Messages

RTE blocked here in north.

Does anyone have a link for a live stream for tonight's game?

http://cowped.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/a-fear-of-change.html

Currys have reduced their Blackberry Playbook Tablet from £250 to £169.

Anyone have one? Anyone know if they're any good?

http://cowped.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-or-rule-brittania.html

http://cowped.blogspot.com/2011/12/fear-and-loathing-in-dunmoyle.html

http://cowped.blogspot.com/2011/12/fear-and-loathing-in-dunmoyle.html

http://cowped.blogspot.com/2011/11/alexei-billy-bailouts-and-stuff.html

http://cowped.blogspot.com/2011/11/load-of-balls.html#comment-form

Sean Gallagher and Four Wheel Drives

I've got back into the habit of listening to the Matt Cooper's excellent drive time show on Today FM. Last Monday, as I drove home from work through torrential rain, I tuned in expecting a further update on the race for the Aras. Instead, Matt was discussing the biblical weather we'd been having with a driving expert, who was explaining the best way to deal with on road flooding. The night before, on a back road in the wilds of West Tyrone, I'd taken a chance on a puddle which turned out to be a bit more of a puddle than I'd thought. With an MOT test set for later in the week I was still worried that I'd done untold damage to the car and so Matt's expert had my attention.

As you'd expect the expert told us listeners that if in any doubt, we shouldn't even attempt to drive through a flooded stretch of road in the first place. Then, maybe recognising that when most of us do get stuck on a back road in the back arse of nowhere that we're more likely to take the plunge than turn back, Matt asked him what the maximum depth was that a car could survive unscathed from. The expert said that anything above door level was a no no. However, if you were driving a standard four wheel drive, and you hit the floodwater hard and fast and with sufficient skill, you could get through a far higher depth unscathed. In this case a pocket of air forms between the vehicle and the water to sufficiently protect it for long enough to get through. However, the expert stressed that such a manoeuvre was only really for the skilled professional, and if attempted by normal drivers like ourselves would leave us in the ditch.

I was reminded of the discussion when watching Sean Gallagher's implosion later on that night on RTE's Frontline programme. Up until then, the majority of Sean's rivals had found themselves skidding off the rails at one time or another throughout the campaign. While Mary Davis may have envisaged a Penelope Pitstop run to the park, the press laughed at her posters and christened her Quango Queen. Meanwhile, Dana was submerged by citizenship issues and family scandals. With the notorious clemency letters David Norris' run had been sunk before it started. Most agreed that the election had really caught fire with the entrance of Martin McGuinness, but had then got bogged down by a debate not necessarily about McGuinness' own past or suitability for the presidency, but on the northern troubles and the IRA's role in them. Meanwhile, Gay Mitchell had been so concerned with McGuinness that he had taken his eye off his own steering wheel. And while Michael D Higgins had managed to stay on the right track, he'd kept the head down so much he hadn't realised that Gallagher had crept up on his inside and overtaken him.

Backed by a shrewd campaign team which included ex Fianna Fail and SDLP strategists, Sean Gallagher had managed to avoid the early pile ups which had put paid to the Davis and Dana campaigns. Once things had started to get murky he had been able to time his surge, shuttling forward in the polls as the rest either stalled or drifted backwards. A protective film engulfed his run, and any negativity concerning his previous businesses or Fianna Fail links just bounced off.

Not that there was much negativity aimed in the direction of Sean Gallagher by the southern media. Once McGuinness had entered the fray, they had been caught like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights, transfixed by the apocalyptic prospect of a future seven years if he were to prosper. Any diversion from McGuinness was filled by David Norris' love life or Dana's blowout. Gallagher took full advantage.

That was until the last Monday's Frontline debate. With the heavens opening and the floodwaters rising outside, the electorate were settling down in preparation for the final TV debate. From a partially flooded hotel on the outskirts of Dublin, with just ninety minutes before the cameras were to start rolling, Martin McGuinness was taking a telephone call, and if not a piece of Kryptonite, it was enough to break the air pocket around Sean Gallagher. Indeed under normal circumstances what McGuinness had was has fairly insignificant. The idea of political fundraisers promising access to party leaders in exchange for hefty donations is fairly commonplace. It was Gallagher's reaction that sunk him.

Following the eight long minutes in which he had to compose a response he denied all knowledge of cheque, photo or who Martin was talking about, stressing that he "had never been involved in that culture." McGuinness warned prophetically that he was "in deep deep trouble."

It was Pat Kenny who brought the matter up again after a commercial break some 47 minutes later. Like the child given the chance to come clean, Kenny informed Gallagher that given the possibility that the cheque donee was prepared to come forward, did he wish to change his story. Gallagher told us that he had, "always tried to stay above negative campaigning", which is a fairly understandable tactic from someone with a fair amount of skeletons in his closet.

By this stage Sean's memory had somehow improved. His team had received a query during the week and had sent details back to the newspaper in response. The individual in question was a convicted smuggler who had rented a room to Gerry Adams for the last election, a typical associate for the Shinners. But Pat Kenny was not finished. Why then, he asked, had Gallagher attended the house of such a character and invited him to a Fianna Fail do. Raising the ghost of the 1990 election, Gallagher said that he had "no recollection" of these events. Then he mentioned the dreaded 'E' word. The rest, as they say, is history.

Some commentators have asked why Sean Gallagher did not respond in kind to Martin McGuinness. Why did he not ask him about the army council, the arms dumps, the Northern Bank? This misses the point completely. It should not have been left to McGuinness to establish Gallagher's links to Fianna Fail. It should not have been left to the man in the audience to establish that of the 100 jobs created by Gallagher that only 20 remain. It should not have been left to the woman in the audience to question the leader of the polls in the last week of a presidential election on company malpractice.

In an election held in the era of 24 hour coverage the Irish media fell asleep at the wheel. Gallagher said himself that a newspaper had made enquiries concerning Hugh Morgan's cheque in the week before the TV debate but no action had been taken. Details of his Company accounts and staff history were freely available, yet seemingly unchecked.

From Miriam O'Callaghan to Vincent Browne, from the Irish Times to the Indo, there had been a concerted campaign to derail the run of a candidate who never realistically had any hope of winning and who ended up in third place. Meanwhile, a failed property tycoon and bagman for the party who had brought the country's economy to its knees came within touching distance of the Aras.

That Sean Gallagher ended up in the ditch after the Frontline programme was not Martin McGuinness' fault.

Nor was it Pat Kenny's.

The fact is that he should have been there a lot sooner.


http://cowped.blogspot.com/

Croke Park has today confirmed that it will avail of the services of the gunboat Helga in order to prevent supporters from making it on to the pitch following today's senior football All Ireland. While traditional on field celebrations have been banned for some years, it is feared that Dublin supporters especially would attempt to celebrate on the pitch in the event of a famous victory. The Helga, which has been moored on the Liffey and is primed for use, is well known to the people of Dublin. A Croke Park Spokesman confirmed, "it would be a shame if due to the actions of a few bad apples, we were required to resort to live shelling to keep supporters off the playing surface."

The pitch invasion issue is only one of a long line on which the top brass at Croke Park are dictating to, rather than leading the rest of the grass roots players and members. 

Just off the top of my head I can think a long line of examples from this year alone, from the Wexford Goalie being forced to apologise to Clubs being told they need prior authority before live streaming. Before the visit of the Queen all discussion about the visit, either for or against, were banned. Even last week the Drumragh club from Tyrone were prevented from their 15 minutes of fame on the pitch after soloing all the way from Omagh in aid of the Micheala Foundation. And still we have the Hill 16 screens, like something out of an English ground mid eighties.

Paddy Heaney mentioned it yesterday in the Irish News. But Paddy may have to watch himself. Look what happened to Eugene Magee in the Indo when he had the audacity to criticise GAA top brass.

Somebody once memorably said on this board that when they were building Croke Park they told us that we'd be landlords, but once it was up we were mere patrons. In the last couple of years they've branded us trespassers.

Ziggy's totally right in that you meet people on the pitch after an all-ireland that you wouldn't have saw in years. 

People say that the GAA needs a Dubs win, which I think is balls, but if I could be sure they'd make it on to the pitch afterwards they'd have my full support.

I want to be part of a GAA like it was when I was running to Tyrone games with my da and brothers in the 80's, not one which issues dictates reminiscent of Stalinist Russia, makes a fool of one of its players by forcing a humiliating public apology. Not a money hungry corporation that tries to fleece its members for some crap concert on the night before the all Ireland as well as charging them e80 for the actual match the next day, just because they know that most would pay it whatever the price.

I'd been meaning to get something written for ages but only got round to it in the last week or so. See what yous think:

http://www.cowped.blogspot.com/

Here's hoping for Plan B on Sunday week.

I got an aeriel on the roof in January to get a better freeview reception.

At the time fella said i could pay another £100 for an rte aeriel which probably wouldnt work (house in south belfast) or i could wait six months when id get rte through freeview.

Six months nearly up but havent heard anything in news about extended saorview to north.

Anybody else hear anything?

Sent you through details, Gerry.

The Cavan fellas accept that their style is "robust."

Wednesday nights referee took a particular view on the tackle and when to issue a yellow.

On another night another referee could have went for the yellow and maybe even the red on a number of occasions. If Cavan get that other referee tonight they could be in bother.

This isnt a slight against Cavan or a particular style of play, its a criticism of the degree of inconsistency in refereeing from one game to the next and those in control who have let such inconsistencies florish.

If we take it that what was let go on Wednesday night will be let go for the rest of the Championship then fair enough. But we all know that this wont be the case.

Surely Im allowed to make a point without being accoused of sour grapes...

Seems a few on here need to check the rule book on what constitutes a fair shoulder...