Blurred Keys

Before leaving the kitchen just now, on the table, among old newspapers, I spotted an unread copy of the Sunday Independent dated May 21, 2006… needless to say that regular newspaper buyer won’t have got the Sindo. 

The above might read somewhat like Harris’ intro to his attack (free registration required), but that’s how it just happened, so, I’m inclined (no pun intended) to believe his version too.

Sir Anthony was on the cover was among the reasons Eoghan Harris bought Village, at Heuston Station. Harris tells us some ‘facts’…

Why Village readers love the British press, and not the Sindo and family…

“Why do the rabidly republican readers of Village - and its spiritual sister Phoenix - prefer the British press to the O’Reilly press? Answer: because the British press in Ireland feels far too vulnerable to stand up to Sinn Fein”.

Why Village readers hate the Indo…

“the fact that O’Reilly’s Independent News & Media has dourly defended Irish democracy for the past 30 years”

Ok, that’s his point of view etc, but if you read the rest, you might wonder like myself, what Harris’ column is doing in the “Analysis” section of a newspaper. It’s a mixture of ‘this is what I did the other day’ and ‘a beggar called me a cunt’ - admittedly, I don’t know the Sindo that
well, but I’m told it’s littered with fiction and speculation confused with
fact.

Something I was meaning to post a long time ago…

"once you are part of a larger currency union, like EMU,
none of these signals are picked up because you have no currency, no
domestic interest rates and no real balance of payments to worry about.

This is why New York City was declared bankrupt in 1975, simply
because no one appreciated its level of delinquency until it was too
late. Like Ireland today, there were no typical warning signs"

New York had the Federal Government to ball it out - would the EU do the same
for us, if so, at what price? Would we get hit worse then, say Japan…

"Even when the domestic credit economy collapsed, at least
manufacturing - which was controlled by Japanese executives - continued
to export. We don’t have a domestic manufacturing industry. The second
crucial difference is that we do not have a real central bank. If
things went pear-shaped here, it is highly likely that our interest
rates would be rising not falling.

This is because Germany
operates in a different economic cycle to us. No country in the world
has ever experienced a property meltdown that was not cushioned by
falling or possibly zero interest rates".

…taken from Sunday Business Post articles,
by David McWilliams - We all contribute to the
rip-off (28/11/2005) and Ireland’s kamikaze capitalism (12/03/2006) - some how I actually remembered both, well,
to be correct, in my mind they were sound bites from one article.

Photos from LA, and yes, if you squint you’ll see the Hollywood sign in the background of the above image. E3 2006 photos are here.

With universities and schools blocking access and massive coverage in the Irish media, it wouldn’t be too hard to think Bebo is as large worldwide as it is in Ireland. But Bebo is massively dominated by users from Ireland according to Google Trends. Leaving MySpace as the world’s most popular ‘social networking’ site (sic).

A press release from the company states “According to third party sources like Nielsen and Alexa, Bebo is the largest social networking site in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand” – while Nielsen is a trusted source, Alexa’s accuracy is questionable. Google Trends shows MySpace, not Bebo, as “the largest social networking site in the UK”. Although Google Trends shows both sites growth rates are somewhat mirror, MySpace is well ahead. The accuracy of Google Trends is, however, another question.

On Bebo in Ireland, Justin Mason writes “Also I think MySpace has a similar problem to Orkut — it’s already ‘owned’ by a population somewhere else, who are talking about stuff that makes little sense to Irish teenagers. As a result, it’s not being used as a social system here in Ireland; instead, it’s just used by musicians who want a cheap place to host a few tracks without having to set up their own website”. If Bebo is ‘owned’ by Ireland-based users – and still growing in popularity here - it might leave less chance of Bebo expanding worldwide.

There was laughter when the Taoiseach
recently came out as a socialist. But as the Labour leader gets bashed for
being the exact same as the PDs, meanwhile FG is seen more and more using a
‘law and order’ party line, should anyone be laughing?

Bertie Ahern’s record is hardly socialist,
but some of his sound bites are – the latest in the Dail accusing former Aer
Lingus bosses of trying to “steal the assets for themselves in a management
buy-out and shaft the interests of the staff it was opposed by every trade
unionist”. The former staff tried to take, or in stronger words, “steal” the
company – hardly in the legal sense, Bertie is well know to talk to, rather
then down to, the person on the street.

Following the comments, Labour leader, Pat
Rabbitte – along with the PD leader – disagrees or at least disagrees with the
way it was said. But the point is Rabbitte publicly disagreed with Bertie after
he made a comment many might agree with, more so a possibly socialist comment.
A comment that rails against personal profit that harms workers.

While
Bertie speaks of the deceased Michael O’Riordan - a Spanish Civil War veteran
and founder of the Communist Party of Ireland – as “one of those who were
willing to make an enormous sacrifice in the fight for democracy in Spain in the 1930s,” and
that “He was a fearless fighter for the Labour movement throughout his life”.
It’s left to the former Labour leader, Ruairi Quinn, to speak on the party’s
behalf.

In a January 2005 interview in Village,
Rabbitte couldn’t give straight answers to how Labour differs to other parties,
including the Progressive Democrats, he accused the interviewer, Vincent Browne,
of being “simplistic” and “provocative”. Rabbitte’s reason for not dealing with
FF is that he “thinks it’s very unhealthy for democracy to have a permanent
Fianna Fail” - opposition for the sake of opposition – only adding that they
would be in a stronger position with someone other then FF.

Rabbitte isn’t only having problems with a
“provocative” journalist, he also has had stints with disobedience party
members, notable on the left leaning side – that actual stands for something.
This isn’t about Rabbitte, but if you can accept the Labour leader panders to
the centre, which leader of the three largest parties most stands for socialist
ideas… could it be Bertie? In the running even?

If Rabbitte is central, no more left
leaning then the PDs or FG, how much of a stretch would it be to say Bertie is
more socialist? 

And the Kunst won’t talk to you
Because you kissed St Rollox Adieu
Because you robbed a supermarket or two
Well, who gives a damn about the prophets of Tesco?

Surely they mean profits???