Cllr Frank Chambers, Deirdre O'Reilly of Westport Leisure Park and Cllr Keith Martin pictured above at the celebrations in Westport Leisure Park following the President's visit to Westport to unveil the plaque marking the town's victory in the 2006 Tidy Towns Competition.

www.hearourvoice.ie has been launched by the National Youth Council and it allows young people or yoofs as Ben Elton might say to rate their politicans.

Based on responses received, candidates will be given a star rating from 1-5, and their response to each of the recommendations will be added. Many candidates who have already responded have received four or five stars. However, a significant number of candidates have not yet responded and so received no rating.

Are you with us?

Pat Rabbitte said that within 100 days in office, Labour would implement the following:

1. Cancel all plans for super-private clinics;

2. Instruct the HSE to identify locations for additional hospital beds;

3. Appoint a director to roll out a programme to deliver pre-school education based in the office of the Minister for Children;

4. Instruct the Garda Commissioner to implement the civilianisation programme and begin deployment of 1,000 additional community gardaí;

5. Make a government decision that the means test for carers would be abolished in the first budget and Social Welfare Bill;

6. Instruct the National Treasury Management Agency to establish a fund for the "Begin to Buy Scheme".

7. Create a Department of Energy, Climate Change and the Environment.

8. Publish a Bill to set the 0.7 per cent of GNP Overseas Development Aid target in law;

9. Instruct Dublin Bus to order a first tranche of new buses;

10. Double capitation fees for primary schools for the 2007/2008 school year.

Goodbye Boris.

Boris the Shannon no-show is gone, gone to wherever former Russian leaders go (all of them except Lenin who is still around).

From today's Irish Times is the news that Mayoman and Rossport 5 member Willie Corduff is the recepitent of the Goldman Environmental Prize in the US. The prize comes with $125,000.

Sinn Féin yesterday confirmed that the party's TD for Kerry North, Martin Ferris, was stopped by gardaí and arrested on suspicion of drink-driving as he was driving through Ardfert to return to his home in the north Kerry village in the early hours of yesterday morning.

If true this is the least of his crimes.

Is Limerick going to hell in a handbag? Is 'stab city' becoming ungovernable? Is the rule of law collapsing?

The availability of rocket launchers in the city suggests that Limerick is on the brink. What is Michael McDowell doing about this?

Criminal gangs are thrinving in the city and according to the Irish Times so "successful and brutal have the Limerick gangs become that they are now among the major suppliers into several country towns in Munster, while gardaí believe one of the Limerick gangs controls supplies of cocaine into the northside of Cork city."

There have been numerous killings including a lunchtime car chase complete with gunshots down the Ennis Dual Carraigeway.

What is the Minister doing?

Just a week after the Minister for the Environment, Big Dick, Roche flouted the laws, passed by his own Dept, Minister of State Pat the Cope Gallagher has joined the litter brigade also.

Dick had 30 foot long, 8 foot high posters of himself erected in his constituency.

Pat the Cope had his put up outside Croke Park 200 miles outside of his constituency.

The posters, which also wished the Donegal football team well, were erected on lamp-posts to coincide with the county's semi-final match against Kildare.

Says the Cope "I'm not one for breaking the law. All I'm saying is I think the corporation were being overly vigilant," he said.

And the thing is, I was getting loads of compliments about them."

Cute Hoorism at its best.

Arrogance anyone?

A holy April Fool on Pope John Paul 2

Dick Roche, Minister for the Environment and the farce that is local government i.e. local administration by officials, has spoken of a huge moral imperative.

I don't know what Dick knows about morals but as for huge; he knows what that is.

Huge is the 30 foot long, 8 foot high posters of himself that were illegally erected recently in his constituency, not by Dick, but by some over enthusiastic supporters (of course they were Dick, one only has to meet you to see how people can become so over enthusiastic about you).

Dick says the world must follow the example of the EU in dealing with climate change.

In this regard the "flexible mechanism" that allowed EU states to buy carbon credits from the developing world had a double benefit: it allowed member states to set more ambitious targets for their own industries, while providing money for the developing world.

This money would incentivise vulnerable economies not to take in older "dirty technology" industries.

In other word it is a new era of purchased Luddites. All industry is dirty, so we will be buying up the 3rd world's chance to develop their economies by buying up their emissions from their mainly corrupt governments and give them money with which they can buy the products from us that they could have made locally for less.

It is a perfect example of imperial exploitation for the 21st century wrapped up as concern for the environment. Dick wouldn't know a moral imperative if one ran him over or if there was a 30 foot long, 8 foot high poster of a moral imperative in his front garden.

Bertie is to be a witness before the Mahon Tribunal thus continuing a long tradition of FF Taoiseachs and former Taoiseachs appearing before tribunals of enquiry.

The Tribunal is investigating Quarryvale better known to us today as Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and the circumstances surrounding its zoning.

The Tribunal is investigating Tom Gilmartin's claims that nearly £80,000 (€101,000) had been paid to Mr Ahern.

In the statement read out prior to the court challenge, the tribunal quoted Mr Gilmartin as saying he was told that the money had been paid in two separate amounts of £50,000 and £30,000.

Mr Gilmartin said he was informed that Mr Ahern, who was Minister for Finance at the time, had been instrumental in blocking a tax break for a rival shopping centre being developed in Blanchardstown.

This is around the same time Bertie was receiving monies from businessmen in Manchester.

Mr Ahern has denied the Quarryvale allegation and we know he took the money in Manchester already.

Is Bertie dirty? Time will tell, because Bertie won't!

Today we learn that Obama, the new kid on the democratic block, has raised just $1million short of Hillary Clinton's campaign funds and all the stories in the paper's are focusing on this race for dollars.


There is no analysis of policy, character or plans just money. Democracy is cheapened by this kind of thing.

The only bright thing was that some 90 per cent of Mr Obama's donations were of $100 or less and internet contributions accounted for $6.9 million of the total. That means it was real people who donated to his campaign as opposed to corporations. Also Obama has refused donations from lobbists and political action committees (pressure groups).

From today's Irish Times....

Councillors in Kerry yesterday unanimously rescinded a proposal to allow an industrial storage facility on land alongside one of the country's most popular viewing points overlooking the Lakes of Killarney.

The councillors' majority (14 votes to six) decision in January to zone four acres allow developer Con Duggan to construct the storage facility attracted up to 100 submissions from residents and local hoteliers. Public meetings were also organised against the move.

Independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae apologised to residents for supporting the initial proposal. It had taken the residents unawares and "the way it was presented to me, it seemed to be all right". He suggested all such zoning proposals be advertised publicly.

The fact that these zoning applications are always advertised was pointed out to Healy-Rae by councillor Toireasa Ferris.

She added "There seems to be a lot of bad decisions in this chamber . . . We shouldn't come under pressure from individual developers. If some of us [ the minority of six who voted against it] can do the right thing, the rest of us can."

How do we stop this happening again?

Enda Kenny's speech was the speech of the 2007 political conventions.

It was presidential in tone but still allowed him to connect. It is the first time we have seen him look, act and speak like a Taoiseach should.

Kenny's speech awoke in this blog's heart the real possibility that Mayo could have a Taoiseach and a Tainiste come June. What's more Ireland could have some accountable and open leadership after 10 years of Bertie.

Meanwhile Bumbling Bertie pales away in comparison. I have heard a rumour that the reason Brian Cowen looked so fascinated during Bertie's speech was that Bertie's giveaway promises were news to him and had been written on the back of a beer mat.