General Discussion

A message to the Campaign against household and water tax group

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I would like to tell the campaign against household and water tax group about the importance of being able to form correct sentences. Good English grammar is important if you want to be taken seriously by intelligent people.

The sample text below has been taken from the top of the front page of your website - at least it will allow people to laugh at you!

"The Campaign Against Household Tax today launched a new phone line for anyone interested in getting involved since then people wanting to get involved have inundated us with calls.

Don't register, Don't Pay, Your are not alone!" [sic]

Good luck with your futile campaign...

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
+353 (0)87 9486872
peter@peterheylin.com
www.peterheylin.com

Household Charge - some comments / considerations

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:23:00 +0000

As everyone is aware, the Government has announced a "Household Charge" which will commence in January 2012 and will include a charge for water amongst other services provided by local authorities. The Government claim that all households in Ireland will pay this charge except for those that qualify for a waiver. This charge is effectively a new tax.

With all the talk of this new tax, I cannot help thinking about it and a few things have come to mind that I would like to highlight.

The name of this new tax is misleading. The term 'household' is defined as follows:

house·hold/ˈhousˌ(h)ōld/

Noun:

A house and its occupants regarded as a unit: "the whole household was asleep".
The affairs related to keeping a house: "it is mostly women who run households".

According to the definition, a charge for Irish households would include all households regardless of whether the household own the house or not. The information that has been provided to us to describe this new tax states that it is the owner of a dwelling that pays the charge. Based on this, the correct name for this new tax should be "House owner charge".

This charge is payable by anyone who owns a dwelling and a charge is due for each dwelling that the person owns. People who own dwellings other than their principal residance will already be paying the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge each year for rental properties and holiday homes. An example what someone with a number of houses might pay is below:

Property owner owns 3 houses. 1 is his / her principal residence / own home and 2 are rental properties containing tenants. From January 2012, this person will be required to pay a household charge for each property (€100 x 3 = €300) and the NPPR will be due in March (€200 x 2 = €400) resulting in a total of €700.

A fairer system might be if the Government treated this new tax as a charge for all households where each household is responsible for paying the charge relating to the property they occupy (i.e. tenants would be required to pay the charge). This type of system would ensure that more people contribute a more equal amount and help to reduce the burden on property owners. There are a lot of people in the country who could afford to pay the €100 household charge, but are automatically excluded on the basis that they do not own a house.

Just a few thoughts...

All the best,

Peter

Note: I am not a property owner myself. If I was required to pay the household charge it would not be easy, but I would do it. What choice would I have? If €100 is difficult, then surely €2,500 docked from wages / welfare payments would be more difficult.

References:

Household Charge (?): http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/owning_a_home/home_owners/household_charge.html

NPPR: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/owning_a_home/home_owners/new_local_authority_charges_on_residential_property.html

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
+353 (0)87 9486872
peter@peterheylin.com
www.peterheylin.com

Christmas in Santa's Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:40:00 +0000

Santa Claus is coming to Dunsandle Castle in County Galway. This magical experience, now in it's third year, also supports the Galway Simon Community by donating a percentage of each admission.

A 15th Century castle is transformed into a winter wonderland both inside and out. The experience lasts for 90 minutes and includes songs, games, educational gifts, and craft making for the children.

Places are limited so it is well worth checking out www.santascastle.ie to secure your place at this unmissable event.

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
+353 (0)87 9486872
peter@peterheylin.com
www.peterheylin.com

Something to do on Father's day...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:11:00 +0000

If you were sitting there thinking to yourself, what will I do on Father's day (psst, it's on Sunday 19th of June and it's ok if you had forgotten!), I know of something that might interest you. There is a fantastic summer festival being organised in the grounds of Dunsandle Castle.

Last year, hundreds flocked to Dunsandle Castle (myself included) on a warm sunny June day to enjoy medieval sword fighting, basket weaving, archery, castle tours and much more. This year sees the return of these fabulous attractions including a visit by the Your Man's Puppets theatre company who have been delighting audiences for almost 10 years.

If you would like a fun-filled family day out, I believe you will not be disappointed after attending the Dunsandle Castle summer festival which is on from 11am until 6pm on Sunday 19th of June 2011. For more information, visit the Dunsandle Castle Website

Galway Lindyfest 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:39:00 +0000

I am really looking forward to the Galway Lindyfest. It's going to be
a fantastic weekend of dancing. A weekend celebrating all things swing
with classes in Lindy hop, balboa, authentic jazz, solo charleston and
burlesque.

Details are on the Galway Swing website: http://www.galwayswing.com/?page_id=569

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
+353 (0)87 9486872
peter@peterheylin.com
www.peterheylin.com

Peter Heylin reflects on the Election 2011 results...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:43:00 +0000

Hello All,

Well another Monday is upon us. The dust can now settle following polling day on Friday last. We must now wait and see if the promises by Fine Gael and our new Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, will come true or not. The first item on Mr. Kenny's agenda is to select a coalition partner. The media are predicting that to be the Labour Party. If that prediction comes true, will the 2 parties be capable of putting their differences aside and working together for the best interests of the country or will we be back at the polling station next year?

Have a great day everyone.

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
www.peterheylin.com

General Election 2011 - 8 days and counting...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Hello all,

With the General Election just around the corner, the thoughts on many peoples minds might be who will be sitting in the 31st Dail?

This blog entry is not for me to pretend to be an expert or to rant, rave, roar, and shout about mistakes of the past or policies that I disagree with, but like many other Irish citizens I do have an interest and an opinion. It is also important to recognise that I have a voice (whether or not it will be heard or listened to is beside the point).

The issues most important to me at the present time are the welfare and rights of children, employment, environmental issues, economic growth, mental health and services for people with disabilities.

If candidates that are running in the General Election 2011 would like my support or a vote from me, I would first like to know where they stand on the issues that are most important to me and what they intend to do should they be successful in securing a seat. If any of the candidates in the Galway West constitiuency happen to stumble on this post, then feel free to browse the questions below and offer your two cents. I can be contacted by email on peter [AT] peterheylin [DOT] com (remove spaces and replace the words [AT] and [DOT]).

Welfare and rights of children:

1) What will you do to improve things for children?
2) Do you support a referendum to strengthen children's rights in the Constitution?
3) How will you protect poor children from the impact of budget cuts?
4) What will you do for Ireland's most vulnerable children:
those at risk of abuse or neglect, those in care or detention, migrant and Traveller children and children with disabilities?
5) What will you do to ensure that all children have a positive experience of school?
6) How will you ensure that children in this community will have timely access to health and other social supports?

Employment:

1) What will you do to create jobs, training and employment opportunities?

Environmental issues:

1) What will you do to ensure this country is a cleaner, greener place to live?
2) What will you do to protect historical and heritage sites that are at risk of irreversible damage or been lost forever?

Economic growth:

1) What will you do to stimulate economic growth paying particular attention to the technology and tourism sectors?

Mental Health:

1) What will you do with regard to the provision of services for people with mental health conditions?
2) What will you do to help remove mental health stigma from our society?

Services for people with disabilities:

1) What will you do to improve and maintain services for people with disabilities in areas such as employment, training, health, and accessibility?

Thanks for reading. Comments and thoughts are welcome. You know where to find me.

Take it easy and all the best,

Peter

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
www.peterheylin.com

Soccer Disciplinary Issues...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Why do officials from FIFA, FA, UEFA etc put up with the disciplinary issues in existence today? These issues are only getting worse instead of better. The players / managers think they are in charge. I am referring to the insistence of players to attempt to influence match officials decisions by confronting and intimidating them. The only way that this can be successfully stamped out is by sending off the offending players. That means showing these players a red card.

I would love to see the game of soccer without scenes like the ones below:

These incidents ruin the game for others. The officials should not be influenced by these players and these players should learn to accept that they cannot control every aspect of the game. Things can go against anyone. That is life....get over it!!

Ruairi Quinn on Fas - my comments

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Ruairi Quinn claims that Fas is no longer relevant for the unemployed. Just what is Mr. Quinn's frame of reference in this case. For anyone who would be interested in a real opinion from an unemployed person then read on.

I, like so many others in the country, was made redundant. Due to the recession, I have been out of paid employment for 10 months. As it stands today, I am surviving on a supplementary welfare allowance payment that I collect each week while I await my job seeker's allowance (which is backlogged, but that is another story). During the time that I have been unemployed I have been able to take a course through Fas and I am now working on the Fas Work Placement Programme (WPP) (for Mr. Quinn's benefit, I will explain that the the WPP is an unpaid 9 month work experience which is essential for people to gain experience and make themselves more employable so that when jobs eventually do start to return to the economy, the unemployed people will be ready to take them up).

It is a fact that without the services provided by Fas, I would be in a much worse off position, but it is quite clear that Mr. Quinn and other politicians do not understand this. Without the WPP, where could I gain the work experience that I require?

Until such time as Mr. Quinn and other politicians learn the facts, I would suggest that they keep their mouths shut.

See full article: http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0903/fas.html

Budget cuts increase primary school class sizes?

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:09:00 +0000

The claim at the moment is that class sizes have grown to 30 pupils or more since Budget cuts in 2008. It is all to easy for people to use the welfare of child education to their advantage when protesting against Government cutbacks. I am in no way defending the Government. I would like to put the question to these people, "when was the class size less than 30?" It certainly hasn't been less than 30 in my lifetime. I started school in 1986 and I was in a class of at least 32. All through my years in school up until I completed my Leaving Certificate in 2001, I was in a class of at least 30.

This hasn't had any negative impact on my education as I have qualified with a BSc, a Higher Diploma, and an MSc since I completed my Leaving Certificate.

See original article on RTE.ie news website: http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0901/education.html

The World Cup Final

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:07:00 +0000

What did people think of the World Cup Final last night? I know I was not impressed.

It was quite clear that the referee lost complete control of the game. Quite a number of both Spanish and Dutch players were engaging in niggly little fouls such as pushing, shoving, pulling, tugging, and dragging each other. There was also a high degree of simulation from both sides. This behaviour dominated the entire 120 minutes.

I would have preferred to watch a clean game of world class football. This unfortunately was not to be.

I think it again highlighted the existing problems with International Football and it was yet another example of how the beautiful game is being ruined by the inability of Fifa and Sepp Blatter.

Based on what I saw during this year's World Cup tournament, I believe Spain deserved to win and I do not want to take from their victory in any way.

Cinema 3D Experience - my 2 cents!!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:48:00 +0000

I am writing this entry due to a discussion I heard on the radio this morning. The DJs / presenters were discussing this topic due to the recent releases of the latest Toy Story and Shrek movies. They were inviting listeners to text in their opinion of 3D movies in cinemas. Some of the comments from listeners included that the 3D glasses made them dizzy, nauseous, gave them a headache, and that they hurt / pinched their noses.

One listener said that if someone wears prescription glasses, then these movies are not for them. I must say, I wear prescription glasses and when I went to see Avatar (one of the longer of these recent 3D movies) I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the effects. I was able to comfortably place the 3D glasses over my prescription glasses. I did not get in any way nauseous or dizzy.

On a side note, one of the listeners commented that the bill at the snack counter in the cinema came to €50. I must say that this person must be incredibly naive. Many people are fully aware of the over the top prices that cinemas charge for snacks and drinks. This has been the case for at least the last 20 years if not more.

One other comment was from a 31 year old listener who said the movie was too loud. God love them. Perhaps this person might like to invest in earplugs when they wish to leave the house in future.

The Polyphonic Spree - Light & Day

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Letter to Galway Advertiser sprouting spurious claims regarding the Lisbon Treaty

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:55:00 +0000

This letter appeared in the Galway Advertiser on Thursday 24th of September. This letter was obviously written by an extremely mis-informed person. This person claims that the Lison Treaty is only a cover for a Dictatorship that is being created by the Bildergroup. This is SOME work of fiction by this mis-informed person.

The claims made by this person are as follows:

"By voting Yes in this upcoming referendum you are voting that you no longer want your vote, you will do what youâ€™re told"

- How did the mis-informed person come to this conclusion? No law can be passed by a small number of large states. 65% of the population of Europe are required to pass a new law. Ireland retains it's veto on taxation, abortion, and military involvement. Ireland will only retain it's EU Commissioner by voting Yes to Lisbon. If Ireland votes No, the right to an EU Commissioner will be lost.

"You will be involved in any war the EU requests"

- There is no EU army. The EU has no plans to introduce conscription. Very few countries still use conscription and those that do are phasing it out.

"You will agree to the death penalty"

- The Lisbon Treaty makes no mention of this. How did this person come to this conclusion?

"agree to your country being stripped of its heritage and culture"

The Irish language is an official EU language therefore this statement blatantly untrue.

The letter claims that Europeans have written blogs begging Ireland for a No vote. 27 million Europeans said yes to the Lisbon Treaty compared to 23 million that said No. As this is a democracy, it is clear that more people are saying YES to Lisbon.

It is clear from reading the letter written by Barry in Oranmore that he has not read the Lisbon Treaty, he does not understand the issues and has obviously been listening to other mis-informed people who intend to continue spreading lies about the Lisbon Treaty.

I urge people to ignore the ramblings in Barry's letter and vote YES on October 2nd.

Lisbon Treaty is a fraud - Galway Advertiser - September 24, 2009.

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Response to UKIP: Say No to the Racist Agenda

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:27:00 +0000

Response to UKIP: Say No to the Racist Agenda

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Don't turn your back on Europe - Vote Yes!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:54:00 +0000

Ireland will keep its permanent EU Commissioner, meaning we always have a seat at the table. Without Lisbon, we lose this automatic right.
The EU will become more democratic – power to the Parliament: Your directly elected representatives in the European Parliament will have greater weight in EU decision-making on 40 new policy areas.
The EU can effectively fight drug smugglers and human traffickers, who are currently destroying thousands of lives in Ireland.
Our best chance for an economic recovery: Ireland can't fight global economic forces on its own, in this financial storm the EU is Ireland's safe harbour.
Lisbon mandates the EU to invest in thousands of green energy jobs and effectively fight climate change.

To ensure the survival of the Irish Economy, EU help is essential. If Ireland votes No, we will be turning our back on Europe.

Use your vote wisely. Vote Yes on October 2nd.

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc

www.peterheylin.ie
www.peterheylin.com

Who would listen to Ryan Tubridy?

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Ryan Tubridy's approach to interviewing guests on his show is not only unprofessional and disrespectful, it is downright rude and bad-mannered. Does he believe his quick snappy comments make him appear intelligent or even witty? To truly intelligent people, Ryan Tubridy displays neither intelligence nor wit.

His interview of An Taoiseach Brian Cowen on September 4th was a most horrifying sight. He was incredibly disrespectful. He failed to ask even one intelligent question and deliberately set out to embarrass the Taoiseach.

Podge and Rodge while speaking to Brendan O'Carroll about potential names for new shows suggested the name "How's your Ryan Tubridy?" and went on to explain that this meant "How's your prick?" They were 100 % correct!

New stretches of Motorway

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:53:00 +0000

http://www.transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=124

My regular journeys between Dublin & Galway are becoming easier and easier... :)

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc

www.peterheylin.ie
www.peterheylin.com

Lava Surfing...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:27:00 +0000

From 5secondfilms.com:

http://5secondfilms.com/watch/lava_surfin

My Local...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:50:00 +0000

There's my local pub in the middle:

View Larger Map

Strandhill Surf Cam

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Strandhill Surf Cam

Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
www.peterheylin.ie
www.peterheylin.com

Jitterbug Stroll

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Fawlty Towers - Pure Genius!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:06:00 +0000

"This is exactly how Nazi Germany started" - Basil

"He go crazy" - Manuel

--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc

www.peterheylin.ie
www.peterheylin.com

My latest taxi driver experience...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:13:00 +0000

Last night, We picked up a taxi outside Marley Park. The destination that was made clear to the driver was Foxrock. He exited the M50 at the Sandyford exit and was making his way towards Sandyford village (Lam Doyle's direction) which is the wrong side of the M50 meaning we would need to cross the M50 again later in the journey. We immediately told the taxi driver that this was not the way to our destination. We told him that he should have remained on the M50. He performed a U-turn and returned to the M50 junction where he took the M50 northbound back in the direction of Marley Park. We told him that this the wrong direction completely. We made our dissatisfaction known and he said he would 'take off some money'. We eventually reached our destination after directing the driver through every turn along the way. The meter read nearly €21. His solution was to reduce the fare by €3. We handed him €12 and told him that was enough. He was not satisfied with this. We told him that if he wished, he could call the Gardai. We told him that we suspected the photo ID on the dashboard was not his own. We got out of the taxi and he threw the money out of the car after us and then drove off.

The driver's reaction to our suspicions being made vocal indicated that our suspicions may have been correct. This driver did not know where he was going. His hasty departure may have been to avoid being reported.

In this case, we were familiar with the area, but had we not been, this may have been a very different story. This taxi driver may have gotten away with a hefty fare having driven the longest route possible. This is an ongoing danger with taking a taxi in Ireland.

Not all taxi drivers are like the one above. There are a large number of taxi drivers who know where they are going and do not deliberately take the longest route possible in order to make as much money possible from the passenger. Many taxi drivers have asked me which route I would prefer to take to my destination. Some taxi drivers when picking up at Dublin Airport will insist on driving to Foxrock via the M50 because it is the longest route and therefore the most expensive. These taxi drivers are notorious for telling any number of lies when the passenger asks to take a different route.

It is clear that a minority of rogue taxi drivers are giving a bad name to the industry. This is not fair to the genuinely honest drivers.

Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware)

Take care,

Peter

Searching for insurance quote

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Heylin) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:48:00 +0000

I was just searching for a quote for my car insurance. I just tried, www.bestquote.ie. What a disaster!!

The site continued display errors meaning I never got as far as a quote. It's a good thing the errors happened prior to the quote rather on the payment page where I could possibly be charged multiple times for the same policy. This is the problem with websites that are a bit 'shaky' and liable to 'fall-over' at any time!

Caveat emptor (Let the buyer beware!).

Take care,

Peter