Cllr Crossan had a great year as Mayor. One of her priorities was working with members of the “New Irish” communities, the people who have come from around the world to live in Ireland. As Mayor, Jean reached out to people who had not previously interacted with the Council, opening the Chamber and the Council to representatives and groups from around the world.

As first citizen of the town, welcoming people to Ireland is a vital part of what the Mayor does. It has become much more important in recent years, as can be evidenced by the Town’s developing links with towns such as Wielun in Poland. Victor has highlighted this role as an important part of his year ahead as well.

Victor is an excellent public servant. His shop on the Main Street is many people’s first stop when looking for assistance; it’s the best political clinic I’ve ever seen! I have no doubt Victor will be a hard working and diligent Mayor, and I wish him all the best for the year ahead.

Related Entries

• A few quick updates… (June 20, 2008)

First up is the Pan American Cycle Test. Four young TCD students are cycling (on bicycles) from the top of Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. They’ll travel 25,000 km in 260 days, and hope to raise € 200,000 for their charity.

The site contains a load of information on the trip, their sponsors and the events they’ve held so far. You can donate online, and the lads themselves will be updating the blog as they go. At the minute, they’re making their way across Canada to the starting point.

It’s an amazing undertaken, which will hopefully see them have an experience of a lifetime while raising a lot of money for charity.

Second plug goes to the Friends of Letterkenny General Hospital and their new site. I’ve been working with committee member Peter Cutliffe to put the site together. I’ve provided the design and the tech, Peter has put the content together. We launched the site this week, including an online donation facility through PayPal, and it should continue to grow over the coming weeks to be a really valuable resource for anyone using the Hospital.

Related Entries

• No related entries.

A few updates to the blog, after a long absence….

• Digipics design has some great pictures of Letterkenny over the years up on Flickr. I really like the photo above of Dillons supermarket, from about 15 years ago.
• Congratulations to Mayor Jean Crossan on a succesful Mayor’s Ball, whic will see a substantial amount of cash going to the Donegal Hospice and Crumlin Childrens Hospital.
• The Electoral Area Committees have recommended substantial changes to the electoral areas for Donegal, in particular merging much of the Letterkenny and Milford areas and going to seven councillors. I think it will be of real benefit to Milford, with seven voices in Lifford and seven active campaigners.
• Iris Robinsons horrendous comments last week make this great piece from the West Wing worth another link.
• I’ll be posting to this blog fairly frequently over the coming weeks. In between updates here I’ll be updating to Twitter.
• IrishElection.com and Richard Delevan’s blog have been really good recently, with coverage of the Lisbon treaty and the US election.
• The Boston College Irish Institute have published their list of programmes for the next academic year. The programmes are fantastic; a mix of practical and academic sessions, in two US cities, on a variety of topics including Politics, Policing and Economics. It’s definitely worth a look.

Related Entries

• Polestar at night (February 21, 2007)
• What’s going on in Derry? (February 3, 2007)
• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update, September 2005 (September 26, 2005)
• Update, October 3rd 2006 (October 3, 2006)

The first is awful; if anything, it’s harder to read than the actual treaty itself. Here’s an extract:

The European Council, the council of the Heads of State or Government, which drives EU policy making, becoms a full EU institution and will, in future, be chaired by a President, elected by the Council itself.

It was indicative of the early campaign. As a Yes camp, we never fully got to grips with the basic problem - that Lisbon was subject to widespread misinformation, and that the Yes side was failing to get our message across to voters.

The second flyer was very different. If anything - and I don’t say this lightly, trust me - it’s one of the best pieces of campaign literature I’ve ever seen.

It answers, directly, many of the claims of the various parts of the No campaign, and does so in straight forward terms. Importantly, it includes references to support the claims being made. Here’s an excerpt:

It ensures that the Irish people alone will decide on laws to protect the unborn. (Maastricht Protocol and Article 6)

These flyers appeared very late in the campaign, but were really well received by the people I campaigned with in the last few days. I’m not going to say that a better message for the Yes side would have swung the campaign, but the disarray of the early weeks certainly didn’t help.

I hope the lessons will be learned before the next campaign, whichever that is.

Update: Richard Delevan has a good take on another communications contribution to the Yes campaign

Related Entries

• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update, October 18th 2006 (October 18, 2006)
• Update, Jan 29th 2007 (January 29, 2007)
• Update, August 1st 2006 (August 1, 2006)
• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)

Brian Cowen is set to have a difficult time as Taoiseach. I believe he’s the right man for the job; indeed, I think it would have been better for the party had Bertie Ahern stepped aside sooner. His years in Finance, and other ministries, will give him a head start on his new portfolio. Ireland faces uncertain times; a strong hand in Government is vital. I hope Cowen will be able to deliver this.

As for the rest of the cabinet, I think it will take some time before things become clear. There is one minister in there that I would rather see out, but that hasn’t happened. A few teacher’s I’ve spoken to are quite happy with the new face in Education, and Agricultural will be a tough job at a tough time for Brendan Smith.

We’ll need to wait and see on a variety of fronts with this cabinet. Brian Cowen will need to hit the ground running, to bring stability to the economy and to address the issues in Health and Education. New minsters in Justice, Enterprise, Foreign Affairs and Finance can’t afford to take their eyes off the ball.

Related Entries

• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update, October 18th 2006 (October 18, 2006)
• Update, Jan 29th 2007 (January 29, 2007)
• Update, August 1st 2006 (August 1, 2006)
• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)

You can listen to the interview by clicking the play button below:

On Monday night, I was a member of the audience for UTV’s “Late and Live” show. I was there
to discuss Road Safety and young drivers, after being recommended by blogger Niall O’Keefe. I was very happy with how it went; it was my first time in a TV studio, and the debate went well. I was able to make a few of the points that visitors to this website will be well versed in; the need for young drivers to take responsibility for improving our reputations, by standing up and refusing to accept dangerous driving.

If I can track down a digital copy of the show, I’ll get it online somewhere.

Related Entries

• Letterkenny Drugs Unit back to Full Strength - JPC (February 20, 2008)
• Update, September 2005 (September 26, 2005)
• Update, October 18th 2006 (October 18, 2006)
• Update, November 21st, 2007 (November 21, 2007)
• Update, March 27th 2007 (March 27, 2007)

All six of Letterkenny’s new CCTV cameras are now operational. This weekend will serve as the first trial of their use in the town.

Sean Flanagan demonstrating the CCTV Control System

The control unit for the system is based in the Public Services Centre on the Neil T Blaney Road. The system is housed in a secure room, which can only be accessed by two senior members of staff. Gardai in Letterkenny’s divisional headquarters have access through a remote link to view footage and move cameras, but are not able to download or extract recordings. To do this, a formal legal request must be made to the Town Clerk, who must assess it against criteria to be set down by the Town Council.

I’m delighted that this has fully come to fruition. I’ve been working on it since I came on to the council, and it has taken inputs from a variety of agencies and groups. Notably, the Chamber of Commerce managed the funding application and tendering process. The cameras simpy wouldn’t be in place without the work of former CEO Joanne Sweeney and current President Jason Black. On the Gardai side, Supts Vincent O’Brien and Peadar Kearney and Crime Prevention Office Paul Wallace were instrumental. Letterkenny Town Council has contributed E45,000 to the project so far, and has provided substantial support to the infrastructure required for the project. This project has required work and support from all these groups, and all members of the Council. I hope the results will be as positive as the work to date has been.

Below, a piece from this evening’s 5:30 news on Highland Radio with Donal Kavanagh:

Related Entries

• Update August 20th 2007 (August 20, 2007)
• Update, March 13th 2007 (March 13, 2007)
• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)
• Safer Letterkenny: Public Meeting, 28 Nov 2007 (November 29, 2007)
• Safer Letterkenny (November 27, 2007)

The current situation is that three of Letterkenny’s nightclubs have been granted closing times for March of 2am, and one remains with closing time of 1:30 as it has not (yet) filed an appeal to the court. My main concern in all of this is that we are simply moving the problem around, rather than dealing with it. As I say in my interview below, I believe that the best way to deal with this is by controlling the times at which clubs close, to ensure we are not seeing an influx onto the streets at the same time. By splitting closing times every 15 or 20 minutes over an hour, we’d meet it easier to get taxis and food late at night.

I hope the council, gardai and pub/club owners can now start working towards this.

Click the “play” arrow below to listen to my interview on Newstalk this morning, with Ger Gilroy.

Related Entries

• Nightclub Closing Times in Letterkenny (February 29, 2008)
• Policing Committee Meeting, Oct 15 2007 (October 15, 2007)
• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)
• Update Nov 14th 2007 (November 14, 2007)

The Gardai objected to the extensions, on the grounds of Public Order Offences, and used the example of the feedback from the Joint Policing Committee’s most recent public meeting. I was joined on Highland by Enda Nicholls, chairman of the now-defunct PubWatch scheme in the town.

You can listen to the interview by clicking play below:

Related Entries

• Nightclub Closing Times in Letterkenny - Part 2 (March 13, 2008)
• Policing Committee Meeting, Oct 15 2007 (October 15, 2007)
• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)
• Update Nov 14th 2007 (November 14, 2007)

Related Entries

• Sex Education discussion on Highland Radio (December 17, 2007)
• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update Nov 14th 2007 (November 14, 2007)
• Update - Scam in local Newspapers (August 27, 2007)
• Town Council Budget, 2007 (December 20, 2006)

The most notable thing to take away from the meeting is the announcement that the Drugs Unit in the Letterkenny district is back up to full strength. This follows the appointment of a Seargant and five Gardai who will be working full-time on matters relating to drugs. The Gardai have been criticised in the media in recent weeks over this issue; while the delay was certainly disappointing, the news of the appointments is very welcome.

This news follows the first trial of the Garda Drugs Dog in the County last weekend. The dog (”Murphy”) was in use in a number of different parts of the county, including in Letterkenny and on the border with Derry. According to media reports, no drugs were uncovered, but Gardai have committed to bring “Murphy” back to the County for unannounced searches in the future. According to the Irish Independent, Murphy has helped seize between €50m and €60m of drugs in his seven years of service.

An update on the CCTV system: the ESB have completed the required works on the final three cameras, and the installation company are due to complete their final works within the next three weeks. Then, there will be staff training within the council in the maintenance, security and operation of the system, followed by a meeting with the members of the Joint Policing Committee and the Town Council to discuss the operation of the system (who will have access, what legal documents will be required for presentation of evidence) before the system is fully launched and put into operation. The Gardai are undergoing in-depth training in Dublin on the system, to ensure that the best value is taken from the system.

The Town Council is currently undergoing a period of Public Consulation on changes to our On Street Drinking Bye Laws. Letterkenny has had a ban on outdoor drinking for well over a decade, but prosecutions and convictions have been few and far between. While the Gardai regularly seize alcohol from people drinking on the streets, the cost and time requirement has meant that there have been very few charges under the Bye Laws. To make them more effective, we are proposing the issuing of on-the-spot fines for on-street drinking. The fines will be issued in much the same way as parking tickets and speeding fines are currently issued, with a lesser penalty for prompt payment. The Gardai have committed to actively enforce the new Bye Law (assuming it passes, which will depend on the consultation period and a vote of the Council) and to start issuing fines when they can. This will be a dramatic change in policy, and should be of huge benefit.

Monday’s meeting was very productive. I’ll be posting a few more updates in the coming weeks on the Safer Letterkenny programme, and the other programmes that we’re working on. The JPC has been of great use so far; this comes from the effort the members are putting into it, the support we’re receiving from the Council staff and the willingness of Gardai in Letterkenny at all levels to work together to improve policing and public safety in the town. The Dept of Justice does intend rolling out JPCs around the country; I say the quicker, the better.

Related Entries

• Update Sept 30th 2007 (September 30, 2007)
• Update August 20th 2007 (August 20, 2007)
• TV & Radio (May 7, 2008)
• Letterkenny CCTV - All Cameras Operational (March 14, 2008)
• Update, September 2005 (September 26, 2005)

I think Wikipedia is a fantastic resource. But any open-forum will be prone to misuse, and users of wikipedia need to be aware of this. My profile was vandalised in the past, as were those of a number of other local councillors (the pages are no longer in wikipedia after a trawl of councillors across Ireland). While I didn’t appreciate the vandalism, the comments there were no different to the comments you expect to endure as a public representative. I use the “watch” feature on Wikipedia to keep an eye on a few items about Letterkenny, and the vast vast majority of edits are positive, adding content or correcting errors.

You can listen to the interview below:

Related Entries

• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update Nov 14th 2007 (November 14, 2007)
• Update - Scam in local Newspapers (August 27, 2007)
• Town Council Budget, 2007 (December 20, 2006)
• The Continuing E-Voting Saga (October 19, 2006)

I’d highly recommend the BC programmes to anyone who has the opportunity to take part. During our trip, we met high-ranking politicians in Boston and Washington (including Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic Party), lobbyists, campaign groups and political academics.

BOSTON COLLEGE
Irish Institute, Center for Irish Programmes

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR
Effective Politics in a Democratic Society Programme
May 6 – May 16, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, DC

Fourteen individuals (seven from Ireland and seven from Northern Ireland) to include elected officials and political party spokespersons and strategists (with a particular emphasis on emerging leaders in these categories) to participate in a ten-day study visit to the U.S. in order to explore the American political landscape whilst addressing such topics as effective leadership practices, identifying and researching key issues, mobilizing public consciousness, and developing a positive working relationship with the media.

The programme is sponsored by the Irish Institute at the Center for Irish Programs, Boston College, and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. All programme-related costs including travel, accommodation, meals, and tuition are provided. Please note: The programme is not open to U.S. citizens, green card holders, or past participants of Irish Institute programmes. Only a small number of finalists will be selected for an interview, and not all those interviewed will be invited to participate.

Short-listed applicants must be available for interview during the week of 10th March in Dublin or Belfast.

To apply: Please visit our website at http://www.bc.edu/irishinstitute for an application form.

Related Entries

• Shared Futures (October 30, 2007)
• Ireland’s Youngest Councillor (November 30, 2007)
• BC Eagles - ACC Soccer Champions (November 20, 2007)

For the first time, this blog has made the shortlist for the 2008 Irish Blog Awards in the “Best Political Blog” category. I’m delighted, but I know I haven’t even the slightest chance of winning. The categories features major journalists and big sites like IrishElection.com and Slugger O’Toole, putting out great content every day.

The Letterkenny and Derry local authorities are working together on a Transport and Traffic Strategic action plan, and will be hosting a series of public meetings and workshops both in Letterkenny and Derry. More details here

Finally, the Town Council currently have two items out for Public Consultation: a new road alignment at Kirkstown and changes to our bye-laws regarding On-street Drinking

Related Entries

• Super-Duper Tuesday (February 5, 2008)
• When Search Engines Attack… (October 23, 2006)
• What’s going on in Derry? (February 3, 2007)
• Update- May 14th 2007 (May 14, 2007)
• Update, October 3rd 2006 (October 3, 2006)

I’ve been nominated on the long-list for Best Political Blog the 2008 Irish Blog Awards. I’m delighted to get a nomination, but I’ve no doubt that the award will be finding a home somewhere else. Political blogging in Ireland had a great year, including strong coverage of the General Election, and I’m sure one of the larger group blogs (for example Slugger or Irish Election) will take the award. Still, it’s great to be nominated and I wish all those on the list the best of luck for 2008.

January was a busy month on the Council front. The Community CCTV programme was due to launch last week, but “technical difficulties” on the side of the ESB have delayed it for a few weeks. This is extremely frustrating; we’ve been working for years to get these cameras in place, and now that we are almost there small issues like this keep coming up.

With the winter months comes bad weather. When the bad weather comes, the roads get torn up. I’ve been working with the Town Engineer and his staff to get repairs done to a number of roads around the town. If you come across a road in bad condition or potholes starting, give me a ring on 087 997 3668 and I’ll get our maintenance staff out to take a look.

And so, to Super Tuesday. Today is the biggest day in the US Political Calendar for years, with over 20 states going to the polls (or caucusing) for their Democratic and Republican candidates. I’ve always had a real interest in US politics, and having spent time their in October and November. This year is different; after a decade of incompetent mis-management, both sides have strong candidates with the potential to be excellent Presidents. Personally, I’d love to see Barack Obama taking the Democratic nomination and facing John McCain on the Republican side. The campaign between them would be great.

I was a relatively late convert to the Obama campaign, but I’m hooked. He’s the finest speaker I’ve ever seen, both in content and delivery. The speeches after the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary where electric. His campaign has been almost flawless, and maintained a high level of conduct.

The main reason I want to see Obama get the Democratic nomination is that I don’t believe Hillary Clinton can win the General Election. Clinton is such a divisive character that Republicans will be sure to launch a massive effort to keep her out. If Republicans nominate John McCain, not enough moderates or independents will come out for Clinton to get her elected, as McCain is not as polarising as Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. Obama has shown that he can bring out a different crowd, younger voters and those who have not voted before. That will be vital in November.

I’ll call it for McCain on the Republican side. His campaign has really hit a stride in the last week, and he is a very strong candidate. Republicans are great at nominating the candidate that they think can win, setting aside differences on policy or personality.

I don’t think the Democratic nomination will be any clearer after tonight. The momentum is with Obama, but Clinton has not fallen far enough from her early leads (of 20+ points in some states) to see him ahead. I think we’ll see a race so close this evening that it can’t be called; one candidate will take more of the popular votes, another will take more delegates, and then there’s the total number of states.

The Democratic nomination may go all the way to the Convention in Denver at the end of August, where the handful of delegates won by John Edwards early in the process may prove vital. Either way, there’s going to be plenty to entertain the political junkies among us for the next few months.

Final thought: Keep an eye out for reports of difficulty caused by electronic voting machines.

Update: A great video from Laurence Lessig on why he is supporting Barack Obama: 20 minutes or so on why I am 4Barack

Related Entries

• Update, October 18th 2006 (October 18, 2006)
• Update Feb 12 2008 (February 12, 2008)
• When Search Engines Attack… (October 23, 2006)
• Update, September 2005 (September 26, 2005)
• Update, October 3rd 2006 (October 3, 2006)