Parasitic Demagogues finally disband

Tonight Ireland is a happy country, as we celebrate the end of the PDs, a nasty little political party, which has imploded.
Good bye - I say - and good riddens!

After they lost six of their previously eight deputies in the 2007 general election, the Parasitic Demagogues (PDs), until then the junior partner in the government coalition led by Fianna Fáil, were demoted to infant partner. (Their previous position as the juniors was taken by the equally power-hungry Green Party.)

Among the 75% casualties were their then leader, the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell (left), as well as deputy leader Liz O'Donnell and party president Tom Parlin.
The latter, a Minister of State and a corrupt weasel of amazingly few morals, found quickly a new perk as the head of the construction industry federation. He feels quite at home there now, as no-one in Ireland knows corruption better than the builders and property developers.

But greedy and power-hungry as they were, the PDs still stayed in government, despite being almost wiped out by the electorate. If there ever was a case in Irish politics where the expressed will of the voters was completely ignored and contradicted, it was to keep the damaged remnants of the PDs in government last year.

With a grand total of two Senators (kindly appointed by Bertie) and two TDs, one of which - the infamous Mary Harney (right) - even retained her position as Minister for Health (with an annual budget of more than € 16 billion), the PDs became the living dead of Leinster House.

It took more than a year before they could not stand the stench or their own wrotten existence any longer. Today they finally decided to obey the will of the Irish voters and disbanded what was left of the party.

But it was not an easy death. In April they even went through the charade of electing a new leader, as if there was anything left to lead. A previously unknown Galway man named Ciaran Cannon - one of the two appointed Senators - was chosen as the sacrificial lamb, as even Mary Harney could see no future for the PDs and refused to lead them into any more disasters.

Now it's all over - thank God! This afternoon the last surviving members of the PDs meet for a wake in Mullingar and voted to finally disband their party. Ciaran Cannon will have to live with the dubious stain of having been their last 'leader', while no-one even mentions the pompous and self-important Michael McDowell any longer.

The party, founded by the former Fianna Fáil TD and minister Des O'Malley in 1985 as the Progressive Democrats, had originally offered a new alternative in Irish politics. But after the founder resigned in 1993 and turned the party over to Mary Harney, things began to go rapidly downhill. Under the 13 years of her leadership the PDs became the Parasitic Demagogues.
It is however ironic that the very man who urged Des O'Malley in 1985 to establish a new party would become its undertaker. This man was no other than Michael McDowell, in 1985 a young Fine Gael activist, and from 2006 to 2007 the hapless leader of the corrupted PDs.

Neither he nor Des O'Malley were in Mullingar for the party's funeral. These days they have better things to do.
However, the decommisioning process of the PDs is not quite complete yet. Though the party is now officially disbanded, they still have a hidden stash of power in the Cabinet, known as Mary Harney. She is now trying to masquerade as an 'independent', but no-one believes her anyway.

She sees herself as the first one-person party in Irish history and is determined to stay in power as long as it is possible. Only with her decommissioning the disbandment of the PDs will truly be finished, and I hope she will be decommissioned soon.

British Militarism is still alive in Belfast

First came two British soldiers, decked out in desert battle dress and leading a pair of large Irish Wolfhounds.
Behind them strutted the first contingent of soldiers from the (British) Irish Guards. Left right, left right, they marched with their chests puffed out pompously.

Next came the military band in their ‘Royal Irish’ green dress uniforms, blasting out the odious protestant hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers", the one Winston Churchill was so fond of.
That was of course an attempt to hide this display of naked militarism behind a religious fig leaf.

Not that it mattered, as the strains of the hymn were all but drowned out by bellicose screaming of hundreds of 'loyalists' who crammed into Belfast's Fisherwick Place. Their jeering was directed at the families of nationalists, gunned down by British forces.
These decent Irish people stood not more than 30 metres away, protesting against the British Army’s pompous march of triumphalism, which was in fact a march of shame.

This happened five days ago, on Sunday, November 2nd, in the centre of Belfast. It was the long advertised and hyped-up 'homecoming parade' for the (British) Irish Guards and the Royal Irish Regiment, who have bloodied their hands in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over all the excitement in the USA it was almost overlooked by most of the media.

If the actions of the PSNI, the British Army, the 'loyalist' mobs and the unionist politicians who were in Belfast city centre last weekend say anything, then it is to tell nationalists and all decent Irish people that the struggle for justice and equality has a long way to go.

Belfast is still an occupied city in the grip of a cruel and bellicose army. The only difference is that they now prefer to kill Iraqis and Afghans instead of Irish people.

The Future of Sarah Palin

"Well, folks, I know where I am going..."

Hail Palin! Death to all moose!

The Future of John McCain

Relax, John, and enjoy your retirement.

Thank you, America!

Today I want to thank the people of the USA for what they have done last night.

Yes, I thank you will all my heart. Obviously there are a lot more decent Americans than I thought for the past eight years.

It's early days yet, and we should not expect too much from Barack Obama. He's just a man and not the Messiah. He won't be able to perform miracles.
And the mess the criminal and corrupt Bush administration leaves behind is colossal.

But at least hope is restored today, to the USA and to the rest of the world.

Once again, thank you America! And congratulations to Barack Obama!

May the good luck of last night remain with you, and may you have the strength and wisdom to be a great leader.

John McCain conceeds

Guess who just won the election?

That one!

Barack Hussein Obama

President-elect

History in the making

The Americans elected Barack Obama!!!
*

Today is D-Day in the USA

Yes, the day is finally here. Today is D-Day - Decision Day - in the USA, and by tomorrow we will know who's the next man to spend four years in the White House.

Hard to believe how time flies.

Back in January, when the whole spectacle of primaries and caucuses started and more than 30 politicians from the two large US parties put their hats into the ring, it was all very confusing, and even more so for someone like me, here in Ireland, where we don't have this kind of political circus.

When we elect our President - once every seven years - there is of course a modest campaign with all the candidates, and then the people vote. Our President is directly elected by the people, with no 'electoral college' in between, even though the office has very little political power and is more of a representative position, like it is in most other European countries as well.

But we take a lot of interest also in the US elections. After all, there are about 50 million Americans with Irish ancestry (that's one in six US citizens), and above that the USA are now the only 'super power' eft on the planet. So whatever they - and their President - do has a lot of consequences for everyone else in the world, regardless where they live.

I followed the developments in the USA with great interest, but as I said, my understanding of the process and procedures was limited. So I read a lot about it, in papers and on-line. And I did learn a lot from that.
However, there is only one blog I read that really impressed me. As it happens, it's written by another Irishman and called "Views from the Emerald Isle". (the URL is http://inishtrahoull.blogspot.com/)
This man seems to know his politics and has an amazing power of analysis and vision. He was the only one of all the journalists and bloggers whose articles I read who wrote back in January that the final contest would be between John McCain and Barack Obama.
While most of the Irish media - including RTÉ - were sure that Hillary Clinton would win the nomination of the Democratic Party and almost campaigned for her, this single blogger dismissed her and her chances back in January, and he explained his reasons in detail. I just read these articles again, and with hindsight they are even more impressive. I think this man should be on RTÉ or write for our major papers. They all got it wrong for a long time, but he was right from the very start.

But enough about the past. Today the Americans have to decide, and I hope they will make the right decision. Which - in my humble opinion - is Barack Obama. He's the only one who could bring back some decency and honour to the American nation that has been turned into the true "Empire of Evil" (the phrase used by Ronald Reagan for the Soviet Union many years ago) under the criminal and corrupt administration of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

John McCain was an honourable man eight years ago, when he ran against Bush in the primaries of the Republican Party. Had he won the nomination then, he would probably have won the election as well and - perhaps - been quite a good President. But a lot has happened since. In fact way too much has happened. And since McCain joined the Bush camp four years ago and sold his soul to Bush, Cheney and Karl Rove (the evil spin master behind Bush), he has become a differnt man and part of the evil machine that dragged America down into the gutter.

If one had needed more proof for that, his selection of Sarah Palin as 'running mate' said it all.
This right-wing woman, who could have made Adolf Hitler smile with pride and joy, is the personification of everything that is wrong with the USA today. Even the theoretical thought that she could be "one heartbeat away from the Presidency", which she would if the Americans elect the 72-year-old McCain, makes me shiver.

I have no vote in this election, and I would never want to live in the USA, no matter who is the President. But I can only urge the decent Americans - and yes, there still are some - to vote for the right man today, in their own interest and in the interest of the whole world.

Quite a lot of Americans visit this blog, so I hope they will read this and do the right thing. I will be sitting here and waiting in anticipation. My gut feeling tells me that Barack Obama is going to win the White House, and probably with a good majority. But as long as people like Karl Rove are around to muddle things up (as he did in 2000 and 2004), one can never be completely sure.

Please give yourself and the world another chance for peace and prosperity and vote for Barack Obama!

McCain's five Reasons

My friends, there are five reasons not to vote for me:
The Economy,
the War in Iraq,
my closeness to George W. Bush,
Sarah Palin
and, and... ah ... myself.

It's Make-your-Mind-up Time

"I do wonder... who I shall electionise tomorrow..."

"Maybe it's O'Cain... or should I go for McBama?"

"Or can I stay in bed and have another banana?"

John McCain has a Dream today...

"Oh yeah, I have a dream today..."

(But that's all it is and ever will be)

"Are we there yet, are we there yet..."

November Handicap Meeting

Remember Sean Fitzpatrick? Perhaps you do, as I mentioned him here before.
And no, I don't mean the banker (and chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, whom I mentioned as well).
I mean my neighbour, the philosopher and retired printer.

This morning he told me that he was going to the 'November Handicap Meeting' today. I was not sure what he meant by that, since I had never heard about that before.
But then I remembered that his wife is handicapped since she had a stroke a few years ago. I didn't want to look stupid, or appear as too nosy, so I didn't ask him about details.
I just assumed that he was going with his wife to a monthly meeting for handicapped people.

But then I saw his wife in the garden this afternoon, and began to wonder. So I went out and said hello, asking how she was, and that I had thought she was going to a meeting today.

She said she was fine, and that Sean had gone on his own, as she didn't really care much for the horses and couldn't bear the crowds at race meetings.

Now I was puzzled. Horses? Race meetings? I clearly remembered that Sean had said he was going to a handicap meeting. To avoid embarrassment I said no more and went back inside, where I sat down at my desk and googled the words "November Handicap Meeting".

It only took a few seconds, and then Google filled my computer screen with plenty of links to "handicap meetings". And guess what? They were all horse races! Not one was an actual meeting for handicapped people.

You might think I am stupid, or perhaps not.

I am not into horse racing, nor anything that uses animals in improper and exploitative ways. So I am not familiar with the internal expert lingo of the sport. But now that I have heard it, and read about it a good deal, I wonder why they use such strange and often even hilarious language in horse racing.

Everything in this sport seems to be totally commercialised and there is advertisement in every bit and detail. Even the names of the actual races are now pure advertisement. Doing my bit of research, I found many silly names, but here are only a few from yesterday alone:

• A. Bartlett & Sons (Airdrie) Ltd. Maiden Hurdle (could be a chastity contest)
• William Ewart Properties Handicap Hurdle (getting a mortgage is difficult now)
• JNwine.com Champion Steeplechase (Does the champion get a head start? And a bottle of wine?)
• Killultagh Properties Ltd. Steeplechase (They even sell churches now..., don't they?)
• Rainbow Telecom Handicap Steeplechase (does probably involve handling new types of mobile phones)
• Lough Developments Ltd. (Pro/Am) Flat Race (how to get a new apartment in a newly developed area)

I don't know how anyone can take such ridiculous names - and thus the whole horse racing business - for serious. Fortunately I will not have to occupy my little brain with the matter any longer, as I do now care even less for horse racing than I did before. The horses, I am sure, are having a good laugh at us.

Secret Cabinet Meeting in Co. Offaly

It has emerged that the Irish Cabinet had a secret meeting last night in a secluded place near Clara, the Taoiseach's home village in Co. Offaly.
When asked about it by journalists, the government's new unofficial spokesman Willie O'Dea refused to comment. But a reliable eyewitness reports that the meeting was held "in the spirit of the season", even though "some would have mistaken it for a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan".
Only Tanaiste Mary Coughlan (pictured right) refused to wear the traditional over-garment and appeared uncovered.
"I wouldn't wear a burka, so I'm not wearing this either," she was overheard saying to Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who eventually accepted her "eccentric attitude".
Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Martin commented that it was "not a beauty contest", adding that otherwise he would take his bedsheet off, too. But the Taoiseach was having none of it.
"You can do that in Cork, you tosser," he told Martin, "but not here in Clara. This is Offaly!"
Despite attempts to learn more about the nature of the meeting, no statement was issued and all participants have refused to comment.

Brian Cowen's Hallowe'en Address

While many Heads of State give a traditional address to their nation on Christmas Day, and many Prime Ministers speak to their people on New Year's Day (January 1st), Ireland's new Prime Minister, who is a fluent speaker of Irish (Us Gaelge), decided to create a tradition of his own.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen addressed the Irish nation today, on Samhain, the day that is traditionally the Celtic New Year's Day.

The address was broadcast live from Cowen's home in Clara, Co. Offaly, by RTÉ Radio 1 and Television. However, many people watching with a sense of anticipation were rather disappointed and said that they were not able to understand what the Taoiseach was saying. Well, that's not a new thing with Brian Cowen. It happens every week in the Dail, too.

Dublin's Burning

Dubliners celebrated Hallowe'en last night in the
traditional way of the now famous 'Celtic Tiger' :

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...

People really made a great effort and went all across the city
with huge Irish enthusiasm and plenty of pints of Guinness.

They burned down one pub, one block of flats,
and - as the coup de grâce - a whole factory.
As a side-show they also torched 50 cars,
which is quite an achievement in one night.

They stabbed 15 people and beat up 2 Gardai and 1 fireman,
which are still in hospital to show that Mary Harney cares.

They made sure that our emergency services work hard for their
wages and that Eircom gets a fair share of trick-or-treat money:
There were 800 calls to the Fire Brigade
and 500 calls to the Ambulance Service.

Happy Hallowe'en!