Sunday, December 31, 2006
'Dinner for one' this evening?
Cllr Keith Martin
3:16 PM
1
Dinner for one is the most repeated television programme in history. Since 1972 it has been repeated 230 times.
It is broadcast annually in Germany on Dec 31st and is a staple of the Germanic New Year celebrations.
Written in 1920 by an English woman as a short play it was recorded in 1963 in Germany with comedian Freddie Frinton as the butler who serves Miss Sophie her birthday meal.
It has never appeared on tv over here.
The comedy has achieved cult status in Germany and is viewed by 20% of the population every New Year's Eve.
Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour?
Prank on Gardai in Westport and Castlebar
Cllr Keith Martin
2:50 AM
0
I came across this on the internet. It is a prank played on the two local garda stations by a person with two mobile phones who called Westport Barracks on one phone and Castlebar Barracks on the other and then put the two phones together and recorded the conversation between the two guards on either end.A waste of Gardai time.
1Gardai are the Irish police force.
Political Quote of the day- Ken Livingstone
Cllr Keith Martin
2:06 AM
0
“World wide capitalism kills more people everyday then Hitler did. And he was crazy.”
--- Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London.
--- Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Epitaph on a Tyrant
Cllr Keith Martin
3:27 PM
0
Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died on the streets.
W.H. Auden.
I have to thank Pull out the Pin for reminding me of the poem. Read the post here.
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died on the streets.
W.H. Auden.
I have to thank Pull out the Pin for reminding me of the poem. Read the post here.
Saddam Hussein is dead
Cllr Keith Martin
2:37 PM
0
Saddam Hussein is dead. Killed by his country for his crimes against his people, the Kurds, the Marsh Arabs and those others whom he killed at will.It must be noted that for many years the US supplied Saddam with the weapons and chemical warfare agents that he used in these crimes.
Hanging the 69-year-old former dictator of Iraq solves nothing and only closes another chapter in Iraq's bloody history.
The violence will still go on and Iraqis, Americans, British and others will continue to die on the streets; victims of the hatred of others who have been allowed to rise to the top in the chaos following the invasion of Iraq.
Saddam Hussein should have been sent to rot in prison for the rest of his life. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is poor justice and only condones further violence as a means to an end.
Saddam is gone but the hatred he espoused towards others lives on.
Political Quote of the day- Saddam Hussein
Cllr Keith Martin
2:33 PM
0
"Long live great Iraq and its people.
Long live Palestine, free and Arab from the river to the sea.
God is greatest.
May the despicable ones be despised."
---Saddam Hussein, in his letter to the Iraqi people published just before his execution for crimes against humanity.
Long live Palestine, free and Arab from the river to the sea.
God is greatest.
May the despicable ones be despised."
---Saddam Hussein, in his letter to the Iraqi people published just before his execution for crimes against humanity.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Not long left for Saddam Hussein
Cllr Keith Martin
7:10 PM
0
There is not much time left for Saddam Hussein as he has been handed over by the US to the Iraqi government for execution this evening. It is likely that he will be put to death this evening or tomorrow.
He has already said his goodbyes to his family. You can read Saddam's letter which he wrote when he was sentenced to die on this site.
Political Quote of the day- Gerald Ford
Cllr Keith Martin
2:49 PM
0
"big mistake"
----Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States, speaking about the war in Iraq.
----Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States, speaking about the war in Iraq.
Chavez to silence critics
Cllr Keith Martin
3:11 AM
0
There are reports that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he will not renew the licence for the country's second largest TV channel when it expires in March 2007.
The station, RCTV, supported a bungled coup in 2002 and a devastating general strike in 2003 both of which failed to remove Chavez who was returned for a second term last month with an even larger majority.
The press freedom campaign group, Reporters Without Borders, said the proposed move would be a grave violation of freedom of expression in Venezuela.
RCTV is one of the country's oldest channels and began broadcasting in 1953.
Will have to wait and see about this one! I am a Chavez fan and he has been nothing but democratic, open and honest so far. I am going to wait and see if this report is accurate and if Chavez does intend to start shutting down stations like this. If he does intend to shut it down he needs to show real evidence of what is alleged.
Ford disagreed with Bush on Iraq
Cllr Keith Martin
2:45 AM
0
In a 2004 interview embargoed for release after his death, former president Gerald Ford told the Washington Post the war in Iraq was unjustified and that he very strongly disagreed with President Bush's reasons for attacking Iraq.
In videos released only today Ford says he felt that President and his top advisers had made a "big mistake" in starting the war in Iraq. Ford pulled the US out of Vietnam when he inherited the Vietnam War and was in office when the US accepted defeat.
Ford made this remarks in interviews taped for Bob Woodward (the Bob "Watergate" Woodward) was writing.
Donald Rumsfeld served under Ford as Secretary of Defence and Dick Cheney served as Ford's chief of staff. Ford says on the tapes that Cheney has become more pugnacious with time.
Bit late now Gerald but at least you said it! They used to say you weren't too bright but you were smart enough to know that the reasons for an invasion of Iraq were complete rubbish and smart enough to know not to involve the US in another Vietnam. If you weren't the brighest, Gerald, then what does it say for the intellect of George W Bush?
Answers in the comments boxes below. Best one wins a prize.
Pope says let Saddam live
Cllr Keith Martin
2:28 AM
1
I don't know what you think of his Holiness and I am sure he doesn't care about what I think of him but I agree and support his calls for Saddam to be let live.An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is from the old testament and it belongs there. No society, especially not the "new" Iraq which is supposed to be a modern, secular democracy should, as its first major act, execute the monster that Saddam Hussein is.
According to the Pope, the execution of Saddam Hussein would be punishing "a crime with another crime". Read more here.
Saddam is being held at Camp Cropper, an American military prison close to Baghdad's airport. The US military has had Saddam Hussein in its custody, on behalf of the Iraqis, since his capture and he will be handed over to Iraqi authorities on the day of his execution.
According to the latest reports from the US Saddam may well be put to death within the next 36 hours. CNN are reporting from Baghdad that he could be handed over very soon as the Iraqi government want him dead before 'Eid' a religious holiday this Sunday.
There are plans to film everything from the Judge signing the order right through to the execution itself though the location and time of the killing will be kept from the public to avoid violence on the streets.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Political Quote of the day- Fidel Castro
Cllr Keith Martin
4:38 PM
0
A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past.
---Fidel Castro
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Good news for Fidel Castro and Bad news for Saddam Hussein
Cllr Keith Martin
3:52 PM
0
It seems that Castro will live and Saddam will die.
Fidel Castro has been declared cancer free by the specialist flown out to him last week. Fidel may even return to power according to the Spanish doctor who examined him.
Saddam Hussein is to die following a court ruling in Iraq upholding the death penalty he received earlier in the year. He could be dead in 30 days.
Fidel Castro has been declared cancer free by the specialist flown out to him last week. Fidel may even return to power according to the Spanish doctor who examined him.
Saddam Hussein is to die following a court ruling in Iraq upholding the death penalty he received earlier in the year. He could be dead in 30 days.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas to one and all from Labour in Westport
Cllr Keith Martin
11:00 PM
0
Hope all you bloggers out there have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!All the best and thanks for popping by to read my posts and rants.
There will be plenty more in 2007!
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen calls for Castro's assassination
Cllr Keith Martin
12:40 AM
2
A US Congresswoman from Florida has admitted calling for Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator, to be assassinated.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people." while taking part in the documentary "638 ways to kill Castro".
Wow, if someone called for her or for G W Bush to be assassinated they would have law enforcement knocking on their door straight away.
Castro might be a dictator but does he deserve to be put to death? How can a democratically elected member of the US Parliament call for an individual to be killed? Even Saddam got a trial!
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people." while taking part in the documentary "638 ways to kill Castro".
Wow, if someone called for her or for G W Bush to be assassinated they would have law enforcement knocking on their door straight away.
Castro might be a dictator but does he deserve to be put to death? How can a democratically elected member of the US Parliament call for an individual to be killed? Even Saddam got a trial!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Fidel Castro's health worsens
Cllr Keith Martin
10:12 PM
0
It seems that Fidel Castro's health is worsening. According to the Irish Times a Spanish specialist has flown out to Cuba in a chartered aeroplane to attend to the Cuba leader.
There has been no comment from the Cubans or the Spanish Hospital where Dr Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, an intestinal specialist, works.
It is believed that Castro is being assessed to see if he needs another operation to deal with intestinal bleeding.
There has been no comment from the Cubans or the Spanish Hospital where Dr Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, an intestinal specialist, works.
It is believed that Castro is being assessed to see if he needs another operation to deal with intestinal bleeding.
Recently, Castro failed to attend his 80th birthday celebrations which had previously been postponed due to his ill health but eventually went ahead without him.
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
12:50 PM
0
"Too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxi cabs and cutting hair."
George Burns
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
5:01 PM
0
"...the world's 358 billionaires ... have more assets than the combined incomes of countries representing nearly half -- 45 per cent -- of the planet's population."
David Usborne in New York reporting on the UN's 1996 Human Development Report
Ahern says warm climate causes homelessness
Cllr Keith Martin
3:25 PM
0
Minister for Housing Noel Ahern commented, during a discussion on homelessness at a debate in Trinity College that "it's too cold to sleep rough in Sweden".
Noel Ahern explained the remark "wasn't a slag of homeless people as such; it was a slightly flippant remark in relation to why Sweden was popping up so often."
Why is the Minister for Housing making flippant remarks about homelessness at Christmas?
When he flies by the homeless in his Ministerial Mercedes does he look out the window at these people and wonder if only it was colder there would be no homelessness?
Noel Ahern explained the remark "wasn't a slag of homeless people as such; it was a slightly flippant remark in relation to why Sweden was popping up so often."
Why is the Minister for Housing making flippant remarks about homelessness at Christmas?
When he flies by the homeless in his Ministerial Mercedes does he look out the window at these people and wonder if only it was colder there would be no homelessness?
School kids trade arms here in Ireland - Afterschool Arms School
Cllr Keith Martin
3:13 PM
0
In April of this year the Leaving Certificate students of Colaiste Chríost Ri in Portlaoise set up a company called 'Seachtar" to buy and sell arms. Even more shockingly they did this legally as Ireland has some of the weakest arms control legislation in the EU. Despite the thousands who died in the troubles we don't bother to restrict the control of deadly arms or torture devices such as thumbs cuffs, leg irons and stun sticks.
This disgraceful situation was highlighted by UK activist Mark Thomas in a programme for Channel 4. Using pupils from the UK to trade guns he discovered that in the UK a licence was required to trade guns but not required in Ireland. So he got pupils to travel over and use their mobile phones at the side of the road here in the republic of Ireland.
Mark Thomas also used pupils in Ireland to buy and sell arms, importing them to Ireland and exporting them to contacts all over the world without question or hinderence from the Irish Government. To do this he secured the cooperation of six schoolgirls and Sr Barbara Raftery. They were so good at trading that they were asked to become agents for Korean electro-shock equipment dealers.
This is more than just a possiblity it is acutally happening and Ireland is being used to faciliate this deadly trade. According to Amensty International (Ireland) "arms brokers operating out of Ireland, despite clear evidence linking them to shipments to Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone."
What also surprised me and disapointed me was the lack of coverage of the story and the lack of public outcry though some paper's did cover it and the Irish Times did an excellent follow-up interview here.
The programme was called ‘After School Arms Club’ was screened by Channel 4, as part of their Dispatches series on Monday April 3rd.
Download the video here (it takes five minutes on Broadband if you are lucky enough to live somewhere that you can get Broadband). This download is courtesy of Indybay.org
For more information visit the After School Arms Club and read the article by Mark Thomas entitled Mark Thomas - plays "let's start an arms company"
Friday, December 22, 2006
Ahern treated electorate unfairly
Cllr Keith Martin
11:29 AM
2
Bertie Ahern's complaints about the coverage of the controversy about his finances shows how skewered Irish political morals have become. Today Bertie Ahern is in the Irish Times whinging about how unfairly he was treated ( I also heard him on the radio yesterday) by the media. Why are we even tolerating such complaints?
Why is that whenever a politician does something wrong, and Bertie Ahern did wrong, that it is always the media's fault for pointing it out? Bertie Ahern took money, Bertie did not pay tax on that money, he was a TD and Minister for Finance at the time. That is wrong, very wrong, yet Bertie is on about how unfairly he was treated by the papers, tv and radios stations that exposed his wrong-doing.
What's more he was also ranting on about "those in politics who have agendas. There are those out there who are personally out to get you all of the time."
So according to Bertie Ahern it is the media and "those with agendas" who are to blame? I think rather the opposite. Bertie took money at the time which would have amounted to 5 years salary for me at the time. He took it at the time I was paying his salary from my meagre taxes.
The man has no sense of accountability or responsibility and any man who takes money from others has no sense of pride, self respect or respect for their office.
How much longer will we tolerate low standards in high office?
Why is that whenever a politician does something wrong, and Bertie Ahern did wrong, that it is always the media's fault for pointing it out? Bertie Ahern took money, Bertie did not pay tax on that money, he was a TD and Minister for Finance at the time. That is wrong, very wrong, yet Bertie is on about how unfairly he was treated by the papers, tv and radios stations that exposed his wrong-doing.
What's more he was also ranting on about "those in politics who have agendas. There are those out there who are personally out to get you all of the time."
So according to Bertie Ahern it is the media and "those with agendas" who are to blame? I think rather the opposite. Bertie took money at the time which would have amounted to 5 years salary for me at the time. He took it at the time I was paying his salary from my meagre taxes.
The man has no sense of accountability or responsibility and any man who takes money from others has no sense of pride, self respect or respect for their office.
How much longer will we tolerate low standards in high office?
Unmarried Fathers to protest at Four Courts
Cllr Keith Martin
12:41 AM
3
A veritable "sea of Santas" will be protesting outside the Four Courts on December 23 at high noon. This is according to an e-mail I received today from Niall Murphy on behalf of the The Unmarred And Separated Fathers Of Ireland.The purpose of the protest is "to highlight the pain and suffering unmarried fathers have to go through because of the Family Law Courts." According to the Press Release this is an annual event at which at wreath-laying ceremony and a minute's silence mark the memory of four members who have taken their lives in recent years.
I am not aware of this organisation and have never heard of them. I don't believe that a correct balance has been struck between the rights of the father, the rights of the mother and the rights of the child in cases of unmarried or separate fathers.
However this kind of protest has been given a very bad name by a similar organisation in the UK which likes to dress up as Batman or Spider Man and climb the Houses of Parliament.
Yes they got great publicity but not the right kind of publicity. What kind of trust can be placed in middle aged men dressing up as super heroes and climbing things?
If this organisation is genuine, and I have no reason to doubt it at this stage, then I hope it goes about its campaigning better that the UK version.
I have to say I don't see the purpose of protesting outside the Four Courts. In fact I don't agree with it. A protest is an attempt to change a decision or a system. However the courts must remain independent of this kind of influence or attention.
A better target for this group would be the Dail or the Dept of Justice. These are legitimate targets but not the Four Courts. The courts just implement and interpret the law as the system dictates (are you listening Michael McDowell TD, Minister for Justice?). That is the role of the judiciary and the courts therefore they are not a legitimate target for protest.
I wonder has this group approached the political parties and the Minister for Justice. If so what was the response? If not, why not?
I will report more when I learn more but if anyone has any more info please post it below.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Blix says US has wrong attitude over Weapons of Mass Destruction
Cllr Keith Martin
12:22 PM
0
The Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, Dr Hans Blix says that the EU's strategy for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is more effective than that of the current United States administration. He said the Bush administration saw armed force as legitimate in the pursuit of political aims.
Whereas the EU sought to deal with the issues concerned the US liked to lecture nations like the 70 million strong Iran about nuclear weapons which it itself stockpiles in thousands, while at the same time including Iran in the so-called 'Axis of Evil', which Blix said, may play well “back home in Wyoming" but did nothing to help resolve the problem.
Mr Blix was speaking at his recent address to the National Forum on Europe on the EU's role in dealing with the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In my opinion it would seem that the problem with WMD and in particular Nuclear Weapons is that they are still "sexy". Any developing nation who wants to be taken seriously wants to join the nuclear club. The fact that there are still stockpiles of such weapons in the US, UK, Russia, France and a host of other former "Great" powers means that tin pot dictators like the odious Kim Jong Il are pursuing nuclear programmes.
Mind you it is not hard to see why Iran wants the bomb. America, who has been no great friend to Iran over the last couple of decades, has just kicked the hell out of Iraq, Iran's next door neighbour.
It has 140,000 troops in Iraq at the moment and is sending another 15,000 to 30,000 troops next week and also anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 troops in Saudi Arabia. From its bases all over the world (like Chagos) it can send B52 bombers to bomb anyone, anywhere and in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan has done so repeatedly.
If you were Iran wouldn't you want a nuclear bomb to ward the Americans off with as well?
While Iran is vilified by the US as being a paid up member of the 'Axis of Evil' it is important to remember that Iran is a democracy. At the moment its government is conservative but its last President was a liberal.
70% of Iran's population are under 30, they are much open to the west and in my opinion it is only a matter of a decade or less before they start dismantling the current conservative and religious dominated culture they have at present (just like we did here in Ireland).
Iran's economy is also predicted to become one of the biggest in the region in the coming decade so things are looking good for Iran.
However, with so many changes taking place within the country and such instability in the area it is no wonder that the Iranian government is nervous.
Iran needs reassurance, reassurance that its sovereignty will be respected and that it will be allowed to develop as its democratic system allows and directs. That's all any nation wants, isn't it?
Whereas the EU sought to deal with the issues concerned the US liked to lecture nations like the 70 million strong Iran about nuclear weapons which it itself stockpiles in thousands, while at the same time including Iran in the so-called 'Axis of Evil', which Blix said, may play well “back home in Wyoming" but did nothing to help resolve the problem.
Mr Blix was speaking at his recent address to the National Forum on Europe on the EU's role in dealing with the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In my opinion it would seem that the problem with WMD and in particular Nuclear Weapons is that they are still "sexy". Any developing nation who wants to be taken seriously wants to join the nuclear club. The fact that there are still stockpiles of such weapons in the US, UK, Russia, France and a host of other former "Great" powers means that tin pot dictators like the odious Kim Jong Il are pursuing nuclear programmes.
Mind you it is not hard to see why Iran wants the bomb. America, who has been no great friend to Iran over the last couple of decades, has just kicked the hell out of Iraq, Iran's next door neighbour.
It has 140,000 troops in Iraq at the moment and is sending another 15,000 to 30,000 troops next week and also anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 troops in Saudi Arabia. From its bases all over the world (like Chagos) it can send B52 bombers to bomb anyone, anywhere and in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan has done so repeatedly.
If you were Iran wouldn't you want a nuclear bomb to ward the Americans off with as well?
While Iran is vilified by the US as being a paid up member of the 'Axis of Evil' it is important to remember that Iran is a democracy. At the moment its government is conservative but its last President was a liberal.
70% of Iran's population are under 30, they are much open to the west and in my opinion it is only a matter of a decade or less before they start dismantling the current conservative and religious dominated culture they have at present (just like we did here in Ireland).
Iran's economy is also predicted to become one of the biggest in the region in the coming decade so things are looking good for Iran.
However, with so many changes taking place within the country and such instability in the area it is no wonder that the Iranian government is nervous.
Iran needs reassurance, reassurance that its sovereignty will be respected and that it will be allowed to develop as its democratic system allows and directs. That's all any nation wants, isn't it?
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
8:47 AM
1
“We must recognise the full human equality of all our people… We must do it for the single and fundamental reason that it is the right thing to do.”
---Robert Kennedy
New look Labour at labour.ie
Cllr Keith Martin
7:56 AM
0
Labour has had an extreme makeover and it has taken years off! The new all singing all dancing website at www.labour.ie is an attractive and easy to use website which, no matter which way you swing, politically, must be acknowledged as the most attractive site on the web as far as Irish political parties go.
The biggest change is the blog. The homepage of the site will allow people to post their opinions and the blog will be written by a live, breathing person and not just be where the Press Releases are copied and pasted to as in many other sites. This should generate some debate and make for interesting reading.
Another important aspect is the fact that the site has been brought up to exceed the standards required to make it accessible to those with visual and other needs.
Policy wise the site tells you everything you need to know.Want to know Labour's policy on local government, disability issues, health or law and order? Just visit the site and you can read or download the policy documents. You can also ask questions, find your local Labour Branch or candidate or give your opinion on anything.
The site also boasts a Pat on Tour section which list Pat Rabbitte TD's schedule of events around the country on the campaign trail. The site was launched this week by Cllr Eric Byrne and by Tommy Broughan TD.
Labour is working. This site is not just about style, it is about substance, it is about involving you in the party's planning and policy making. No other party can boast that.
If you think Labour, visit www.labour.ie and vote Labour.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Nov Meetings minutes of Westport Town Council
Cllr Keith Martin
11:52 PM
0
As promised I am posting the minutes of the Westport Town Council November meeting on my website www.votekeithmartin.com as they are a bit boring and long to post here and don't really lend themselves to Blogging.
I will be pressing for the minutes of all council meetings to be made available on our council site in January.
I have also been pushing for the web-casting of our council meetings so that we can really enter the 21st Century and open up our meetings and deliberations to public scrutiny. This has been done in several councils already.
According to the opinion page in the Munster Express
"Fingal County Council has already gone live and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown will soon follow suit while Meath County Council is actively considering the matter. Apparently, the managers in question believe that, apart from advancing the democratic process, there are quite a few operational pluses in having their proceedings broadcast and recorded."
According to figures available, it would cost €30,000 per annum at current prices to operate a fixed system and €40,000 for a movable system that could broadcast not only full meetings of the whole house but also various committee meetings. "
Of course this figure is consderably less for a nine seat town council as opposed to a 30-40 county council chamber. Nonetheless it is not an inconsiderable sum but I would favour it.
I will be pressing for the minutes of all council meetings to be made available on our council site in January.
I have also been pushing for the web-casting of our council meetings so that we can really enter the 21st Century and open up our meetings and deliberations to public scrutiny. This has been done in several councils already.
According to the opinion page in the Munster Express
"Fingal County Council has already gone live and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown will soon follow suit while Meath County Council is actively considering the matter. Apparently, the managers in question believe that, apart from advancing the democratic process, there are quite a few operational pluses in having their proceedings broadcast and recorded."
According to figures available, it would cost €30,000 per annum at current prices to operate a fixed system and €40,000 for a movable system that could broadcast not only full meetings of the whole house but also various committee meetings. "
Of course this figure is consderably less for a nine seat town council as opposed to a 30-40 county council chamber. Nonetheless it is not an inconsiderable sum but I would favour it.
Extra 'Political Quote of the Day'- Morriarty on Haughey
Cllr Keith Martin
5:14 PM
0
"The tribunal cannot accept the testimony given by Mr Haughey to the effect that he knew virtually nothing of his financial arrangements and left these matters to Mr Traynor,"
"Apart from the almost invariably secretive nature of payments from senior members of the business community, their very incidence and scale, particularly during difficult economic times nationally, and when governments led by Mr Haughey were championing austerity, can only be said to have devalued the quality of a modern democracy,"
---Mr Justice Michael Moriarty
Haughey's Nemesis click here
55 years of service to Westport Labour honoured
Cllr Keith Martin
11:01 AM
0
The Labour Party honoured Michael Joe Lavelle on Friday 15th December night. Michael Joe has been a loyal and dedicated member of the Westport Branch of the party for over 55 years and his service was recognised at the Westport Branch’s Christmas Party which was held on Friday night in Henehan’s Bar. The Branch and its supporters along with Michael Joe’s friends and family were present on to see him honoured.
Michael Joe was presented with a cut crystal bowl inscribed with a dedication and the party’s symbol of the rose by Emmet Stagg TD Labour’s Chief Whip and Nuclear spokesman. Deputy Stagg also read a letter to Michael Joe from Party Leader Pat Rabbitte TD. Deputy Rabbitte praised Michael Joe for his long and faithful service to the Labour Party over the last five decades and expressed the grateful thanks of the Irish Labour Party for his contribution to Irish socialism.
Cllr Keith Martin, Richie Lavelle, Michael Joe, Emmett Stagg TD, Andy Martin, John Tiernan Deputy Stagg said Michael Joe was an example of true socialism “who had begun his involvement with Trade Unionism and Labour when he started work in the Shoe Factory in Westport. When that factory closed Michael Joe and others used their money to set up a co-operative to run the factory and kept the jobs in Westport for as long as they could.” Deputy Stagg said that Michael Joe had “served with distinction in every official position in the Branch and had served as Chairman on numerous occasions.”
Michael Joe spoke briefly saying how proud and grateful he was for the award. He thanked Deputy Stagg for being there to present him with his award and to give him the letter from Deputy Rabbitte.
“Westport and Mayo would be better off under a Labour government. Things are better now, but they are not good enough, they are sending people home from hospitals who need operations because they don’t want to put them on trolleys in the hall, well, that is not fixing the problem that is just hiding it and we need to change that because no one else will.
Michael Joe concluded “I am proud of the Westport Branch and proud of the work we have done over the years, they are a great bunch and are hard workers. We all have to do our best to help those who need it and Labour was the best party to help people.”
We had a great night with plenty of food, drink and craic and I would like to thank all those who came along to join in the fun.
The branch and I would also like to thank all those who helped out with the organisation of the evening’s entertainment and to all those who gave such great prizes for the raffle. Westport Labour would like to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year.
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
10:38 AM
0
"Hear me people: We now have to deal with another race---small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possessions is a disease with them. These people have made many rules which the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule."
---Chief Sitting Bull, speaking at the Powder River Conference, 1877
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Moriarty tribunal and Charles J Haughey.
Cllr Keith Martin
6:43 PM
0
Sherlock Holmes had Professor Moriarty as his nemesis, Charles Haughey has Mr Justice Michael Moriarty.
So Haughey really was as bad, or if not worse than a lot of us had feared. He was a thief, a corrupter and ultimately a cheap little man (figuratively speaking of course).
Haughey and his kind almost destroyed politics in this country by completely undermining politics’ already damaged reputation.
I think one of the most despicable things he did was stealing the money from Brian Lenihan’s liver transplant fund. Of the 265,000 euro raised no more than 70,000 euro was spent on Lenihan. The missing 190,000 euro was pocketed by Charlie. That’s low, very low, even for a man like Haughey.
Not content with that Haughey was also selling off our citizenship to all sorts of characters like Saudi sheikh Mahomoud Fustok who paid Haughey 60,000 euro for passports.
The rest of his money came from payments from businessmen between 1979 and 1996. Businessmen like Ben Dunne.
This still wasn’t enough money to fund Haughey who by 1979 had a debt with AIB of over one-million-pounds i.e. punts not euro. That is a frightening sum even today.
According to the Moriarty tribunal the Bank exhibited a marked deference towards Mr Haughey and his debt.
Believe you me; AIB can be pretty ruthless with debtors. So can the Revenue Commissioners who did not bother to ask Charlie where all the money was coming from or even to ask him to pay tax on it.
Still not getting enough money it appears that Haughey was treating the Leader’s Allowance Account, which is paid by the taxpayers, as his own personal account, dipping into to it for cash anytime it suited him.
There was no end to Haughey’s greed and no end of people happy to stand by and let him have his way. Shame on him, shame on them.
When the Levees Broke - Spike Lee's documentary on New Orleans
Cllr Keith Martin
6:03 PM
1
Watched Part 1 of Spike Lee’s "When the Levees Broke" which is billed as a requiem for New Orleans last night on BBC 4. I strongly recommend it and I will be watching Part 2 tonight at 9pm on the same channel.
Lee says he knew he had to make a documentary on the flooding of the city during Katrina when he watched reports of it on the news while in Italy. "I just couldn't believe this was happening right now in America. It was one of those moments where you know someone will ask you years from now, 'Where were you when Katrina happened?' "
What went on there was terrible. People sat on their hands while people drowned and there was bickering over city powers, state powers and federal powers though the Mayor of New Orleans Nagin comes across well. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was shoe shopping during the crisis, do not.
If Part 2 is half as good as the first two hours (Yes! It’s four hours long) then it is one of the best documentaries I have seen in years. Though I do believe that Lee’s documentary promotes the idea that certain parts of New Orleans were flooded deliberately. Just have to wait and see.
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
9:43 AM
0
"I believe there's something out there watching over us. Unfortunately, it's the government.”
Woody Allen
Pitboy, Socialist and Local Historian- Alderman William Rogerson JP CC
Cllr Keith Martin
1:14 AM
0
Alderman William Rogerson JP CC 
Pitboy, Socialist and Local Historian
Born in Walkden, Lancashire in 1874 William Rogerson went to St John’s and then Kellet’s Schools. At ten years of age he went to work in the pit. When he was only seventeen he lost a leg in a pit accident; a disability which did not hider his public work.
Early in his life he worked as a teacher and temperance worker at Worsley Road Primitive Methodist Church and School. He was Secretary of the Sunday School and also of the Walkden Band of Hope and Temperance Union. He acted as Secretary to the Walkden and District Free Church Council and edited the Free Church Magazine.
He was a keen cricketer and helped form the Worsley Road Cricket Club of which he became the first Secretary. In 1896 he and Mr Alfred Gee formed the Walkden and District Amateur Cricket Club. After a period as Secretary, he became President.
Alderman Rogerson gave a lifetime of service to the labour movement. He was Secretary of the Independent Labour Party in Walkden from an early age and in 1910 became the Labour agent in the Eccles Parliamentary Division. In 1921 he became Permanent Agent and during his term of office won three Parliamentary Elections. He became well known in the Eccles and Farnworth Divisions as a powerful platform speaker. When Farnsworth Divisional Labour Party was formed, he became the first Secretary.
In 1914, Alderman Rogerson called the foundation meeting of the Walkden and District Trades and Labour Council. He worked as a staff member of the Labour Leader and was active in working to establish the Daily Citizen. He joined the new staff when it was formed.
Alderman Rogerson’s record of public service began inn 1911 when he was elected to represent North Ward on Worsley Council. From 1929 until his death in 1940 he was not called upon to defend his seat.
He was “father” of the Council and had been the Chairman on three occasions, in 1921/22, in 1932/33 and for the third time, in 1937/38; in recognition of his twenty five years as a member of the Authority. His period as Chairmen in the early 1930’s marked the last year of the old Worsley Council before it amalgamated with Little Hulton, a development which Aldermen Rogerson worked to implement. While the old Worsley Council had been in being, Mr Rogerson served on every committee and acted as Chairman of the housing and Town Planning Committees. Of the latter he was Chairman from its formation in 1913 with the exception of one year. As Chairman of the Housing Committee he cut the first sod of the new Worsley housing schemes in 1920 and opened the first house on the estate in 1921.
He was always interested in education and he opened the Worsley Senior School In 1932. He was a Governor of Farnworth Grammar School and Edge Hill Training College for Teachers. He was also a strong advocate for the provision of public baths and in 1917 he was Chairman of the
opening ceremony at the Bridgewater Street Baths. During his Chairmanship of the Council during the Coronation festivities of George VI, he visited every school in the district.
In 1919, Mr Rogerson was elected to the Lancashire County Council. He became the first Chairman of the County Library Committee in 1925 and remained in that position until his death. His interest in Libraries took him to the opening of Manchester Central Reference Library. There he was presented to King George V. In 1934 he opened Little Hulton Library.
As a County Councillor, Mr Rogerson served on the County Education Committee and all its sub-committees from 1919. In 1933, he was raised to the rank of County Alderman and from 1931 he acted as Justice of The Peace for the Manchester County Area.
While on the County Council, Alderman Rogerson represented them on many organizations. Among them were, the County Standing Joint Committee, the County Finance Committee, the Valuation Committee, the Manchester Assize Court Committee, the Lancashire Mental Hospital Board, the Lancashire Mental Deficiency Committee, the North Western Regional Library Committee and the Lancashire and Cheshire as well as the National Whitley Councils.
He also sat on the Manchester and District Regional Joint Town Planning Committee, the Manchester Regional Housing and Town Planning Committee and the National Housing and Town Planning Association. In connection with this last, he attended four international housing and town planning conferences. He was on the Executive of the Lancashire Branch of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and a member of the Worsley Preservation Society as well as the Worsley Photographic Society.
At the time of his death, Alderman Rogerson was Chairman of the Worsley Air Raid Precautions committee and had played an energetic and important part in the provision of shelters for the district and the training of ARP personnel.
It was typical of Mr Rogerson that everything he undertook was carried out with enthusiasm and energy. He pursued his interests and acted on his principles in all his work. He was an extremely capable opponent and on one occasion in the Council Chamber said, “I’m not always right, but I nearly always am”, a near truth which made his colleagues think twice before acting in opposition to him.
His deep interest in, and appreciation of1his local area made him accept the inevitable position of historian. He had spent much of his time searching out and preserving old records, photographs and manuscripts. The results of his work were written up in a series of articles in The Journal. He had a fine collection of local lantern slides with which he illustrated his lectures on “Old Worsley”.
At his funeral there were representatives from the many aspects of public life to which he had devoted his sixty six years.
Pitboy, Socialist and Local Historian
Born in Walkden, Lancashire in 1874 William Rogerson went to St John’s and then Kellet’s Schools. At ten years of age he went to work in the pit. When he was only seventeen he lost a leg in a pit accident; a disability which did not hider his public work.
Early in his life he worked as a teacher and temperance worker at Worsley Road Primitive Methodist Church and School. He was Secretary of the Sunday School and also of the Walkden Band of Hope and Temperance Union. He acted as Secretary to the Walkden and District Free Church Council and edited the Free Church Magazine.
He was a keen cricketer and helped form the Worsley Road Cricket Club of which he became the first Secretary. In 1896 he and Mr Alfred Gee formed the Walkden and District Amateur Cricket Club. After a period as Secretary, he became President.
Alderman Rogerson gave a lifetime of service to the labour movement. He was Secretary of the Independent Labour Party in Walkden from an early age and in 1910 became the Labour agent in the Eccles Parliamentary Division. In 1921 he became Permanent Agent and during his term of office won three Parliamentary Elections. He became well known in the Eccles and Farnworth Divisions as a powerful platform speaker. When Farnsworth Divisional Labour Party was formed, he became the first Secretary.
In 1914, Alderman Rogerson called the foundation meeting of the Walkden and District Trades and Labour Council. He worked as a staff member of the Labour Leader and was active in working to establish the Daily Citizen. He joined the new staff when it was formed.
Alderman Rogerson’s record of public service began inn 1911 when he was elected to represent North Ward on Worsley Council. From 1929 until his death in 1940 he was not called upon to defend his seat.
He was “father” of the Council and had been the Chairman on three occasions, in 1921/22, in 1932/33 and for the third time, in 1937/38; in recognition of his twenty five years as a member of the Authority. His period as Chairmen in the early 1930’s marked the last year of the old Worsley Council before it amalgamated with Little Hulton, a development which Aldermen Rogerson worked to implement. While the old Worsley Council had been in being, Mr Rogerson served on every committee and acted as Chairman of the housing and Town Planning Committees. Of the latter he was Chairman from its formation in 1913 with the exception of one year. As Chairman of the Housing Committee he cut the first sod of the new Worsley housing schemes in 1920 and opened the first house on the estate in 1921.
He was always interested in education and he opened the Worsley Senior School In 1932. He was a Governor of Farnworth Grammar School and Edge Hill Training College for Teachers. He was also a strong advocate for the provision of public baths and in 1917 he was Chairman of the
opening ceremony at the Bridgewater Street Baths. During his Chairmanship of the Council during the Coronation festivities of George VI, he visited every school in the district.
In 1919, Mr Rogerson was elected to the Lancashire County Council. He became the first Chairman of the County Library Committee in 1925 and remained in that position until his death. His interest in Libraries took him to the opening of Manchester Central Reference Library. There he was presented to King George V. In 1934 he opened Little Hulton Library.
As a County Councillor, Mr Rogerson served on the County Education Committee and all its sub-committees from 1919. In 1933, he was raised to the rank of County Alderman and from 1931 he acted as Justice of The Peace for the Manchester County Area.
While on the County Council, Alderman Rogerson represented them on many organizations. Among them were, the County Standing Joint Committee, the County Finance Committee, the Valuation Committee, the Manchester Assize Court Committee, the Lancashire Mental Hospital Board, the Lancashire Mental Deficiency Committee, the North Western Regional Library Committee and the Lancashire and Cheshire as well as the National Whitley Councils.
He also sat on the Manchester and District Regional Joint Town Planning Committee, the Manchester Regional Housing and Town Planning Committee and the National Housing and Town Planning Association. In connection with this last, he attended four international housing and town planning conferences. He was on the Executive of the Lancashire Branch of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and a member of the Worsley Preservation Society as well as the Worsley Photographic Society.
At the time of his death, Alderman Rogerson was Chairman of the Worsley Air Raid Precautions committee and had played an energetic and important part in the provision of shelters for the district and the training of ARP personnel.
It was typical of Mr Rogerson that everything he undertook was carried out with enthusiasm and energy. He pursued his interests and acted on his principles in all his work. He was an extremely capable opponent and on one occasion in the Council Chamber said, “I’m not always right, but I nearly always am”, a near truth which made his colleagues think twice before acting in opposition to him.
His deep interest in, and appreciation of1his local area made him accept the inevitable position of historian. He had spent much of his time searching out and preserving old records, photographs and manuscripts. The results of his work were written up in a series of articles in The Journal. He had a fine collection of local lantern slides with which he illustrated his lectures on “Old Worsley”.
At his funeral there were representatives from the many aspects of public life to which he had devoted his sixty six years.
Alderman William Rogerson is my Great, Grand Uncle an early stalwart of the English Labour Party and a dedicated socialist and councillor and I am very proud of him and his achievements. I plan to visit Worsley in the near future and to learn more about him and his town.-KM
Monday, December 18, 2006
Have you signed the Chagos Islanders petition yet?
Cllr Keith Martin
12:09 PM
0
To:-The Right Hon.Tony Blair MP
The Foreign Secretary, The Right Hon. Margaret Beckett MP
INHUMAN TREATMENT OF THE CHAGOS ISLANDERS (ILOIS)
We have become aware of the shocking treatment of the Chagos Islanders who were removed by the British Government to make way for a US airbase in Diego Garcia.
Their treatment is a shameful act of colonial bullying, racism, and inhuman and degrading treatment of people who are loyal British subjects. It is obvious that they have been living in conditions of neglect and suffering, severe hardship, high death rates, ill health, malnutrition and inadequate access to all public facilities which British citizens should have.
We are appalled that the British Government has broken all rules of international law in treating its own subjects so harshly. We are aware that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has been systematically broken year after year by the British Government in Chagos, and we fully endorse the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Subcommittee dated 6th December 2001, when the committee directed the United Kingdom to:-
“… make exercise of the Ilois’ right to return to their territory practicable. It should consider compensation for the denial of this right over an extended period. It should include the territory in its next periodic report”.
We are appalled that, instead of implementing this direction, the Government has chosen to continue the injustice, resorting to the use of Orders in Council to bypass the democratic process and overrule the High Court. We are even more appalled that the Government is using public funds to pursue a lengthy appeal against the High Court’s decision in May to quash these ridiculous orders.
We find it outrageous and offensive to these poor people that the Government is trying to hide behind a pathetic settlement payment in 1982, and feasibility studies which have been met with ridicule in the scientific community.
This outrageous appeal should be dropped immediately, and the committee’s damning judgment should be implemented immediately and in full. Anything less would be a shameful violation of all civilised norms of behaviour and will hasten the destruction of a peaceful rural community of islanders.
Sincerely,
Sign your name here! Click here to sign this petition and lend your voice to the campaign to let the Ilois people of Chagos go home.
Political Quote of the day
Cllr Keith Martin
11:20 AM
0
The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake those, you've got it made. -- Groucho Marx
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Ken says give the powers to councils. Keith says "I agree!"
Cllr Keith Martin
2:21 PM
0
In an interview with ePolitix.com, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has called for power to be devolved from national government to local government. Mayor Livingstone says that Mayoral offices could then be used as a training ground for national politics, as in Germany and the US.
"I watched Tony Blair’s government when they were all learning how to run things, whereas I learnt that on Camden council in my twenties.
Regional leaders could be responsible for running police, fire, transport, regeneration, skills training, and further and higher education, he said.
"I watched Tony Blair’s government when they were all learning how to run things, whereas I learnt that on Camden council in my twenties.
Regional leaders could be responsible for running police, fire, transport, regeneration, skills training, and further and higher education, he said.
Well I couldn't agree more. In Ireland most powers are held by Dublin and what small powers local councils have are usually wielded by the officials as opposed to the councillors. We need real decentralisation, we need powers at the local level as much as possible. This involves people in their government and make politics relevant to them.
Politics in Ireland is badly damaged following the likes of Mr Haughey and his ilk. We need to build confidence in politics and politicians and this should start from the bottom up. Make councillors accountable, give them the powers to deliver in their communities and people will begin to trust the system again.
It is time for real local government, time for directly elected Mayors and time for councillors to have the powers to make the decisions for their communities.
Chagos- according to the CIA Factbook
Cllr Keith Martin
4:19 AM
0
Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Read more here
Read more here
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Don’t shoot Saddam or hang him……….
Cllr Keith Martin
2:12 PM
0
Killing is wrong. Whether it is done by the state or an individual; a dictator or a democratic government; the taking a person’s life as punishment for their crimes is not the behaviour of a civilised society.
There is no doubt that there are monsters out there. People like Saddam, Stalin, Hitler and the Yorkshire Ripper are people who have killed, at will and whim, sometimes for pleasure, often for power and the desire to instil fear.
It is correct that the likes of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley spend the lives in prison. It is the only appropriate punishment for those who have taken the lives of others, that the state takes their freedom, forever.
This is what must be done for Saddam. He must be imprisoned for the rest of days and continuing punishment (and humiliation).
There is no doubt that there are monsters out there. People like Saddam, Stalin, Hitler and the Yorkshire Ripper are people who have killed, at will and whim, sometimes for pleasure, often for power and the desire to instil fear.
It is correct that the likes of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley spend the lives in prison. It is the only appropriate punishment for those who have taken the lives of others, that the state takes their freedom, forever.
This is what must be done for Saddam. He must be imprisoned for the rest of days and continuing punishment (and humiliation).
Friday, December 15, 2006
Labour wil empower Local Authorities to CPO land for housing
Cllr Keith Martin
3:50 PM
1
Labour are committed to giving local authorities the power to CPO land for housing purposes at affordable prices.
Ireland is currently facing a crisis with a capital 'C' as average income families can no longer afford to purchase their own homes and home ownership is becoming the sole purview of the better off.
Those on lower incomes cannot even rent quality housing from local authorities as housing stocks fail to keep up with the population increase and with demand.
For example
the Labour party is committed to ending the housing crisis with a range of radical and common sense actions.
Primarily these will involve
Ireland is currently facing a crisis with a capital 'C' as average income families can no longer afford to purchase their own homes and home ownership is becoming the sole purview of the better off.
Those on lower incomes cannot even rent quality housing from local authorities as housing stocks fail to keep up with the population increase and with demand.
For example
- average house prices have quadrupled in the last 10 years
- twice as many people on housing lists as there was 10 years ago
- 60,000 people on rent allowance
- Government has only delivered 3,000 of 40,000 promised Affordable Houses
- annual demand for Social Housing is 10,000, government has only built 6,000
the Labour party is committed to ending the housing crisis with a range of radical and common sense actions.
Primarily these will involve
- "Begin to Buy" scheme which will allow those in full time employment to own a percentage of their homes in line with their income.
- increase in the construction of Affordable Housing and by abolishing get out clauses for builders in Part V of the planning act.
- Compulsory purchase of land by Local Authorities where demand is too great to be met by private landowners and developers.
- building 10,000 social houses each year
- reformation of the stamp duty to facilitate first time buyers.
Landownership, primarily the right to own one's home has been a basic demand in Ireland since the Land League. It is too important to be left in the hands of developers, even if they are great craic in the tent at the Galway races!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Pádraig Nally found not guilty
Cllr Keith Martin
8:25 PM
4
Mayo farmer Pádraig Nally has been found 'Not Guilty' by the jury of of four women and eight men. They took almost 16 hours to find the farmer not guilty of the manslaughter of John 'Frog' Ward at Nally's farm in Funshinaugh, Cross, on October 14, 2004.
As I said two days ago there is no winner in this case, John Ward is dead and Pádraig Nally is a broken man. There are only losers in this tragedy.
World's tallest man called to the rescue of two dolphins in China.
Cllr Keith Martin
10:28 AM
0
The BBC have the story of the world's tallest man who was called in to remove bits of plastic from the stomachs of two dolphins in China by using his metre long arms to reach down their throats.
Mongolian herdsman Bao Xishun, who is 7' 8" tall, was called in after the dolphins swallowed plastic used around their pool at an aquarium in Fushun, north-east China.
Amazing!
Mongolian herdsman Bao Xishun, who is 7' 8" tall, was called in after the dolphins swallowed plastic used around their pool at an aquarium in Fushun, north-east China.
Amazing!
‘No es facil’ - It’s not easy. Life in Castro’s Cuba
Cllr Keith Martin
8:43 AM
3
‘No es facil’ - It’s not easy.I am not a fan of Castro. I don’t like dictators. I think the execution of over a thousand Cubans after the Cuban revolution in 1959 coupled with ongoing Human Rights violations, repressive censorship and the jailing of dissenters does not make him an admirable man or his regime likeable or even acceptable.
However Cubans have fared better under Castro then they would have under the continued government of the likes of dictators like Fulgencio Batista whose corrupt government murdered, tortured and jailed dissenters and allowed the exploitation of the Cuban people, their country and its natural assets.
Until the revolution the Cubans were illiterate and lived in poverty. With the connivance of Batista the Mafia had the run of the Cuban Casinos and US big business had a licence to do what they wanted in the name of commerce.
This had come about since 1902 when Cuba became an independent republic after over two years of occupation by the US who had installed a governor. As part of achieving their independence Cuba was forced to accept the Platt Amendment, which gave the US government the power to intervene militarily in Cuban affairs. In 1903 the US used this to obtain a Military Base in Cuba, which he maintains to this day in Guantanamo Bay.
After independence a series of weak and often corrupt governments left the country vulnerable and the US sent its military into Cuba in 1906, 1912 and 1917 to protect its interests, which were considerable.
By the 1920s US companies owned two-thirds of Cuba’s farmland and most of its natural resources. The prohibition years in the US meant that Cuba was host to rich Americans who came to gamble and drink in the many Casinos. A series of US backed dictators ran the country inflicting terror campaigns to keep the population in line.
The last of these Fulgencio Batista came to power with a coup supported by the US government. By 1958 half of Cuba’s land, most of its industry and commerce and essential services were owned by US businesses.
Castro’s Revolution toppled Batista in 1959 and set about nationalising Cuba’s industries, banks, and services at the same time redistributing the land to the people.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone was right when he called the Cuban Revolution a highlight of the 20th Century, it was. It was a massively popular public uprising against a brutal, murderous and unjust regime and such a revolution would have been welcomed by the US had it occurred in Iraq anytime within the last 15 years.
In response the US put in place the trade embargo, which is still there today. The US government has also plotted to kill Castro and to date there have been over 630 plans for his elimination. These have become a bit of joke, but is it a joke that a nation like the United States openly admits to plotting to kill a man? Would it be so funny if they had succeed in killing Castro? Would that be ok?
Of course there was the Cuban Missile Crisis in between which strengthened the US's resolve and motivation to continue the embargo and it was neither Cuba’s finest hour nor Castro’s.
As the 1960s turned into the 1970s conditions radically improved for Cubans with universal health care and education. The income of the average Cuban skyrocketed, as did employment levels as the USSR took up the slack created by the US embargo. Trade withe the USSR and other Communist countries accounted for nearly 90% of Cuba’s international trade.
But the collapse of the USSR and that of Cuba’s international trade has meant a return to the poverty of old. The problems of housing were never successfully addressed and as a result the Cuban people live in substandard housing. And now they are poorer than ever.
With the 1990s began the severe rationing of food, forcing the legalisation of private income and the opening up of Cuba to tourism and US dollars.
In the 21st Century Cuba is creaking under the strain with only tourism and Chavez's oil for doctors scheme keeping the system afloat; though last year the economy grew by just over 1%.
The situation that Cuba finds itself in is in no doubt due to the un-workability of the ideal of Communism. But the suffering of ordinary Cubans is also due in equal part to the US’s maintenance of an embargo that serves no purpose, that is vindictive and spiteful in nature and which hinders the development and quality of life of the ordinary people of Cuba.
When one considers that the US trades openly with China whose Human Rights abuses, torture and execution of dissenters dwarf those of Castro and Cuba in scale, size and barbarity it is amazing that the US can keep a straight face as they continue to justify their embargo. Indeed under Bush the embargo has been strenghtened.
It has been estimated that the US loses over a Billion dollars of trade a year and is missing out on nearly 20,000 new jobs in the US by the continued embargoing of Cuba. Surely this is a case of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face on a massive scale. Or is it a case of cutting off one's nose to spite Castro?
Castro and his regime should go but so too should the US embargo.
‘No es facil' but it could be!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Whatever the verdict there are no winners in the Pádraig Nally case
Cllr Keith Martin
11:55 PM
0
No matter which way the jury decide in the retrial of Pádraig Nally there will be no winners in this case.I read on the Irish Times website that the jury of eight men and four women failed to reach a verdict at the Central Criminal Court and will resume their deliberations at 10.30am this morning.
Neither side can win this case. John Ward is dead and Pádraig Nally is a broken man.
John Ward was a disturbed man who had resorted to drugs and funded his addiction with crime.
Pádraig Nally is a man whose fears, real and imagined, drove him to the brink and having shot John Ward left him suicidal and even more afraid.
In 2001 John Ward gave an interview to the Sligo Champion newspaper about his life. "I have ten children but I have only one caravan and it is not big enough so my six boys have to sleep in the back of
the van," said Mr. Ward, whose children range in ages from three to eighteen."My sons are freezing at night in the van. They cannot get a good night's sleep because of the cold but there's nothing I can do about it. I cannot turn the engine on because of the fumes. They're going to bed in the back of a cold damp van and they are awake at five in the morning unable to go back asleep.
"I end up lighting a fire nearby in the mornings to get them warm before they go to school. They constantly have colds and chest infections and I am up and down to the doctor all the time with them."
At the time of his death John Ward had approximately 80 previous convictions over 38 recorded dates for offences including burglary, trespass and assaulting gardaí.
In May 2004 Ward produced a slash hook and threatened gardaí at Carrowbone Halting Site in Galway, where he lived. Gardaí had also been threatened with a slash hook during another incident in April 2002. Mr Ward was arrested for both offences but never prosecuted.At the time of his death there were four outstanding warrants for his arrest, all for failure to appear in court. Mr Ward had also been receiving psychiatric treatment in hospital in Galway at that stage.
“I was out of my mind for these lads calling to my house all year" said Padraig Nally about his predicament whereby he had been a continuous target of criminals for a long period of time. Mr Nally said he had been living in fear for the five months before the fatal shooting, and that he often sat in his shed with a loaded shotgun for up to five hours at a time waiting to be robbed.
He said he was afraid of being broken into and killed in his bed. He often only slept a few hours at night and the pressure was almost unbearable. After shooting John Ward Nally considered suicide.
There are no winners in this case if Padraig Nally is found innocent or guilty. Mr Ward was let down by a society that did not assist him when he needed help and Mr Nally was let down by a society that failed to protect him from Mr Ward.
If fingers have to be pointed in this tragedy it is not at either men it is at our society and state.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ask Tony Blair to let the people of Chagos go home
Cllr Keith Martin
11:16 AM
0
The only residents of Chagos now are over a 1,000 US service men who live on the island working at the US Airbase Diego Garcia. 
You can e-mail Tony Blair here and ask him to allow the Ilois of Chagos to go home. I e-mailed him last night and asked that his Government drop its appeal of the High Court ruling which ordered that the Ilois be allowed to go home.
Here is the text of my letter.
Dear Sir,
Please examine the circumstances of the Ilois people of Chagos in the British Indian Ocean Territories.
Your government is currently applealing a High Court judgement which would allow them to go home.Please withdraw the appeal and allow the Ilois to return to their home.Britain cannot pick and choose whose rights it will respect and whose it won't.
The war in Iraq is one of liberation for the Iraqis but how can Britain keep the Ilois from going home at the same time.Please make the difficult decision and do the right thing before you leave office.
It would be a suitable legacy.
Yours respectfully
Keith Martin
The beautiful island of Chagos from space
Cllr Keith Martin
12:01 AM
0
You can read more about the Ilois of Chagos and their struggle to go home to their island here but a very brief explanation of the issue is that in 1969 the UK government exiled the Ilois people of Chagos to Mauritius so that they could lease the island of Chagos to the US for their airbase Diego Garcia. The picture below shows B52 bombers on the runway at Diego Garcia.
You can help by lobbying the UK government to allow the Ilois to go home and by signing the on-line petition here.
For more information on the issue visit the Chagos support site here
Please do sign it. it is outrageous that the UK government claim to liberate Iraq yet keep the Ilois exiled from their home.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Morriarty about to tell us everything we already know about how rotten haughey was
Cllr Keith Martin
3:03 PM
0
The Morriarty tribunal will make its report this week and will tell us
Haughey
Above: The good old days video with the song "rise and follow Charlie"
Haughey
- sold passports
- stole money from Brian Lenihan's liver transplant fund
- arranged a sympathetic hearing for Ben Dunne from the Revenue commissioners in return for huge cash payments from Dunne.
Mr Haughey never had the good grace to admit and apologise for his actions which have smeared all public representatives and lowered the public's trust in their democracy.
The Irish people cast their final vote on Haughey when they stayed away from his funeral.
What good he did in his career will be forever buried under the bad.Above: The good old days video with the song "rise and follow Charlie"
Rumsfeld says goodbye
Cllr Keith Martin
1:21 PM
0
Rumsfeld (or is that Rumsfled?) is saying farewell in Iraq. No not to Saddam! Apparently Mr Rumsfled is out saying goodbye to the troops he sent out to Iraq.
Funny, 20 years ago he was sending out weapons etc to Iraq for Saddam to use on his neighbours, his own people and the Kurds. At the time this didn't upset Donald.
Then all of a sudden he gets real excited about removing Saddam and sends out the US army 20 years later. Go figure!
Pat Rabbitte on Political Party TV3
Cllr Keith Martin
1:14 AM
0
Pat Rabbite gave a great interview on TV3's Political Party. He was pushed on the possibility of a coalition with FF. Pat Rabbite made it clear that he felt polls are fickle and said he doesn't make policy or decisions based on them. If people want change in Health, affordable housing, antisocial behaviour and quality of life then they have to vote Labour. Simple and straight forward. As Nike say 'Just do it!' Vote Labour.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Pinochet dies aged 91
Cllr Keith Martin
7:43 PM
0
Chilean dictator Pinochet has died this evening aged 91. He ruled Chile for 17 years and was linked to the deaths of thousands, human rights abuses and Margaret Thatcher.
Well that's enough said about him then isn't it.
Well that's enough said about him then isn't it.
Blogging on the go
Cllr Keith Martin
5:11 PM
0
Blogging on the go
Trying to send a blog entry from my e-mail account. This could prove useful and fun, if it works.
Ken Livingstone says sorry to the Jewish Community in UK
Cllr Keith Martin
3:36 AM
0
Ken Livingstone has apologised to Jews in the UK for comments he has made in the past which may have caused offense.An article in today's Jerusalem Post reports that Ken said at the launch of the London Jewish Forum "if I've caused any offense to anyone in the past, I apologize, it was never my intention."
Rabbi Pinter who attended the launch said Ken Livingstone was not anti-semantic, he was, he says "just very rude."
Fair enough. I am not sure why Ken's comments to a journalist should have caused such offence considering at the time he was unaware of the journalist's background but comparing anyone to a concentration guard is probably a bit harsh even if they are a bit of a hack working for a rag.
I think Ken has made some unfortunate remarks in this area over the last year and it is good to clear the air just before the New Year. I am a fan of Mayor Livingstone, his style and his leadership.
Saturday, December 9, 2006
I don't like CCTV in small Irish towns like mine
Cllr Keith Martin
9:05 PM
0
I have concerns over the police use of CCTV in small towns like Westport (pop. 5,000) as I feel not only is the population too small to require such an expensive system but that as we are such a small town it is very likely that the those watching you will in fact know you personally thus breaching your privacy.
I am opposed to whole scale CCTV surveillance as I think it breaches my rights as a citizen to go about my business without being subjected to surveillance. I also believe that CCTV is used to justify less Gardai on the streets.
I don't believe that CCTV is either effective as a deterrent to crime or as a useful tool for crime solving. The number of cases it is used in is low and the number of convictions even lower.
I am not on my own on this one. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has concerns in this area also. According to the ICCL "a series of studies that seriously questions the effectiveness of CCTV in preventing crime. Certainly, CCTV does not seem to achieve anything that can't be achieved by common sense measures such as better street lighting or more effective police patrols in city-centres.
"In recent years, many politicians have suggested that extensive spending on camera schemes was a panacea to street crime. Now it is clear that this is not the case. What is also disturbing is that the impact of such schemes on the privacy rights of the public at large has been largely ignored."
You can read more about that here.
Accrding to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, staff must be made aware that CCTV is in place and what the purpose of the cameras are. If staff are told that the cameras are there to protect staff against violent customers that’s the only thing they can be used for.
CCTV cameras can’t be used for monitoring attendance at work or to see whether staff are sitting at their desk all day long.
For more information on this read this article
There is also an interesting blog in the UK on this subject and the issues involved here.
So the issue is not as black and white as some people claim and I hope that after reading this post you might see my concerns or at least have questions over such systems. CCTV is not benign, it does affect your rights. Think about it before you support it in your town or area.
(I do however accept that it is necessary in areas like O'Connell St and high crime areas but this should be the exception not the norm)
Don't let them give you the" eye in the sky", demand more Gardai on your streets instead.
Note: we don't have CCTV in Westport..........yet!!
I am opposed to whole scale CCTV surveillance as I think it breaches my rights as a citizen to go about my business without being subjected to surveillance. I also believe that CCTV is used to justify less Gardai on the streets.
I don't believe that CCTV is either effective as a deterrent to crime or as a useful tool for crime solving. The number of cases it is used in is low and the number of convictions even lower.
I am not on my own on this one. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has concerns in this area also. According to the ICCL "a series of studies that seriously questions the effectiveness of CCTV in preventing crime. Certainly, CCTV does not seem to achieve anything that can't be achieved by common sense measures such as better street lighting or more effective police patrols in city-centres.
"In recent years, many politicians have suggested that extensive spending on camera schemes was a panacea to street crime. Now it is clear that this is not the case. What is also disturbing is that the impact of such schemes on the privacy rights of the public at large has been largely ignored."
You can read more about that here.
Accrding to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, staff must be made aware that CCTV is in place and what the purpose of the cameras are. If staff are told that the cameras are there to protect staff against violent customers that’s the only thing they can be used for.
CCTV cameras can’t be used for monitoring attendance at work or to see whether staff are sitting at their desk all day long.
For more information on this read this article
There is also an interesting blog in the UK on this subject and the issues involved here.
So the issue is not as black and white as some people claim and I hope that after reading this post you might see my concerns or at least have questions over such systems. CCTV is not benign, it does affect your rights. Think about it before you support it in your town or area.
(I do however accept that it is necessary in areas like O'Connell St and high crime areas but this should be the exception not the norm)
Don't let them give you the" eye in the sky", demand more Gardai on your streets instead.
Note: we don't have CCTV in Westport..........yet!!
Petition launched calling on Tony Blair to let the Ilois go home
Cllr Keith Martin
6:57 PM
0
A petition has been launched on-line calling on Tony Blair and the UK government to allow the people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to go home.
You can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/chagos/petition.html
The Chagossians were removed from their home in the Indian Ocean by the UK so that they could lease the islands to the Americans and offset the cost of the Polaris Nuclear Weapon Programme in the late 1960s. Only a few are allowed to visit the graves of their families on the islands.
The Chagossians recently won a High Court action to order the UK government to let them go home. However this is currently under appeal. You can support them by signing the petition.
You can learn more about the Chagossians' struggles here.
You can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/chagos/petition.html
The Chagossians were removed from their home in the Indian Ocean by the UK so that they could lease the islands to the Americans and offset the cost of the Polaris Nuclear Weapon Programme in the late 1960s. Only a few are allowed to visit the graves of their families on the islands.
The Chagossians recently won a High Court action to order the UK government to let them go home. However this is currently under appeal. You can support them by signing the petition.
You can learn more about the Chagossians' struggles here.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Independent Candidates should be allowed to be listed as Independent on the ballot
Cllr Keith Martin
6:32 PM
0
If it walks like an Independent, talks like an Independent then why do we call them "Non-Party". Being non-party makes them sound boring because everyone loves to party don't they? Especially at this time of the year!
It seems unfair to me that Independents must be listed as "Non-party" on ballot papers. While in Labour I can have a lovely bright red rose next to my face, Independents don't get a logo and must be described as "Non-Party" and not Independent.
Shouldn't they be allowed to be described as Independent?
Independents had a Supreme Court victory recently when the Court ruled that the requirement for Independents to get 30 (15 for town councils) registered voters in the electoral area to propose them as a candidate was unfair and rightly so. If anyone wants to run then they should be allowed to do so.
Now is the time to remove the other injustice and let an Independent be an Independent.
Help the Chagossians get their home back
Cllr Keith Martin
12:35 AM
0
The Chagossians were removed from their home in the Indian Ocean by the UK so that they could lease the islands to the Americans and offset the cost of the Polaris Nuclear Weapon Programme in the late 1960s.
They were exiled to the nearby island of Mauritius and left on the docks with whatever possessions they could carry. Most Chagossians still have nothing. They are a displaced people without a home and without a country. Read their story here. And watch a film about them here.
Their country is now the Diego Garica airbase of the United States. Please help them return home. You can help by lobbying the UK government into letting them return home. Visit their support website here. Find out how you can help.
Please help spread the word about the plight of these people.
They were exiled to the nearby island of Mauritius and left on the docks with whatever possessions they could carry. Most Chagossians still have nothing. They are a displaced people without a home and without a country. Read their story here. And watch a film about them here.
Their country is now the Diego Garica airbase of the United States. Please help them return home. You can help by lobbying the UK government into letting them return home. Visit their support website here. Find out how you can help.
Please help spread the word about the plight of these people.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Reform the Senate (or abolish it!)
Cllr Keith Martin
8:45 PM
6
The institutions of Irish democracy are a mess. Councillors have little powers in their councillors and Senators are not elected by the people of Ireland.
Today I am concerning myself with the Upper House, The Irish Senate or Seanad Eireann.
While some might question the relevancy of a Bicameral system I do think there is merit to the upper house of Irish Parliment. I admire certain Senators for their role in highlighting issues passed over by the Dail.
However, too often, these are real Senators ie those interested only in serving in the Senate not failed or wanna-be Dail Deputies. I believe the use of the Senate as a retirement ground, training pit or holding pattern for Deputies does this chamber the most harm.
I also take great exception to the fact that Senators are only elected by the graduates of certain universities and politicians. The first case is elitism, the second; cronyism.
The system has been flawed from the very start and is in fact a bastardised version of what was envisioned as part of the checks and balances of the new Irish nation. In fact what we have to day is the second Senate since Independence in 1922.
In the 14 years between 1922 and 1936 the first Seanate was subject to 10 changes in the constitution until in 1936 it was subject to its 11th constitutional change which finally abolished it. It had proved so troublesome to DeValera that he had the Dail abolish it and set up another version in 1937.
The Senate has had its powers and method of election so chopped and changed over the decades that the role of the Irish Senate is unclear and its democratic accountability is questionable.
The 1922 Senate was to be directly elected by the people via PR with a third of it being up for election from a nationwide constituency every five years. The Senate was to have the power to order a Referendum on any bill before it. All of this democracy and accountability ended with the abolition of the Senate in 1936.
Today's Senators are appointed by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (11), the graduates of The National University of Ireland and University of Dublin (6) and the rest by TDs, Senators and County and City Councillors. So just a couple of thousand people in the country elect the 60 Senators. This system of cronyism is an affront to our Republic.
Today's Senate while playing a role in debating proposed legislation and acting as a forum for highlighting issues is a weak house of cards. It can only delay bills by 180 days if it does not like them, if it is a money bill eg The Budget it can only delay it 21 days.
Its two additional powers are
The Senate may, by a resolution, ask the President to appoint a Committee of Privileges to adjudicate as to whether or not a particular bill is a money bill. The President may, however, refuse this request.
If a majority of senators and at least one-third of the members of the Dáil present a petition to the President stating that a bill is of great "national importance" the President can decline to sign the bill until it has been 'referred to the people'. This means that she can refuse to sign it until it has been approved either in an ordinary referendum or by the Dáil after it has reassembled after a general election.
Recently Senator Shane Ross has called for reform, but very limited as has a candidate for the Senate Sean O'Connor who points out that "in the past 70 years no less than 12 Senate reform reports have been drawn up by the Oireachtas but lie gathering dust in Leinster house." It is true that successive governments promise reform, set up committees to investigate then leave everything alone.
It is time to reform the Senate. If directly elected the Senate will be relevant, it should be given a role in debating Ireland's role in the international community, the UN and the EU. It should examine government appointees to EU jobs, Central Bank, the courts and investigate issues like the Judge Brian Curtin issue, Garda corruption and the like. It should help shape Ireland's place in the world, keep an eye on the Government and cease to be an exclusive club. Give us a real Senate or abolish it.~
Today I am concerning myself with the Upper House, The Irish Senate or Seanad Eireann.
While some might question the relevancy of a Bicameral system I do think there is merit to the upper house of Irish Parliment. I admire certain Senators for their role in highlighting issues passed over by the Dail.
However, too often, these are real Senators ie those interested only in serving in the Senate not failed or wanna-be Dail Deputies. I believe the use of the Senate as a retirement ground, training pit or holding pattern for Deputies does this chamber the most harm.
I also take great exception to the fact that Senators are only elected by the graduates of certain universities and politicians. The first case is elitism, the second; cronyism.
The system has been flawed from the very start and is in fact a bastardised version of what was envisioned as part of the checks and balances of the new Irish nation. In fact what we have to day is the second Senate since Independence in 1922.
In the 14 years between 1922 and 1936 the first Seanate was subject to 10 changes in the constitution until in 1936 it was subject to its 11th constitutional change which finally abolished it. It had proved so troublesome to DeValera that he had the Dail abolish it and set up another version in 1937.
The Senate has had its powers and method of election so chopped and changed over the decades that the role of the Irish Senate is unclear and its democratic accountability is questionable.
The 1922 Senate was to be directly elected by the people via PR with a third of it being up for election from a nationwide constituency every five years. The Senate was to have the power to order a Referendum on any bill before it. All of this democracy and accountability ended with the abolition of the Senate in 1936.
Today's Senators are appointed by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (11), the graduates of The National University of Ireland and University of Dublin (6) and the rest by TDs, Senators and County and City Councillors. So just a couple of thousand people in the country elect the 60 Senators. This system of cronyism is an affront to our Republic.
Today's Senate while playing a role in debating proposed legislation and acting as a forum for highlighting issues is a weak house of cards. It can only delay bills by 180 days if it does not like them, if it is a money bill eg The Budget it can only delay it 21 days.
Its two additional powers are
The Senate may, by a resolution, ask the President to appoint a Committee of Privileges to adjudicate as to whether or not a particular bill is a money bill. The President may, however, refuse this request.
If a majority of senators and at least one-third of the members of the Dáil present a petition to the President stating that a bill is of great "national importance" the President can decline to sign the bill until it has been 'referred to the people'. This means that she can refuse to sign it until it has been approved either in an ordinary referendum or by the Dáil after it has reassembled after a general election.
Recently Senator Shane Ross has called for reform, but very limited as has a candidate for the Senate Sean O'Connor who points out that "in the past 70 years no less than 12 Senate reform reports have been drawn up by the Oireachtas but lie gathering dust in Leinster house." It is true that successive governments promise reform, set up committees to investigate then leave everything alone.
It is time to reform the Senate. If directly elected the Senate will be relevant, it should be given a role in debating Ireland's role in the international community, the UN and the EU. It should examine government appointees to EU jobs, Central Bank, the courts and investigate issues like the Judge Brian Curtin issue, Garda corruption and the like. It should help shape Ireland's place in the world, keep an eye on the Government and cease to be an exclusive club. Give us a real Senate or abolish it.~
Blog Promotion
Cllr Keith Martin
7:03 PM
0
Here is some good advice on writing a good blog by Piaras Kelly
Here are some tips on promoting your blog byABout
I have been busy promoting my blog. I have been to Irish Blogs, Irish Bloggers, etc. I am looking for other links and ways to promote the site. Any links etc greatly appreciated. I would be happy to link to other sites relating to politics on an exchange basis etc.
Technorati Profile
Here are some tips on promoting your blog byABout
I have been busy promoting my blog. I have been to Irish Blogs, Irish Bloggers, etc. I am looking for other links and ways to promote the site. Any links etc greatly appreciated. I would be happy to link to other sites relating to politics on an exchange basis etc.
Technorati Profile
Don't let a mistake silence your voice
Cllr Keith Martin
3:14 PM
0
Get on to www.checktheregister.ie you only have until tomorrow to make sure you are registered to vote. Even if you have been listed for years make sure you are still on it. Check also for your family members and for your friends.
If you are not on the register you may not be able to vote in the upcoming General Election. Having seen what a disapointing Budget Brian Cowen has brought in it is vital that you check to see if you can boot him et al out next year.
On Dick Roche's watch the register has become rotten. Don't let that incompetence rob you of your voice or of your opportunity to put em out!
If you are not on the register you may not be able to vote in the upcoming General Election. Having seen what a disapointing Budget Brian Cowen has brought in it is vital that you check to see if you can boot him et al out next year.
On Dick Roche's watch the register has become rotten. Don't let that incompetence rob you of your voice or of your opportunity to put em out!
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