Elections 2009 Galway city - Part 5
It is very noticeable how politicians of all hues are targeting local 'Poles' during this election
Reform in the British Political System Should be Repeated in Ireland
The recent revelations about British MPs’ expense claims is both scandalous and heartening. Scandalous because it revealed the arrogant misuse of public funds by politicians to ostentatiously upgrade their private properties. Expenditures that included cleaning a castle moat, constructing a duck house in a garden lake and repairing water pipes under a tennis court were carried out, according to claimants, so that they could better serve their constituents!
These instances had been proceeded by media stories of ‘right honourable’ Labour members of House of Lords charging tens of thousands of pounds for submitting questions.
But the whole saga was heartening too because it represented a triumph of true investigative journalism. The British newspaper–led campaign into political greed shook Westminster to its foundations due to the resultant public outcry leading to ministerial suspensions, resignations from high political office and the first steps in the reform of parliament. It is worth noting that MPs had previously tried to scupper attempts to open up their income to scrutiny by the public i.e. those to whom they are suppose to serve. Now we know why!
The old adage that ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ has sadly proven all too true in the case of British parliamentarians of all political persuasions.
On face value it looks likely that Irish national representatives are more morally upstanding than their British counterparts due to the fact that similar stories have not and are unlikely to surface here.
But could this be because Irish TDs do not have to submit receipts for their claims? While it is true that the vast majority of politicians and government ministers that I personally know seem to be honest, hard-working often idealistic civic-minded people who use their expenses to pay for legitimate costs related to staffing and renting local constituency offices, nevertheless it is unacceptable that in a democratic country such an unmonitored financial system operates. It defies logic that these unsubstantiated annual claims can exceed over 80,000Euro annually for some national politicians. Irish parliamentarians are amongst the highest paid in the world via a combination of wages, undocumented expenses, a Dáil Éireann daily attendance fee, an annual financial bonus given to those who serve 10 years or more and an additional income of up to 20,023Euro for those chairing/co-chairing Oireachtas committees .
It was only last month that as a result of public pressure 31 current TDs from 4 political parties, who are former ministers, stopped receiving annual pensions which varied in size from 6,100 to 110,000Euro. Now they are only allowed to receive these payments (on top of their TD pensions) when they retire from politics.
Furthermore it was recently too that some TDs that were listed as teachers but who may not have had taught for decades finally gave up their sizable teaching pension rights. Yet even still, two present Ministers refuse to surrender these entitlements.
The proceedings of tribunals such as the Flood Tribunal and the jailing of Frank Dunlop provides ample evidence that certain prominent politicians, builders, landowners and developers worked together to corrupt the democratic process in this country.
Their greedy antics in cahoots with the other group in this ‘old boys network’, namely influential bankers, may have made them rich but brought the country to the brink of financial ruin. Little thought was given to long-term sustainable economic development shown by the fact that , during the Celtic Tiger epoch, only 4% of bank loans were provided towards the manufacturing sector while circa 80% were provided towards property transactions.
Even now, the government has failed to reveal the names of the infamous and immoral ‘Golden Circle of 10’ business people from the nationalised (i.e. citizens) Anglo Irish Bank.
Halla na Cathrach, Gaillimh (City Hall, Galway)
At local government level the abuse of expenses also occurs according to serving councillors. Trips overseas undertaken as part of their council remit should be listed online with a report detailing the work undertaken. Nine of our MEPs recently refused to give details of their very sizable expenses for 2008 when questioned to do so by the Irish media.
In a period of severe austerity with unemployment at record levels, such a situation cannot be allowed to continue. TDs of all political parties should now have the moral courage to come together to make strenuous efforts to implement political reform in order to regain the trust of the people and rekindle respect for the democratic institutions that our forefathers fought so hard to establish. These measures could include the regular provision of detailed documentation of their state incomes that should be overseen by an independent community-based overseers board; abolishing political quangos and agencies that duplicate the work of government departments; ensuring that promotion and bonuses for public service management is based on merit and performance; ending the over-reliance on expenses by councillors for financial remuneration with a corresponding implementation of a proper salaried wage structure; undertaking the long promised reform of local government where our political representatives have little power of note except in the area of zoning and planning which so many have abused by caving into vested interests and forgetting the national interest. It is time too to consider the abolition of the Seanad which seems to serve little purpose in modern Ireland except primarily as a home for failed or aspiring TDs as well as a reward for political kudos.
These instances had been proceeded by media stories of ‘right honourable’ Labour members of House of Lords charging tens of thousands of pounds for submitting questions.
But the whole saga was heartening too because it represented a triumph of true investigative journalism. The British newspaper–led campaign into political greed shook Westminster to its foundations due to the resultant public outcry leading to ministerial suspensions, resignations from high political office and the first steps in the reform of parliament. It is worth noting that MPs had previously tried to scupper attempts to open up their income to scrutiny by the public i.e. those to whom they are suppose to serve. Now we know why!
The old adage that ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ has sadly proven all too true in the case of British parliamentarians of all political persuasions.
On face value it looks likely that Irish national representatives are more morally upstanding than their British counterparts due to the fact that similar stories have not and are unlikely to surface here.But could this be because Irish TDs do not have to submit receipts for their claims? While it is true that the vast majority of politicians and government ministers that I personally know seem to be honest, hard-working often idealistic civic-minded people who use their expenses to pay for legitimate costs related to staffing and renting local constituency offices, nevertheless it is unacceptable that in a democratic country such an unmonitored financial system operates. It defies logic that these unsubstantiated annual claims can exceed over 80,000Euro annually for some national politicians. Irish parliamentarians are amongst the highest paid in the world via a combination of wages, undocumented expenses, a Dáil Éireann daily attendance fee, an annual financial bonus given to those who serve 10 years or more and an additional income of up to 20,023Euro for those chairing/co-chairing Oireachtas committees .
It was only last month that as a result of public pressure 31 current TDs from 4 political parties, who are former ministers, stopped receiving annual pensions which varied in size from 6,100 to 110,000Euro. Now they are only allowed to receive these payments (on top of their TD pensions) when they retire from politics.
Furthermore it was recently too that some TDs that were listed as teachers but who may not have had taught for decades finally gave up their sizable teaching pension rights. Yet even still, two present Ministers refuse to surrender these entitlements.
The proceedings of tribunals such as the Flood Tribunal and the jailing of Frank Dunlop provides ample evidence that certain prominent politicians, builders, landowners and developers worked together to corrupt the democratic process in this country.
Their greedy antics in cahoots with the other group in this ‘old boys network’, namely influential bankers, may have made them rich but brought the country to the brink of financial ruin. Little thought was given to long-term sustainable economic development shown by the fact that , during the Celtic Tiger epoch, only 4% of bank loans were provided towards the manufacturing sector while circa 80% were provided towards property transactions.
Even now, the government has failed to reveal the names of the infamous and immoral ‘Golden Circle of 10’ business people from the nationalised (i.e. citizens) Anglo Irish Bank.
Halla na Cathrach, Gaillimh (City Hall, Galway)In a period of severe austerity with unemployment at record levels, such a situation cannot be allowed to continue. TDs of all political parties should now have the moral courage to come together to make strenuous efforts to implement political reform in order to regain the trust of the people and rekindle respect for the democratic institutions that our forefathers fought so hard to establish. These measures could include the regular provision of detailed documentation of their state incomes that should be overseen by an independent community-based overseers board; abolishing political quangos and agencies that duplicate the work of government departments; ensuring that promotion and bonuses for public service management is based on merit and performance; ending the over-reliance on expenses by councillors for financial remuneration with a corresponding implementation of a proper salaried wage structure; undertaking the long promised reform of local government where our political representatives have little power of note except in the area of zoning and planning which so many have abused by caving into vested interests and forgetting the national interest. It is time too to consider the abolition of the Seanad which seems to serve little purpose in modern Ireland except primarily as a home for failed or aspiring TDs as well as a reward for political kudos.
Volvo Boat Race- A Great Event that United All Galwegians! That is until The 'Red Arrows' were Invited
Everyone involved in organising Galway's participation in the Volvo Boat Race deserves a medal!Not since the glory days of the Galway Arts Festival in the 1980s, when the city first gained the label of being Ireland's cultural capital thanks to such pioneering concepts as the Macnas street theatre and parade, has so much positive national and international exposure being secured for Galway.
The carnival atmosphere has been infectious. The weather glorious. The total transformation of the docklands from being an unattractive sterile backwater handling a few oil tanker ships and ignored by most Galwegians into a vibrant quarter of outdoor cafes, concert stages, exhibition halls, circus tents and a huge marina populated by hundreds of pleasure boats and yachts has been spectacular.
To see Galway Bay overflowing with racing boats of all shapes and sizes has lifted citizens out of the doldrums of depression caused by the country's recent recession (at least for 2 weeks!).
So many local people volunteered their time and efforts to help the Race become a huge success. I myself took part for 2 days in cleaning up the beaches of Galway in advance of the arrival of the participating boats. I also coordinated the involvement of 12 schools in a project designed to increase young people's awareness of the scientific, environmental, wildlife, pollution, angling, energy and recreational aspects of Ireland's seas, rivers and lakes.
The Race has fostered a sense of community, bonding and togetherness amongst the local population.
The legacy of this inaugural boating race could be highly beneficial to the city. In particular, the event shows the potential for creating a marina in the docks area and turning the focus of the city's development, tourism, the economy and leisure back towards the sea for the first time since the early 20th century.But sadly two things associated with the Boat Race Festival have left a bad taste in some of our mouths. First there was the even worse traffic jams than usual over the last few weeks. Galway City Council is overdependent on private cars as the primary mode of transport. It has failed to implement policies adopted in early 2002 designed to establish an integrated transport system by developing a walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure.
Secondly, the participation of the RAF Red Arrows in the event re-awakened old animosities from 2 years ago between the Salthill Air Show and supporters of the Galway Alliance Against War(GAAW) who publicly campaigned against the Iraqi War.
Why the organisers invited this RAF showpiece defies explanation. While I have participated in many events associated with the Volvo Boat Ace, I will also be involved in the GAAW protest this weekend against the Red Arrows
Elections 2009 Galway city - Part 2
Elections Galway: Two-faced Politicians
Another piece of creative ingenuity carried out on a political poster from the current elections to Galway City Council
Another piece of creative ingenuity carried out on a political poster from the current elections to Galway City Council
Elections 2009 Galway city - Part 1
Faceless Politicians
Humourous amendments to political election posters for the European Parliament and Galway City Council!
Humourous amendments to political election posters for the European Parliament and Galway City Council!
Galway Suburbia Goes Wild!
Recently a series of unusual animal sculptures were constructed on rocks in a Galway housing estate in the Ballinfoile area.
Cast in metal, these representations of Irish wildlife are located in green spaces across the estates of Baile na gCoiste and Ard na Choiste.These sculptures are strikingly beautiful and powerfully realistic.
So well done to the Galway City Council and the local residents' association for this wonderful initiative that will become I believe an important tourist attraction.
.More importantly, I earnestly hope that their presence will inspire increased awareness amongst local inhabitants of the importance of protecting the endangered real life versions of the rabbits, hares and foxes wildlife that live nearby in the Terryland Forest Park, which in itself in under threat from encroaching built development.
Galway NGOs To Lobby Irish Transport Minister On 'Smarter Travel' Funding for Galway City
Window of Opportunity Now Exists to Put in Place a Pedestrian, Cycling & Public Transport Infrastructure for Galway City & End Car-Centred Roads Nightmare
A shorter version of the following article (written in my capacity as a Galway City Community Forum representative) appeared recently on the front page of the Galway City Tribune...
In an attempt to help solve Galway City’s growing traffic congestion and secure major state funding for the construction of a sustainable transport infrastructure, the Galway City Community Forum requested direct talks with the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey TD requesting on the issue.
According to Brendan Smith, a member of the Forum’s steering committee, “The quality of life in our city is being seriously eroded by the environmental, social, economic and health damage caused by over-reliance on private motorised vehicles as the primary mode of transport. Decades of bad planning in our developer-driven society has created a car dependency urban sprawl that will take at least a generation to rectify.
But there is now a window of opportunity being presented by the Government’s recent action plan entitled ‘ Smarter Travel – A Sustainable Transport Future’ which promises for the first time to put people rather than vehicles first with a firm commitment to invest in walking, cycling and public transport as primary modes of transport. The relevant government ministers have talked about giving funding priority to suitable applicant cities. So the onus is now on all local sectors of Galway society to lobby to ensure that it is our city that is a chosen urban location for this crucial state investment. Hence our decision to request an urgent meeting with the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on this issue to convince him of the suitability of Galway for this investment and the benefits that it would bring to its inhabitants. We will also be meeting with local politicians and local election candidates to discuss our sustainable transport policies. For since its inception in 2000, Galway City Community Forum has played a crucial part in transforming city transport policy though its active membership of relevant partnership committees and we were for instance amongst the earliest advocates of light rail and quality bus corridors. However we are very concerned that key elements of these policies are being ignored. In early 2002, Galway City Council was a signatory to the Galway City Development Strategy that promised to make Galway a Safe, Child-friendly, Disability-friendly, Pedestrian-friendly, Cyclist-friendly City by 2012. It was agreed by all partners that one way of achieving this core objective was by carrying out a feasibility study into the development of a sustainable Galway Integrated Transport Strategy where pedestrians would be given priority in roads infrastructure followed by cyclists, then public transport users with car-users being at the lowest end of the hierarchy.
Yet seven years on, City Hall as the lead partner has still not carried out this foundation blueprint. Whilst initiatives such as Walking to School programme are to be applauded, nevertheless they will ultimately fail if the roads infrastructure is not radically altered to accommodate the safe ‘free-flow’ of pedestrians and cyclists. Sadly, the latest published programme of works from the Galway Transportation Unit (GTU) seems to belong to a discredited era as it once again gives priority to the old outmoded system of more roads for more cars through its emphasis on prioritising the construction of an Outer Bypass. It talks too of ‘improving’ cycling infrastructure, when in fact there is no city-wide infrastructure to being with. Likewise it makes no significant mention of pedestrians.
So the Forum is now publicly calling on City Hall to honour its transport commitments as signed off in 2002 which are supposed to be completed by 2012.
One way for City Council to make up for lost time and lost ground would be by immediately requesting the Irish government to consider Galway as a pilot scheme for the government’s Smarter Travel Action Plan as well as applying for funding under the EU CIVITAS programme. Whilst our university city is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of providing a pedestrian-cycling infrastructure to that of comparable cities such as Oxford or Cambridge, nevertheless there is still a critical mass of local inhabitants that use transport alternatives to the private car and many others that could be enticed out of their cars should a safe suitable environment exist.
Dearth of Gaelic Culture in Galway's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Copy of my letter that was printed in the Galway Independent newspaper
This year's St Patrick's Day Parade was a great success at many different levels.
The welcome return of the school bands, the pageantry, the huge friendly crowds and, of course, the fine weather made for an enjoyable afternoon. 
So well done to the organisers!
But there was a surprising dearth of traditional Irish music, dance and drama in the event that was commented on by locals and tourists alike. Visitors were treated to a wonderful eclectic mix of African singers, Chinese dancers, Scottish pipers, American cops, Indian fashion, Hare Krishna chants and smiling flag wavers from new Christian groups that reached a finale in a fine display of Breton folk music in front of the official review stand.
But there was a surprising dearth of traditional Irish music, dance and drama in the event that was commented on by locals and tourists alike. Visitors were treated to a wonderful eclectic mix of African singers, Chinese dancers, Scottish pipers, American cops, Indian fashion, Hare Krishna chants and smiling flag wavers from new Christian groups that reached a finale in a fine display of Breton folk music in front of the official review stand.
But, in a Galway city/county that prides itself on being the cultural capital of Ireland, that is promoted as the custodian of so many aspects of Gaelic culture and is the birthplace of the sean-nos dancing Mulkerrin Brothers who won the 'All-Ireland Talent Competition' only two days previously, there is something seriously wrong when Gaelic culture finds so little expression in our annual national parade.
Promoting our membership of the 'Global Village' and the ethnic traditions of recent arrivals from other lands should, of course, be encouraged, commended and continued. But it would be wrong in the process to sideline a Gaelic culture that has for millennia been that of the majority of the Irish people.
The world has an appetite for traditional Irish Celtic music, drama and dance that has only increased over the last few decades. We in Galway should not ignore this and disappoint those who travel from distant parts to take part in what they expect to be a celebration of Ireland’s heritage
Having a St Patrick's Day Parade without this cultural input is akin to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival without its Samba Schools. For centuries the parade was nurtured by our Irish diaspora in order to keep the national identity alive in a time when the indigenous population was threatened by colonisation, war, oppression, famine and poverty. But participation from other ethnic groups with proud heritages is nothing new.
For instance, many Indians marched in the 1920 New York Parade that was reviewed by Eamon DeValera, some carrying large banners emblazoned with messages such as '315,000,000 of India with Ireland to the Last' and 'President De Valera's Message to India: Our cause is a common cause.'
I have sent a 
letter on this issue to the Mayor and Manager of Galway City. I also requested them to consider henceforth sending invitations to representatives of local schools, community and voluntary groups to fill the many empty seats noticeable in this year’s Review Stand as well as to lobby for the closure of the off-licences on 17 March. The public displays of urination, vomiting and verbal harassment, particularly from under-age drinkers on our streets and in our parks after the parade last Tuesday, was a frightening experience for families and others endeavouring to enjoy our national holiday.
letter on this issue to the Mayor and Manager of Galway City. I also requested them to consider henceforth sending invitations to representatives of local schools, community and voluntary groups to fill the many empty seats noticeable in this year’s Review Stand as well as to lobby for the closure of the off-licences on 17 March. The public displays of urination, vomiting and verbal harassment, particularly from under-age drinkers on our streets and in our parks after the parade last Tuesday, was a frightening experience for families and others endeavouring to enjoy our national holiday. The Renewed Enslavment of Women
Today on International Women's Day, it is sad to reflect on how little progress has been made on women's right.If treatment of women was the litmus test of civilisation, then most countries would be judged barbaric.
Across the world, women are still denied political and economic status equal to that of men even though they do must of the work. On a domestic level, the cooking of food, the cleaning of a home, the nurturing and education of children, the paying of household bills, the provision of male entertainment and the sourcing/manufacturing of clothing is still the prerogative of the female.
But in the increasingly fundamentalist societies of Islamic Asia and Africa such as Sudan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Pakistan and Afghanistan the re-appearance of Sharia Law has meant that women are experiencing renewed oppression, being denied basic human rights such as education, travel and free association. Women are now being purged from hospitals, offices and schools in countries such as Iraq where until recently they were well represented. Males are using them the scapegoat for the ills of society as exemplified by the upsurge in so-called 'Honour-Killing', a horrible symbol of male dominance. For a female to walk the street with her hair uncovered or unaccompanied by a male relative now runs the risk of death.
Though it has to be said that many courageous women are fighting against this renewed onslaught by religious chauvinism. In Iran, the women's movement is probably the largest mass movement of opposition in the country. Likewise in Pakistan, professional women are leading the battle against government proposals to accept Sharia Law in the border tribal areas.
In the process they are becoming invisible beings, faceless, with no identity forced to obey all the whims of their male masters.
In areas of the world where Aids is rife, sex with a female virgin is often viewed as a cure for the disease.
But in the so-called developed world, the
situation is some instances is even worse with females experiencing unprecedented exploitation and slavery.There is an explosion in exploitative pornography fueled by the Internet, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ease in restrictions travelling between European countries.
Over the last two decades, Western Europe, North America and Turkey are the main destination for millions of young women from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa who have been kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured, drugged and gang-raped often bey their own male compatriots before being sold and enslaved as prostitutes to led a life of servitude servicing the sexual desires of mainly rich white men. Thousands of these torture camps dot the landscapes of Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and the USA.
Governments do little to stem the flow or punish the pimps and the human traffickers.
The working life of a prostitute is light years away from the romantic image portrayed by Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Women'.
In Ireland, in spite of the fact that our President and Deputy Prime Minister have been females for decades, few women hold positions of power in the business and academic boardrooms.
Galway University where I work is often considered to be a vanguard in liberal values. However only 6% of professors are female which is the lowest representation in the Irish third level sector.
Yet it was not always like this. I am proud to state that in ancient Celtic Ireland women were often leaders and well represented in sectors that were considered male only preserves in other societies. Click here to read my previous article on 'St. Brigit and the Remarkable Power of Irish Celtic Women.
Galway's Gifts to the People of Gaza
Two Trucks parked outside An Dubhlann (Black Box) Theatre Galway CityPacked with Donated Medical Equipment, Foodstuffs & Clothing for the People of Gaza
Two large container trucks were filled within hours with non-perishable foodstuffs, clothing and vital medical equipment that will be delivered directly to Gaza. Enough further material was collected that campaigners are hoping to hire a third vehicle that will travel later.
So well done to the Galway Alliance Against War (GAAW) and Palestinian support groups for organising such a fantastic humanitarian feat and to the people of Galway for their generosity and compassion.
Click here to read my last article on the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Sadly, It is Rubbish to Say that Galway is a Clean City
Bohermore Woods near Galway Shopping CentreI am astonished that Galway was recently declared Ireland's cleanest city by the 'Irish Business Against Litter' (IBAL) and An Taisce, Ireland's Heritage Watchdog.
While not denying that some good progress has been made in certain areas thanks to the Mayor's publicity stunts & the efforts of the council's own litter wardens, nevertheless the city is sinking deeper and deeper in squalor. With toxic elements in our water supply, pollution in our rivers, chemical fertilisers in our fields and drink bottles and cans covering our green and pleasant parks, we are far from having a clean environment.
While all of us can do our bit to help rectify (I regularly take part in clean-ups), there is no doubt that John Gormley Minister for the Environment and leader of the Green Party can use his powers to do a lot more in this area that would improve our health and protect the country's increasingly threatened wildlife.
Click here to see why in my article and photos on the Greenwatch Galway website
Preserving Ireland's Heritage in the 'Global Village'
Not since the Great Famine of the 1840’s has Ireland experienced such massive social, economic, demographic and cultural change as it had over the last 10 years. The unprecedented economic boom and the coming of the ‘global village’ enhanced by the lowering of barriers between European countries means that Irish society has lost or is losing many of the features that once defined it as a country, namely poverty, emigration, nationalism, Catholicism and an agricultural-based economy.
'More Irish than the Irish'
A largely monolithic society is now experiencing the Celtic Tiger, increased urbanisation and waves of immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Brazil and China who have no cultural connection with its Celtic or Anglo-Irish inhabitants. 
Yet this change could and should be an opportunity to absorb and to enrich mainstream Irish culture by absorbing new influences. For Ireland, though it has been invaded many times before by foreigners, nevertheless managed to maintain its ‘Celtic’ ethos and survive centuries of oppression relatively intact. Our millennia-old love of poetry, music, spirituality, freedom and nature still burns deep in our souls and many invaders have become bewitched and found themselves becoming ‘more Irish than the Irish themselves’.
Being Irish is really more a state of mind than an element of race.
But it is important that we recognise and preserve our nation’s human, built and natural heritage so that it is does not disappear and that its positive characteristics can be developed to give meaning to the population of 21st century Ireland.
Likewise it is vital that the newcomers respect the values and traditions of the country that they now live in.Intergenerational Digital Project to Record Irish Heritage
I am involved in a fascinating project with DERI and Galway County Council that involves coordinating schools and older peoples' groups working together to digitally record and preserve the stories, photographs and films of olden times. It is known as BEO (Irish for 'Alive') Lucky me!
Up until recently, I was afraid that much of our beautiful countryside and its people could be subsumed by a greedy developer-driven urban sprawl. Now however, I believe that the recent world-wide recession and its proceeding energy crisis could be an opportunity to re-establish and renew our agriculture and give a sustainable future to our farms and villages.
Homegrown and locally produced organic produce will I believe make a significant comeback not just in Ireland but worldwide.
With the drive to a 'green' society being spearheaded by Obama's USA, there could well be a curtailment of private cars, an emphasis on public transport, increased protection of wildlife and their habitats, increased forestry, development of renewable energies such as solar and bio waste, a movement towards vegetarianism, lower birthrates and the redesign of houses to embrace natural local building products and insulation.So the future will hopefully be Green and Happy!
Ugliest Business Buildings In Galway. Part 2- Ireland West Tourism Office
Would You Ask this Building to Represent Your Country on the World Stage?Fáilte Ireland, and its predecessors and its subsidiaries such as Ireland West Tourism, has been a tremendous national resource for decades in promoting the positive aspects of Ireland both at home and abroad.
For how can such a calamitous eyesore encapsulate the renowned Irish traits of traditions, quality, caring and friendliness? For is not the Image the Message?Though I have in this context, the whole of the redeveloped and hugely expensive Eyre Square adds nothing to the attractiveness of Galway City. But that is a story that has been retold a thousand times over the last few years.
But rather than just moan aboutthe building, I am going to this week request the Galway Community representatives on the local Tourism committee to raise it as a issue of concern that needs to be addressed.
America, Barack Obama & the Gaza Crisis
The following is the text of a letter of mine published recently in the 'Galway Advertiser' newspaper that I wrote in response to a series of letters from 2 writers condemning local anti-war protesters:
(Photos from a recent pro-Palestinian Demonstration in Galway City)
(Photos from a recent pro-Palestinian Demonstration in Galway City)The letters of Messrs McDonogh and Harrison seem to view local anti-war protesters as blinkered anti-American ideologues. The former states that he has not read any articles from “the socialists, lefties and liberals” condemning Islamic terrorists.As a member of this motley crew, I for one have written often condemning Islamic fundamentalism particularly for its attacks on women and non-Muslims. Hence I deplore their recent beheading of the ‘leftie’ Iraqi Kurdish feminist Nahla Hussein for her human rights activism. Sadly similar events are a daily occurrence in a country where a US-backed government legislates that women have less rights than they had under the dictator Saddam and where one of the world’s oldest Christian communities has all but disappeared since the Americans illegally invaded to topple its secular regime and secure control of its oilfields.
So if Mr. McDonogh wants to organise a public protest against terrorism in all its forms including that of the Islamists, I for one will join him. For amongst us Galway ‘lefties’ they are those who previously campaigned on issues such as Soviet invasions, Chinese imperialism, British injustices against the Irish, South African Apartheid…
Proud of American Connections
I worked in the USA, am proud of its historical connections with Ireland, have many American heroes and daily enjoy its technological innovations. But I recognise too that it is successive US regimes and its allies that stand accused of the greatest number of civilian deaths and human rights abuses since the aftermath of WW2.
Afghanistan: World's No. 1 Narcotic State
Hence unlike Mr. Harrison, I am wary of any Irish military involvement into propping up a misogynist Afghani regime supported by warlords and drug barons who have, as a result of the US-led invasion, created the world’s No.1 narcotic state that has brought untold misery to neighbourhoods across Ireland and elsewhere.
"We Serve Neither King Nor Kaiser"
Washington promotes the Afghan conflict as a war against international terror and for civilised values. But this reminds me of the WW1 Allies that tricked millions of young men from Ireland and other Imperial dominions into fighting for freedom and democracy when in actual fact they were used as cannon fodder to create a future world order that would attempt to deny Irish Independence, betray pan-Arab nationhood, secure British control over Middle Eastern oilfields and increase white colonisation of Africa.President Eisenhower Warns Americans of the Power of the Military-Industrial Establishment
In his last address to the nation, President Eisenhower warned the American people to be vigilant of the dangers posed to their liberties by the growing power of the military-arms industrial establishment. This is truer today than it was in 1961. War is big business for corporations linked to the lobbyists, Dick Cheney and others connected to the Bush administration. Trillions of dollars have been paid to them as a result of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel while they appear immune to the recession that is tearing the heart out of the rest of the US economy.The wave of popular radical movements currently gaining power across Latin America are indeed anti-Washington but primarily because they know that their white, elitist, traditionally repressive regimes were kept in power for decades by the USA in return for access to cheap raw materials.
Will Barack Obama's Presidency Lead To a Benign Change
in American Foreign Policy?
I hope that Barack Obama creates a more benign America. He is to be congratulated for his opposition to the Iraq war and Guantanamo as well as for appointing the world’s greenest and most scientific-savvy administration expected to implement a pro-environmental economic programme to combat climate change and to create millions of sustainable jobs in insulating homes and expanding renewable energies.in American Foreign Policy?
for Jewish settlers recently arrived from Europe. In the most densely populated region on Earth, its inhabitants are being used as target testing of sophisticated high-tech US weaponry operated by Israelis. As with the Nazis ‘Iron Fist’ approach, any feeble fight-back by the Palestinians unleashes huge destructive firepower.But I fear that he will do little to tackle one of the greatest threats to world peace, namely the expansionist terrorist state of Israel that acts as the US policeman in the region. Its ongoing land, sea and land blockade of Gaza represents one of the longest sieges in modern history and conjures up images of Nazi occupied Eastern Europe. Walled-in Gaza is the world’s largest ghetto/concentration camp, the majority of its 1.5million population made up of refugee families ethnically cleansed from their ancestral homes in what is now Israel to clear the wayEx-US President Jimmy Carter last year publicly lamented the stranglehold that the Zionist lobby has on all levels of US politics. The signs are that little will change. On the day after he received the Democratic nomination, Obama spoke at the ‘American Israel Public Affairs Committee’, the most powerful of US Zionist groups, to confirm that an undivided Jerusalem will always remain Israeli while calling for the isolation of democratically-elected Hamas. His secretary of state Hilary Clinton has been a long-time fan of Israel. She calls for action against Iran over its nuclear development while deliberately ignoring Israel’s huge stockpile of illegal nuclear weapons.
The response from the world to the plight of Gaza is pathetic. To equate the victim with the aggressor is disingenuous. By their unwillingness to stand up to Israel, the Arab League, the US, EU and the Irish government fail to see history repeating itself in that today’s dispossessed Palestinians were the Jews, Armenians, Irish, Amerindians, Chinese, Aborigines and Poles of yesterday. Unlike courageous Jewish and/or Israeli peace movements such as ‘Not In My Name’ and JATO, they do nothing to get to the root cause of the conflict, namely Israel’s failure to implement UN Resolution 242 that includes withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders. Without such a move, there will never be peace between an increasingly militarily aggressive West led by Israel and an increasingly angry hostile militant fundamentalist Muslim world.
'History of Home Computing' Exhibition in Galway City Museum
One of my ambitions came true recently when I helped launch the 'History of Home Computing' Exhibition in the Galway City Museum. The event was organised under the auspices of the eGalway group of the Galway City Development Board and will run until the end of January 2009.
(L-R) Breandan O Heaghra (Galway City Museum), Mayor Padraic Conneely & Dr. Chris Coughlan (Hewlett-Packard)
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