The Irish Muse

Arsenal - 2009/2010 Thoughts So Far

2009-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Really,it's been a disappointing season so far, and here we are only 10 weeks away from the end of it. The league has gone, the Carling Cup has gone and the only chance of Silverware comes via the FA Cup or The Champions League. Hopefully something can be salvaged, or else it will have been 5 long seasons without a trophy.

I can remember going 8 seasons without a trophy in the eighties, a terrible time mostly, hoping against hope, and here we are back full circle, hoping against hope we can do something. That Man United may do the clean sweep,should galvanise any red blooded Gooner to hope and pray we can do something to stop that, but who knows?

Lisbon II Edges Closer

2009-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

As expected, the pressure to have a vote on Lisbon 2 ratchets up day by day. Of course, the economic doom and gloom has been gleefully jumped on by Dick Roche, with much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth. You must vote Yes dear people, so Mr Roche says, or doom will strike you.
Come on, how on earth can we believe anything this government says about anything these days. Believe me, the Lisbon Treaty or EU Constitution, to give it it's unofficial name, is the least of your worries right now. And,in any case, nothing has changed within it. These so called 'guarantees' (haven't we got those for the banks?) are worthless, dear people, unless specifically written within the treaty. That will not happen,because that would constitute a renegotiation of the text, which is unacceptable to Sarkozy and his ilk.
As for the polls, it is far to early to say anything.People are concerned, and rightly so, about the economy and their future finances, but it has precious little to do with this issue. When the debating begins properly, for a second poll, (which I might add should absolutely not happen, but there you are) then you will see the old concerns that people had before, not being addressed and a second rejection is inevitable, in my opinion.
Interesting days ahead, my friends.

Lisbon Rejected By The Irish

2008-06-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

So, belatedly, the EU Elite see that some of us Europeans do have a conscience. Our No vote has put temporary brakes on the federal bandwagon, and all democratic thinking people should rejoice.

Of course, the doomsayers from the yes side have started already, ranging from meltdown, to extremely damaging to our interests in Europe. That won't happen.Indeed, already in the wind, is talk of a second referendum, and that the treaty is not dead. Such flagrant disregard for democracy is frankly, worrying. There is no way we should have to vote again. If they try and ram this down our throats, I sincerley expect a backlash, the likes has not been seen before, in terms of a more resounding No vote.

No Vote Surges Ahead in Lisbon Referendum Poll

2008-06-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

I cannot say I am surprised, that the latest polls show a massive increase against the Lisbon Treaty. The yes side has trotted out the same mantra for the last few weeks and people haven't bought into it. People want specifics, especially when they are signing up to something that changes things in Europe as much as this treaty proposes to do.

We can be sure that the bullying and threats of apocalyptic doom will come thick and fast from Leinster House and beyond today, but I'll point out that the French and Dutch also rejected this treaty when it was known as the EU Constitution, and did their society and economic welfare meltdown? No, I didn't think so, so such arguments are meaningless.

Less than a week to go, and hopefully we can end this treaty before it gets started and keep Ireland strong in Europe.

Can Ireland Finally Beat The All Blacks?

2008-06-05T04:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, the men in green will be in Wellington, New Zealand, attempting to bridge a century of agony and beat the All Blacks at Rugby Union. Just a solitary draw is the best Ireland can show in that time and the rest have been defeats, some humiliating, some fairly close. Of course, Munster famously beat them in Thomond Park thirty years ago, and that's the nearest we can claim so far.

This time round with a near all Munster pack, and some new faces, there is some hope that a famous victory can be pulled off. Of course, we have heard this before and we still await that precious victory.Michael Bradley is in charge, and if the weather forecast is as bad as is feared, then Ireland could have a chance, as windy and wet Wellington might provide a more level playing field, with forwards contesting most of the play. This might be a good thing for Ireland's Munster boy's.

I think Ireland will compete well, but you never see a bad All Blacks side, and at home, should be at least 6 points too strong.

One Week Left For Lisbon Treaty Vote

2008-06-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

So we are into the last furlong , to use a racing parlance, and each side is gearing up for a final sweep at voter consciousness. Yesterday, Newstalk's George Hook had Shane Ross and Joe Higgins both for the No side and it was Ross, who might be a surprise No supporter, who convincingly pointed out why we should vote no. The fact that France and Holland voted this treaty out - it is virtually the same treaty remember, a fact acknowledged by a host of European heads and elites is surely a big reason to vote no. Also, the fact that the bureaucrats changed this from being a constitution vote, to a treaty vote, meaning the governments, rather than the people of 26 nations got to ratify it without much noise is another good reason to vote this out. Our corporation tax which is attractive to foreign investors and has been a big help in securing much needed employment over the past fifteen years in particular, is under major threat. Once the vote is over, we are into the French presidency, and they have made clear noises that they want a harmonised rate of tax as soon as possible.Our supposed veto will not be worth anything if they want to get their way, and as Senator Ross pointed out, subtle threats to withhold vital funding from the EU might be one way to make us drop any thoughts of a veto.
Overall, it will be very close. The people in general are quite blase and lethargic in my opinion about this, but those of us who believe that Europe is trying to go way to far with this, will be out in a weeks time and hopefully, prevail for the No side and keep us strong in Europe.

Eamon Ryan - No Vote Will Cause EU Chaos

2008-05-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

So the Greens have become the new turncoats on European treaties or at least the cabinet members have. We knew this would happen the moment the Fianna Fail party lifted the duvet on the bed to let them in. Although many, if not most rank and file members of the party are urging a No vote, the government ministers are urging a Yes vote, naturally, they could not do anything else.One has to wonder whether this support was a pre-condition last year when the negotiations for government were taking place.It certainly doesn't represent the majority Green view, in this writers anecdotal experience. Eamon Ryan uses the word 'chaos', something which in reality will not happen if and when we reject this treaty. I really cannot see how a No vote will dis-empower us.It will prove that the treaty needs to be re-negotiated to keep us at the top of the class, and not relegate us to the position of also-rans.If anything, a Yes vote will cause 'chaos' for us. And in these tougher economic times we don't need that. Hopefully Mr Ryan has heard the members of his own party berate their support for this, and has that admonishment ringing loud and clear in his head.

Charlie McCreevy- ''EU Membership Was Main Reason For Celtic Tiger Success''

2008-05-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

Seems familiar doesn't it? What are all the government ministers trotting out day after day like a mantra, to vote yes because EU membership has been good for us. But what angered me yesterday was that McCreevy, our EU Commissioner (a position we will lose for large chunks of the time, if Lisbon is passed), speaking on Newstalk 106, attributed EU membership as the main reason for our economic success during the last 10 years. Really? I thought it was our government economic policies (including low corporation taxes, the very thing up for discussion if this treaty is passed) and our workforce that were the main contributors. The EU is there, we have good economic relationships with our neighbours across Europe and we are tied to a central currency and bank. That's it, no great magic there Charlie. Give the Irish some credit at least. And of course, McCreevy is another one who have admitted he hasn't read the treaty. McCreevy has this man of the people air about him, sure why would you read it anyway, just vote yes and all will be well in effect. Not really a cogent argument in favour of it is it?

Lisbon Treaty - Cowen tells Fine Gael and Labour to step up.

2008-05-26T22:08:00.001-07:00

Brian Cowen caused a bit of a stir over the weekend when he called on the opposition parties supporting the Lisbon Treaty to in effect step up their efforts to see it passed. This was in response to a poll which sees Fine Gael voters split on whether to support the Treaty or not. Obviously this did not go down well, and Labour accused the Taoiseach of being slow off the mark with all stages of the treaty so far, from White Paper to the information campaign. Cowen rode back on his remarks later, saying it was not an admonishment of the parties, merely a call of encouragement. Looks like Brian's known diplomatic skills were once again mis-interpreted.

At the same time Cowen insisted Ireland had played more of a part in this treaty than any other, and could be proud of its central role in its negotiation. Cue raised eyebrows. Is he seriously expecting us to believe that all the parts of the Treaty relating to loss of veto in some areas , judicial loss of sovereignty in some areas, loss of a commissioner, decrease in voting strength, are something we can be proud of? I don't know if the Oscars can be handed out twice in one year, but he's a shoe in for Best Actor Keeping A Straight Face.

Lisbon Treaty - No Vote Looking Strong

2008-05-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

The latest Red C poll shows a 5 point increase in the No vote for Lisbon and a 3 point increase for the Yes side, as people start to make their decisions on how to vote on June 12th. The Don't Knows, are now down to 25%, still a big chunk of the populace to win over and things are still very tight. The mainstream media strings continue to be pulled by the government puppeteers, and therefore a Yes bias is evident by the amount of Pro Treaty contributors on radio and television shows.Most of them continue to trot out the old 'Europe has been good to Ireland, vote Yes' with no proper debate on why we'll have a diminished voice in Europe, see our tax system under really severe threat through the harmonisation desires of the French in particular, and a loss of our veto on a range of issues. As an example, the esteemed lawyer Gerard Keane, he of Celebrity Bainisteoir fame, pompously said yesterday on Newstalk 106, that he hadn't read the treaty and wouldn't be reading it, but will vote Yes because Europe has been good for Ireland. The presenter didn't point out to the good Mr Keane that many felt the same way about Europe, but would vote no, because we wouldn't have the voice and influence we used to have if this is passed.
Just because our own Taoiseach Brian Cowen hasn't bothered to read the thing doesn't mean people should not be informed about the negative impact this will have on Ireland over the next few years.

Munster Win The Heineken Cup

2008-05-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

Second time in three years with a gutsy and committed display in Cardiff. 80,000 people packed in to the Millennium Stadium, and 90% of those seemed to be Munster supporters.That's got to be worth 3 points at least to a side, and that's the margin Munster won by 16-13.Declan Kidney moves on to Ireland and some of the backroom staff are also moving on,Jim Williams for example. So a new regime comes in and it remains to be seen if the Kidney karma can rub of on that new person. We shall see, but today, bask in the glory of the Munstermen!

Eurovision or Easternvision?

2008-05-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight, in Belgrade, 25 nations will sing their hearts out for the coveted Eurovision song contest first prize. A mixture of ballad,rock and Europop, pepper this years competition but ultimately,it will be you, the listening public, that will decide their fate. The old jury system is gone, replaced by televoting which, favours certain 'blocs'. There is the eastern European bloc, whereby most of the eastern European countries vote for each other, mostly through political affiliation and neighbourliness, and partly through song type.The eastern countries don't tend to like the europop from western and northern Europe. The other bloc is the Scandinavian one, whereby the Norweigans vote for the Swedes and the Danes vote for the Icelandic entry etc etc. This year will be no different. It looks like another eastern European victory again, with Russia,Serbia and Ukraine, expected to battle it out for top prize. Sweden and Latvia have a decent chance, Latvia, through their novel pirate song mostly though.
It'll be a 3 hour cheese fest, so get out your popcorn and beer and laugh at it all.

Cowen - Back On The Attack For Lisbon Treaty

2008-05-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brian Cowen got away from his F word controversy and launched an attack on opponents of the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty. Basically he said it was alright to be unhappy with the EU but not acceptable to be saying that you support it without actually meaning it. Now, I am against the Lisbon Treaty for several reasons,not least because we will certainly have good reason to be unhappy with the EU, even those who are happy now, if this is passed. But I'm not sure who he was getting at by attacking those who pretended to support it. As far as I am aware all the mainstream parties including Sinn Fein,support being in the EU and they as well as everyone else has seen the benefits we have enjoyed from that. But the whole debate from the No side is that this will change over the next five years or so, if this is passed.
Cowen once again went over stale ground again by exhorting the benefits accrued to Ireland over the years and how we have punched above our weight and been influential at the top table in negotiations on European affairs. That, dear Brian, will come to an end through the qualified majority voting section of the treaty as we lose the power to veto some areas of policy which we had before. We lose a commissioner. We lose voting strength to the larger countries. How can we stay as strong as we used to be? The big powerhouse countries will now dictate to us how things will be through large chunks of economic and social issues.
He was also at pains to say there would be no plan B, if the treaty was rejected. I laughed grimly at that. Nice Treaty I, was the be all and end all, and a few months later we were all trotted out to vote again, after we were like the bold class at school not doing our homework. Do it again they (the EU bureaucrats) said, and we obliged. I believe they already have the plans in place for a re-run, if we (hopefully) reject this bad treaty.
You'll hear a lot of spin over the next couple of weeks, and a lot of pressure will be brought to bear on the citizens to vote Yes. There are powerful vested interests at work on that. We must vote No to keep our voice.

The F Word - Cowen Shows His Class

2008-05-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

You have to feel a bit sorry for Brian Cowen. A couple of weeks into the job of Taoiseach, he must feel like a goldfish in a very small bowl, as people analyse and dissect his every utterance. Including those off microphone. His off-mic comment yesterday to Mary Coughlan was picked up slightly muffled, but clear enough. Unfortunately for Cowen, it has lead the newspapers and opposition to point this out as showing how he cannot deal with difficult questions, getting hassled and impatient with Eamon Gilmore yesterday. Questions are, of course, an everyday requirement for the Taoiseach of the day to deal with and it shows that Cowen does lack that bit of subtlety and diplomacy that he will need if his leadership is to be successful.

You can argue how it was an off the cuff remark said in a way we all might use day to day in dealing with issues but as Taoiseach he will certainly need to learn the art of speaking at the right moments.

Manchester United Win Champions League

2008-05-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

As predicted right here folks, a 1-1 draw and penalties was a distinct possibility and so it transpired with United winning the shootout. Somehow I knew they would win once Chelsea had hit the post and crossbar in the second half and injury time. Sometimes you just get a feeling. I had that feeling back in 2005 in the FA Cup final which Man United absolutely dominated and yet couldn't break through.Freddie Ljungberg late on, cleared a United corner off the line onto the crossbar,without knowing much about it, and it was then you just knew it was Arsenal's day.The resultant penalty victory was satisfying to a minimal degree, as you knew you had robbed the better side,even the hated United. And so it was last night at rain soaked Moscow, United win their third Champions league final, but it must be underneath the victory celebrations an awfully unsatisfactory way to win a match and must rank as the least enjoyable of their three. Not that it will matter to the fans I suppose. Its who lifts the trophy at the end that matters. United do the double, but Chelsea win nothing this season, and Avram Grant must surely be a casualty of that. Over to you Mr Abramovich....

Champions League Final Moscow 2008

2008-05-21T08:04:00.001-07:00

So the first all Premiership meeting in this competition finale takes place tonight in apparently rain soaked Moscow. Along with the supposedly dodgy pitch, it should make for a most entertaining match between the two English stalwarts. Probably not, since the two sides know so much about each other, it could be a 1-1 or 1-0 result, with extra time and penalties a distinct possibility.

I don't really care who wins as I do not support either, but I do hope it is a fitting match to fully showcase the Premiership's supposed superiority over Europe

Eurovision Flop - Dustin Crashes Out

2008-05-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

So all the hype and opinion on the turkey puppet is now void, as Dustin failed to qualify from the first semi-final and became one of Ireland's worst performances in Eurovision history. At last Dervish were in the final last year. I,along with many others, expected Dustin to qualify for the final,mostly through novelty, but its clear that, if you ignore any conspiracy theories, that the European public were not taken with the fowl puppet. It's not like the odds were stacked against him, as out of the 19 songs last night, 10 would qualify. Greater than a 50-50 chance and he blew it, not that he'll care anyway. It was interesting watching the contest, that I saw what I would call 4 novelty or quirky acts and of those only one, Bosnia-Herzogovina, got through. It seems like despite the razzmatazz and pyrotechnics visible at these shows, a good song will still win all the time. The term 'good song' is of course, in terms of Eurovision. I think Russia will do very well looking at last nights performances. But we'll see.

As a footnote to last nights Irish debacle, it's as good an excuse to vote No to Lisbon!!

Lisbon Treaty Campaign- Posters Going Up

2008-05-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

So, its summertime again, and we have the posters and billboard advertisements going up all over the country exhorting a Yes or No vote to the upcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum. The latest polls suggest a victory for the Yes side, but I will wager it will be much closer than some Yes people are expecting.

We need to look at what the politicians and bureaucrats in Europe have been doing to this whole European Project over the last few years. The relentless march to a federal superstate is no mad, lunatic fantasy, it is a fact, one which we may realise too late. And why would such a superstate be such a bad thing? Surely, one currency, one central bank, one president and one parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg to decide how we Irish should live our lives is a good thing?

You see my point, we have signed up partially so far to the currency and the central bank side of things, and we have done well, no question, but it was a happy coincidence that we changed over slap bang in the middle of the Celtic Tiger boom, which helped enormously with the transition. The next steps will be devolving our tax regime here over to Brussels. This is very much on the cards despite what you will hear from the government here. I have many problems with the governments here over the years, but we at least have a democratically elected parliament who make the decisions. I accept that totally. I will not accept an EU parliament with an unelected president (yes, the Treaty makes provision for that post) who ultimately will be the most powerful person on the planet.

After that we will simply have our Dail as a regional council of elected representatives with minor control over day to day affairs, while the big decisions are out of our hands. Will our Constitution survive all this? That is the big question over the next decade. Are you ready to salute the EU flag and sing lustily to the 'Strength And Unity' European Anthem at your future big sports events?

Eurovision 2008. Dustin Makes His Mark

2008-05-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

It all begins tonight, the cheesiest show on Earth as a about a 100 countries offer up the worst songs imaginable all in the national cause. Well, more like 40+ countries. Once upon a time, there were about 6 countries taking part and gradually it became around 20. That was the maximum the show, and people, could take for a 3 hour stint. Then Europe decided to get rid of communism, and a whole host of countries began signing up for the annual death by song torture. Now they have to have two semifinals to weed out the weakest songs and then have a grand final on Saturday night. It's terrible, and yet strangely addictive, as we cringe through the mire of La La La and Ding Dang Dong songs until we get to the meaty bit, the voting.
Dustin the Turkey is Ireland's representative this year, which you all knew anyway, and represents a new low for Ireland even after last year's Dervish debacle.

After last year, when Dervish finished last, the feeling was we needed to 'modernise' the songs we were sending to appeal to the greater European masses. The result? We send a manic puppet who doesn't give a hoot (or a gobble) about what people think. Ironically, for all the disco-pop last year, it was a standard Eurovision ballad type song that won for Serbia, helped no doubt by the bloc-voting that goes on all around the place, but ultimately it was the 'best' song on the night. How will Dustin do? I think he'll qualify as a novelty act from the semi finals, but once people have seen him, they'll lose interest in the concept and concentrate on the song, which is pretty crap, and reject him. He'll finish in the top 10, which will, I suppose, be seen as a good result and recovery from last year. After that, who knows what we'll send next year. Podge and Rodge perhaps? Now there's an idea.....

Brian Cowen = Stalin?

2008-05-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

So the first rumblings of dissent are coming from the back benches of the Fianna Fail TD's. Brian Cowen, a week or so into the job, is already being compared to the hated dictator by one of his own members, nameless of course. I think that Cowen will prove to be a very decisive leader, but also a divisive one. A bit like the Charlie Haughey used to be. Only without the Charvet shirts. 'Bully' Cowen has a lot to live up to over the next few months.

Lisbon Treaty - Cowen Accepts No Dissent Within Ranks.

2008-05-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Brian Cowen was always going to be more forceful as Taoiseach when making big decisions, and this forcefulness has come through by his announcement to the Fianna Fail party TD's that he will accept no one campaigning or showing support for the No side in the upcoming Lisbon Treaty poll. Probably unnecessary for him to do that, but in the early days of his premiership, he obviously wanted to lay down some markers for the vote. Not that he's actually read the full text, as he admitted earlier this week. I do find that admission rather astonishing I have to say by the man that wants us all to vote Yes. The treaty-EU Constitution II is difficult enough to read but if the Taoiseach hasn't read it fully, there isn't much hope that the majority of the rest of us will either. Therefore we rely on the information from both camps over the next four weeks. What also raised a smile here, was Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, when asked whether he had read the text of the Treaty, he replied, 'Every word' quick as a flash.Eyebrows raised in all directions, but I think Cowen would have done better had he said that, even if it wasn't true.

Another interesting snippet from the week, was on Newstalk, when the representative of the Referendum Commission was on, obviously not trying to take sides as they are supposed to impart the facts of the treaty tot he general public as neutrally as possible, when asked about the possibility that this treaty would see our hold over tax issues under threat from a Yes vote, replied that 'it is the considered view that it will not'. The important word, picked up by the questioner, was 'considered' which means there is an ambiguity which could mean anything if the EU push us down that road, which is very likely if this thing is passed.

Natural Disasters - A Bad Week For Mother Earth

2008-05-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a bad week of natural disasters, particularly in Asia. Yesterday's Chinese earthquake looks to have caused massive loss of life, 10,000 people so far, undoubtedly, and sadly it looks like there are many more. Due to the mountainous terrain in the area where the worst effects were felt,it must be extremely difficult to get close to the communities that have suffered. The Chinese army, however, are reportedly very good at mobilising for events such as these and will be doing everything they can to get to where help is needed.

The same cannot be said of Burma, following the cyclone of last week, already knocked of the top of the news headlines by the events in China, it remains to be seen whether the full help the people affected is getting there. Reports suggest the Burmese army are 'seizing' the aid and stockpiling it in unknown locations. Such acts are unacceptable to us westerners, but the Burmese army/junta/government have thumbed their noses at the world for years and they will do so again it seems. It may be months before we get the full story from inside Burma as to the real damage and casualties.

The third big event of the week was the Chaiten volcano in Chile, erupting spectacularly and unexpectedly after supposedly being dormant for 9000 years. No fatalities have been reported and the villages near the volcano have all been evacuated before the dust and ash reached them. It remains unclear how the climate in the Southern hemisiphere will be affected in the months to come by the billions of tonnes of ash ejected miles into the atmosphere. It will stay up there and is already visible on satellite photographs spreading eastward right across South America like a white stripe.

Lisbon Treaty - The Campaign Intensifies

2008-05-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

Brian Cowen,new Taoiseach, has made passing the Lisbon Treaty - EU Constitution II, a priority for the government. Today, on Newstalk 106, Micheal Martin, the new Foreign Minister, was asked by George Hook why the treaty should be passed. With due respect to the minister, he was only answering what he was asked, and his reply was ''to make European Institutions more efficient''. That, in effect, was it. Plus how good Europe had been, jobs, economy etc etc. If I was a Yes supporter, I wouldn't have been convinced.More importantly,if I was undecided, I wouldn't have been convinced. These are the voters both Yes and No camps need to convince, when the vote takes place in a months time.
The treaty is, of course, far more than about European Institutions. It is about moulding the entity that is the EU, into a single political union, and not about creating more economic prosperity on its own. The treaty needs to read and understood as best as possible by all who will vote. It is unlikely that most will read it, making the information they get over the next few weeks, absolutely vital.
Each time I see the points proposed in the treaty, I cannot help but see an erosion in our sovereignty. It is inevitable despite what our government and Yes supporters say. At this stage, I'm sure the government just wants to get the Yes vote and move on.They dare not face Europe on the back of a rejection.
I think they (Yes camp) may be in for a shock on the 12th June.And no harm will come to us because of it either.

Brian Cowen - The Homecoming.

2008-05-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well, being a resident who lives not too far from Clara Co.Offaly, it was with raised eyebrows I saw the celebratory bunting and hoardings going up over the past weeks in anticipation of the return to his hometown of the new Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. Pictures of his cherubic face adorned houses, like shrines of pilgrimage for the religious. Except there was no halo over them. At least I don't think so. Many here would have not objected had there been one.

On Saturday I drove from Moate to Tullamore on business, and for the whole journey every second house or so, had bunting, pictures of the prodigal son, or both. In some case, tractors, trucks and cars had been strategically placed on the side of the main roads advertising their business and admiration for the man.

Clara was closed off, it was like a virus had swept the town and we were all ushered to diversions away from there as the preparations for his arrival continued. I do not believe even the Pope would would have got such adoration himself if he had descended on the sleepy hamlet.

At 6 o'clock on Saturday, on a warm and still evening, he addressed his fellow townsfolk. A hot air balloon was seen rising into the Clara sky, and we wondered if we could make a correlation between how the balloon rose into the air and Mr Cowen's speech.

Welcome home Brian, we'll see you again in 4 years time then?

Lisbon Treaty - Latest Poll Findings

2008-05-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

The latest poll on how voters feel about the Lisbon Treaty -EU Constitution was published yesterday and found an increase in support for the Yes side. They now have a 10 point lead according to the poll, but before the Yes camp start celebrating,there are a number of factors which must be considered. The first is that a huge chunk of potential voters still have yet to decide on which way they want to vote, over a third in fact. The makes the debate and discussion about the document even more important. The undecided need to have a decent idea of what they are being asked to vote on, and it's obvious that many still have none.

The other factor to consider is that you can bet, and I've said it before, that the No voters will come out and vote hail,rain or shine on the day, but the yes camp will have voters who will look at polls and decide not to bother to vote, and this will allow that portion of undecided voters who go with the No side, to bolster the No vote greatly.

Finally, in the week Brian Cowen became Taoiseach, the Yes camp will have been helped by this, with Cowen making a Yes vote a priority. This 'honeymoon' will be short, with a lot of tough issues for him to tackle in the coming weeks. People may feel differently once the 'feel good' factor about him wears off.

Look, it's simple for me really, this treaty is definitely a step towards a federal Europe, not blatantly, but quietly and by degrees, we will lose our voice in Europe if this is passed. We've seen the EU grow immensely since the days when we first joined the EEC, and this is the reason, say the Yes side that we need to democratise and make more efficient, the European machine. Twenty seven countries bound together with the same taxes, currency, laws, central bank? This is the federal dream, slowly becoming reality. I love Europe, the different cultures, people and customs. Lets keep our countries unique for the time being, that's all I want. I don't want to be part of the 'European Project' - I really dislike that term, makes me feel like we are in a giant laboratory with the people in white coats and clipboards, looking in on us and seeing how we react to each treaty.

I believe we will reject the treaty, and buy some time form the bureaucrats until the next one. It's the correct option.

Lisbon Treaty- The Media Debates

2008-05-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to post my views on the various media debates between the Yes and No camps for the Lisbon Treaty - EU Constitution II. This morning, Newstalk 106 had a biased debate for the Yes side, by having firstly, Dick Roche and then Ruairi Quinn exhorting the merits of voting Yes, while Ulick McEvaddy, for the No camp, raised the point about the unintelligibility of the document,countered deftly by Quinn, in that when you buy a house, you know the price and basic terms but the contract itself, no one can fully comprehend, its a legal document. However, we are not buying a house here, we are potentially signing away our very soveriegnity to the federalists in Europe. The corporation tax issue is McEvaddy's major problem with this Treaty, he believes, as I do, that plans are in place to begin the harmonisation of this and our personal taxes, once this treaty is out of the way. The supremacy of the European Court over the Irish Courts on certain issues, is also a major worry, and not one fully countered by the yes side. The loss of a commissioner for a small nation like Ireland is also a big blow. We are in danger of being swamped by the European Federalist tide, and this is what the No side needs to point out in a big way to the voters.

Voting No will help Ireland keep its position at the forefront of Europe and not at the back of the pack.

Lisbon Treaty- Making Your Mind Up.

2008-05-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

Its getting closer to making your mind up time, whether to vote Yes or No, or whether to bother at all. Bear in mind, that apparently this will be the last time we will have the people able to vote on an EU Treaty, it is important that the right decision is made. I am really sceptical of the claims of our mainstream politicians that this 'treaty' will be good for Ireland. In effect, it is just the EU Constitution re-hashed and couched in Brussels-speak, meaning it is at worst unintelligible for us mere mortals away from the bureaucrats in Belgium and at best is open to whatever interpretation you like, for or against.

I also believe that if Ireland does vote No, there will be another vote some months later, despite what the government says. Nice 2003, was the template for that. A democratic decision was reached, and rejected by Europe for a few opt out clauses. Does anyone remember what those clauses were? There is no way little ole Ireland will be allowed scupper the grand federalist ambitions of France and Germany, that is certain.

Voting No, will not harm Ireland in any way, just as it didn't harm the Dutch or French last time round. We have a voice for the moment, let's use it and let them know.

Cowen Stamps His Authority

2008-05-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

The re-shuffle is done and Brian Cowen, new Taoiseach, has made the position his own. On looking at the new ministers its clear he values Mary Harney's position as Minister for Health, keeping her there, despite deep unpopularity amongst the public, due to the health crisis. Cowen obvioulsy feels no-one else will do a better job, so better the devil you know in this case. Mary Coughlan gets the passenger seat as Tanaiste and Employment/Enterprise Minister. A vital role, given the haemorrage of manufacturing positions to the Far East and Eastern Europe. She has to stem that flow and get some jobs back before unemployment reaches 200,000, which it is on the verge of doing.Given that corporation tax may be harmonised sometime in the future (those in government will argue otherwise, but the Lisbon Treaty is a major stepping stone in that direction) she will have a tough job there. Interestingly, since the farmer's lobby looks like voting No in the upcoming referendum on the EU Constitution, Cowen has installed Brendan Smith in that post, to deal with this issue. Brian Lenihan gets Finance, and if ever there was a Taoiseach-in-waiting, it is him. However, it would be a monumental effort to get Fianna Fail back for a 4th consectutive term in 4 years time or so. By then, who knows how bad things will be?

Lisbon Treaty - Countdown continues to polling day.

2008-05-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Just over a month remains to the vote for the EU Constitution Mark II, and each side is gearing up to exhort the voters to at least turn out on the day, as apathy and confusion about the treaty will surely have an impact on the result.

As a No supporter, I take offence at the Taoiseach (now former of course) Ahern's remarks that the No support was 'lunacy'. Hardly, since the most rational arguments from each side have in this writers opinion come from the No side. The Yes camp tend to resort to the old 'Europe has been good to us' and 'the No voters are loony leftists and have a hidden agenda'. Whereas the No side tend to use the articles in the treaty to back up their argument which is the way it should be done. And it is clear that the treaty is ambiguous and so utterly ridden with bureaucratic-speak that it is possible to make relevant points for and against each paragraph, and this leads to total confusion. Result? Turnout will be about 40% and the No vote will win.

Bottom line is, Europe will continue on as before and the world won't collapse for us if we vote No. We'll keep our sovereignty intact(for now, as a Plan B is surely already drawn up) and all will be well in the world. The Yes campaigners in government will have to slink back to Brussels and get the dressing down they are dreading from the Federalists and try again.

It's a battle that will be very interesting indeed.

Goodbye Bertie, Hello Brian.

2008-05-07T04:09:00.000-07:00

Bertie has finally left the office of Taoiseach, as the appointed day has come and gone and new Taoiseach-to-be Brian Cowen prepares himself for that top job. So what problems are on the table for Brian? Where do we start? The Economy, Health, Lisbon Treaty aka European Constitition referendum, cabinet re-shuffle, and where to live. Yes, he's apperently considering Farmleigh House in Dublin as his new residence,which would probably make sense from a practical point of view, but will have his constituents tut-tutting I'm sure.

He'll have a shindig back in the old homestead in Clara at the weekend, where the streets will be thronged with supporters waving the flags, and the bunting, already in evidence about the town, will be augmented even more. He'll get a heroes welcome there, no doubt, but he faces many challenges ahead and should enjoy his day in the Offaly sun on Saturday.

Why Should You Vote No to Lisbon Treaty

2008-04-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

The recent polls suggest a narrowing of the Yes campaign's lead in the Lisbon referendum and this of course has sparked the usual panic from the Yea sayers. Disastrous says Bertie, if we vote No. Dick Roche as usual, running around like a headless chicken, imploring us to be good Europeans and vote Yes. The traiterous Greens, sold their soul (those in the government anyway) to the Yes side also imploring us to vote Yes.

But who amongst us actually knows what we're signing up to? The Lisbon Treaty is so full of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, you can make anything of it you like. When you sign a contract for a job, do you sign without understanding what exactly is written down? No, I didn't think so. The Lisbon treaty is basically open to any interpretation you like, and at the end of the day, if you are unsure, you should vote No. I do firmly believe that it is another big big step towards eroding our national sovereignty, no question. The corporation tax issue discussions have been shelved in Brussels until we have voted, as the French presidency wants to pursue a one tax for all, but that would not be seen as a positive thing for us, and hence the Eurocrats are running scare of it.

I also believe that should we vote No, we will be absolutley no worse off then we are now, just like the French and Dutch who voted No last time. Did the Apocalypse happen? No, of course not. They'll go away and think up ways to amend things and come back with another treaty along the line. This Lisbon Treaty is just the EU constitution re packaged, and thats not a good thing believe me.

Voting No will show just what good Europeans we are and should be.

Lisbon Treaty - Countdown Begins

2008-04-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

June 12th, the Irish nation will go to the polls to vote Yes or No on the so called Lisbon Treaty. The odds are, however, that if you vote, you will almost certainly not have read the full text drawn up. And no surprise, as it is a weighty tome (or CD) and written in the best Euro- speak. In other words the Brussels bureaucratic machine went into overdrive on this one. Most likely, if you have decided to vote Yes or No already, you won't be for changing over the next two months, but a vast swathe of the populace are either undecided, don't care or don't even know about it. I think it is vitally important that you check out both sides of the argument because, uniquely, we are the only EU nation to hold a referendum on this. The wise old heads in Europe have denied the Dutch and French a chance to scupper their federalist (in my opinion) vision of one president, one giant superstate with regional councils (formerly governments) and one giant economy.One tax rate for all, one supreme European court for all, and one army. So this won't happen you say? Read the treaty, its your duty to be informed. I'm glad we have the opportunity to vote, and I would say most of Europe are jealous of the fact. The politicians are holding their breath.

And Then There Were Two

2008-04-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

Arsenal used to called 'Lucky Arsenal', they seemed to get all the breaks that were going in a football match, and jealous rivals latched on to their seeming good fortune at games. However, this year, the only breaks (apart from Eduardo's leg) have gone to the opposing sides. Particularly penalty decisions, in the Cahmpions League, and bad offside calls - particularly the Middlesbrough game. But yesterday's defeat, was bad luck of a different kind, they couldn't score. They bossed Manchester Utd off the field for the first half, created more clear cut chances but their ineffiency in attack - Adebayor has come up badly short since Eduardo's injury, and the lack of midfield goals has hurt the title chllenge badly. Lack of experience, I don't think so, lack of composure, definitely. Gallas, as team captain, has to shoulder some of the blame, I do not feel he is captain material, the players apparently do not have the necessary respect for him, though that is just a rumour. So nothing once again in Arsenal's trophy cabinet, the third blank season in a row. In many ways Arsenal did much better than many pundits were predicting, yet its a strangely hollow feeling for Arsenal fans this morning after yesterdays 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Players wil certainly leave the Emirates in the summer- Eboue, Gilberto and Lehmann almost certainly.Flamini and Hleb and also Gallas are strongly rumoured to go also. Walcott needs to get 90 minutes a match next season and bring his talent to fruition, and Wenger needs a goal scoring midfielder, one who is not injury prone ( Rosicky) and Van Persie also needs to stay fit too. A new goalkeeper and strong central defender would be good business for Wenger, and keeping the nuclues of this squad together will mean a definite challenge for honours next season. But for now, we can only dream.

Bertie Bows Out

2008-04-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

So the inevitable has happened. The Taoiseach has resigned, and the immense pressure caused by all the alleged financial irregularaties have taken its toll. He'll be remembered for the Northern Ireland Peace Process, and his part in that, also his premiership during the biggest fiancial boom years Ireland has ever seen, the Celtic Tiger Years. But 11 years and he's almost gone, a new leader soon to be elected. It has to be Brian Cowen, the Offalyman, whose nickname of 'Bully' gives you an idea of his style of politics. If he does become the next Taoiseach, expect a totally different style of leadership, more akin to the Haughey era.

Premiership Title Race Becomes Two Horse Race

2008-03-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

So, after last weekend, the Premiership title looks certain to stay in Old Trafford. Manchester United do not look likely to drop more than 5 points in the run in and Arsenal and Chelsea are not going to win all 7 of their final games to try and catch them. The bookies may as well pay out, as they did some years ago, under different circumstances.
Arsenal, in particular, have been baffling in their collapse. They lead the table 6 games ago by five points after a comfortable 2-0 over Blackburn, but since then, 5 games have yielded just 4 points, not good enough I'm afraid. Can this loss of form be explained. I think so. It goes back to the tenth minute of the Birmingham game, when Eduardo was badly tackled and suffered an horrific leg break. It seems, that this mentally may have had a bigger consequence than people are admitting. Also, the midfield of Arsenal look tired. Hleb,Flamini and in particular Fabregas, look shot to pieces physically and I have grave doubts they will finish up with anything this year. Liverpool will recover from the Man United defeat I'm sure, and beat the Gunners at Anfield to progress. Arsenal may be in danger of finishing 4th if their run of form does not stop. I hope I am tempting fate big time with my thoughts here....

Arthur C Clarke dies in Sri Lanka

2008-03-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

Aged 90, a long life indeed. I read one or two of his books and of course have seen 2001, A Space Odyssey. But what I remember most was that TV Series and book that came out with it back in the early eighties, Arthur C Clarkes Mysterious World. It cast a look at the worlds greatest mysteries, like UFO's,Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, strange items falling from the sky,that kind of stuff. Clarke didn't debunk anything, but would wryly comment on each phenomena,leaving the viewer to make up his own mind.

I wonder now will his ashes be flown into space? It would be appropiate.

St Patrick's day - Avoid if possible.....

2008-03-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's what I said. It's become an overblown Oirish celebration of booze, broads and blarney. Who wants to stand in pouring rain (or sleet as is more usual)in some provincial town or village, watch a couple of tractors with a balloon tied to the back and if you're lucky maybe a couple of local tin whistlers will blow to the tune of Yankee Doodle not far behind them. Not me this year,thanks, I've done that far too often in the past, as a child and as an adult and it never left me with a warm glow, I can tell you.
Dublin does do the best parade no doubt, but the amount of rowdiness and trouble makers going around on the day makes you want to get out of the town and home, pronto. Not that I'm against a few drinks to Paddy, but there is a hardcore who, over the past few years, have taken things to excess to the detriment of those who want to enjoy the day out.
My advice? Get a load of popcorn, a few beers or soft drinks if you prefer, watch the Dublin parade on the telly and relax with the family. It's the only way, and I'll let you know who I get on with it.Slainte!!

The Romance Of The FA Cup

2008-03-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, then there were four. Barnsley,Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City. What odds would you have got for that semi final lineup back in January? 5000/1 ? 10,000/1 ? Or the bookie would be making a quick call to the men in white coats for you. Of those four West Brom are the most recent winners. A mere 40 years ago. Portsmouth are next, a slightly longer 69 year gap. Cardiff, well, 1927 is still talked about, the only time a non-English side has won the cup, and Barnsley won it when motor cars were a rarity, and flying even rarer - 1914. So whoever wins, will bridge a huge gap and certainly bring hope to those clubs who might have felt that the FA Cup was the sole property of the so called 'Big Four' clubs. I have a feeling for Barnsley, they have knocked out Chelsea and Liverpool, and have the biggest gap to bridge in terms of when their supporters last saw thge cup in town.

Storm To Hit UK and Ireland

2008-03-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, a vicious area of low pressure is now sitting right over Northern Ireland as I write this, and here in central Ireland, the initial strong winds, nothing out of the ordinary, have died away. We're supposed to see more strong winds today, but I doubt whether any wind records will be broken here in any event. I have always found that the best weather events are the unexpected ones, especially snow, on a Sunday morning mind you, when all you expected was rain.
However, once you see Sky news saying special committees are meeting to prepare for this storm, you just know its not going to happen.
We shall see. By the end of today.....

Forza Arsenal, Man Utd progress in Champions League

2008-03-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

Ultimately, it had to end, and for Paolo Maldini, it ended in defeat. There could be no complaints from Milan though, as Arsenal dominated the chances and possession for most of the match, leaving it to Fabregas and Adebayor late on to seal victory. Manchester United sealed victory over Lyon, although it was a laboured one, Ronaldo goal was enough to see them progress as expected. Celtic kept their pride intact going down 1-0 to Barcelona, 4-2 on aggregate,without really threatening to trouble Barca. It looks likely now that there will be 4 English sides in the quarter finals if Chelsea and Liverpool finish off their opposition. The draw takes place on March 14th and hopefully Arsenal will avoid English opposition. Naturally we'd like Fenerbahce or Porto/Schalke, but I have a hankering for Barcelona. Technically probably the best side left in the competition, their defence looks suspect sometimes, and that,coupled with the revenge from 2006 factor,make them my number one choice, but we'll see. Its an open draw, but it would be funny to see the 4 English clubs avoid each other, allowing the possibility of an all English semi final lineup. A lot of football and waiting before that combination can happen....

Champions League Showdown

2008-03-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

It's Super Tuesday again if you are a Euro football fan, and Super Wednesday tomorrow. Tonight Arsenal take on AC Milan in the San Siro, with the match poised at 0-0, an away goal for Arsenal could be enough here I feel. With the withdrawal of Toure and Rosicky from the squad, but the return of Van Persie, the news is mixed for Arsenal fans. Its probable that if things are going our way in the match we will not see Van Persie risked, but you will see him if the score is 1-0 with 20 minutes left. Hopefully Adebayor finds his scoring boots, and also hopefully the midfield start chipping in with goals at some stage, they have dried up in recent weeks. Milan have Kaka back as expected, Seedorf is the doubt, we won't know if he plays until the last minute. I expect a tough game in Milan. Their defence is legendary for being miserly, and Arsenal's form over the last 4 games has been patchy, as has their luck. I am hopeful of a 1-1 or 1-0 to the Arsenal.It's about time we won this thing, starting tonight on the road to May. Man Utd play tonight and they hold an away goal advantage in the 1-1 draw in Lyon. I expect Utd to progress, althogh it might not be as easy as some are making out. I think Lyon will score, but Man Utd will score 2 or 3. Barcelona will ease past Celtic. Celtic gave Barca 2 of their 3 goals in Parkhead last time out and really needed to go into this game with no worse than a 0-0 score or even a lead. However, with Barca leading 3-2 you would expect it will be difficult for Celtic to score at least twice with no reply at the Bernabeu.
As always though,there will be twists and turns tonight.
Just a note on the coverage, only Setanta are showing the Arsenal match. RTE in thier wisdom, decide to show Man Utd as they always do. If the Man Utd under 10 side were playing in Timbuctu, RTE would show it. You can almost see the production team coming to work today in red shirts with AIG plastered across the front and Ronaldo or Rooney emblazoned across the back. Rant over. Game on!

Bendtner Saves Arsenal Blushes, Man Utd Keep Pressure On

2008-03-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Good ole Nicky Bendtner, his last gasp equaliser against a very good,resilient Aston Villa side, felt like a winning goal as Arsenal fans everywhere looked to Craven Cottage and saw that Man Utd were winning 3-0 and heading back to the top. As it is Arsenal hold a precious point lead with still 10 games to go. Chelsea, who were otherwise engaged in some cup final last weekend got back to business with a 4-0 thrashing of West Ham and they are definitely not out of it.
Arsenal looked tired and short of ideas today, with Fabregas looking fatigued and not the player he was a couple of months ago. This is worrying for Arsenal and with AC Milan to come midweek, something we hope can be sparked back to life by Wenger and the rest of the team. This is the crucuial phase now, and there are still games aginast Chelsea and Man Utd away,which at this very moment look quite daunting for the young Gooners. Confidence is a fragile thing and Bendtners last kick equaliser could be the tonic Arsenal need.

Tax The Bad Motorist

2008-02-29T02:40:00.000-08:00

So the government are considering imposing a congestion charge in Dublin. In other words, if you want to drive into Dublin city, you will pay a toll/charge/tax or whatever you want to call it. Understandably, this has caused a few raised eyebrows,let alone raised voices. The main point of those against is that of course the public transport system simply isn't good enough to support this.If we could step outside, maybe walk a few hundred metres and hop onto a bus, LUAS, tram whatever and get to work easily,cheaply and on time, maybe that would work. However, while the LUAS has been onstream for a couple of years now, it simply doesn't cover a large enough area, and the buses are either over crowded or unreliable, and the DART is limited to those on the sea coast line. Only when this has been addressed can they reasonably look at charging the beleagured car owner to enter the fair city.
Also, recent suggestions indicate the government was looking at the viability of a pay as you drive tax, with a 'black box' in each car monitoring road usage and charging accordingly. This, on top of a motor tax increase at the last budget, the ever spiralling petrol prices (of which the government gets a huge percentage in revenue) and the 'Green' element in government mean the days of the motorist are numbered if certain sections have their way. Get out your bicycles, or start walking. Maybe you can hitchhike, and grab a lift with a passing government limousine....

Bumper Lotto Weekend Ahead

2008-02-28T00:26:00.000-08:00

10 Million Euro, I believe. Sure what would you do with it anyway, it would drive you insane if you went from poverty to riches. There are tales of such occurences from the UK and US, where they spent it all. Personally I don't care about it. Its not like I will win it anyway. Oh, don't give me the 'if you're not in you can't win' baloney. The fact is, if you're in you can't win, so remember that as you fork out your hard earned cash on the pink ticket. Ah, what about yer one from Limerick, who one that obscene amount of money a couple of years ago. The gross national product of Botswana I believe.If she can do it, so can you.
The thing about the lotto is they keep adding new games to make sure you spend more and more, slowly but surely. Once we had one game, now we have five separate choices, the sub choices to the main games. And there are more to come, I'm sure
Go on then, get your ticket and check off your numbers. Euromillions or Lotto,take your pick. The lottery boys don't mind which.

Premiership Updates

2008-02-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

Midweek, and the eyes of the sporting world turn toward the weekend and the battle for Premiership glory. Man Utd, on the back of a big win at the weekend, must be the banker away bet this weekend, they play Fulham, who are really struggling, and have won just 3 times at home this season. They also have a penchant for conceding late goals, and Utd score many late goals, I would expect 3-0 win for them. Arsenal have Aston Villa at home and after a traumatic last week, Arsenal really need to win this, but with the injury situation, and the fact that Villa come into this game in good form and confidence, I am going to say there is a chance of an away win here or a draw. I hope I'm wrong, as a Gunners supporter, I hope the last week has strengthened the resolve of the players, as adversity sometimes can.
At the bottom, its only a matter of time before Derby are relegated officially and Fulham must be favoured also. The third relgation spot is probably going to go down to the last game, as is traditional. Impossible to pick who will join those other two at this point.

Earthquake felt in the UK

2008-02-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

Apparently a 5.3 Mag. quake not far from Hull, one reported injury and many reports of people awoken from sleep, or startled by the shaking. Quakes are rare in the UK, even rarer here, in fact, we've never had a major quake with its epicentre on the island of Ireland. There have been quakes recorded in the Irish Sea, and North Wales, which have been felt here. Notably the 1984 quake from North Wales which was felt widely across the east coast area. I wasn't there then, but I know someone who experienced it, describing it as like a heavy lorry passing the house.
Ireland doesn't have any major faultlines, where there are minor fault lines across Wales, and another one towards the south east of England. Thankfully these incidents are rare and cause no more than minor damage.
I wonder though do the builders of major infrastructure on these islands, make any allowances for a doomsday possiblity of a 6.0 mag and higher, unlikely as that might seem? I don't know, I would imagine no extra precautions would be built in, but I'd be interested to find out.....

The tackle on Eduardo

2008-02-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

I am an Arsenal fan and was watching the game against Birmingham live on Saturday. When the now infamous Martin Taylor made that tackle on Eduardo, I didn't think much of it.The referee blew, it was a free kick and I expected Eduardo to get up and on with the game.It became apparent within a few seconds that the recult of that tackle was anything but ordinary. Upset and distraught team mates urged on the physio very quickly and turned away from the sight of Eduardo's grossly misshapen leg, snapped in two near the ankle, by a clumsy and indeed reckless tackle. Certainly it desrved a red card. Some football 'pundits' claim since it was a clumsy tackle that it should have hardly warranted a yellow - Steve Bruce, David Platt and Kevin Ratcliffe, subscribe to this view. They are wrong, it was a straight red, it was a dangerous challenge and the still photo of Taylor's boot nearly half way up Eduardo's shin looks as bad as it was. Did Taylor mean to break his leg? No, I don't believe that for a second,though many of my fellow Gooners may disagree, I think he went in to take the man down, since he was away from him too quickly, but the result,he could not have foreseen. My final point on this is simple.If the tackle had broken Wayne Rooney's leg or John Terry or whoever else in the England setup, you can be sure a media witchhunt would be in full swing. But seeing as Eduardo is Croatian/ Brazilian, its not such an outcry, and the tackler was British, a good solid defender who never hurt anyone before. Double standards? Sure aren't we used to it by now.....

Bertie - PS I owe you...

2008-02-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

Heard that title this morning, probably old now, but new to me. Had to smile.
I have less and less interest in this farce. Everyone knows that most politicians were on the take back 15 years ago and more, it was part of the culture and should we be surprised? The question I ask is, if he held his hands up and said yes all of what you say is true in the Tribunals, then what?
I get weary thinking of all our money going towards this Tribunal. Its not right its gone on so long. Maybe I'm showing my Socialist leanings by saying that much of the money spent on this would definitely have improved our health system or schools or the many worthy causes that need finance and not the lawyers,judges and staff up at Dublin Castle for the last decade....

The Turkey goes to Serbia

2008-02-25T02:32:00.000-08:00

So Dustin wins Eurosong 2008 and will represent Ireland in Belgrade in May. Well, represent us in the semi finals, and hopefully get voted into the final with the other turkeys...sorry contestants. Once upon a time Eurovision song contest meant songs,songwriters, conductors,orchestras, a real glamour occasion. It was never mainstream, in that the songs that one, or the performers, never really made it to mainstream pop or rock music. Yes, Abba were the big exceptions. But apart from that,Bucks Fizz,ahem, and I'm struggling to think of others who went on to worldwide fame or european fame even.
Of course, it has evolved into this part song part pantomime and part circus pan-europe event , where the old country jury system is replaced by enormous block voting by Scandinavian and Eastern European neighbours.Having said that, the best songs in my opinion have won in the last couple of years, Lordi, two years ago, hilarious two finger salute of a rock song and Serbia last year with a typical Eurovision blast from the past ballad.

It wont take place until May, but we'll have fun this year at least whatever happens.I'm not going to mention Dervish.....

Champions League Round-Up

2008-02-21T03:20:00.000-08:00

So, the first leg matches are complete, and we have a somewhat clearer picture about this years competition. Firstly I am tipping Chelsea to win it. I think defensively they will concede very few goals to anyone, more so than any other team left,even AC Milan. Barcelona look to have the most gifted group of players, but defensively they concede, like last night 2 goals to Celtic. AC Milan or Chelsea would not concede those type of goals, I would argue.
Arsenal, I think will win the second leg in Milan, especially if Milan don't score early. They looked a bit 'leggy' late in that second half, Arsenal were getting good service to Adebayor from the wings late on as Sagna,Clichy and Eboue motored on. Milan have the class no doubt to win through, but I am cautiously optimistic Arsenal will do it. Man Utd's late strike, will make them firm favourites to progress now, as will Liverpool. None of the matches is 'over' yet, but there are certainly clearer indications as to who will progress. There are some very big clashes upcoming over the next few weeks. It will be very interesting indeed.

US Spy Satellite to be shot down

2008-02-19T00:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the US Military will attempt to shoot this down either tomorrow or Thursday. All well and good you might say, however, there are rumours and much talk on the conspiracy net, that this satellite, the size of a small bus, has 10kg of Plutonium built into it. And, from what I can read, a tiny amount - less than a pinhead amount can cause death in humans. So - missile hits satellite, satellite is destroyed, nasty plutonium scattered into the atmosphere.
I don't know the truth about all that, but it can't be good shooting missiles at targets that high up. There must be a margin of error built in somewhere, but I'm sure we will all be re-assured that nothing can go wrong. We shall see. Heads up. Or should that be down....

http://www.spaceweather.com/

Hillary Obama and McCain - The Three Amigos

2008-02-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

From this distance, I don't really care a lot about the Presidential race. It seems to me a hell of a process to get down to 2 candidates facing off. In reality, once the election is done and dusted, they are already preparing for the next one. As the Americans say, get it over already. Whoever wins, and take your pick from 3 at the moment, has many foreign policy issues to manage. How much things will change between now and then of course is a moot point, but doubtless the overall landscape will be much the same. Iraq, Afghanistan,Iran,North Korea,China will be major countries and problems to deal with. Also, potentially,Kosovo, with its newly declared independance,could be another flashpoint in south eastern Europe. Its hard to say who will be good for American foreign policy from those three, undoubtedly some utterances made now , will be changed for the common good once furniture removal trucks have completed unloading at Pennsylvania Avenue....

Man Utd Beat Arsenal in FA Cup

2008-02-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I wrote it was a good day to be a Gooner, after Arsenal beat Blackburn to go 5 points clear in the Premiership. This morning,its not a good day to be a Gooner, after getting a drubbing by Man Utd.And it was a drubbing no matter how you factor in the injuries,weakened side excuse.Nani,Anderson and Rooney attacked and attacked, tearing holes in Hoyte and Traore in particular.Gallas did not cover himself in glory on or off the park,Eboue,well, my feelings on this clown are well known.Bags of talent, but very suspect attitude and temperment.
I don't buy the excust that Wenger sacrificed this game for the other 2 priorities,Champions League and Premiership, it was still a big game and we simply lay down to die, no fight,no spirit, and for the 9000 travelling fans, nothing at all to cheer. More so than the Spurs 5-1 Carling Cup defeat, this one may be more damaging, especially since we've still to play here in the league and at Chelsea.
Lets see that as the pressure mounts they can see this through,time will tell.

Blogging for Beginners - What's the story?

2008-02-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

I have to say, although I have known about the blogging phenomenon for a couple of years now, I only decided to bite the bullet and start a blog only at the start of the year. Heck, I'm not going to be left out. If thoughts and opinions are to be vented this way, then so be it, and off we go.....

The big question for me was - who is actually going to read this? How will I get my blog noticed? Do I even care? Well, of course, since starting my blog, I hace come to learn about the wonders of pinging and bookmarking as well as RSS. How you actually work all these things, well, I'm sure I'll learn. Must be like riding a bike I guess.

Whats off putting to someone like me, is that there are some super blogs out there with top rate content, top design, really professional, full time efforts. Is there a niche for the part time small town blogger? Probably, though I guess you need to have a bit of savvy to get any sort of notice,otherwise whats to stop you getting buried amongst the million other blogs?

Its a question I'll continue to come back to as I learn more about this fascinating hobby - and thats my word....

Arsenal v Man Utd FA Cup

2008-02-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

Big game, big occasion, and once again these 2 stalwarts meet again in the FA Cup. Thinking back I can count at least 6 matches in this competition between these 2 sides in the last 20 years or so, and I believe it is through this competition, that the big rivalry between the 2 sides began.
20 years ago almost to the day, Brian McClair had a last minute penalty saved at Highbury with Arsenal leading 2-1. Nigel Winterburn, a quiet genial defender, barracked and heckled McClair all the way back to the half way line - similar to Martin Keown and Van Nistelrooy a few years ago. But that McClair Winterburn spat, lead to the mass brawl a few months later at Old Trafford which lead to points deductions and fines. I do not expect such events tomorrow, I think Wenger will put out the reserves knowing that even if they get beaten, they still have the Premier League within their grasp, and a crucial match aginst Milan a few days later.
I would like to see a full strength side, as in my opinion Arsenal will beat Utd with the full strength side out,but if he plays the kids and they lose, he can say well, its only the reserve lads, a good experience etc etc.

Don Howe Don Givens and Don Trappatoni

2008-02-14T03:46:00.000-08:00

So it is confirmed Giovanni Trapattoni is the new Republic of Ireland manager. A big love-in has begun for the Spencer Tracy lookalike and this is understandable. His C.V is as impressive as anyone's and his experience and man management skills are legendary.
How he will cope with the Irish job, remains to be seen, but the omens are good. He'll certainly look to start with a strong defence, his trademark, and work from there. I don't care if we become ultra defensive and'boring'. We are not Brazil, we don't do sunshine football, and nor are we expected too. Results are what count, and Trapattoni knows that.
Welcome in the new era of Irish football.Its a tough road ahead to 2010, but we can certainly hope to get to South Africa, more than we did a couple of months ago....

The M50 mess and roads in Ireland

2008-02-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

I had to make a now quite rare trip to Dublin last week to drop someone off at the airport. Driving up the N6 from Athlone, everything went swimmingly (I took the old route, I object to the toll being charged on the new motorway) until I reached Lucan. Now, I used to commute to Dublin everyday from Westmeath up until 4 years ago, and apart from the odd weekend foray, did not have to make a weekday trip for some time.Therefore I allowed 2 hrs to get from point A to the Airport, a journey that would under no traffic conditions, take a leisurely 1.5hrs. And I left around noon...

Well, what I saw shocked me, the M50 is a complete and utter shambles, a building site, where the only law is Jungle Law.The aggression and sheer traffic volume make for a situation that has got so much worse,even worse than when I traversed the route daily. Traffic cones, lanes blocked off, machinery left abandoned on verges, unreadable instructions. Chaos. And I took nearly 3 hrs to make that trip, having to queue for a toll bridge that has outlived its usefulness. How the average Dubliner keeps his/her sanity every day in that hell hole, I do not know.

Supposedly all this work being done will improve things when complete. I will believe it when I see it.

Arsenal five points clear at the top

2008-02-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

Its a good morning to be a Gooner. After last nights victory 2-0 over Blackburn and with 12 games left, title talk is getting stronger. However, lets do the math as they say. If you include Chelsea in the equation, all 3 sides have played 26 games, with 12 to go.

So 36pts are available - maximum. Arsenal will need probably 10 out of 12 wins to be absolutely sure of taking the title, even now that is definiely achievable. We have still to play Utd and Chelsea away and Liverpool at home, but Birmingham Sunderland Villa and Derby are also to be played.

A lot can and will happen over the next 8-10 weeks. Nothing is won in February, blah blah....At least the race will be very interesting this year

We Irish are rich- rich I tell ya's!!

2008-02-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

According to the news this morning there is a report out saying that we the Irish people have assets worh 1 trillion Euro. Thats right 1 trillion. I don't know how many zero's that actually is, but apparently it works out at about 600,000 Euro for each one of us. Taking out houses, where most of our asset wealth lies, its down to a paltry 300,000 euro each, with debt of 127,000 each. Okay, I can accept the debt figure - and I am above the average then, apparently. But the 300,000 euro figure not including house/property wealth is hard to fathom. Apparently investment funds, pension funds, SSIA's etc drive this figure up, but there must be a small minority with huge wealth, to get to this average,as I certainly am not even close to that figure, no matter how hard I try to work it out.

Like the Celtic tiger, which for me, came in with a meeow,rather than a roar and left with a hiss, I think these sums are not relevant to 95% of the working population, but are I suppose, of statistical importance somewhere.

Trapattoni set to be appointed Ireland football manager

2008-02-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

According to RTE from the Examiner.

So looks like ole Joe Trapattoni has the job, but won't be fully in charge until May.Probably no bad thing. We've been managerless for about 2 years now anyway....ouch,sorry Stan...

He will certainly bring a wealth of experience to the job, and tactically will be top notch. Apparently he's known as being ultra defensive in his style and not pretty. I don't care about that. Lets get back to being competitive with regards to qualifying for major competitions, if that means 'boring' I 'll take it. Didn't hear too many dissenting voices when Jack Charlton succeeded in bringing the Green army to Italy, Germany and the USA.

What I do see is a steep learning curve for him in getting to know the ins and outs of Irish football and its players, and the mentality will be different than on the continent. He needs to speak better English apparently, and get to know a few Irish phrases too....

So we'll see, once its officially confirmed,I'm sure there will be thousands of opinions out there. Mine will be cautiously positive...

Roy Scheider dies aged 75

2008-02-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

Heard this this morning, sad news. Of course, everyone remembers Jaws from 1975, and the 3 lads on the boat. Now only Dreyfuss is still alive of the trio.

Not surprisingly, with his angular face and slightly nasal drawl, he was a boxer in his younger days before acting took over. And a good enough actor to get 2 Oscar nominations.

I would know him from The French Connection and Marathon Man, also 2010, the sequel to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Sad news indeed, hope you have a few drinks up there with Quint....

Man Utd, Chelsea slip up in Premiership

2008-02-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

The 2 big guns yesterday, Utd and Chelsea (no disrespect to Liverpool, but they are out of the running this year) slipped up in their quest for the Premiership title yesterday. How much of a slip up will be determined later this evening as Arsenal have a home game against Blackburn, which they should win, if they have aspirations to the title, and have been handed a glorious opportunity to stamp their authority on it.

Utd looked lethargic for the most part, and, even allowing for the emotion of the day (50th anniversary of the Munich Air disaster) this was strange.Last time out they had to rely on a last minute equaliser to deny Spurs and today,without Rooney, they looked a bit toothless. I felt Ronaldo was kept in City's pocket most of the game.They have 2 very fast defenders on the left and right wing, maybe thats the key to keep the Portuguese star quiet?

Chelsea, I did not see, but I would have put a few quid on a no score draw if I had been a betting man, these games always seem low scoring.

Anyway,come on you Gunners, make the most of the slip-ups tonight....

Paris -the aftermath

2008-02-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

Well,the supposed rout did not happen,although it looked likely early in the second half. At the end 26-21 probably reflects accurately the way the game went, but however you gloss the comeback, it was never going to be a Patriots v Giants affair, and its a defeat which will probably cost Ireland a shot at the championship. However,its also likely that weaknesses have been pinpointed in the French play, to be exploited by the likes of England and Wales. It may yet come down to points difference at the end of this Championship.
Ireland need to play with the intensity displayed in the last half hour of the match, for a full 80 minutes in their remaining games, and maybe, just maybe, the holy grail can be achieved. The gap between Wooden Spoon and Glory is a very thin one this year.

Irish weather - global warming or cyclical variation?

2008-02-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

Its the age old topic for us Irish - the weather. Here we are stuck out on an island at the extremity of Europe, with 3000 miles of ocean to lap up, and we complain about the rain, wind and cloud that we generally get.

In my experience the last 4 or 5 winters especially have been exceptional in that the amount of cold weather (in relative terms) has been much less than I can remember as a boy growing up in the south west of the country. Even here we would get 2 or 3 decent snowfalls each winter and frosts to go along with it. The official records do bear this out.

Now, as I sit typing this on a balmy sunny February day - 15C in the shade - it should be around 7 or 8C, I wonder when the cycle of warm,or mild wet winters will end? For I do believe we are in a natural cycle and its not Global warming.

This opinion tends to be controversial, and I will develop my thoughts on it in future blogs.In the meantime, my deckchair awaits....

Lisbon Treaty - What's it all about?- The Irish Angle

2008-02-09T04:01:00.000-08:00

The Lisbon Treaty is due for a vote here by the summer, and once again, we the people are being asked (or is it told?) to vote Yes. Why?

Well, last time round, on the Nice Treaty, the first time the question was asked, we said No. Now, in any proper democracy, this should have been the end of the treaty and we could move on. Life would go on, buildings wouldn't crumble to dust, people wouldn't lose their houses or jobs. But no, Bertie had to slink back to Brussels with the No answer, and took a spanking from the European Wizards of Oz - the nameless, faceless people who run that vast bureaucratic Empire, and was told, here, we'll add a few lines to a couple of obscure subsections and you can tell your badly misinformed people to try again please with this 'new' and 'improved' version.

So, newly armed with these few lines, Bertie mustered his forces and spent hundreds of thousand of taxpayers money on a campaign to force a yes vote. And yes, we were bullied back to get a yes vote through, for a treaty which essentially remained the same.

This bullying and talking down to the public, I object too, and we'll see similar scaremongering this time round. This time, every other government managed not to hold referenda,knowing that defeat would surely occur in at least 2 of the countries. So a simple parliamnetary vote was enough to ratify. We in Ireland, have the unique opportunity to vote against or for this if we, the people wish it. Don't get me wrong, and this is an accusation levelled at anyone who says No to these treaties, you are not Anti Europe if you vote no.Europe has been good for us over the years, no question, and it will contnue to be so, whatever the outcome.

Paris in the Springtime

2008-02-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

Well,its that time of year again, when our beloved boys in Green (of the Rugby variety), troop off to do battle in the trenches on the green fields of France. At least, the green field of Stade de France. There is , I am convinced, some psychological barrier present whenever we play the French in Paris. The games usually begin with a French try in the first 5 minutes and then a gradual pile up of scores until we eventually surrender after 80 minutes by about 30 or 40pts. I see no reason to go against this trend today, although as always, there is a hope that maybe, today will be the day, as it was in 2000 and before that 1972, and victory can be ours. I am not going to analyse and dissect the teams strengths and weaknesses, but I believe the mental block is the key to winning here today. And a good start is also vital. We will need to score first. If we can do that, the glory can be ours. Otherwise, Vive la France, Allex les bleus and all that.

Tiger Woods- Mr Dominance

2008-02-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Tiger Woods is a golfing phenomenon. Superlatives don't do the man justice. His dominance in world golf has lasted a decade and will last another one if he keeps his hunger for titles intact.

His goal must be to surpass Jack Nicklaus's total of 18 major Championships. He will surely do this within 5 years, by which stage he will be around 36 years old and supposedly only peaking as a golfer.

The opposition (including Mr Poulter) should either resign themselves to good finishes and nice paychecks or dedicate their games to becoming as good as he is.

Me? As a weekend hacker, well versed in all the different kinds of rough, hazards and general rubbish, will continue to dream that the putt of a seven on the eighteenth of the local club is a putt for the Masters or Open or whatever. Sigh.