Category: Comment

Libertas left-overs – "Anyone for a flat screen? Two for a fiver"

Not our usual but intriguing and bizarre, in these dour times, such things are worth the odd post.

Lisbon nay-sayers and failed euro-election contenders Libertas left behind a veritable treasure trove of hi-tech hardware in their abandoned Brussels offices when they jumped ship last year.

[…] Among the items strewn across this graveyard of Libertas’s obsolete cause are a handful of enormous flatscreen televisions, two ceiling-mounted projectors, a 5000 euro colour printer/copier, and six Sky decoders (yes, SIX).

Via Berlaymonster, the usually reliable Brussels lobby-gossip blog. More ‘ere.

1998 clip from '@LastTV' on Irish banking

… and economy.

I’ve been doing some archive trawling for audio to use on a project I’m working on. Most of the useful is on media websites – RTE.ie mainly – but the clip below I found on Youtube. In hadn’t seen it before, have a look…

It’s by Tom Prendeville – apparently formerly of Magill and Hibernia magazines – a Google search of his name returns results for relatviely recent articles on economics in the Herald, HotPress and, oddly, Garda Review. Might be another Tom Prendiville though, I’m not sure. There is some talk online of a Tom Prendiville currently working in the Indo group. The guy in the video above may well have left journalism, anyone who can shed some more light, do let us know…

That sign-in thing

So some cheeky journalist has apparently sought details of how often Members of the Oireachtas actually go to work. It is expected to be released around now. One Member of the Seanad was not happy about this at all though. Senator Michael McCarthy (Labour) said [emphasis mine]:

There has been a huge chipping away at the terms and conditions of Deputies and Senators and at those of their colleagues on cash-strapped local authorities. After the introduction of the swiping system on 1 March, one would have imagined that journalists’ appetites regarding where Members are and what they are doing would have abated somewhat. However, a freedom of information request has been made, the response to which, incidentally, will cost the State money, as to how many people swiped and how often they swiped for a two-week period in March. Given the enormous economic difficulties faced by thousands of people, one would imagine that journalists’ time would be better spent in concentrating on the real issues.

Ah yes, the real issues. Down with those media types, trying to bring greater accountability to the parliament.

For my own purposes, I will be seeking the results of that FOI, writing a fresh one, and then possibly integrating attendance records into KildareStreet.com. I wonder what Mr McCarthy will think of that.

Terrible costly for the Oireachtas to click a few buttons, and export a spreadsheet, so it is. I do have another FOI in with them which has been extended by four weeks. More on that later in May.

Yet more strange bike-scheme related decisions

There has always been something odd about the development of the bike-for-billboards scheme. Contracts were kept secret from councillors; the council refused to release contracts to journalists under FOI; by international standards a disproportionately small number of bikes were introduced for a large number of lucrative billboards; the majority of profit is going to the billboards-and-bikes company, not the council. I could go on. Just weird stuff that doesn’t add up, and lots of it. Even the Green Party’s Ciaran Cuffe termed it a “dodgy deal” back in August ’08.

The story got yet odder in the last few days when it emerged more structures, yet to be erected, will be exempt from planning permission, despite many applications for such structures having been rejected by An Bord Pleanala in the past. This will result in 10 per cent more advertising for the company running the scheme, JC Decaux. Continue reading “Yet more strange bike-scheme related decisions”

Anglo strangeness

There’s something awfully odd about this.

Just what is Anglo Irish JCF 1 LLP?

It was incorporated in the UK in October 2008, and members were appointed as follows:

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED SEAN FITZPATRICK
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED PAUL COULSON
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED EUGENE POWER
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED CAROL WRIGHT
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED BERNARD MCNAMARA
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED DAVYCREST NOMINEES LIMITED
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED ANGLO IRISH ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED BENTICO TRADING LIMITED
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED DONAGH BARRY
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED MICHAEL CARMODY
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED GARY MCGANN
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED JOHN SISK
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED JEREMIAH O’REILLY
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED RADICAL PROPERTIES LIMITED
16/09/2009 LLP288a

LLP MEMBER APPOINTED GERRY BARRETT
16/09/2009 LLP288a

September 2009? Eh?

As far as I can tell Bentico Limited is run by William McCabe, formerly of Skillsoft/Smartforce. Radical Properties is a company based in Galway, directed by Gerry Barrett. Donagh Barry appears to be of the Barry’s Tea family.

But what is Anglo Irish Assurance Company doing there? I believe it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglo, the bank we now own. And it was becoming a member of Anglo Irish JCF?

Digest – April 25 2010

Yadda yadda yadda…

HOME

Stephen Kinsella has an open letter to all leaving cert students, he’s dead right. I got a monumental 210 points in my leaving cert, I’m one of very few journalists under the age of 25 working full-time (alebit, that may say more about journalism than the importance of the leaving cert), I’m doing alright, it wasn’t the end of the world. I love studying but I can’t learn in the way the leaving cert and academia demand. Batt, stick the Kinsella fella in charge.

Nyder O’Leary, once again proves he’s one of the best current affairs commentators in the country. Weaves a web about transparency around the Terence Wheelock case – on which we recently released some new information, which was almost completely ignored elsewhere online, strangely, unfortunately – and Fianna Fáil remaining in Government. Lovely writing, great commentary. Oi Nyder, when TheStory can afford it, you’re hired, chief editorial writer.

Gene Kerrigan on a government, led by Brian Cowen, that never takes responsibility…

The folks trying to swing the vote on the “reform” cuts continued to hammer Richie and he folded. And a spokesperson for Mr Cowen promptly welcomed Richie’s surrender. And noted exultantly that it was “in response to public concern” — get this — “as was reflected by the Taoiseach earlier today”.

Tuesday, the scandal had nothing to do with Mr Cowen. Wednesday, we’re told it’s his triumphant blow that has felled the evil Baron Richie of Top-Up.

Truly, the man is an embarrassment.

Reactions to the FCO Memo story (UK minister insults Pope in internal communications); short one from Gerard Cunningham (although he wants any [freelance] journalists reading to check this one out instead) and longer from Splintered Sunrise.

Turbulence Ahead, “surf’s up”.

Will the internet save us from the next global disaster? That’s the fascinating thesis put forward by David Eagleman. He has featuredonce or twice in previous posts – he’s always guaranteed to challenge your thinking. David’s talk at the Long Now Seminar series identifies six easy steps to avert the collapse of civilisation. A noble ambition. They range from ‘trying not to cough on one another’ to ‘mitigating tyranny’. All his steps have one thing in common: the ubiquity of the internet and its capacity for distributed productivity, learning and knowledge storage…

WORLD Continue reading “Digest – April 25 2010”

Shannon Port bosses grilled at Oireachtas Committee

Representatives of the board of Shannon Foynes Port Authority came before the Transport Committee earlier. On yes, it’s been a fun day in the Committees. The videos of proceedings (captured below, syncing problems due to Oireachtas.ie) are well worth watching. “Legal advice” is an acceptable excuse for dodging any and all measure of accountability, seemingly.

Much props to Deputy Fergus O’Dowd, whom I’ve drawn attention to here in the past. There are good Irish politicians, which is something I think many of us, myself included, can be guilty of forgetting. Here’s an example…

The recent Sunday Times feature by John Burns on the Shannon Foynes situation is probably the best summary of a very very …ehem… odd story.

There was nothing new added today, however, it was interesting to observe the bizarre behaviour of the two local Fianna Fáil politicians, Senator Ned O’Sullivan and Councillor Kieran O’Hanlon, who appeared at the committee as former and current company directors respectively. They seemed to be very wary of answering or even encouraging the asking of, any further questions.

“We should be looking forward not backwards…” riiiiight.

Check out Ned O’Sullivan’s comments at the end. Yes, it’s the same Ned O’Sullivan who was a director of the Port for sixteen years – including the relevant period. Yep, the same Ned who said on John O’Donoghue’s resignation that journalists had caused a decent man to resign by filing FOI requests on “lazy days when they [had] nothing better to do”. Same one who wanted expenses removed from the FOI Act. Ah, Ned…

At four minutes into the video below he actually says that it was okay for the director of the Port to set up a company in his own name and give that company contracts from the Port (without tender). Why was it okay? Well, because the director was getting paid less than the director of Cork Harbour and sure it was only fair.

He actually says that, really, he does… no really! Watch it!

Anglo bondholders

This has always been one of the great mysteries of Irish banking since the bailout. Who are the bondholders? The lack of information is a gift to conspiracy theorists, but also poses questions around who exactly the Irish public guaranteed in September 2008.

It occurred to me that it might be worth looking through the archives in relation to bond issuance, and in relation to any property deals Anglo was involved in in the years prior to nationalisation, such as:

In 2006 it was reported that: “The group’s North American business, approaching its 10th year in operation, has originated loans in excess of $15 billion and at their last reporting date of March 31, 2006, had current outstanding commitments of $4.5 billion.”

Continue reading “Anglo bondholders”