Roche, ELDR Vice President via Stephen Spillane,
As well as the appointments made by the European Council last night (more on that later), another recent appointment has come to my knowledge. Dick Roche, the current Minister for Europe, has been made a Vice-President of the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Party (ELDR) . From what I am hearing, a lot of people are not happy about this.
Pat Cox, the former President of the ELDR is not a happy man from what I hear, and the youth wing LYMEC (who I have blogged previously about here) are also not a happy bunch. LYMEC are actually threatening to vote en masse against anything Fianna Fail put forward at ELDR Congress (which is currently ongoing in Barcelona) meaning that nothing Fianna Fail want will happen.The Dutch Liberals, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)...
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Maire Geoghegan Quinn’s statement on her nomination to be Ireland’s next commissioner is below the fold.
“In the immediate future, I will be working with the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and with An Taoiseach Brian Cowen T.D. on the issue of my future responsibilities and portfolio allocation within the European Commission,” she said. “Secondly, I will have to prepare comprehensively for a ratification hearing that will then take place within the European Parliament.”
Mrs Geoghegan-Quinn served as Minister for European Affairs from 1987 – 1991, during which time she worked closely with the European Parliament in 1990 when Ireland held the Presidency of the European Union. During the past nine years she has been a...
On the day it emerges that AIB will merge the position of chief executive and chairman – contravening pretty solid principles of corporate governance – and install Dan O Connor in the position from within the bank, Brian Lenihan’s credibility takes a further dent as he comes bottom of the pile in this year’s ranking of top EU finance ministers by the Financial Times.
Christine Lagard of France takes top spot, with Peer Steinbruck behind. The credibility rating for Lenihan will take a further hit as the FT digests the news that the incoming AIB executive chairman and managing director will be paid in excess of the recommended pay caps:
Mr Doherty, AIB’s preferred choice as chief executive, is set to be appointed to the new post of managing director in a...
Magic Numbers.I've been trying to read up on my economics. While its always been a relevant subject and necessary for anyone who has an interest in progressive politics its really hit the limelight now. The dismal science has many arcane and complex theories. Two of which were discovered by the southern media. The first is TINA - There Is No Alternative. Its the southern media's catch all theory thats applied once exhaustion sets in. Its most recent outing has been with Nama. But the second is economics at its best. Its the Magic Number theory.First I learned of it was yesterday in the Sunday Tribune. Shane Coleman, Political editor and dabbler in economic theory was the man of the moment.In a rather long article questioning whether Fine Gael and Labour had the bottle to make difficult...
Fianna Fail will nominate Cllr James Carroll – Louth County Councillor and parliamentary assisatnt to Margaret Conlon for one of the two Seanad seats to be filled at the forthcoming Seanad election. You might remember him from his scintillating blog posts during the local elections (he is also one of Suzy’s stepford candiates). It looks like Alan Kelly’s seat will be filled by the Green Party.
It also emerged last night that the Green Party will fill a vacancy in the Upper House caused by the election of Labour’s Alan Kelly to the European Parliament in June. This seat is on the agricultural panel. However, the Greens last night would not comment on the development.
Party whips from Fianna Fáil and the Greens in the Seanad had agreed on alternating replacements for...
The Government is said to be a little ‘optimistic’ about our prospects for next year. This is despite the slow slippage of budgetary targets in data released last week and to be followed up with the pre-budget outlook tomorrow.
We know that the target revenue for this year is already €2.75bn behind the April budget’s figures. It now looks like the debt to GDP ratio (which is vital in the context of the EU stability and growth pact and our commitments to cut spending and raise taxes) will hit a targets of 12% for 2010.
That is over a year behind where they wanted it to be. Have a look at Minister Lenihan’s April speech:
Without this supplementary Budget the general government deficit would have been 12¾% of GDP reflecting the large gap needed to fund the...
One good cut (in time saves nine ...)!
The biggest gimmick of last week must have been Lonely Planet’s inclusion of Cork in its ten best destinations for 2010. Oh come off it like, as we say around here. What sort of a langerated idea is this? Or to put it another way, ‘Do you think like we came down in the last shower?’
Marketing by Lonely Planet, I think. Not that the ‘tourish (sic) industry’ didn’t dine out on it for a few days and clap themselves on the back. It was just what they needed: ‘Oh come here, really do, so we can RIP you off big big time.’
But anyway, none of this is to take away from the fact that we are special down here in Cork. Everyone knows that. Any by way of an example, here is what I have to offer up –...
In case you missed it, Peter O Rourke is a consultant in Letterkenny – yes we are supposed to hate them but hear this one out.
Senior consultant surgeon Peter O’Rourke has revealed he and two colleagues were being paid to sit around doing nothing while operating theatres were lying empty at Letterkenny General Hospital, Co Donegal.
“The Government is paying me a large sum of money to sit around doing nothing,” said the bored surgeon, who earns around €225,000 a year, almost eight times the average industrial wage.
Despite lists of people in pain waiting for hip and knee replacements, the hospital has put off all so-called “elective” procedures until at least next year in a drive to save money. It has budget overruns of €2.7m.
Dr O’Rourke, who...
Michael McGrath
A NEW report has recommended the establishment of a new family support centre in Carrigaline, which would provide a base for support services across the town.
The report, which was drawn up by the Carrigaline? Family Support Initiative, was put together to look at the current level of family? support services available in the area and to establish what the future family support ?needs are and to make recommendations based on these needs.
It found that while the town has already implemented a number of key social support services, that a new family support centre now needs to be developed in the suburb.
Local TD, Deputy Michael McGrath has welcomed the new report, which he says, will provide the blueprint for the provision of ?family support services in Carrigaline for...
Kenneth O'Flynn
IN a recent election for the Fianna Fáil Ard Chomhairle, Cork based Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn topped the poll in Munster and received the most votes of any councillor nationally.
Running for the Munster Councillor’s Representative, O’Flynn put in a hard fought and very professional campaign to get elected to his Party’s governing body. After a phone and letter writing campaign which impressed many Munster councillors many of whom normally are unaware of the position even existed, O’Flynn reaped the rewards of his hard work and was elected.
Speaking about his election the Cork based Councillor said, “I am delighted that I got elected. I am delighted to have the opportunity to reflect the interests of Councillors in Munster. It is a huge honour to serve on the...
(Left: the first President of the European Council? Dream on, John...)John Bruton, former Taoiseach and slimy toad who fawns at the feet of any foreign power that will deign him a royal nod, has received the backing of our current Taoiseach and Dear Leader Brian Cowen to become the President of the European Council, a post created when/if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. This at a time when the likes of Tony Blair, Jean-Claude Juncker and other former heads of European governments are vying for the position.Bruton is currently EU ambassador to Washington DC (yes, the EU has ambassadors) where last year he had to explain to Americans "in a personal capacity" as to why his Irish compatriots had had the sheer gall to vote No in the first Lisbon Treaty referendum. Before that he had implied...
