m in bonuses to some of its staff.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has told the Dáil that to conflate the bonuses received by public servants working in the Department of Finance with bonuses awarded to banking staff is not comparing like with like.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called on the Taoiseach to order a complete review of the pay of higher public servants.

The Taoiseach defended the bonuses, saying they were part of the existing pay pots of those pay grades and that the average payment was between €2,000 and €2,500.

Just wondering do people agree Atheists are the new group that the theists have a go at. Today at work one of my colleagues an Indian Catholic managed to get out of me that I was an Atheist. Suddenly I had 3 English Catholics, 2 English Protestants and Indian Catholic and a Bengali Muslim all joining forces to attack my views. One even asked did I worship the devil (Indian Catholic) she was supported in this question by ALL of the others. FCKN theists haven't an fckn clue, all I could think was Satan is a fckn FALSE GOD like ALL the REST of the your fckn Nimrods FALSE DEITIES.

I was just wondering how many people would vote for Fianna Fail in the future. This is open to lads in the North and elsewhere, basically if you could, would you?

O.K. most people here know I'm a Fine Gaeler, so thats me declaring straight out. I just feel so frustrated and demoralised about the condition of our state and the future for the Irish state. I feel like someone has stabbed me in my heart, as I love my country so much.

I'm sure I'll get a bashing from some because of this poll, but I am very interested into seeing will people forgive and forget what Fianna Fail have done to us.

[Jim McDaid resigns Dáil seat]

Former Minister Jim McDaid resigns his Dáil seat. It has been accepted by the Dail clerk.

Thats a 4'th bye-election that the Govt. have to call

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1102/mcdaid.html

Jim McDaid resigns Dáil seat

Updated: 10:53, Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Former minister Jim McDaid has resigned his seat in the Dáil. It is understood the Donegal North East TD's resignation will be submitted to the Ceann Comhairle this morning.


Jim McDaid - Government sources say they were not relying on his vote in the Dáil

Former minister Jim McDaid has resigned his seat in the Dáil.

It is understood the Donegal North East TD's resignation will be submitted to the Ceann Comhairle this morning, and then laid in the Oireachtas library.

Although the Oireachtas authorities will not confirm that the resignation has been submitted, RTÉ News understands that it was given to the Clerk of the Dáil for transmission to the Ceann Comhairle.


Dr McDaid has been outside the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party since he opposed Government policy on the cervical cancer issue.

In November 2008 Dr McDaid abstained on a vote on a Fine Gael motion calling for the cervical cancer vaccination programme to go ahead. He automatically lost the party whip then.


Dr McDaid said during the debate that even though these were difficult economic times, the withdrawal of a life-saving vaccine was not a move he could support.

In November last year he withdrew his support for the Government, saying he would consider voting against it 'if and when necessary'.

Government sources say they were not relying on Dr McDaid's vote in the Dáil, and are confident of retaining a majority in the House.

The resignation brings the number of vacancies in the Dáil to four.

State of the parties

With four vacant seats - due to resignations of George Lee, Martin Cullen and Jim McDaid, and the election of Pat the Cope Gallagher to the European Parliament - there are 162 sitting TDs.

The Ceann Comhairle does not vote unless there is a tie, which means 81 votes is a majority.

At present, there are 70 TDs in the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, six Greens, and three Independents - Mary Harney, Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy Rae - committed to supporting the Government.

In addition, there are three TDs outside the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party who usually vote with the Government - Mattie McGrath, Jimmy Devins and Eamon Scanlon. The Government has the committed support of 79 TDs, with another three who usually vote with it.

On the other side are 51 Fine Gael, 20 Labour, and 4 Sinn Féin TDs, giving 75 votes firmly committed against the Government.

There are four Independents who tend to, although not always, vote against the Government - Joe Behan, Noel Grealish, Finian McGrath and Maureen O'Sullivan.

[Recession blamed for 25% surge in suicides]

They where discussing this on Newstalk today and it just made me think is this guy proud of himself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjGSfuSQpA and how he has destroyed a nation and generations of Irishmen and women 

Recession blamed for 25% surge in suicides
By Stephen Rogers

Wednesday, June 30, 2010



SPIRALLING debt, marriage breakdown and depression caused by the recession are being blamed for the alarming 25% rise in the number of recorded suicides.



Just weeks after the head of the National Office for Suicide Prevention Geoff Day warned an annual figure of more than 500 deaths would be a "national disaster", the Central Statistics Office confirmed the 2009 total was 527, up from 424 the previous year.

However, experts say the figure could be far higher. An additional 195 "deaths by undetermined intent" were recorded by the CSO, a high proportion of which may have been suicide.

Mr Day said the latest figures reflected international evidence that during an economic downturn suicide numbers increase.

"The scale of the increase between 2008 and 2009 is most concerning," he said.

"Of particular concern is the fact that the main increase in suicides is in the 25 to 44 year age group. This again is in line with the international research."

The spike in suicides last year was the highest annual rise in a decade, with indications that the figure in 2010 will be higher still.

International Association of Suicide Prevention president Dan Neville said there are a number of county coroners who are either very slow to bring in a verdict of suicide or who simply refuse to bring in such a verdict. He also pointed to the 195 "deaths by undetermined intent" recorded in the CSO statistics released.

"I am extremely concerned at the level of undetermined deaths which, in some countries, are recorded in the suicide statistics even though the person is not recorded as having committed suicide," he said.

"The figure of 195 would be seen as especially high by international and domestic suicidologists."

He called for a re-examination of the criteria used to decide on a suicide verdict in the coroner's courts.

Mr Neville said while he understood coroners' sensitivity towards the feelings of the families of suicide victims, a failure to record suicide where applicable "does not give full knowledge to the prevention campaigners, researchers and the Government".

Mr Neville also said one had to take into account the number of deaths each year for which no evidence of suicide is apparent but which might have resulted from people trying to take their own lives.

Paul Kelly, head of Console which offers support to the families of suicide victims as well as those contemplating taking their life, said his organisation had noticed a huge increase in demand for its services.

"We have got waiting lists for people to access professional counselling and support. This increase does not come as a surprise to us. We have noticed on our 1Life helpline for those in suicidal crisis, that there has been a huge increase in the number of people who are finding the impact of the downturn of the economy quite a strain with job losses, financial worry, fear of house repossession and marital strain. They feel a great sense of hopelessness and can't see a way out."

He said he would not be surprised if the rates of suicide increased further when the next statistics are released.

* 1Life suicide helpline 1800 247100





This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, June 30, 2010


Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/home/recession-blamed-for-25-surge-in-suicides-123790.html#ixzz0yIZJoeXq

Tristan + Isolde (2006) 

Anyone else watching this heap of historically inaccurate tripe was it commissioned by the Orange Order or something!