Stop Climate Chaos*, a unique coalition of Irish development, environment and youth agencies, has welcomed the publication today of Irish Aid's Environment Policy for Sustainable Development, but highlighted the need for much greater coherence between Irish Aid's environment policy and the policies of other government departments.
As far as I can gather, the US Vice President earns a salary of $198,000, or about €145,000. The main reward of holding that office of course is the honour of serving as second officer in the federal government. Nevertheless, at a certain level, salaries are more a symbol than mere money. For this reason, in the US, all federal salaries are set below that of the president. It is symbolic too that our hospital consultants are rejecting salaries that are some €65,000 higher than that of the US vice president!
I would like to comment on the recent criticism of nurses and the INO for allegedly compromising patient care. I attended the INO protest at St Vincents' hospital in Dublin in mid-April. All the INO speakers emphasised how they were putting patients first. The nurses were all back in for exactly 12 noon after holding a very dignified protest for one hour. They are conducting an incredible campaign in the face of a shameful level of government and media hostility.
The recent Future Shock: Property Crash programme on RTÉ highlights the economic legacy being left by the present government. What is immediately apparent to this reader in travelling around the country are the results of the apparently cosy relationship between Fianna Fáil and Irish developers, a relationship which resulted in the reintroduction of tax breaks on developments in 2002.
The horrific mass shooting in Virginia will doubtless provoke a debate on America's gun culture. Sadly, however, nothing will change. America's love affair with personal weaponry is deeply ingrained and sponsored by powerful lobbies. Its democracy is paralysed by apathy, vested interests, and a shallowness that neuters any sense of ‘can-do'.
To all readers who are wondering who to vote for in the forthcoming elections, may I suggest that they ask the following question of any politician who seems to want their vote: “Exactly what qualifications do you personally have to manage a multi-million people, multi-billion euro business called a country?”
An Irish hunting organisation has recently claimed that Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, has given a commitment that if his party gets into government, they will not restrict or ban hunting.
Friends of the Earth has described the government's new climate change strategy, as lacking credibility and "tinkering when what we need is transformation". According to the government's own figures, even if all the policies and plans announced today are implemented successfully by 2012, Ireland's climate pollution will only drop from 25 per cent above 1990 levels to 22 per cent above 1990 levels.
It is disgusting to see highly paid politicians, pundits and HSE PR spinners condemning hard-working, underpaid nurses. A typical example was on RTE's Questions & Answers on 2 April, where all six pontificators [panel + presenter] were probably paid up to ten times more than the nurses they criticised.
The continued refusal of the Irish Government to allow Irish prisoner Noel Maguire a native of Co-Fermanagh to be repatriated from an English prison to serve the rest of his time in an Irish prison is is totally unacceptable and must be reconsidered purely on humanitarian grounds.