Brian Greene

Stephen Collins in today’s Irish times (page 13) writes about an anomaly where the number of TDs per constituency is set by the population size via census not by the citizenship of the constituency.

1. this is only an anomaly if you want to disenfranchise non Irish citizens and Irish babies, children and youth up to the age of 18

2. Collins holds up an anomaly, there is none, the constitution says population and the boundary commission uses population, No anomaly there!

3. Should a non Irish citizen be less represented than an Irish Citizen? No.

4. Are there more Irish Citizens that stay at home and don’t vote than the “anomaly” Collins thinks he has uncovered? yes.

5. All the population are entitled to representation.

6. So the two Constituencies that are least represented are Dublin West & Dublin North which should return two Socialist Party deputies at the next election. Memories of Gerrymandering.

7. Collins argues that areas that have had decreasing populations (i call it empty nest syndrome) have higher proportion of Irish citizens than DW & DN, this is an “anomaly”?

8. The votes are secret ballot. All TDs / Councillors in my area represent me. But they wont should I disagree with their policies and planning ideas etc. So in general the best way I have of getting represented, and particularly for marginalised population is to have a public representative that is voted in by me/them, ideal with STV PR and not ideal in a first past the post system. Much more possible if the number of TDs is proportionate to the population not the voters (over 18) or Irish citizens.

Perhaps the real anomaly is that we take your Income Tax, Value Added Tax on your mars bar (and Irish Times), road tax TV licence, waste charges tax, capital gains, stamp duty, but if your not an Irish citizen living here you can not vote, so we will give your area less TDs! Perhaps Collins should look into the vote for the non Irish Citizen, rather than think that the constitution has an anomaly and that areas really are not under represented.

No taxation without representation becomes ”all tax no representation“ anomaly

this shot of the front of the daily express (ireland:yuk) is from mid election campaign in ireland, feel good factor headline. Any one got last thursdays evening herald snapped?

Niall Gormley (Northside People) wrote a good piece on the demise of the Vincent Browne Show on RTE Radio 1.

apologies I can’t link to the text its only in print in this weeks Northside People

He dismisses the number crunching that I think is JNLR based. I disagree here, flawed or not the numbers may be inaccurate but at least they are consistently inaccurate allowing us to compare station against station and quarter on quarter. But Niall fixes in on the fact the 20,000 listeners as a bottom base is still way too many to drop a show (and he has a point) I heard commercials on the VB 2nite show, im sure I did, wogan interiors! anyone else hear commercial advertising during that late night show?

He suggests that RTE’s resource excuse is thin, suggesting RTE can take this show online or split frequency MW/LW and have muzak on FM – I like the idea, couldn’t radio schedulers who work in the business come to this conclusion or do RTE really not want VB anymore.

Gormley fails to reach the conclusion I reach. The bourgeoisisation of RTE Donnybrook Dublin 4.

Listen to radio1 and you will feel that pseudo D4 suits run it, own it, programme it and listen to it. Yes the rest of the Irish population and diaspora listen (agreed, see yestersdays happy clappy JNLR numbers for Radio1) but the day and night is filled with market loving SSIA promoting rugger boys! and Brown was the last man standing in the sticky corner the FF’ers used to red scare about. FF’ers hated RTE so much in 1988 things happened like the CAP, the century radio setup, the forcing of RTE to carry independent signals on their network and the proposed privatisation of 2FM, we even had a module dedicated to the century radio antics of rambo in the tribunals, tribunals – browne getting the link?

Browne v Bertie (and Mara) during May ‘07 election, the summer stand in choices by RTE radio1 and the gifting of half price legal costs to Bev Flynn TD (indie FF) are not isolated actions, its RTE doing what modern RTE does well. They are the Irish marketing department for James Murdochs Sky TV.

The sale of their OB unit, the audience council, their lack of vision in DAB DTT and HD, and their abject failure to offer DVB direct to home Free To Air.

The problem is not the losing of tonight with VB, we have lost an entire national broadcaster to the whims and wishes of an elite few who are driving RTE to a place far away from where Irish people are, case in point the afternoon show (rte1 tv), packed with fashion and hand bags worth €1000’s not to giggle at but to aspire to and the same goes for its food fascism and body image and money advice. By, for and devoted to an elite that we Irish are not.

If this was the other way round the press would call it a coup, a revolution a take over. Keep paying the licence fee, i think their salaries are going to need it.

Now: [press release from minister of state Tony Killeen TD]

Then: his views on the dangers to Shannon recorded some time before the ‘07 Election for the RTE Radio show the constituency

fast forward to 13:09 MP3

“there are people who will forever feel I suppose that Shannon is under threat and some of them will be doing that for political reasons” Tony Killeen TD

[this MP3 is not flash playable as it is chip'ed]

bizarre day; i walked contra flow to the traffic of TDs heading to the Mass on westland row for the blessing of the 30th Dail Major govt. limo pile up outside the church with Special Branch escort to get to holy communion in time, before confession. Bless me father for i have sinned (big time) its been 5 years since me last confession (not before a tribunal!) I stole and then I lied just because you asked me to but now you know the truth about me you won’t see me anymore well, I’m still fond of you Gaud.

Just as the journos were finished writing that this new govt. hadn’t a prayer, there they were kneeling down to God. In the name of the Indo and of the Sun and of the daily mail amen…..

I was Gonna stop the Garda and asked you died. I thought it was a FG’er as most faces i was seeing were FG, like Brian Hayes in the coffee shop near the church and other FG faces. Then I saw Trevor Sargent and (was it his mother?) walking down to the top of Clare Street. Loads of RTE umbrellas have been stolen by TDs over the years, or were they benefit in kind!

It was pissing rain all day. every face on the packed DART home was down and gloomy, is it just the weather or are people realizing that the public gets what the public wants and like Paris Hilton they are NOT happy even if the SSIA is being spent as we speak. Cheer up Ireland – it could be worse – we could France or the UK or Italy! when perpetual mismanagement of our economy extends out beyond the 10-year guarantee of Teflon, then Bertie is bollixed! and so is Ireland.

page 32 of the Green Party 2007 manifesto

* end the use of Shannon Airport by US military forces involved in the war in Iraq;
* insist that any aircraft suspected of involvement in illegal movements of prisoners must be searched.

the bolded item as bolded in the manifesto seems to be the one that got away, the extraordinary renditions piece was of lesser importance to the substantive use of an Irish Airport. While the GP will argue its not possible to get everything they want they are supporting my position that all coalitions are wrong post election, if they want to Green up FF they should pact with them, if they want to exercise their mandate as a small party, then give us effective opposition, there is terminal decline in quality opposition in Dail Eireann, it is a void the Green Party should fill not flee.

I have marched on anti war organised marches to Shannon on more than one occasion, the GP have been there too, how they can do this now is beyond belief. But expected if they are going to deal with FF post election.

[correction to an overnight tweet, the GP need support of 66% not 76% tonight, will they get it? i have no idea, but I do not think the grass root greens are as craven for power as the leadership are; read this sites disclaimer, i could be wrong i could be right]

taken in the PSLC count centre Dublin North by RedMum

as Friday / Saturday unfolded a song hit my head. well a line from a song “The public gets what the public wants” and then i started twittering it. The following tweets are all taken from the lyrics of the Jam’s Going Underground.

Irish Election Jam1: The public gets what the public wants (but are they HAPPY?) But I want nothing this society’s got; I’m going underground 04:00 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam2: What you see is what you get Youve made your bed, you better lie in it You choose your leaders and place your trust 04:01 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam3: As their lies wash you down and their promises rust Youll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns 04:02 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam4: I turn on the news and my body froze The braying sheep on my tv screen Make this boy shout, make this boy scream! 04:06 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam5: (breakfast roll kid on election day) Some people might say my life is in a rut, But I’m quite happy with what I got 04:37 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam6: People might say that I should strive for more, But I’m so happy I can’t see the point. (pat kenny enda rabbitte) 04:41 PM May 26, 2007

Irish Election Jam7: Somethings happening here today A show of strength with your “boys brigade” SONG of the day http://url.ie/47d GOING UNDERGROUND 09:34 PM May 26, 2007

all i can add is a headline Twenty Major says the rest

im looking at the vote patterns and the detail of the reCheck in Count 7 in Dublin North comparing Count 1-7 and count 1-7a. very dodge take aways (-) in Dublin North make me ill, must be that cryptosporidium in the water supply.

INDO on Socialist Clare Daly controversial recount they fail to quote anyone from the SP! a recount was called for publicly, immediately and was refused on the spot.