Speaking during RTE's Prime Time budget debate, lecturer in Irish Politics and Society Mary Murphy said that the strategy of recent budgets to match expenditure to the taxes available was an ill-conceived approach. Instead, Murphy said, a debate is needed about the kind of society we want, and the tax system we need to get it.
An uplifting experience today I thought worth sharing. I skip down the steps of the Luas station at Charlemont, on the way in to a gathering of colleagues at the Storyful office. Wrestle a ball of keys from my pocket to unlock me bike, when BAM! No bike! Hands to head. *Curses* Noooo! Couldn't be gone. Did I walk from work yesterday? No. Did I not lock it properly? No. *Curses*. *Curses*. Fuckers.
"Any violence by a large population is not because this people is more violent than any other. It's an alarm, it's a sign, it's a signal; that something is wrong in the treatment of this population." - Occupation 101 (Film embedded as a playlist below)
Despite swingeing cuts affecting the poorest in Irish society, austerity has not been imposed on Ireland's 33 County Managers whose high salaries are unchanged since 2010. County Managers are paid an average salary of €143,054.48 per annum, a total spend of €4,720,798.00 each year. The highest paid paid County Manager is Dublin City Council's John Tierney (pictured) with a salary of €189,301. We are seeking salary details for previous years before 2010. County Managers are entitled to additional allowances (outlined below). By Malachy Browne.
Research conducted by the office of TD Catherine Murphy shows that Ireland’s system of financial allowances to TDs unfairly discriminates against Independent and non-party affiliated TDs. (PDF here)
Syrian activists who fear for their safety at home have left Syria for Paris in recent months. Malachy Browne met five of them in Paris. (Video below)
In a leaked email to Labour Party colleagues, Party Chairman and Galway East TD Colm Keaveney said "there is another context to the [Roisin Shorthall] story that [Eamon Gilmore] has not been able to publicly articulate, given the media atmosphere at this time". Keaveney wrote that this context "needs to be discussed with the party's members" and that he is "working with the Party Leader on convening a meeting of the Central Council for early November".
Video: Mary Norris speaks at the launch of the Mary Raftery Fund for Investigative Journalism in Dublin on September 26. Mrs Norris recalls her first meeting with Mary Raftery during Raftery's investigation into child abuse at Magdeline laundries and other church-run institutions for the documentary 'Suffer little children '. Norris traveled from Knocknagoshel in Kerry for today's launch.
Stephen Donnelly, Constantin Gurdgiev, Shane Ross. Royal Hotel Bray from 7.30.
We'll be taking questions (as time allows) from twitter under the hashtag #braydebate.
In its final report published today, the Mahon Tribunal found that Padraig Flynn "wongly and corruptly" cashed a £50,000 cheque for his personal use. The cheque, paid by developer Tom Gilmartin, was intended for the Fianna Fail parliamentary party and issued "on the understanding that steps would be taken by Mr Flynn to ease or remove obstacles and difficulties then being faced by Mr Gilmartin in relation to Quarryvale". The Tribunal also found that former TD and councillor Liam Lawlor corruptly accepted £75,000 in relation to a development at Bachelor's Walk in Dublin.