Archive for February, 2012

Shackled to a sinking ship

February 29th, 2012

So we are going to have a referendum after all.

The EU will not be pleased as they probably spent more time trying to avoid a referendum here than they did working on the treaty itself.

What happens next?

Even as I type the gubmint spin-doctors are working out how best to lie, cheat and coerce us into giving a Yes vote.  First out of the traps is that Creighton one with her “send a very negative signal to investors” crack.  But she has taken the king’s shilling so is probably worried more about her own job, with its fancy salary and even fancier perks.

The date hasn’t been announced yet but I can guarantee that between now and then we are going to hear a shed load of lies and scare stories.

“We have to sign to guarantee our economic future”

“There is no alternative to a Yes vote” [how about a No vote?]

“If we vote No, the ATMs will dry up and teachers won’t get paid” [the old jokes are the best jokes]

“If we vote No we will be isolated from the rest of Europe” [How?]

“Voting Yes will bring jobs and prosperity” [Hah! Remember Lisbon?]

“Voting Yes will guarantee the stability of the Euro” [like we give a fuck]

“If we vote No, the EU will turn its back on us” [is that a bad thing?]

“If we vote No we will destroy any chance of borrowing money to run the country” [I’m backing that one as a front runner]

And so on ad nauseum.

What they will not say is that voting Yes will enshrine into our constitution the right of an unelected foreign power to dictate how we run our affairs.  What they will not say is that a Yes vote will force far worse austerity on us.  What they will not say is that we are irrevocably singing away what semblance of independence and sovereignty we have left.

What they will not say is that a Yes vote will forever shackle us to the Titanic.

Name calling

February 28th, 2012

Sometimes people give their children the strangest names.

Sometimes they will use a name that in itself isn’t too bad, but when mixed with the Surname can cause certain problems.  Mike Hunt?  Or how about a chap I used to know – William Anker?  [think about it…].  What I am really on about here is the actual names themselves.

Of course the names that spring to mind are those handed out by those brain-dead amoebas, the Beckhams –Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.  I was going to say that those kids will have a terrible time with their names in later life, but seeing as they will have inherited their parent’s intelligence it probably won’t occur to them that there is anything even slightly strange about their names.

Then of course there was that poor child who was dumped on with the name “Talula Does The Hula from Hawaii”.  I think they were forced in the end to change that?

There is a thought that has crossed my mind though.

As far as I am aware, there is no law in any land to prevent people handing out whatever names they like to their sprogs?  So why can’t people be a little more imaginative and give their children a name that will actually give the child a wee head start in life?

“I hereby name this child ‘Doctor John’”

Going through life with a name like Doctor could be a huge advantage.  It would certainly be impressive at the top of a resume?

Or how about Professor?  Even better!

I can only think of one disadvantage to this scheme and that is that the child can never really progress to the higher echelons of academia.

After all, Doctor Doctor would be a bit of a mouthful?

But not quite as bad as Professor Professor.

Going digital

February 27th, 2012

I don’t have time to write anything today.

I’m too busy copying my old LP collection into digital whatsits.

You see, I do most of my listening on modern stuff like computers or televisions or even digital radios so having a dirty great stack of hi-fi stuff cluttering up the corner of the room is a bit silly.

Recording Studio

Digitising LPs is quite a tedious job.

It starts off at the top of the pile in the record deck. 

It then drops down through the black bux underneath where it is amplified a little bit and then on down to the laptop on the floor.

When the laptop has done its work recording, I then copy all the files to the little box to the right of the laptop.  That’s one of my two Terror Biters, or whatever they’re called.

You will notice that the whole setup is gravity fed, which I think is quite clever?

When everything is done I will connect the black box to this machine and then the fun begins – I have to process all the files [there will be eight of ‘em as I’m currently working on a four LP box set].

I’ll have to split the files into the individual tracks and then label each one with the things like Track name, Artist, Number of the side and stuff like that.

I reckon I should have it finished by Wednesday [next year].

I’m sort of fond of the record deck and the amplifier.  The are part of a full kit that included speakers, a cassette deck and a tuner which I bought with my first wage packet in 1971.  Surprisingly they all still work, apart from the main volume control being a bit erratic and the bearings have gone in the cassette deck motor.

Leastwise you can see how I have my hands full for a while, and why I won’t be writing anything today.

I was wrong

February 26th, 2012

I admit that Michael D Higgins would not have been my first choice for President of Ireland.

I voted for him simply because compared to the other bottom feeders, he was the best of a bad lot, though I did think he was probably treating the position as a nice little retirement hobby.

How wrong I was!

Now anyone who pisses off our gubmint is doing well.  As our gubmint is so far up the arses of the EU lot, de facto pissing off our gubmint means pissing off Merkel and her pals.  And that has to be a good thing.

Michael D has pissed them off royally.

There is no way he is going to allow Merkel Dame Enda sneak in the Fiscal Treaty or whatever fancy fucking name they are giving it.  They are desperate to avoid a referendum here as they know it will be an extremely tough fight.  After all, Europe is one big happy family, so we can’t have the Irish showing any kind of negativity, now can we?  In order to avoid a referendum, they are frantically trying to avoid this embarrassment by sneaking the treaty in by the back door.

Our Michael D ain’t going to allow that.  He has announced publicly that he is going to be watching them very closely indeed, and that at the first sign of any shenanigans, he is going to call up the Council of State and force a referendum.

Fair play to ya, Michael D.

I’m sorry I ever doubted you.

Ireland is doomed

February 25th, 2012

Just when you think this country can’t possibly sink any lower….

It does.

There is no hope.

 

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