Marking Time

• North Atlantic Skyline: Unwelcome
  Ireland’s shameful history of anti-semitism. Have we “Celtic Christians” learned yet?
  (tags: Irish History Politics)
• Blogh an seanchai: Fight for the Irish Republic in your local Primary School
  “[T]he school belonged to the Diocese of Meath; it was only funded by the state. I was just wondering where they get the word ‘only’.”
  (tags: Irish Politics)

• cearta.ie: From the Contender to the Fall
  Interesting thoughts from Eoin O’Dell on the Frank Connolly-Michael McDowell dust up last year. I agree with him completely. Irish Law is not Michael McDowell’s play-thing (or at least it shouldn’t be).
  (tags: Irish Politics Law)
• Notes On The Front: Awaking to Low Wages
  Good idea but would it get a vote from our “highly sophisticated electorate” ?
  (tags: Irish Politics economics)

• An Irish Town Planner’s Blog: Is the NDP built on poor foundations?
  “Had the last NDP been properly focused, some of these negatives could have been avoided.”
  (tags: Irish Politics economics News)
• Crooked Timber »» Toward a Catalog of Irish Public Service Ads
  Ah memories. The yellow box guy was my favourite.
  (tags: tv History)
• Making Light: Haifa Street
  “Nearly four years on, we still don’t have Baghdad. “
  (tags: Iraq)

Apropos of nothing, here’s five things I’m listening to at the moment:

Richard James, The Seven Sleepers Den :: Mostly wistful, mostly beautiful, the Gorky’s guitarist steps out from Euros’s shadow.

Mosaik, Live from the Powerhouse :: Half of Planxty plus a Hungarian, a Dutchman, and an American. All of you fascists bound to lose.

The Pale Orchestra / David Thomas, Mirror Man :: When they reunited at the end of the eighties Pere Ubu made some lovely pop records. I saw this and I recognised some of the song titles. No pop here however, this is a different trip entirely. More a curiosity than anything, maybe it’s a grower.

Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde :: I’ve always been luke-warm towards Dylan. I liked Chronicles better than any of his albums. I’m persevering with this one but to me it’s more obtuse than Beefheart.

X-Ray Music: A Blood and Fire Dub Directory :: Dub asks no questions and gives no answers. It just is.

• fulminate // Architectures of Control: Dependence
  “If, however, we ‘leave it up to others who understand all that stuff’, we become dependent on them.”
  (tags: Politics culture design)

Minister of State, Tony Killeen is in a spot of bother after he appeared to make representations to the Minister for Justice for the early release of a child rapist. Representations by TDs for the early release of prisoners are commonplace - in my book they shouldn’t be tolerated - the only reason this one made the headlines is because of the emotive nature of the offense. Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen got into similiar hot water with the same case a while back for the lesser offense of tabling a motion to enquire when the offender would be released.

What is interesting about the Killeen incident is that it gave us a peek into the reality of how our democracy works. Apparently the Minister himself wasn’t even aware of the representations made in his name. According to The Clare People (free reg. required):

Minister Killeen confirmed that his constituency office has issued over 220,000 letters and stated that regrettably it was clear to him now that some errors had been made. He said that he had not seen the two letters issued, nor did he sign them.

220,000 letters! The politics of clientelism, clinics, and the parish pump is alive and well, and working on an unprecedented scale. And I’m sure Tony Killeen is not the only, or indeed the worst offender. Is it any wonder that our democracy is in such a pitiful state.

• Irish Times: Reynolds criticises Ahern for accepting money
  Albert gets a little revenge. Bertie’s not out of the woods on this yet.
  (tags: Irish Politics)
• RTE News - Ahern lender’s firm wound up amid €1m debt
  Meanwhile, one of the 12 apostles could do with a dig out.
  (tags: Irish News Politics)

With the odds of a snow white Christmas in the next fifty years melting fast this may be the only kind of white Christmas we get in the future. Spanish Point, County Clare on a wild and windy New Year’s Day.