Now, enough has been said about the Budget and the Government's general stupidity over the last couple of weeks. Celtic Donkey isn't going to go over old ground, especially as I've been rather quiet lately (for which, my apologies).
Suffice to say that the assurance I felt when the Government took the unprecedented, but (I thought) wise, step to guarantee the banks has been totally and completely wiped out by the most stupid, ill-thought out and badly planned Budget, ever.
I did pass maths for the Leaving Cert too, Brian. But I don't pretend to be an expert.
There are aspects of the Budget I have no quibble with. As a "young professional" in a secure-ish job, I can afford the 1% levy. I can afford the hike in petrol, wine, and the other increases designed to hit me and my ilk.
I don't think a father of three supporting his family on my salary - just lower than the average industrial wage - can afford the 1% levy.
Why didn't they just up income tax? It's a fair, equitable tax, designed to hit those who can afford it. Bloody stupidity, that's why. Everyone was prepared to take a hit, proportional to their income.
And the biggest issue of the Budget; withdrawal of the medical card for the over 70s. Now let me say, first, unequivocally, that I don't believe in universal provision. I believe in equitable provision. And giving a medical card to someone like my Granny, with a full contributory pension and a fair amount saved, is nonsense. She can afford healthcare.
But the medical card opens the door for her to get the services of a public health nurse, a chiropodist, public physio and public geriatricians. All things that are very difficult or even impossible to access even if you are willing to pay. That's something that needs looking at, totally apart from the current argument.
I think the Opposition are being a bit disingenuous in feeding the frenzy over this. They should be criticising the way it was done, but the principle makes sense - they had enough problems with it being introduced in the first place.
But there's one thing about this Budget that is beginning to renew my faith in people. And it's rather a surprising thing, I think.
Maybe it's the fact that we have lived through the good times. My generation thinks recession means you go to the cinema mid-week to get the cheaper ticket. If you took the right to breathe free air off us, we'd probably sigh and say at least the price of drink hasn't gone up.
But old people... well, fair play to them. Despite the fact that not all of them are affected and they may be slightly confused about the details of the plan, they are not taking this lying down.
Fianna Fail, as the funeral-going party, should have anticipated this. The grey vote is absolutely massive. Bertie Ahern knew the value of it. Willie O'Dea knows the value of it. You would think Brian Cowen, a rural Deputy who took his father's seat, would know the value of it. Obviously not.
They have done the least 'Fianna Fail' thing they could possibly have done. They have hit their own core voters with the bluntest instrument they could find.
And those voters are letting them know about it.
The over-70s have mobilised in a way student radicals (all four of them left) can only dream about. Their protest outside the Dail today was absolutely massive. One man (aged 71), interviewed on RTE news had been up since 5.30 this morning for the trip from Waterford, in order to protect his medical card and those of his friends.
They feel, quite rightly, that their generation has been shat on from a height. They are the generation who genuinely worked hard all their lives, paying up to 60% tax, sending their kids to college before free third-level education and paving the way for my generation to have a grand time pissing our way through four years of free college and complaining that we had no money, while spending it on drink.
Try getting a student to get up at 5.30 to go and protest against the reintroduction of fees. Not gonna happen, I can tell you that now. Even if you catch them on their way home from a night out, still drunk.
Whether I agree with the pensioners or not on universal provision, the fact that they have stood up for themselves in an era in which we have forgotten how to make our voices heard in a meaningful way shows the strength and solidarity of times we have forgotten.
We are great at spin and PR and awareness campaigns, and whingeing on Joe Duffy. But we are not great at being proactive about things that really matter. Time we did something that has been forgotten by the Celtic Tiger generation: time to respect our elders, and learn something from them.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Demise of the PDs
A lot has been said about this in the lead-up to what, over the last couple of months, could only be described as an inevitable event.
Despite the detractors, and despite the party's synonymity with Fianna Fail and big business over the past number of years, there is something sad about the dissolution of the PDs.
The party was formed out of ideology, and, almost uniquely over the past decade, actually stood for something for a time. Whether you agreed with that something is a different matter, but at least you knew what you were (or were not) voting for. Policies.
Irish politics has a sad lack of actual policies and ideologies. Perhaps this is because we are a national of 'realpolitikos'. Or perhaps it's because we don't really care.
Where the PDs fell down, in my opinion, was in recruiting celebrities to their cause, who had no real affiliation with the party's ideology or background.
Tom Parlon, for instance. From 'committed' farming representative... to 'committed' PD junior minister... to 'committed' head of the CIF. The only thing Tom Parlon believes in, clearly, is himself. He is a career lobbyist. Yesterday's commitments from FF to taking action in the housing market would indicate that he is a bloody good one, too.
Colm O'Gorman was another. Well-known for his founding of One in Four, Colm O'Gorman stood for the PDs in a General Election. Although he did not win, he was appointed a Senator. As a 'name', perhaps he was entitled to this. And, with his NGO background, perhaps he lent some perspective to the Seanad. For the time Colm O'Gorman was on the books of the PDs, so was gay marriage. A friend of mine even spoke at their conference on the issue. We have heard very little of that from them since.
The biggest 'name', and cod, of all, was probably Michael McDowell. While he'd been around longer and shown more commitment to the party, that wasn't much in evidence when he chose to sneak out the back door after his ignominious defeat last May. A real leader, with real passion for his party, would have stuck around and rolled up his sleeves. Harney did that. McDowell couldn't be bothered. He makes better money in the Four Courts.
Those who chose, last night, to announce the party's winding up, are those who worked at keeping it going. They were unsuccessful, but at least they tried.
Mary Harney is clearly exhausted - she has given much of her life to the party at the detriment of her own health, and is now trying to do the same for that very department. Fiona O'Malley stuck around even when it was apparent there was not much to be done, for love of the party and out of family pride. Noel Grealish, quite the man of mystery, never wanted to be more than a backbencher. It is his curse that he was left to the end - he never wanted to be a hero, and was never going to be one. And Ciaran Cannon, perhaps the saddest. Full of misguided optimism, Cannon really thought he would do it. A man of some conviction, he did not have the experience or the cynicism to do what was required and make the call at a dignified time. It is particularly unfortunate for him that his first role on the national stage will always be known as a failure.
Despite the detractors, and despite the party's synonymity with Fianna Fail and big business over the past number of years, there is something sad about the dissolution of the PDs.
The party was formed out of ideology, and, almost uniquely over the past decade, actually stood for something for a time. Whether you agreed with that something is a different matter, but at least you knew what you were (or were not) voting for. Policies.
Irish politics has a sad lack of actual policies and ideologies. Perhaps this is because we are a national of 'realpolitikos'. Or perhaps it's because we don't really care.
Where the PDs fell down, in my opinion, was in recruiting celebrities to their cause, who had no real affiliation with the party's ideology or background.
Tom Parlon, for instance. From 'committed' farming representative... to 'committed' PD junior minister... to 'committed' head of the CIF. The only thing Tom Parlon believes in, clearly, is himself. He is a career lobbyist. Yesterday's commitments from FF to taking action in the housing market would indicate that he is a bloody good one, too.
Colm O'Gorman was another. Well-known for his founding of One in Four, Colm O'Gorman stood for the PDs in a General Election. Although he did not win, he was appointed a Senator. As a 'name', perhaps he was entitled to this. And, with his NGO background, perhaps he lent some perspective to the Seanad. For the time Colm O'Gorman was on the books of the PDs, so was gay marriage. A friend of mine even spoke at their conference on the issue. We have heard very little of that from them since.
The biggest 'name', and cod, of all, was probably Michael McDowell. While he'd been around longer and shown more commitment to the party, that wasn't much in evidence when he chose to sneak out the back door after his ignominious defeat last May. A real leader, with real passion for his party, would have stuck around and rolled up his sleeves. Harney did that. McDowell couldn't be bothered. He makes better money in the Four Courts.
Those who chose, last night, to announce the party's winding up, are those who worked at keeping it going. They were unsuccessful, but at least they tried.
Mary Harney is clearly exhausted - she has given much of her life to the party at the detriment of her own health, and is now trying to do the same for that very department. Fiona O'Malley stuck around even when it was apparent there was not much to be done, for love of the party and out of family pride. Noel Grealish, quite the man of mystery, never wanted to be more than a backbencher. It is his curse that he was left to the end - he never wanted to be a hero, and was never going to be one. And Ciaran Cannon, perhaps the saddest. Full of misguided optimism, Cannon really thought he would do it. A man of some conviction, he did not have the experience or the cynicism to do what was required and make the call at a dignified time. It is particularly unfortunate for him that his first role on the national stage will always be known as a failure.
Muted craic at FF think in
| | |
| While Taoiseach Brian Cowen is well known for his singing ability, it was showcased only briefly at this year's Fianna Fáil think-in at Ballybrit's Clayton Hotel. Pre-dinner entertainment consisted of a speech by raconteur extraordinaire Micheál O Muircheartaigh and a couple of birthday wishes for two parliamentarians who celebrated their birthdays in the past week. No mention was made of Bertie Ahern, who celebrated his 57th birthday last Friday, but was busy elsewhere for this year's festivities. After Monday night's dinner, An Taoiseach was prevailed upon by local host Frank Fahey to duet with Eleanor Shanley in a 'unique' rendition of the Mountains of Mourne. It went down a storm, as one might expect from a room full of loyal acolytes. However, Cowen's stint as entertainer was short-lived, as he refused requests for an encore. You wouldn't get that from Westlife. Lest the hordes go home disappointed, Tuam native Tom Kitt and Munster MEP Brian Crowley entertained into the wee hours at the hotel's piano, resulting in some sore heads at Tuesday morning's sobering health sessions. Traditionally the life and soul of the party at Fianna Fáil gatherings, Cowen looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders at his first parliamentary party conference as Taoiseach. And well he might. Far from the jubilation of last May's homecoming in Clara, it seems the cat who got the cream has realised that the cream was well past its sell by date when he got it, and is now decidedly sour. As one TD admitted, there are tough times ahead. "Well, when you haven't enough money coming into the house, what do you do? You cut back. That's what you do." And that was the tone of Fianna Fáil's 2008 think-in. The phrases 'tough decisions', 'current economic climate', and 'tighten our belts' were bandied about with increasing frequency. Even the closed sessions were particularly serious this year, concentrating on 'Sustaining Prosperity' ('Digging Ourselves Out, Part I); 'Defining Ireland's Future in Europe' (DOO, Part II); 'Innovation in our Health Service' (DOO, Part III); and 'Leading in our Communities – European and Local Elections' (DOO, Part IV). That's a lot of doo-doo for one conference. At yesterday's closing press conference, the mood was grim, leavened only by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan's giggling as she posed for cameras, and the inevitable collective snigger when the Grealish question was asked, yet again. "I genuinely don't know," said Cowen, sighing. "There is a Parliamentary Party meeting of the Progressive Democrats tonight and we will have to await the outcome of that." Now stop asking me questions I don't have the answers to, was the unspoken warning. Shortly after the press conference An Taoiseach was whisked off to the National Pay Talks, leaving a disgruntled-looking Minister Mary Hanafin to wheel her own suitcase to her car. Now there's chivalry. |
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Fair City...
Now I know it's not cool to watch the national broadcaster's longest-running attempt at drama, but I feel part of the public service relationship between me and RTE necessitates me supporting them even when they are doing noone a service and they should certainly be doing it in private.
But Fair City. Honestly, isn't it time we started giving credit where credit is due? The Fair City rebrand has been genius... who'd have thought an Irish spoof version of Eastenders could be so successful?
This Terence character (is that his name?) looks rather familiar. In fact, very similar to a guy called Trevor who once terrorised the denizens of Albert Square. Granted he killed noone's wife and there was no restaurateur being electrocuted in the immediate vicinity (see I do watch it), but the similarities are very obvious. Maybe Terence, who is an Irish actor with a very odd Eastern-European, KBG-style accent, went to the same drama school as Trevor. Funnily enough, there was also a villain called Trevor in Brookside, who happens to play Bob in Fair City... maybe there is a school for them and Fair City is like the Transition Year placement you end up coming back to work for when somewhere else fires you.
But the rebrand... and that ad with Paul in it. Hard-hitting stuff indeed. More please! Since Shameless took its series break I've been at a loss for a good comedy!
But Fair City. Honestly, isn't it time we started giving credit where credit is due? The Fair City rebrand has been genius... who'd have thought an Irish spoof version of Eastenders could be so successful?
This Terence character (is that his name?) looks rather familiar. In fact, very similar to a guy called Trevor who once terrorised the denizens of Albert Square. Granted he killed noone's wife and there was no restaurateur being electrocuted in the immediate vicinity (see I do watch it), but the similarities are very obvious. Maybe Terence, who is an Irish actor with a very odd Eastern-European, KBG-style accent, went to the same drama school as Trevor. Funnily enough, there was also a villain called Trevor in Brookside, who happens to play Bob in Fair City... maybe there is a school for them and Fair City is like the Transition Year placement you end up coming back to work for when somewhere else fires you.
But the rebrand... and that ad with Paul in it. Hard-hitting stuff indeed. More please! Since Shameless took its series break I've been at a loss for a good comedy!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Budget eh - How to survive the recession part 2
Budget eh? Well, the Government is a step behind me there. I've known this recession was coming since I interviewed David McWilliams back in May. Oh yes sir, I have.
As a friend of mine said the other day, "this recession is all about coffee". It sure is, my friend. We have gotten far too used to our daily 'treat'. But the thing is, you can't call it a treat when you give yourself one every day. Then it becomes something you expect as a normal part of the day.
A treat is something our parents know about. Like the first holiday you ever had to Trabolgan when your dad got a payrise and you were 15 and too old for it. But you pretended to enjoy it because it was a treat and you knew that was, by definition, something you enjoyed.
Celtic donkeys have their first holiday (often camping in France) at 2 and have 'done Europe' by the time they are 10. At that stage only Disneyworld Florida can give our jaded worldly children any joy at all. From there on it's the slippery slope of 'doing' SE Asia and then pretty much having nowhere else to go except NY at Christmas because it's such good value.
Anyway, I digress. Sorry. Back to 'treats'.
Cut them out, people! Ta-dah. How to survive the recession 101.
Christy Moore (see previous post) is another tip.
As a friend of mine said the other day, "this recession is all about coffee". It sure is, my friend. We have gotten far too used to our daily 'treat'. But the thing is, you can't call it a treat when you give yourself one every day. Then it becomes something you expect as a normal part of the day.
A treat is something our parents know about. Like the first holiday you ever had to Trabolgan when your dad got a payrise and you were 15 and too old for it. But you pretended to enjoy it because it was a treat and you knew that was, by definition, something you enjoyed.
Celtic donkeys have their first holiday (often camping in France) at 2 and have 'done Europe' by the time they are 10. At that stage only Disneyworld Florida can give our jaded worldly children any joy at all. From there on it's the slippery slope of 'doing' SE Asia and then pretty much having nowhere else to go except NY at Christmas because it's such good value.
Anyway, I digress. Sorry. Back to 'treats'.
Cut them out, people! Ta-dah. How to survive the recession 101.
Christy Moore (see previous post) is another tip.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Music to have a recession to
Listening to Christy Moore on Today FM last night (well done Iano, enough of that Bowie nonsense), something struck me. He is music to have a recession to.
Christy wrote songs for the seventies and the eighties, times when things were tough and people were too.
Having grown up through the good times of the nineties I was never a big Christy fan, but now that the recession is beginning to bite and I'm cutting back on the lattes, it's time for some morbid realism of the type Irish people used to be good at. Now that Joe Dolan (who was always slightly too cheerful, in my opinion) and Ronnie Drew have left us, only Christy is left flying the misery flag.
Here are the words to Ordinary Man - if you haven't lost your job yet, print and keep a copy for when you do!
Ordinary Man
I'm an ordinary man, nothing special nothing grand
I've had to work for everything I own
I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I got
Enough to keep my family and my home
Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards
They say there's not the work to go around
And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close
Tonight they're going to shut this factory down
Then they'll tear it d-o-w-n
I never missed a day nor went on strike for better pay
For twenty years I served them best I could
Now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget
Loyalty through the bad times and through good
The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad
but the captains of industry won't let him lose
He still drives a car and smokes his cigar
And still he takes his family on a cruise, he'll never lose
Well it seems to me such a cruel irony
He's richer now then he ever was before
Now my cheque is spent and I can't afford the rent
There's one law for the rich, one for the poor
Every day I've tried to salvage some of my pride
To find some work so's I might pay my way
Oh but everywhere I go, the answer's always no
There's no work for anyone here today, no work today
And so condemned I stand just an ordinary man
Like thousands beside me in the queue
I watch my darling wife trying to make the best of life
And God knows what the kids are going to do
Now that we are faced with this human waste
A generation cast aside
And as long as I live, I never will forgive
You've stripped me of my dignity and pride, you've stripped me bare
You've stripped me bare, You've stripped me bare.
Not a full stop to be seen, but in the current economic climate, full stops are a luxury we can't afford!
Christy wrote songs for the seventies and the eighties, times when things were tough and people were too.
Having grown up through the good times of the nineties I was never a big Christy fan, but now that the recession is beginning to bite and I'm cutting back on the lattes, it's time for some morbid realism of the type Irish people used to be good at. Now that Joe Dolan (who was always slightly too cheerful, in my opinion) and Ronnie Drew have left us, only Christy is left flying the misery flag.
Here are the words to Ordinary Man - if you haven't lost your job yet, print and keep a copy for when you do!
Ordinary Man
I'm an ordinary man, nothing special nothing grand
I've had to work for everything I own
I never asked for a lot, I was happy with what I got
Enough to keep my family and my home
Now they say that times are hard and they've handed me my cards
They say there's not the work to go around
And when the whistle blows, the gates will finally close
Tonight they're going to shut this factory down
Then they'll tear it d-o-w-n
I never missed a day nor went on strike for better pay
For twenty years I served them best I could
Now with a handshake and a cheque it seems so easy to forget
Loyalty through the bad times and through good
The owner says he's sad to see that things have got so bad
but the captains of industry won't let him lose
He still drives a car and smokes his cigar
And still he takes his family on a cruise, he'll never lose
Well it seems to me such a cruel irony
He's richer now then he ever was before
Now my cheque is spent and I can't afford the rent
There's one law for the rich, one for the poor
Every day I've tried to salvage some of my pride
To find some work so's I might pay my way
Oh but everywhere I go, the answer's always no
There's no work for anyone here today, no work today
And so condemned I stand just an ordinary man
Like thousands beside me in the queue
I watch my darling wife trying to make the best of life
And God knows what the kids are going to do
Now that we are faced with this human waste
A generation cast aside
And as long as I live, I never will forgive
You've stripped me of my dignity and pride, you've stripped me bare
You've stripped me bare, You've stripped me bare.
Not a full stop to be seen, but in the current economic climate, full stops are a luxury we can't afford!
Being sexy in politics
Ok , so most of us would agree that being sexy is no bad thing. Most of the time. But why is this even an issue in something like the US Presidential Election?
It's human nature that we prefer someone who is good looking to someone who isn't. But overcoming our natural instincts and letting logic have a role is part of what makes us human.
So, hearing Sam Smyth, for whom I generally have great respect, asking Ed Hayes, the Sunday Supplement's US snitch, if he "fancies" Sarah Palin, was a bit of a pain.
Why should fancying a candidate make them any better at their job? And why should this question only be asked about women?
Hillary Clinton is perceived as too intellectual, too tough and too 'willing to do anything to succeed' for most voters, particularly most men. All these 'unfeminine' characteristics are part of what lost her the Democratic nomination. Also, she just isn't hot.
Granted, Obama is attractive. And granted, this won't have done his chances any harm. But have you heard anyone asked recently, on a quality current affairs programme, if they "fancy" him?
Grow up, Sam.
It's human nature that we prefer someone who is good looking to someone who isn't. But overcoming our natural instincts and letting logic have a role is part of what makes us human.
So, hearing Sam Smyth, for whom I generally have great respect, asking Ed Hayes, the Sunday Supplement's US snitch, if he "fancies" Sarah Palin, was a bit of a pain.
Why should fancying a candidate make them any better at their job? And why should this question only be asked about women?
Hillary Clinton is perceived as too intellectual, too tough and too 'willing to do anything to succeed' for most voters, particularly most men. All these 'unfeminine' characteristics are part of what lost her the Democratic nomination. Also, she just isn't hot.
Granted, Obama is attractive. And granted, this won't have done his chances any harm. But have you heard anyone asked recently, on a quality current affairs programme, if they "fancy" him?
Grow up, Sam.
September
Here's a novel idea. Why don't we move the school holidays to begin in July, and end at the end of September, which is clearly meant to be the summer? And put some kind of state holiday in April, which, for the last couple of years, has been the finest month of all.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Too much reality for TV
With Big Brother in its ninth season and TV execs constantly
scrambling to think of newer, and more profitable ideas for reality TV
(and coming up with the opposite), it may be a surprise to you that
Galway City Council's meetings could soon be broadcast live online.
The proposal, made by Green Councillor Niall O'Brolcháin, would
involve a live webcast of council meetings and a searchable archive.
The proposal was partly aimed at publicly identifying the council's
regular troublemakers.
But it's not just Cllr O'Brolcháin who favours this idea. The
sessions of the Oireachtas are also to be televised.
The question is, do we really want to see it?
'Oireachtas TV' has been undergoing a trial period, for those
participating in the Digital Terrestrial Television trial in Dublin.
It's set to become a reality with the enactment of a new Broadcasting
Bill and RTE's changeover to digital service, which has a deadline of
2012.
However, even the most slavish of political sleeveens has their doubts
about this one. Oireachtas Report, the current output of Dáil and
Seanad Eireann, is less than riveting viewing. For a political junkie,
it can have its golden moments, but with these often reproduced on
news broadcasts, it's just not necessary to wait up until the wee
hours for the drama that is our legislature.
While propping your eyes open with sticks is one way of staying awake
before (and during) the show, poking your eyes with sticks can be
preferable to watching a bored politician reading a prepared speech
like a child reciting a poem in a language he doesn't understand.
Before the Lisbon Referendum, there was an undercurrent of what you
might call 'active apathy'. Voters made it clear that they elect
politicians to do things for them, and they should get on with it
without bothering the rest of us.
A lot of people would call that an irresponsible attitude to society.
And they're probably right. But it's very common.
Perhaps Oireachtas TV and Council Chat will provide us with a new
window into politics and legislation. Or perhaps, as with Big Brother
9, most people will switch over to the Big Big Movie for something more adult.
Either way, the move presents an opportunity for public
representatives. But, like Big Brother, Eviction Day is always
approaching – and without subjective editing, for once the truth will
out.
scrambling to think of newer, and more profitable ideas for reality TV
(and coming up with the opposite), it may be a surprise to you that
Galway City Council's meetings could soon be broadcast live online.
The proposal, made by Green Councillor Niall O'Brolcháin, would
involve a live webcast of council meetings and a searchable archive.
The proposal was partly aimed at publicly identifying the council's
regular troublemakers.
But it's not just Cllr O'Brolcháin who favours this idea. The
sessions of the Oireachtas are also to be televised.
The question is, do we really want to see it?
'Oireachtas TV' has been undergoing a trial period, for those
participating in the Digital Terrestrial Television trial in Dublin.
It's set to become a reality with the enactment of a new Broadcasting
Bill and RTE's changeover to digital service, which has a deadline of
2012.
However, even the most slavish of political sleeveens has their doubts
about this one. Oireachtas Report, the current output of Dáil and
Seanad Eireann, is less than riveting viewing. For a political junkie,
it can have its golden moments, but with these often reproduced on
news broadcasts, it's just not necessary to wait up until the wee
hours for the drama that is our legislature.
While propping your eyes open with sticks is one way of staying awake
before (and during) the show, poking your eyes with sticks can be
preferable to watching a bored politician reading a prepared speech
like a child reciting a poem in a language he doesn't understand.
Before the Lisbon Referendum, there was an undercurrent of what you
might call 'active apathy'. Voters made it clear that they elect
politicians to do things for them, and they should get on with it
without bothering the rest of us.
A lot of people would call that an irresponsible attitude to society.
And they're probably right. But it's very common.
Perhaps Oireachtas TV and Council Chat will provide us with a new
window into politics and legislation. Or perhaps, as with Big Brother
9, most people will switch over to the Big Big Movie for something more adult.
Either way, the move presents an opportunity for public
representatives. But, like Big Brother, Eviction Day is always
approaching – and without subjective editing, for once the truth will
out.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Circle of life
So it's the 'summer' again, and Irish people in their thousands are trying to escape from the country the Romans wouldn't colonise, because it was too miserable.
Trying to escape is proving difficult enough, though, between raised airfares and radar malfunctions.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed the weird circularity of this summer.
People are trying to fly away to escape the bad weather;
Flying causes pollution;
Pollution causes global warming;
Global warming causes droughts, floods and a need for renewable fuels, as well as bad weather;
Droughts, floods and the loss of land to renewable fuel crops cause food and fuel price rises;
Fuel prices rises cause air travel prices to rise;
Ergo, people trying to escape the bad weather a) can't get away from it because they can't afford it, or, b) contribute to the bad weather by escaping.
Heh.
Trying to escape is proving difficult enough, though, between raised airfares and radar malfunctions.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed the weird circularity of this summer.
People are trying to fly away to escape the bad weather;
Flying causes pollution;
Pollution causes global warming;
Global warming causes droughts, floods and a need for renewable fuels, as well as bad weather;
Droughts, floods and the loss of land to renewable fuel crops cause food and fuel price rises;
Fuel prices rises cause air travel prices to rise;
Ergo, people trying to escape the bad weather a) can't get away from it because they can't afford it, or, b) contribute to the bad weather by escaping.
Heh.
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