Fianna Fail Just Don’t Get It

There is an air of Alice in Wonderland about the reaction of Fianna Fail to the rejection, by the majority of the people, of the party, their policies and their handling of the economy.

Spokesperson after spokesperson trots out the line, obviously prompted by spin doctors, that they were faced with a massive economic problem caused by the global recession and banking crisis. A Fianna Fail apologist on RTE this week even went so far as to say that they “inherited” the crisis? From whom? They have been in power for years, so this disaster happened on their watch.

Fianna Fail fuelled the bubble; encouraged crazy development and speculation; splurged out on wasteful projects; presided over massive waste of money for e-voting; watched while FAS burned cash; got us into a disgraceful bargain with the criminal rapists and brutalisers in the church and allowed the banks to behave worse than gamblers running amok in a casino. They have mortgaged our futures and those of our children by putting billions into the banks. At the same time, they make the people – not the banks and developers – pay for the criminal or negligent activities of banks and builders.

We all appreciate that we have to bear some burden to get things back on track, but a bit of humility, rather than superior arrogance demonstrated by Lenihan and Ahern, for example, would be welcome, as would a genuine acknowledgement and apology for getting us into this mess. How they have the nerve to even appear on the media without admitting these failings is beyond me.

They also suggest that their problems were caused by poor communications, (another one from the spin doctors), while continuing to communicate poorly. The underlying suggestion is that the people don’t understand. Do they think we are all fools? If there is a communications problem, it is Fianna Fail that is suffering from it. They have not listened to the people for quite a long time; that’s the problem. It is very clear to me, from being on online forums all weekend following the election and from listening to radio and TV that the people understand very well what is going on in Ireland. They very clearly understand that Fianna Fail and the Green Party destroyed the country and blighted the future for so many people, while letting their banking and developer friends off the hook.

Then Dermot Ahern argues that the government has not lost the confidence of the people. Is he joking? Read the results and the RTE/Sindo exit poll, Dermot. You were roundly rejected by the people. You now have no mandate to govern and the sooner you are gone the better.

And then the best of all came from that fount of wisdom, Mary Coughlan, the incompetent, useless minister for enterprise and deputy prime minister. She tells us that Fine Gael’s call for an election was a populist move and that the Government had to focus on sustaining and creating employment. It’s a pity that they did not focus on sustaining and creating employment a bit sooner, rather than presiding over the loss of thousands of jobs and the ruin of so many lives. Their response to the recession will add to even more job losses and to our economic problems.

In Fianna Fail’s defence, however, I suppose that if they did not anticipate the deep recession we are in, despite being warned by many commentators (not least George Lee and David McWilliams), they could hardly have been expected to anticipate the electoral disaster that was about to befall them last weekend.

So what do you think? Did Fianna Fail and the Green Party get what they deserved? Should there now be a general election, as opposition parties want? Leave a comment and let me know.

Well Done Leinster

What a day for the boys in blue. I’m delighted with the Leinster win and very thankful for the support from Munster.

There is a big welcome home party at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) today from 2.30 p.m. in Dublin. Unfortunately, I won’t be there as I will be watching the end of the FBD Insurance Ras 2009, which finishes in Skerries.

So, what do you think of Leinster’s win? Leave a comment and let me know.

FBD Insurance Ras 2009

The FBD Insurance RAS 2009 ends in Skerries tomorrow. I’ll be there at the finish! For non-Irish speaking readers, ras is the Irish for race!

Heineken Cup Final 2009

I’m delighted to hear reports or the Irish radio station, RTE, that there are lots of Munster supporters in Edingurgh wearing the red of Munster and there to support Leinster against Leicester (confusing, I know) in the Heineken Cup Final 2009. A marvellous day for Irish sport and Irish rugby. Let’s hope Leinster do it and win!

Great Win for Manchester United

OK, it wasn’t exactly pretty, but Manchester United deserve all credit for winning the Premier League again for another three-in-a-row. That’s 18 wins in all, equalling Liverpool’s record.

After the match, it was a little difficult to know exactly what Tevez was talking about when he mentioned “difficulty” in staying at Old Trafford. I think it might have been a problem of his understanding the English language. I’d love to see him staying and hope he does. Ronaldo might be on the move too, but the squad seems strong enough to succeed again next year.

Here’s looking forward to a great 2009/2010 season and the 19th title !

Great Win For Leinster

It was marvellous to be in Croke Park yesterday to see Leinster annihilating Munster. What a performance! Well done to all on the Leinster side – players and supporters. It was great to see so many “true blues” there but it is always a pity to see so many Leinster people wearing red.

Nevertheless, it was a great day and a wonderful occasion at our national stadium. Croke Park was a credit to those responsible for its preparation and maintenance. The GAA should be proud.

For Culture Vultures in Fingal

The Skerries Traditional Music Weekend will take place from 15 to 17 May 2009. This is a very good weekend in Skerries with lots of musical events in pubs, clubs, and other venues.The weekend will include music sessions, workshops, dancing and general craic. So come along for a really good time in this lovely Fingal seaside town.

Also ramping up its summer programme is the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul. This renowned venue has an excellent programme of events, including the Bluegrass Patriots, Mick Hanly, Kieran Gos and many more.

Away From It All In Virginia

Virginia Park Hotel

My wife and I spent a lovely relaxing weekend staying at the Virginia Park Hotel in Co. Cavan.  The hotel is in the small town of Virginia and is less than 90 minutes from our home in north Dublin.

We arrived early on Friday evening and were immediately impressed by the beautiful grounds, which are situated on the shores of Lough Ramor. The hotel is a restored 18th century manor house, originally owned by the Marquis of Headfort, a member of the Taylor family. This family also owned Ardgillan Castle, overlooking Skerries Bay in Fingal, north Dublin.

The hotel itself is pleasingly “old world” and I loved the creaky floors; magnificent high-ceilinged rooms; interesting paintings, sculpture and furniture; narrow warren-like corridors, and quaint bedrooms. Our room had a beautiful view overlooking the lawn, Virginia Golf Club and Lough Ramor. The bedroom, although small, was very comfortable and really warm. The bathroom was very well appointed and had a fantastic shower.

Bective Court

We ate in the Marquis dining room on Friday night and our meal was delicious. The wife had pork fillet while I went for the lamb shank. Both were very well prepared, although I probably would not have chosen the tomato dressing with the lamb in hindsight. On Saturday, we just ate in the bar and that was very nice too. Breakfast was as expected – we both went for the “full Irish.”

The staff were very friendly and efficient and we enjoyed talking to the barman, Terry, each evening. He had a very quick, dry wit and entertained us greatly.

Although the weather was not great, we had a lovely relaxing time and managed to avoid most of the rain. We enjoyed pleasant walks along the shore of the lake and in the beautiful wood, which was carpeted with masses of bluebells. It was a delight.

Carpet of bluebells in Ramor Forest

We were interested to learn that the hotel is owned by Baltimore International College and is the Irish Campus for their School of Culinary Arts. They send students over to Virginia to learn the culinary arts and we had the pleasure of meeting some of them during our stay.

Although not far from Dublin, this is a lovely place to escape to and we will definitely return.

Revenue Commissioners Say Tax Evasion Becoming An Issue

As I predicted in my post on 4 February 2009, the Irish Revenue Commissioners have declared that tax evasion is becoming an issue during the current recession. According to the 9 p.m. news on RTE Television on 23 April 2009, the Revenue Commissioners are increasingly concerned at the increasing level of tax evasion and have started targeting cash businesses; this will include shops, pubs and solicitors’ offices. They will also visit construction sites to examine books and records.

Despite their efforts, I still predict that there will continue to be an increase in tax evasion and black economy working.

Ahern Dropped

Having written so recently about Noel Ahern’s amazingly inept interview on Today FM radio, I can’t say that I am either surprised or disappointed that he has been dropped from the ranks of Ministers of State in the Irish Government, as I predicted in my previous post.