June 5th

Update on the bile spilled a couple of days ago… Bring it on..

What do you do when you’re being actively disenfranchised by half the Dáil?

South Dublin has been without full representation in the Dáil since July 9th 2008.

If the by-election runs on June 5th of this year, we’ll have gone nearly 11 full months without said representation.

News today suggests the writ being brought by Fine Gael will be killed off by a well-whipped crew of government TDs.

It’s quite sad having this feeling of total helplessness.

On a related note, I sent an email through to Hanafin’s office at the end of  January (yes, three months ago) asking about comments she made that day about waiting a reasonable time for the by-election. I’ve been waiting an unreasonable time for her reply, but then again, I’ve been waiting even longer for a by-election…

IMPAC Update: The Burnt Out Town of Miracles

One of the reviews I linked to last week talked about this book as a wasted opportunity to write about the Finnish uprising. If you want to know more about the facts, wiki can fill in a few of the blanks.

The book instead focuses on Timo, ‘the man left behind’, or rather, the man who wouldn’t leave his village when instructed to do so. It may not be the fantastic historical battle, and it wouldn’t make a great hollywood film (watch out for adaptations of the uprising story next February?) but it’s somehow much more human.

War stories seem to either focus on ‘those who went to war’ or ‘those who were left behind’ – the latter primarily women and children, widows and orphans. Jacobsen’s novel(la?) gives a different perspective on the same issues of isolation and survival, and while it gets a bit lost in itself towards the end, it’s well worth the read.

Is this O’Keeffe showing his true colours?

There’s a story on the Independent website suggesting that Batt O’Keeffe won’t make the announcement amount third level fees until after June 5th, the magic date…

As I mentioned a few months ago, the worst thing about the whole fiasco at this stage is that students who should be focussing on their exams are being distracted by how much they will have to pay, and how they will have to pay. There can be no further doubt that fees are being reintroduced, but rather than putting students and parents (and university heads?) out of their misery, O’Keeffe is dragging this out for all he’s worth.

I would assume he can’t think the full announcement would harm Fianna Fáil’s chances on June 5th. Judging by the “national mood”, they could announce the abolition of alcohol and they still couldn’t get any less popular – except amongst their closest friends, perhaps. But the appearance of such downright cynicism is a bit sick at this stage.

Much more important than the announcement of the fees, at this point, is the announcement of how the money will be spent – the extent to which the current government funding will be withdrawn (completely I assume?), and the extent to which a fair grant system and an extensive country-wide access programme will be invested in from day one.

O’Keeffe and his cabinet colleagues, for the moment, have a small capacity to find some sort of silver lining for the specific demographic of students who have always faced into their leaving cert wondering what the point is if a college place is barred by finances. If they insist on forcing the majority of students into that dilemma, the very least they could do is even things up at both ends of the scale.

Who’s for the chop…

Fun game while we await the afternoon’s fun:

Who on this list have you ever even heard of?

1. Pat Carey – Chief Whip, Active Citizenship

2. Barry Andrews – Children and Youth Affairs

3. Dick Roche -European Affairs

4. Trevor Sargent – Food and Horticulture

5. Noel Ahern – Road Safety

6. Sean Power – Information Society and Natural Resources

7. Tony Killeen – Fisheries and Forestry

8. Conor Lenihan – Integration Policy

9. Mary Wallace – Health Promotion and Food Safety

10. Seán Haughey – Lifelong Learning and School Transport

11. Michael Kitt – Local Services

12. Billy Kelleher – Labour Affairs

13. John McGuinness – Trade and Commerce

14. Jimmy Devins – Science, Technology and Innovation

15. Máire Hoctor – Older People

16. John Moloney – Equality, Disability Issues and Mental Health

17. Michael Finneran – Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas

18. John  Curran – Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs

19. Peter Power – Overseas Development

20. Martin Mansergh – Arts

Couple of footnotes:

- Máire Hoctor doesn’t count as a ‘person you’ve heard of’ just because she reacted a week late to the Over-70s pension issue

- Martin Mansergh shouldn’t count if you only ever heard that interview on Morning Ireland, no matter how much you laughed

- Mess(e)rs Lenihan and Haughey don’t count if you’ve only ever heard of their dad

If you’re looking for a visual guide, pretty profile pics are available here.

#bludget

How lovely it would be, to have faith that today will go the way it needs to…

IMPAC Shortlist announced

The IMPAC Shortlist 2009 has just been announced.

I’ve already read The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Animal’s People, so I’ll be starting with The Burnt Out Town of Miracles – brief reviews here and here.

Will update once I’ve found and read it!