My respect for this politician has dropped considerably since his hypocritical defence of that very expensive but useless institution – Seanad Eireann.

Indeed, the Senate can be seen as a symbol for all that is corrupt about our body politic. Totally ineffective, very expensive and stuffed with self important politicians who have more in common with the aristocracy of pre-revolutionary France than with the duties of running a functional democracy.

Senator Norris tells us that he likes (the chancer) Bertie but that he damaged himself by applying for artist’s exemption for his book and by the way he handled his lotto win.

Apparently, Norris has no problems with Ahern’s very dodgy evidence to the tribunal or his low grade leadership which resulted in the destruction of the country.

In fact Senator Norris thinks that the political system in this country is just fine, that it’s the people who are wrong.

People are begrudgers…they want blood on a wall, a head on a plate and guts in the bucket.

Yes, Senator, that’s exactly what we want and the fact that you cannot understand the legitimacy and passion of that desire puts you in the camp of those who are defending the corrupt status quo.

Copy to:
Senator Norris

Apparently, Lowry is not worried about himself; about what the tribunal may have to say concerning his activities while a minister.

No, it seems the good of the country and its citizens is his only concern. He’s worried about the lawyers who are ripping off the system, about the way civil servants are being treated, about social welfare recipients and about the economy.

But we know that Lowry is a liar and tax cheat so we can dismiss his so called concerns for the hypocrisy they really are.

According to Gardiner it’s all to do with confidence. People are feeling bad about themselves and the country. All that’s needed is a change of mindset and everything will be just grand.

Dukes, the alleged taxpayer’s representative on the board of Anglo Irish Bank, was in full agreement.

Taxpayer’s have cause to worry as to what planet Dukes is living on after listening to his plans for Anglo Irish Bank.

We have put together a restructuring plan. The first phase is the NAMA operation. The next phase is to stabilise the operation of the bank and finally to split the bank into a new Anglo and a bad bank and make the new Anglo a business bank and perhaps part of the third banking force.

When asked what was the bad bank part of the new Anglo he replied.

It’s a bit like NAMA, it’s where you park the less well performing bits of the loan book and gradually work them out over a period of time.

But, but…I could hear worried taxpayer’s saying…Isn’t that what NAMA is supposed to do in the first place?

As for the third banking force? Senator Shane Ross, writing about it in today’s Sunday Independent calls it the third banking farce. It’s worth a read.

Ryanair has revealed that 50 people have now contacted them claiming they ate the €10,000 scratch card onboard a Ryanair flight from Poland to the UK last week (Irish Independent).

It was claimed that a passenger on a Ryanair flight had eaten the winning scratch card in protest at being told he couldn’t claim his money straight away.

Ryanair spokesperson Stephen McNamara said: “Ryanair loves a trier but not a chancer and 50 chancers so far have contacted Ryanair.”

McNamara said that 40 out of the 50 claimants were not even on the flight from Krakow to the East Midlands when the alleged incident occurred.

The budget airline confirmed that the consumption of the winning ticket made it null and void and that the prize money will now be donated to charity.

Ryanair passengers will have the final say on which charity receives the cash by voting on the company’s web site.

After speaking to some locals it became apparent that such severe weather was in fact unusual and had caused all sorts of problems particularly with transport.

Our plan was to travel by overnight train to the very North of Sweden to the small resort of Abisko where we hoped to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.

The journey which should have been a non stop 19 hour trip actually took 25 hours. Because of weather conditions we were told that we would have to change trains at the town of Boden but during the night we were informed that at 38 below this was too dangerous and we would have to go on to the town of Lulea on the Baltic coast.

After finally arriving at Abisko we quickly found ourselves partaking in a three hour shoe shoe nighttime trek in the wilderness in the hope of experiencing the magical lights.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make an appearance but our guide advised us that if we got up again at 3 a.m. we might be lucky.

Although wrecked after 28 hours of near sleepless traveling we did set our alarms and lo and behold we saw the lights. Not the most spectacular appearance but beautiful nonetheless.

Our decision was fortunate because for the rest of the holiday cloud cover prevented all sightings.

Seeing the lights, having a drink in the ice hotel and many other experiences made it a very memorable holiday.

IRELAND’S ARGUMENT FROM BLASPHEMOUS LIBEL

(1) It might be blasphemous to say God doesn’t exist.
(2) I don’t want to be fined $35,000.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM PHONECALL

(1) God is perfect and has no body.
(2) When my phone rang, there was nobody there.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

THE INEVITABLE ARGUMENT FROM HOMER SIMPSON

(1) Doh!
(2) Therefore, God exists.

GEORGE W. BUSH’S ARGUMENT FROM AMERICA

(1) God bless America.
(2) You’re either with us or against us, remember.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM TERRORISM (I)

(1) Terrorists destroyed the WTC, killing thousands.
(2) One piece of the rubble sort of looks like a cross.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM LACK OF EVIDENCE (II) (MODIFIED SIMPSON’S ARGUMENT)

(1) God, if you exist, please give me absolutely no sign.
(2)
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM SMUGNESS

(1) God exists.
(2) I don’t give a crap whether you believe it or not; I have better things to do than to try to convince you morons.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM META-SMUGNESS

(1) Fuck you.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

There are certainly questions for the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern answer for his behaviour in the Dail.

The sight of him sitting beside Deputy O’Dea when he was making his statement on Wednesday, grinning from ear to ear and making pantomime noises across the chamber was literally disgusting.

This is the man who is in charge of the administration of justice in this country. He himself is a solicitor and therefore an officer of the courts. His conduct gave the impression that he believes that there is nothing wrong with recklessly slandering somebody, particularly in this case, an election candidate.

His behaviour gave the impression that he believes there is nothing wrong with swearing a false affidavit. I think Dermot Ahern should certainly be called to account for what he’s done.

I completely agree with Ms. McCarthy but I think a cowboy politician like Ahern would be genuinely puzzled by her comments.

After all, this man doesn’t believe that the criminal Haughey was corrupt and was one of the many Fianna Fail politicians who backed the chancer Bertie Ahern no matter how fantastic his ‘explanations’.

The idiot in this case is Irish independent journalist Eamon Delaney. He makes the following points in defence of the liar O’Dea.

It’s terribly sad that a man of such tenacity, wit and energy should be caught out on such a little thing.

Making a false statement in a sworn affidavit is, according to Delaney, not a huge matter.

It was the fault of the media.

It was the fault of a tenacious opposition baying for blood of any kind.

None of us is pristine clean and (sad old) O’Dea is down there in Limerick bravely fighting the IRA and organised crime.

Delaney compares the ‘witch-hunting’ of O’Dea to that other ‘innocent’ politician, Michael Lowry. According to this journalist, Lowry, a tax cheat and liar, was forced to resign in ‘apparent’ disgrace.

It should have been enough that O’Dea changed his statement after he realised his ‘mistake’.

This ridiculous excuse, which (barrister) O’Dea also used, displays an abject ignorance of how the law operates. It is not possible to amend sworn affidavits as a case develops, to allow such a situation would make the entire legal system impossible.

The matter could have rested (been forgotten) if it wasn’t for Sinn Fein’s skillful spinning and Fine Gael’s robust opportunism.

The Greens are to blame; they needed a head on a plate to boost their image.

The public are not fooled though; they see that O’Dea is a man of integrity and passion, a man who has been cruelly caught out by certain (evil) ‘elements’.

Delaney ends his craven article with a standard, smear everybody, comment, a comment we have heard before regarding people like the criminal Haughey or the chancer Bertie Ahern.

But let’s remember, there’s something of Willie in all of us.

Well, Delaney may be the type of person who will make a false statement under oath, he may be the type of person who will endanger the reputation of a journalist and policeman in a cowardly attempt to avoid being found out but I think that such low grade people are, thankfully, a minority in this country.

Copy to:
Eamon Delaney

Is it the smell of money that’s getting at them?

This was the response of disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary when asked about the complaints of women whose lives were destroyed by his brutal operations.

The full impact of the words of this cynically evil man can best be understood by listening to the news clip (Six One News, 27 mins).