On Nama and RTE “Newspeak” Reporting.

Was watching RTE (this crowd owe me millions in unpaid damages) news at six o’ clock this evening and saw a piece about Nama repaying the “state” some €2 billions euros this year and possibly another €2 billion next year before its wound up likely next year also.

This was reported as positive news, while any repayment of funds is welcome the RTE news reporter didn’t give a overview of how much has been gotten back by Nama. Nama took over € 74 billion in defunct loans from the five major banks, its borrowed money which was kept off the books and it is all owed by the taxpayer it is private debt made public.

One has doubts whether it will stop there either as the national debt or state debt stands at over €211 billion that’s €45,000 for every man, woman and child in the “state”. This debt was recklessly brought on by a Fianna Fail government who despite the “boom” left the country in a far worse state than they got it in 1997. We owe a lot more- €40 billion in late 90’s to over €211 billion in 2019 and haven’t got that much to show for it.

Don’t think Nama is on the books either here. The running of Nama doesn’t inspire confidence as they sold their northern loan book for €1.5 billions when it was worth over € 5 billion. Someone made a “killing” there, i’m sure that’s not the end of it either.

So any one out there know what the “sums” are on Nama ??

Big loss, break even or a gain ?

Now for the news reporting, the journalist who was reporting the item on Nama presented it as “good news” without the overview. He presented it “1984” style as in the film “1984” the chocolate ration is cut from 30grams to 25 grams but they report it as “chocolate ration up to 25 grams” hurray ! The journalist’s  report was very similar to “1984” newspeak. That’s my observation anyway.

Giving emigrants the vote

 

In light of the European and Local Council elections to be held on Friday 24th May, here something that was to be put to a referendum a few years ago and that is a vote for our emigrants. Ireland (republic) is out of step with our European neighbours in not allowing our emigrants the vote whilst they are away. The English for example allow their citizens/subjects to be absent for up to 15 years whilst still having the vote in United Kingdom elections.

Ireland eschews any form of giving representation to emigrants, Governments in the Republic are know to fear a emigrant vote would lead to their dismissal and alternative governments being formed. Indeed successive Irish governments have encouraged Irish people to leave and seek a livelihood elsewhere in Europe or perhaps the World. (Successive Irish governments have practically shoved Irish people “out the door” by establishing employment offices abroad and encouraging people to leave like ~RTE’s “Better off abroad” , “Making it down under” and so on.)

This is all to cheat people out of a days wages and to ensure that establishment parties are not held to account for the way they run the country.  The Landlords of old never had it as good , but we are stuck with the “political landlords of Fianna fail and Fine Gael”  for the present anyway. Perhaps the culture of Tweeddledee and Tweedledum represented by Fianna fail and Fine Gael might be coming to an end but I have my doubts.

 

 

 

 

On the National Broadband Plan- Worst Deal Ever…

See the source image

 

Here something the Government announced in the last two weeks which has gone down like a lead balloon.  No wonder with the news that the Government was splurging out over €3 billion euro with its private partner investing only €220 million initially . The deal is so lopsided In the fact that the private contractor gets to own the rural broadband network after 25 years and the state/ public gets to own nothing after the same period. Basically the public has nothing to show for all the money they have  invested. The Government has sought to defend their plan but its not the vote getter they had imagined.

This Government has showed little enthusiasm for the public interest with contracts like the National Maternity Hospital to have the nuns as “sole owners” despite the public paying over €350 million to build it, also the National Children’s Hospital at record overspend at € 1.4 billion and counting upwards .

So why are we basically giving over €3 billion away?

There is loads of projects that need to be done but there is “no money” there to do them or so we are told. Everything seems to cost 3-4 times what they would cost anywhere else. The National Broadband plan is quite pricey and there is cheaper alternatives .

Another point to make is that whose job is it really to roll fibre broadband ? The answer is that its Eircom/Eir’s job to roll out broadband anyway and they have been allowed to bail out on people living in rural area’s and cherry pick by just connecting the towns only.

Its not good practice and eircom/eir shouldn’t have be allowed to “cherry pick” as they have. They (Eircom/Eir )are the national phone company and its the phone network that is being upgraded. Eircom/Eir collect the line rental and should be able to supply broadband services such as video calling, cable tv, music streaming etc … over the new fibre optic rural service to help finance the cost. The present “modus operandi” of Eircom/Eir and people in rural Ireland won’t be connected to a phone service. It shows what a disaster the Eircom privatisation really is.

 

 

Wikileaks and Julian Assange.

By Wikileaks – Media Kit – Images for publications Media Kit, Image: Image:

Making the news this week is one Julian Assange of Wikileaks who was arrested by London police this Thursday after Ecuador waved his asylum they had previously  granted. Assange long a thorn in the side of US intelligence services faces extradition to the United States of America where a sample charge of attempting to hack into US  Defence dept. computers and obtain classified material, more serious charges are likely to be brought after extradition.

What to make of Julian Assange and Wikileaks ? Whistleblower ? Frontman  ? Truth outer ? Journalist ? Guess it depends on what side of the fence you are on. He published a account of War Crimes committed in Iraq , US state Dept diplomatic cables to their embassies across the world, an Archive of Hilary Clinton emails however they were obtained. Wikileaks getting involved with USA Presidential election in 2016 was a mistake, no thanks were likely from the Republican party and he irked US intelligence services plenty.

The truth is a scarce commodity with the press- newspapers, TV , radio and online media. Its tends to be half the story a lot of the time, omission and  out and out lies quiet a lot do. The establishment won’t be long in “shutting you up”.. they will dig dirt on you, invent it if necessary and there is always out and out intimidation and murder.

Mr Assange made himself a target and they concocted a rape charge in Sweden to “get” him. One wonders if Mr Assange knew the risks of what he was doing and if his sponsor will be able to “protect” him from lengthly incarceration and possible execution. They will have to make quiet a fuss to protect him. Truth is scare but needs telling, possibly from people like Julian Assange. One hopes he survives the present episode.

More on the National Children’s Hospital.

No real news on this front, with the health minster Simon Harris surviving a vote of No Confidence thanks to Michael Martin and his merry men in Fianna Fail. Strange that Fianna fail said they didn’t have any confidence in Owen Harris yet because of Brexit they say he must remain untouched. It also looks like we will not be getting any money back as they have ruled out retendering the project so they doesn’t like there will be any way of scraping back “cost over-runs” that newspeak for “kiss the money goodbye suckers “.

Though so form of cover up will be attempted some accountancy firm will be given the task of drawing up a report which will be illegible and no-one will be able to understand it. It will be all quiet then and so much for their explanations. Some one will be laughing all the way to the bank on this one that’s for sure.

Children’s hospital to proceed despite ‘significant failings’

 

Gimmick

Well here is a review of a product which I don’t normally do. There is always a first time I suppose. This “device” is supposed to clean your ears better than a cotton bud with its “Auger” shaped tip but unless you got ears that could grow vegetables you are better to give it a miss. I actually bought the product and it arrived today nearly eight weeks after I purchased it online. What arrived was worth €0.50 I say very basic packaging, that’s my fifty cents worth anyway. It didn’t get out any ear wax after much trying and felt like they had seen you coming with this one. All spin basically.

avoid 


Nurse’s Strike, New Children’s Hospital & the Health Service.

independent.ie

irishexaminer.com

 

The health sector has not been quiet over the last few weeks, with nurses striking for  more pay and better conditions and the news that the new National Children’s Hospital is way over budget. The meaning of “way over budget” is an understatement with the report that the builder alone has tacked on over €391 million in extra payments. These charges have been described as “cost overruns” (that’s  newspeak for money disappearing through the floorboards or back-handers or whatever you want to call it .. like corruption or stealing money from taxpayers) by the Government and their media lackeys. My background is in farming but I would know a little bit about getting things done on a budget.

Seemingly those in government know nothing about money management or know very  little yet have been given the country to run. Those who ask for money for well-intentioned projects are always told there is no money there for them. There would want to be some explanation for these “cost over-runs !!!!!!!” as the price of building materials hasn’t gone up significantly neither has the wages of the builders so why are these enormous charges been added on ? Some explanation is required here.

No one seems to be taking responsibility here. You would not be allowed to have these “cost over-runs” in the private sector so why are so many of these capital projects costing 3/4 times the price of work elsewhere. It seems that taxpayer’s money is meant to disappear somehow. Corrupt practises abound.

Take the case of the “National Maternity Hospital” the government was going to gift over €300 million in a new hospital to the nuns till people kicked up about it. Wisely so. My view is that the new Children’s Hospital  should be put out to tender again as a way of controlling “cost overruns“.

As “over-runs” such as this are grounds for dismissal in any case (the builder in this case or the project management ). Maybe our health minster Simon Harris would stick to journalism. We need better politics and better people in politics perhaps someone who has experience in running a business. What’s running the show at the moment will not do.

 

Meath man & a Prostitute.

www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/meath-man-is-first-to-be-convicted-of-paying-for-sex-1.3765853
Irishtimes.com

Just having a look at the Irish times website and one story caught my eye – a sixty five year old man from Meath was found on the job with a prostitute in a brothel in west Dublin. Gardaí arrested the man in question and was subsequently fined €200 at a court in Dublin. The prostitute remained nameless under legislation passed in 2017 the so called “Nordic model”.

This legislation criminalise the “buying” of sex from prostitutes while the prostitute gets off scot free. So what is it ? I thought sex was a act between consenting adults with both parties being responsible. Seemingly now it is just the man who is to blame. The legislation seems to be enacted to please man hating feminists who seek to control others and want to reduce men to less than equal human beings while making them pay for it all.

They is a great deal of hypocrisy about Sex in this country, quite a lot of it from feminists, maybe they would do something constructive and shut up.

Meath man is first to be convicted of paying for sex