Archive for the 'Politics' Category

The Lisbon Treaty and the Looney Left

Grandad April 22nd, 2008

The miracle has happened.

Not only did I receive my copy of the National Disaster Handbook [I am so relieved] but I also got a copy of the government thing on the Lisbon Treaty.

I have been taking some interest in that treaty, and have even gone so far as to try to read the original.  I say ‘try’ because it is the most convoluted and badly written document I have seen in quite a while.  What’s more, it is deliberately confusing.

I have a lot of major reservations.

First and foremost, it is an extremely vague document.  From what I can gather, it is effectively handing the powers that be in Brussels a blank cheque to roll in other legislation without reference to the population.  It is the final signing away of our rights.

The general trend is towards a centralised government that controls all member states.  It is a watering down of local power.  I have no love for the current government, but at least they were put there by the Irish and can be kicked out by the Irish.  It is considerably harder to kick out some nameless faceless crowd in the EU.

When Ireland first joined back in 1973, it was called the EEC - The European Economic Commission.  The idea was to reduce trading barriers between member states and promote economic cooperation.  A laudable aspiration.  But now it has spread its wings into every aspect of control including taxation and law.  This treaty enshrines that even further.

Then there is the fact that it is a constitution.  They can call it a treaty, but that is mere semantics.  If there is a practical difference, then someone please enlighten me.

So far, I have neither seen nor heard a cohesive argument as to why I should vote yes on this.  All we get is vague statements and obfuscation.   We are told [by vested interests] that it will be ‘good for us’ but we are not told why.  Barosso was asked directly in an interview what the treaty would do for Ireland.  His response was that Ireland had done very well out of Europe.  What kind of fucking answer is that?  When he was pushed for an answer, he failed to come up with one.

I will certainly not be putting my name to a document that I don’t understand.  I will not be bullied by a twerp who tries to insult me into voting yes by saying that “we will ruin ourselves and we’ll go under sea and that we’ll succeed in doing what St Patrick didn’t do by bringing the water all over Ireland, and every other nonsense” [Bertie, of course] and that the only people voting no will be “loo-las of every kind and shape who advocated loony-left policies” [Bertie again].

I don’t trust Bertie.  I don’t trust the government.  I don’t trust the treaty.

I have more than a feeling in my water that this ‘treaty’ will be bad for Ireland.

I will be voting a resounding NO.

Stop the world - Grandad wants to get off

Grandad April 17th, 2008

You all must think I’ve gone a bit soft lately.  Not one grump, grouch or gripe about the government or Dubya.

Apart from being very busy [I never knew retirement could be so hectic], I am just pissed off with giving out about them.

There is Dubya over there getting all cosy with the Pope and talking about the sanctity of human life?  What fucking planet is Dubya from?

Back home, we have Bertie scurrying back under his rock having screwed us all royally and leaving the country in an appalling mess.

Harney is still doing her best to kill people and close hospitals [very successfully, I might add].

Willie O’Dea has saved the country from every imaginable disaster by sending out booklets [I still haven't received mine].

Gormless has managed to insult China [not that they didn't deserve it], and justify selling out the Green Party because he has single handedly saved the planet [that's one up on O'Dea, who only saved the country] by forcing us to use CFL bulbs.

Pat The Plank has managed to confuse us all, and himself, by paying a massive price to his neighbour for a piece of land which he already owns [according to himself].

We are back to unemployment and inflation.  The housing market has collapsed.  Petrol and food prices are soaring. 

It’s no wonder I’m pissed off.

Time for another Prozac, I think.

National Emergency Plan

Grandad April 15th, 2008

There was a lot of fuss on the meeja yesterday about the new Emergency Planning Handbook.

I mentioned it on Saturday, and I was a bit cynical.  Sorry about that.

I was very interested to hear Willie O’Dea talking about the iodine tablets that weren’t distributed to every house in the country.  Apparently those of us who received them should throw them away.

This is very clever thinking, because we all know that our sewage and landfill waste all end up in the drinking water supply anyway, so  O’Dea’s suggestion means that we can all ingest the iodine, whether we had the tablets or not.  Clever.

I went through the Emergency plan and it really is an eye opener.  I’m glad I read it.

For the thousands of you who won’t receive the booklet, I will give a brief synopsis.

  • Flooding: Dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.
  • Hazardous Chemical Spills: Dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.
  • Accidents at sea: Dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.
  • Fire: Dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.
  • Explosions and Suspicious Packages: Dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.
  • Nuclear Incidents: Don’t dial 999 [or 112] or inform the Emergency Services.
  • Pandemic Influenza: You’re on your own.

It doesn’t mention earthquakes, tornados or Daniel O’Donnell escaping and running amok, but you can’t have everything.

I’m really glad I read the document.  It has put my mind at rest.

It is really worth every cent of the €2,000,000 that it cost.

For those of you who want more information, they give their website as emergencyplanning.ie.

If that doesn’t work, I suggest you dial 999 [or 112] and inform the Emergency Services.

Hitting a moving target

Grandad April 11th, 2008

Dring.. Dring.. Dring..

Hello?

Hello.  May I speak with God please?

Sorry.  He’s not available at the moment.  This is Saint Peter here. May I be of assistance?

Howya, Pete.  It’s Grandad.

Ah, Grandad!  I won’t ask how you are because we already know.  I know God would love a chat but He’s very busy at the moment.

That’s unusual?

It is a bit.  Twenty eight of our main servers crashed earlier while trying to compute Dubya’s sins, misdemeanours, immoralities and other such infractions.

Wow!  But I thought you lot were all powerful and all knowing and didn’t need computers?

Normally, yes, but Dubya was beyond even our powers.  God is down there at the moment, up to His oxters in cables and disk drives.  The language is foul.

I’ll bet.  By the way, thanks for the snow this morning.  It was very pretty.

You’re more than welcome.  We’re arranging a bit of sunshine now as you’ll be going to the village later.

Will I?

Yup.  Is there a message I can pass on?

Yes.  Could you just tell God that that was a brilliant piece of marksmanship yesterday.  A moving target and all..

Ha ha! We all had a great laugh at that one.  It made Bertie crap himself, but you won’t hear about that on the news.

Great stuff!  It’ll teach him to go by train next time.

I’ll pass on your congratulations anyway.  He’ll be delighted.

Not half as delighted as we were.

Big Brother - Just Imagine

Grandad April 6th, 2008

Big Brother is alive and well.

And I’m not talking about some crappy television program.

I’m talking George Orwell and 1984.  He was 24 years out.

I checked a friend’s blog at Rantings Diversified.

Apparently, he has been blocked by Imagine.ie, so none of their clients can reach it without disabling a filter

bbrother

I have a couple of questions I would like answered.

  • Who gave Imagine permission to dictate what is appropriate on the Internet?
  • What are their criteria for deeming a site inappropriate?
  • Who gave them permission to block a site without the client’s consent?

I know the site that was blocked, and I know the bloke who writes it.  He can be outspoken in his writings, but so can a lot of us.  He was barred for this. [and I'm not taking the risk of being banned as well!!]

Is Imagine doing the American Government’s dirty work for them?

The Wages of Sin

Grandad April 2nd, 2008

If I were to avoid tax, I would be heavily penalised.

If I were to commit perjury I would probably face a term in prison.

But I’m not Bertie.

Let’s see what his penalties are going to be…….

[These calculations may be slightly wrong, but I don't think so]

First of all, he gets a little golden handshake of one and a half times a TD’s salary - €131,000

A lifetime pension of €128,782 per annum, index linked.  This is 60% of his new salary of €214,637.

In addition he gets €47,680 per annum, index linked.  This is half a TD’s salary of €95,363.

So the reward Bertie gets for perjury and tax avoidance?

A Golden Handshake of €308,000, and  €176,500 a year after that.

Not bad, huh?

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