SF Most Popular Party In The Irish Republic

Sinn Fein are now the most popular party in the Irish Republic. According to a recent opinion poll published in a downmarket newspaper yesterday. SF have 26% of the voters polled support. The republican party sits just 1% ahead of Fine Gael, indicating that it will be a straight fight between Gery Adams and Taoiseach Enda Kenny to lead the next Irish Government

Hoboroads Woman Of The Year Is Mary Lou McDonald

Mary Lou McDonald is my Woman of the Year because of her outstanding and peerless opposition to a stupid and pathetic Irish government.

SF Vote In The Republic Of Ireland Soars To 24%

Sinn Fein are at 24% of the vote according to the latest Opinion poll in the Republic of Ireland.

Fine Gael is unchanged at 24%, suggesting the John McNulty Seanad nomination has had little effect on the party’s support, according to the latest Ipsos/MRBI.

Support for Fianna Fail was down 5% at 20% while Independents/others were down one point.

Sinn Fein support was up 4% at 24%.

The survey was taken on Monday and Tuesday of this week among 1,200 people in face-to-face interviews.

The Good Country Index

Ireland is the ‘goodest’ country in the world, according to a new survey which measures what 125 nations contribute to the planet and humanity.

The UK made it to the seventh place in the overall index but was crowned as the best country in the world for its contribution in terms of technology and science.

The Good Country Index, conceived by policy adviser Simon Anholt, analyses 35 different types of data from the UN, the World Bank and other international organisations and NGOs.

This includes information such as freedom of the press, the number of refugees hosted, the amount of weapons exported and the number of Nobel Prize winners. This it the first time the Index is published.

Countries are then ranked according to their contribution to science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, the planet and climate, prosperity and equality, and the health and well-being of humanity.

And The Best Country In The World For Business Is .......

Ireland has for the first time been named as the “best country for business” in rankings carried out by top US financial magazine Forbes.

Ireland has moved up from sixth position in the influential rankings last year. The rankings are determined by grading 145 nations on 11 different factors: property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.

Paddy Power Irish President The Latest Odds

David Norris 6/4
Gay Mitchell 2/1
Michael D Higgins 9/4
Mary Davis 10/1
Sean Gallagher 14/1
Brian Crowley 25/1
Martin McAleese 28/1
Eamon O'Cuiv 40/1

Ireland's Baby Boom

Ireland’s population is now at record levels since the Famine – and the country now boasts the highest birth rate in the European Union.
Preliminary results from the 2011 Census record an Irish population of 4,581,269 – up 341,421 from the last count five years ago.
The 2006 Census returned an Irish population of 4.2 million people, the first time the figure had risen above the 4 million mark since 1871.

Sinn Fein TD To Introduce Bill To Slash Salaries Of Politicians

Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty will this afternoon seek to introduce a Bill to the Dáil that would dramatically cut payments and salaries to politicians.

The Reduction in Pay and Allowances of Government and Oireachtas Members Bill 2011 seeks to impose pay cuts of up to 30% on senior office holders including the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.

The Bill also seeks to abolish outright an additional nine types of payment including allowances for group leaders, whips and committee chairs.

The Reduction in Pay and Allowances of Government and Oireachtas Members Bill 2011 would cut the Taoiseach’s pay by 30%, the Tánaiste’s pay by 28%, Ministers’ pay by 27% and the Ceann Comhairle’s pay by 36%.

In addition the Bill seeks to reduce pay to Ministers of State and other other office holders on a scale ranging from 20% to 31% and to cut the basic salary of TDs and Senators by 19% and 9% respectively.

RTE Presenters Face 30% Pay Cut

 Pat Kenny’s 2008 salary would mean a drop from €950,976 to €665,683, although the presenter has already taken a significant pay cut since he left the Late Late Show in May 2009.
The next highest earner at the station in 2008 was the late Gerry Ryan (€629,865), followed by Marian Finucane. A 30 per cent cut in her income from the 2008 peak would result in a drop from €570,000 to €399,000.

Ryan Tubridy earned €533,333 in 2008, although he is likely to be the best-paid presenter now, as successor to Kenny on The Late Late Show . Liveline ’s Joe Duffy’s was paid €408,889 in 2008. A 30 per cent cut would bring this to €286,222.
The other most highly-paid presenters at the station in 2008 were Eamon Dunphy (€328,051), Miriam O'Callaghan (€301,667), Derek Mooney (€286,809), George Hamilton (€219,833) and Seán O’Rourke (€218,656).
It is about time these overpaid pampered non-entities felt some of the pain other people are feeling. In fact 30% is to little how about a 50% or 75% salary cut.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/0610/1224298692429.html

Paddy Power Odds On The Next Irish President

15/8 Gay Mitchell
9/4 Michael D.Higgins
7/2 Pat Cox
9/2 David Norris
10/1 Mairead McGuinness
12/1 Niall O'Dowd
12/1 Fergus Finlay
16/1 Mary Davis
22/1 Brian Crowley
40/1 Martin McAleese
40/1 Sean Gallagher
50/1 Kathleen O'Meara
100/1 Jackie Healy Rae
100/1 Mary Lou McDonald
150/1 Mary White (FF Senator)
200/1 Dermot Mulqueen
250/1 Eddie Hobbs

The Smith's Southern Comfort

I see according to the Irish Independent that the pop group The Smiths were under the protection of the Irish Government in 1984. Including on the Belfast leg of their tour. Nice to see cross border co-operation existed even before the Anglo-Irish Agreement. http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/the-smiths-were-ordered-to-play-the-north-by-irish-govt-2606463.html