tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68950140236826317792010-06-19T21:22:16.125+01:00"Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear"Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-57362425112705097982010-06-17T09:31:00.009+01:002010-06-17T12:44:01.987+01:00

The big day has arrived for the Fine Gael parliamentary party and by the end of the day we'll know... well, at least a little more.Will Fine Gael split in 'Official' and 'Provisional' sections? Will Kenny take Bruton's head and by extension his power, making him an unstoppable force in Irish politics? Will Bruton triumph and be hailed by the good people of Ireland as our next Taoiseach? Will his

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-66565601835963558722010-06-15T14:38:00.007+01:002010-06-17T10:17:32.063+01:00

Say what you like about Fine Gael, but they're nothing if not entertaining. Miriam O'Callaghan just described the events of the last few days as "mind-boggling shenanigans" and you'd be hard pressed to disagree with her.Where do Fine Gael go from here? It's clear that Enda and Richard are no longer a viable double act. If Enda Kenny pulls off what now seems like a shock win on Thursday, the party

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-40863802072922784962010-06-14T20:05:00.010+01:002010-06-15T09:59:50.364+01:00

What a few days it's been for FG and Irish politics. Enda Kenny lays down a motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach, the man who was Minister for Finance while our economy went into a tailspin we won't emerge from for many years. Then the Irish Times publishes a poll and Richard Bruton pulls out the knife for Enda Kenny!Bruton's timing shows real political naivete. When the focus should be on

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-23829819100880808122010-06-04T23:16:00.009+01:002010-06-04T23:43:51.753+01:00

There's not a lot more that I can add to this video which went up on Gideon Rachman's blog on the FT.com yesterday. It's well worth a look. You'll laugh but then unfortunately you'll cry. (Thanks to Will for passing it on.)

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-62491876856782828442010-05-26T19:42:00.013+01:002010-05-26T20:58:16.610+01:00

Let's be honest, the good people of Northern Ireland have never had it so good. No more 'Troubles' after all. But the last year or so has been a different kind of bad. Or maybe it should just be described as 'weird.' I'll let you make your own mind up.First their Environment Minister, the bawld Sammy Wilson, told the world that he believes that global warming is a scam.The papists, or the fenians

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-57470058680251436422010-05-21T09:55:00.012+01:002010-05-21T10:38:12.489+01:00

IT BEGAN, as epic journeys often do, with a voicemail. "Harry, call me back immediately, this is really, really urgent." By the time I got around to listening to the message from Graham an hour later, there were three more accompanying it. The first was his brother, Will; “Harry, call Graham as soon as you get this. It’s important.” The next was a stressed sounding Graham; “Harry, this is

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-55079249819251415142010-05-21T09:31:00.003+01:002010-05-21T09:42:29.401+01:00

I've been a bad blogger this past three weeks and I'd like to apologise for my absence. A combination of procrastination, impending work and college deadlines and a trip to a biker bar in Germany all collided in the perfect storm to prevent me from blogging. More on the biker bar anon. I'm sorry to say, this weekend will see no improvement in service as I'm making a pilgrimage to Paris

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-79337131496238935272010-04-27T12:54:00.011+01:002010-05-09T02:13:20.452+01:00

Last night was somewhat of a watershed for our political system.Despite Pontius Cowen washing his hands over Maire Geoghegan-Quinn and her enormous pension, ("I do not want to get involved in particular issues") last night our greedy commissioner finally admitted that she was wrong for screwing the state.Just not in so many words. Instead she has asked for her Dáil and ministerial pensions to be

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-65486196529603798012010-04-14T17:30:00.004+01:002010-04-14T22:55:13.068+01:00

About 6 months ago the joke doing the rounds went something like this:Q.What's the difference between Iceland and Ireland?A. One letter and about 6 months!We all laughed, at least until the British and American's started re-telling it. Then we got very offended, especially when the British press (predictably late) got a hold of it.There was a hint of Paddywhackery about the way it played out in

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-1227275694424008062010-04-01T10:20:00.008+01:002010-04-01T20:51:36.469+01:00

This video from the good people at The Onion featured on the Tom Dunne show this morning on Newstalk (thankfully, no-one was defamed) and given the day that's in it and of course the interesting times we live in, I thought it might be of interest.

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-54517709270294913252010-03-30T22:23:00.016+01:002010-04-01T14:31:27.560+01:00

When you look back on the past, from the vantage of the twilight years of life, there are occasions that stand out as being particularly memorable.The first kiss; graduation; buying your first home; marriage; the birth of the first child; retirement; and of course the day you bought your first bank.Wait, what now?Oh yes, yes, I remember now, it seems like only yesterday; when the Irish government

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-77730403248742809612010-03-24T09:19:00.010Z2010-03-25T12:38:01.492Z

Was there ever a more unfortunate vessel than the good ship Ireland? As if it isn't enough to be traversing a choppy sea, surrounded by economic icebergs & bad weather, the Captain of the ship is the moral and mental equivalent of a drunk asleep at the wheel.This week's cabinet reshuffle was an unsurprising let-down, where Ireland's most uninspiring, unimaginative Taoiseach since DeValera,

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-33753839197276850372010-03-10T19:07:00.007Z2010-03-11T15:43:14.787Z

Our democracy, our economy, our country is being managed by incompetent idiots. There really is no escaping this fact any more.Not only are the masters of our destiny not that bright, they are woefully unqualified to lead us out of the sticky mess that they've gotten us into.On what basis do I make this bold claim?There are examples far too numerous to list, but lets take the handling of the

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-67729743102853461812010-03-03T22:23:00.004Z2010-03-03T23:04:58.507Z

An interesting thing happened yesterday; AIB's share price rose by %2.5. Not the good news story it may initially seem though.The rise was on the back of the company announcing that they made a €2.6 billion pre-tax loss in 2009.In Ireland in 2010, a €2.6 billion loss by a bank is good news!It's a cautionary tale of the topsy-turvy times we live in when announcing a €2.6 billion loss is seen as a

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-78752921577808976622010-02-24T22:54:00.007Z2010-02-25T10:21:46.582Z

There's been a lot of discussion over the past few weeks about the mysterious assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai and the use of fake Irish, British, French & German passports by the assassins. Despite their fulsome denial; "Israel never responds, never confirms and never denies", lets call a highly organised assassination by Mossad a highly organised assassination by Mossad. The Israeli

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-4759611810450482852010-02-08T15:17:00.005Z2010-02-08T21:46:48.032Z

More on this to follow, but for now here's the full text of George Lee's statement:"I wish to announce that I have resigned from the Fine Gael Party and from my seat in Dáil Eireann today Monday 8th February 2010. It has been a very difficult decision, but it is one that I have taken after a great deal of reflection on my position and on the role that I have been playing in Fine Gael since I

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-61299314186165829322010-01-27T13:03:00.005Z2010-02-08T21:45:44.626Z

It's very rare that I'm in favour of our government spending money (our money, remember).It's a feeling that precedes the 'current economic climate' (or whatever the latest euphemism is for the crap we find ourselves in.)It's not that I don't believe in state administered roads, hospitals, social welfare etc: On the contrary, given human kinds inherent selfish, illogical nature, important

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-21146336372909666412009-05-13T20:37:00.019+01:002010-01-27T13:33:01.756Z

Oy vey! When will FF learn? While the country goes into the worst financial meltdown since, well, ever, while the head of the National Treasury Management Agency warns the Daíl's Public Accounts Committee that Ireland will be lucky to hold on to it's final AAA credit rating, and our numerically-challenged Minister for Finance admits that in all likelihood a quarter of a million more Irish people

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-57681352533160543922010-01-20T10:12:00.015Z2010-01-20T11:25:46.647Z

So there we have it: We're going to have an enquiry into the banking crisis, but most of it will be held in private.Over the next few weeks the Opposition parties will be accused by FF and the Green's of making political capital out a serious national issue, in an effort to deflect criticism of their flaccid investigation, but Labour and FG are right to point out that this is a whitewash.As John

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-53713129981065907602010-01-15T11:06:00.020Z2010-01-15T23:56:51.915Z

It's hard to fathom now that soccer was once Ireland's most high profile and popular sport.Through the near constant recession of the late 1980's and early 1990's though, soccer was one of the few things that Ireland had to keep it's spirits up, as a medley of first and second generation Irish passport holders from England led us to historic victories against amongst others, England.Arguably (at

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-61858432125685616372010-01-08T11:26:00.007Z2010-01-08T12:24:15.750Z

Well, I don't think any of us were expecting that. Who knew that there was sex in Northern Ireland? And extramarital sex nonetheless!I think anyone who watched the Spotlight Special on BBC1 Northern Ireland last night has to agree that there are lots of questions to be answered:Firstly, how did Peter Robinson go into the Northern Ireland Assembly and make merry on the same day that his wife

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-63973560286027812492010-01-07T10:43:00.008Z2010-01-08T10:43:47.188Z

Ireland is in a State of Emergency and our 'leaders' are nowhere to be found. Why am I not surprised?We've had 20 days of freezing weather and has there been a statement from the Minister for the Environment or the Minister for Transport? Or any leadership of any kind from the Taoiseach or Tánaiste? No.Minister Gormley is "very busy" and Minister Dempsey has been on holiday since the 29th of

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-31213542823461382152010-01-06T18:16:00.013Z2010-01-06T18:48:28.225Z

So as it turns out, at roughly the same time that Iris Robinson, wife of Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, was telling victims of homophobic attacks that they were "an abomination" and comparing homosexuality to murder and child sexual abuse, she was having an affair.Unsurprisingly, given Iris's particular penchant for the fire and brimstone of the Old Testament (rather than the

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-39739329803034437872009-12-12T01:01:00.008Z2009-12-13T10:31:35.182Z

Thanks to some amazing work byPaul "not just at election time" Gogarty, we now know what we should be calling government TD's next time we see them.We could start with just one or two if we pass them in the street and were pressed for time, or if they call to our door or otherwise try and engage us in conversation we could use the whole lot, some of them twice: BratBufoonChancerCommunistCorner

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6895014023682631779.post-55834576691195783302009-12-07T17:20:00.007Z2009-12-08T01:01:33.156Z

It's easy to poke fun at politicians in Ireland at present, especially our current government.After all, when the plaudits are rolling in from a lazy, unquestioning media for an over inflated, property bubble economy, they are more than happy to take the credit for it.But with the bluebird of happiness long gone and the chicken of depression perched on our windowsill, our glorious leaders are

Harryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756754459167063173noreply@blogger.com0