Libertas: 7 days to go and still no policies!

Still no sign of a Libertas manifesto or programme despite the promises on their own website.

Libertas: The transparent party with the secret manifesto.

Could it be that it was impossible to negotiate such a document between such a diverse bunch of reformers, religious conservatives, and people who are, shall we say, a little too fond of the stiff right arm?

Aren’t  these the same people who claim that all the diversity of a continent of 500 million people can be contained in a 25 page treaty?

Of course, they never told us the font size, did they?     

Sinn Fein: Talk about taking something literally!

This wonderful example of creative lateral thinking was forwarded to me.

Helpful site for those voting in the North.

The Euro Elections: What really matters to voters in the North.

An interesting site here. Curious how the anti-EU parties in the North all have the snout out for more EU cash. How honourable of them. And no, unionists, it’s not your money anyway, you don’t make any contribution of note to the treasury. Whether it is the British teat or the EU teat, it’s always someone else’s teat.

The Anti-Super Rat Candidate.

Dun Laoghaire Town Hall: No to working for Super Rats!

I recently got a leaflet through the door listing a particular candidates “priorities”. They declared that this candidate:

“…cares about how your council is managed and your money is spent.” Well, he is running for the council. I would have been pleasantly surprised if he had announced that he “didn’t give a f**k” about how the council is managed, and intended spending “all your money on hookers and coke. And more hookers.”

“…demands accountability in the way the council is run.” Whatever that means. Let’s see if he will support roll-calling and posting on the web all votes on the council, so we can see how councillors vote. If he does, he’s a man of his word.

“…wants to see straightforward communication between the council and local residents.” So, no more of those letters in ancient hebrew telling you that your bin day has changed.

“… believes the council should work for you.” As opposed to working for whom, a race of intelligent Super Rats? the Illuminatti? The Government of Abu Dhabi?  

My question: I wonder, can this candidate name any other specific candidate who does not believe in those things? I suspect he believes that oxygen should be in plentiful supply, and that the laws of physics must be enforced throughout the county.  He also takes a tough line on the issue of the Earth revolving aroung the Sun.

Still, at least he’s taking no shit off the Super Rats. 

A little bit of (Science) fiction.

Science fiction: Today’s problems, tomorrow’s solutions. Assuming the killer robots don’t get us first, the bastards.

A (Very) short story I wrote a while ago. How long ago? When it looked like Hillary was a shoo-in, that’s how long. 

Earth has been invaded, and the generals are telling the president how bad things are. Then an accountant suggests a possible solution. 

You can read it here.

Very small planet exudes ridiculously powerful gravitational pull.

Pic:  Irish Times.

The Scary Views of the Euro Right.

Franco: When not "saving" Spain, he was always quick to hail a taxi before those Nazi bastards spotted it!

An interesting short piece prepared by the Party of Socialists in Europe here.

Warn Micheal Martin about giving the Church too much.

Don’t take liberal Yes votes for granted.

The minister for foriegn affairs, Micheal Martin TD, is currently negotiating with our EU partners about the various legal guarantees to be attached to the Lisbon Treaty on the ACE (Abortion, Conscription, Everything to do with Religion.) issues to assuage the concerns of the religious right.

I think it is important that Micheal Martin be reminded that the Yes votes of liberal, secular voters cannot be taken for granted either, and that too much genuflecting towards people who, in some cases, turned a blind eye to the abuse of children in their care could put liberal Yes votes into jeopardy. The abortion guarantee will just reflect the reality of previous treaties. What I am concerned about is any guarantee that gives the Catholic Church any special position or recognition. The minister must be careful, because he may find, having shored up one side of the vote, that he has opened up a whole new schism amongst people like me who should be regarded as solid Yes voters. 

I’ve been, and want to be, a Yes voter. I believe in the Lisbon Treaty and the EU as being in our national interest. But I’m not having my views being regarded as of secondary value compared to certain elements of the Catholic Church and their fellow travellers in Youth Defence. You can email him below:

Micheal Martn TD

John Gormley and The Ghost of Niamh Breathnach.

Niamh Brethnach: Victim of a bad dose of Ungrateful Bastards!

Imagine a minister, representing a middle class constutuency who brings in a law which saves her constituents thousands of Euro which many of them didn’t even need to save. Wouldn’t you think they would shower her with votes at the next election?

Not this crowd. When Niamh Breathnach scrapped third level fees she would, in any other country, have assured her political future. But not in Ireland. At the following election, the Labour party, which abolished third level fees, brought in divorce, decriminalised homosexuality, legalised contraception, enacted freedom of information, and implemented huge swathes of their manifesto promises whilst leaving the economy in a decent state, got hammered at the polls, losing half their seats. Why? Because in Ireland, policies do not matter as much as perception, and the perception was that Dick Spring had stabbed his voters in the back by putting Fianna Fail, whom he had ridden the Spring Tide railing against, back into office.

The recent news that the Greens are demanding action on climate change as the price for remaining in office with Fianna Fail shows that John Gormley has not learnt the lesson. Green voters care about the environment to a point, but that’s not really why they voted Green. They voted Green to put manners on Fianna Fail, and acting on climate change is not doing that. The Greens need to take a leaf out of Des O’Malley’s book and realise that primarily, their voters want to see Fianna Fail ministers bitchslapped around the place a bit, as Dessie did in the 89-92 government, and was rewarded by entering the election with six seats and coming out with ten. The purpose of the Greens in government is to make Fianna Fail cry, and the Greens would be wise not to forget that.        

P.s. I know she’s not dead! It’s artistic licence, go look it up!

The dangers of running for election when you are on Facebook.

Adrian Weckler has this about FG candidate Emma Kiernan.  I agree, I don’t think this will hurt her at all, except with the po-faced John Charles McQuaid crowd, and in fairness, after the Ryan Commission, they’d want to shut the f**k up about lecturing anyone.

I am waiting, however,  for some Ogra FF drongo to start murmuring about it and making himself sound like he’s 93.