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Diversity

• If someone asks you to carve your name into their eyeball, well, it’s time to take a leaf from Homer Simpson’s book and reverse out the door. I was at a book signing last year when this happened. The person was so enamored with the author of the book, that they asked for this special signature. Needless to say, the author didn’t volunteer it.

  Personally I would not like a signature on my eye ball. But some people would. You don’t have to look too far today to find people with skull-studs and skull-spikes and tattoos on their faces. Fair play to them. I don’t want a face like a prehistoric cave wall myself, but I am happy that we live in a country where you can have this if you wish.

  A democracy can be judged on how it treats it’s minorities. We must not fall into the trap of trying to push everyone through the same funnel. If we did this we would end up in a grey world; a world akin to 1984 with one party and one set of iron clad rules.

  There is a story about a guy called Markowitz who discovered that there is not one perfect type of pasta sauce, but rather perfect pasta sauces. Hence the reason we have so many varieties of pasta sauce, or mustard, or juice on our store shelves. People have different tastes, and only through providing a variety of choice to satisfy these tastes can we all be happy.

  So it appears that through embracing diversity we be truly be happy.

Informed Democracy

“A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy. A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives them.” – James Madison

 Mob rule is not a good thing. No civilised nation would condone it. Yet some might point to democracy as being a form of mob rule. They would be wrong. That is, they would be wrong as long as the majority are educated and informed – for this is the lifeblood of democracy.

 A nation can only be governed by majority rule when citizens are informed and educated. It is the responsibility of government, media, and community leaders to keep citizens informed. It is also the duty of the citizen and wider society to seek to be informed. An ill-informed electorate, or one in the grip of hysteria are capable of voting for anything and anyone.

 Newspapers, TV and the media in general is primarily concerned these days with making a profit. Thus fact is replaced by entertainment, honest debate by hysteria – whatever sells. We see this every day, particularly in the tabloids who scream at us about ‘MONSTERS’ in society and being ‘AWASH WITH CRIME’. The power of this type of journalism was proven recently in a forum with Frank Luntz, where a cross section of society were asked about their priorities. Many expressed a fear of crime, yet when pushed none of them had experienced crime. They were simply responding to the hysteria that now passes for news. This is dangerous for our democracy.

A misinformed electorate are capable of voting away civil rights in the mistaken belief that we are ‘AWASH WITH CRIME’ even though they themselves have no experience of it. How can we defend our freedoms by allowing government to remove them? What else can the press convince voters to vote for?

 Politicians are not without guilt in this matter. They waffle. They use smoke and mirrors. Many are unclear on what they stand for. In a true democracy the electorate would have a good idea as to what each candidate was standing for, what their record was on these issues, and what they are going to do once they have power.

 We must also be eternally wary of secretive administrations. A government that enforces ignorance is an enemy of democracy, and an enemy of the people. Informed and knowledgeable citizens would not allow this type of arrogance and mistrust to incubate.

 Our education system must also share some blame. Sir Ken Robinson has said that the education system has mined our minds the way we mined the earth. We are educated for work and for industry. We are not educated to think creatively. This needs to change. We need to be able to recognise when we are being manipulated, and to know what we really want and how best to achieve it.

 Some will also argue that we live in a free society, so the tabloid press should be allowed print what they like, and TV stations offer whatever news they like. My point is that as long as what is offered to us is based on commercial concerns then the vast majority of the electorate is being fed tainted information which threatens the quality of our democracy and perhaps eventually our freedoms themselves.

 The internet can help create a more informed electorate and encourage greater participation in our democratic process. Increasingly, the internet also is being used as a vehicle for citizens to organize and express their views. This is both a good and a bad thing, but for now there are many websites out there who are not out for profit. There are government websites out there which circulate information. Some newspapers have quite excellent comment and analysis on everyday issues from a variety of writers which help keep us informed and keep us questioning. We need to encourage this to keep our democracy vibrant.

 Some suggest that having a decentralised system would encourage citizens to remain informed about political matters as they would be voting with their feet; moving to more favourable jurisdictions depending on the policies they prefer.

 We, the electorate have a duty to remain informed. Our government has a duty to ensure that whatever information and knowledge we need is available to us. We cannot go about promoting democracy as a system of rule without also promoting an informed electorate as the very corner stone of democracy.

 
“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.” – Thomas Jefferson

 

 

The Politics of Mediocrity

The tribunals lumber on, making statements and sending out invoices, and we wonder at the end of it all what will we have gained for the time, money and press we have invested in them. Some say that the tribunals are essential if we are to tackle political corruption. Others suggest that there was never corruption, just good old-fashioned incompetence. Perhaps it is both. Certainly many of us wonder what goes on in that tent at the Galway races. And all of us know that you don’t get something for nothing. But whether or not we believe in corruption or incompetence in Irish political circles, what is certainly striking is the mediocrity of our political classes.

 It is very hard to understand what individual politicians stand for these days. There are far too many prevaricators, spoofers and spinners – and seriously few straight talkers. Some like to heckle, but offer no concrete solutions of their own. There are very few politicians of vision or leadership showing for an electorate who will soon be going to the polls. Why is this so? Is it because what we have now are not elections, but popularity contests? How can we have vision and leadership when everyone knows you can’t win a popularity contest unless you are popular?

 Politicians now need to appeal to the old and the young, the sick and the healthy, the family, the unions, the public service – the list is endless. As all politics moves towards the centre so do we all move, towards mediocrity.

 In times gone by, politics was considered an honorable profession. Not today. What Irish politician currently inspires the Irish people? Most insist on manipulating us, through PR gurus, into voting for them based on a choice of safe words and phrases, and safe policies. They go out of their way to coat what they are saying in so much fluff and double talk that we end up not knowing what they are saying, and thus not offended by it. We have people coming here from the U.S. teaching our politicians how to use the correct phrases and be popular, not how to be great leaders. Now the most popular gets to rule, not the most able, competent, gifted or inspired. We hear about ‘climate change’, not ‘global warming’. We hear about things being ‘not incorrect’, rather than simply being ‘correct’. We hear about something being ‘ill-advised’ instead of just saying ‘wrong’. It’s enough to dry up anyone’s brain.

 Perhaps the problem is our own low standards which encourage our politicians to disrespect us and rip us off (look at our roads, rail, hospitals, urban services etc).As we drift ever more into Rose of Tralee politics we can only blame ourselves for the mediocre state of the country, and for what comes after our economic boom. The triumph of style over substance and of fluff over tangible progress has left our democracy looking decidedly naked.

What is the actual development plan for Ireland?

I find it hard to believe that independent thought is put into urban planning in Ireland. Our towns and cities, with some exceptions, appear to expand in an ad-hoc manner. I have lived in many Irish towns and cities and I have witnessed first hand how they have developed. In my experience I have seen few which expanded in a civilised, well structured way. Many have been fine examples of thoughtlessness. Some bear the suspicious stench of corruption. Few look well thought out for the benefit of those who live there.

We are all well aware of the poor quality housing estates without schools, shops and recreation facilities that exist in every city, town and village in the country. What genius thought these were a good idea? We actually pay people to think about this, so what are these people doing?

Vested interests will talk the talk about the quality of Irish building. That may be the case, but this quality is not evident in any of the housing estates I have had the dubious privilege of visiting. And I am talking about my experience, and that of colleagues of mine – not some lofty report by the right-honourable so and so. I am talking about ordinary people’s experience here.

Recently I accompanied a friend who was interested in buying property in Germany. The quality of house builds there is quite a way superior to what we have here in Ireland. If we can’t get building quality right in times of economic boom, what hope of good quality housing in Ireland?

And as for corruption – we appear to have developer-led rather than planner-led policy. Other countries develop centres of population in conjunction with road, rail, schools, shops and recreation facilities. We develop the houses and the rest is an afterthought. I watch as the school where Roddy Doyle was a teacher is demolished, and I wonder will they put a thousand houses in there, and then complain about the lack of schools in the area. Or maybe I am too much of a cynic.

Today the Urban Forum has warned that Dublin’s suburban sprawl could lead to health problems for many people who live there. I got news for the forum. It already does. The stress involved in living in Dublin is something every Dubliner well knows. Not to mention the stress for those who commute to Dublin to work. It is not an experience any sane person would recommend. Commuters do this out of necessity, not choice.

The Urban Forum have suggested a second urban centre on the west coast. Yet the government are only interested in building motorways leading to Dublin, and we can only watch as Dublin sprawls out into surrounding counties with the inevitable reality that it can never have a good public transport system. It is doomed to eternal traffic problems due to abysmal planning. Can we even call it planning? I’m not sure.

The Urban Forum also want the National Spatial Strategy redrawn. This is funny stuff. For what is the National Spatial Strategy only a document, a nicely drawn map with lofty ideas which the government commissioned and then ignores. Ordinary people can see that there is a complete absence of strategy, from the top down, and a real lack of top class planning. We are not fooled. Tell us we are wrong. We are not stupid. We can see what is right before our eyes.

Other countries can look at us, and at Dublin, as the way to make a balls of things. Dublin is expanding so quickly it will soon occupy the same surface area as Los Angeles, but with less than a quarter of its population. And people GET PAID TO PLAN THIS!

The press constantly highlight the blight of road deaths. The government blame the people. I blame the planners. There wouldn’t be half the cars on the roads if they had got it right in the first place and did their jobs. We should send any penalty points received, along with the bills for health damage due to stress, to the planning office.

Health Insurance. Why?

I have to admit – I find the health insurance issue here in Ireland to be a confusing one. What exactly do we get for paying health insurance? Sure, the people who pay the top rates get to be seen in the top private hospitals. A woman who is planning to have children may want semi/private maternity care. Private health insurance allows you to skip waiting lists (is this morally right?) and get semi/private accommodation in both cases where applicable.

We often hear about the two tier health system, and how this is a bad thing. We also hear that the Government are doing everything possible to level the playing field. This is commendable. There shouldn’t be tiers when it comes to health. Nobody can deny that health is the most important thing in life. Everything else pales to insignificance when you don’t have it. So health ends up being the most costly item in the budget. As it should be. We even have a health ‘levy’ (read ‘stealth tax’) added to PRSI. But why do around 50% of us pay health insurance when only 10% of our neighbours across the water pay it?

 Our minister for health says this is due to community rating. That no doubt has a part to play. But it is also due to the fact that, bad and all as the NHS is, it is a far better and fairer system than over here. I have many friends in the UK. They pay little for visiting the doctor, or for prescriptions. There was a debate in the 70’s about us following the UK and having our own NHS style system. Vested interests won out. Weak politicians backed down. Decades later we are paying the price.

 Perhaps vested interests and weak politicians may also be the subject of a later article. But to stay on point here I would ask a question of those who pay health insurance: Why? Should we get the same service regardless of whether we have health insurance or not? How many ministers and TD’s have health insurance and still say they are against a two tier health system? Perhaps there is a case to be made for better accommodation and meals if you pay more for them, but better care?

 Yet the health insurance industry is important to the government. After all, isn’t health insurance a stealth tax of sorts; a way for the government to save money?

 Next time a politician comes to the door ask them if they would support a free health service at the point of delivery like the NHS, or would they prefer to force people to take out private health insurance due to health service failures. If you get a straight answer please let me know.

The west: awake?

This week you can’t pick up a paper or turn on the radio for talk of the ‘National Development Plan’. But what is it, only an old plan dusted off; the writing down of notions; a load of hot air. If the government think they can fool us with such a blatant pre-election gimmick…well…

What’s in this plan then? The construction of motorways and dual carriageways between Dublin and Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and the border. We heard this one before, and already paid for it with the last €34bn development plan. We paid for it and got…not a whole lot of road, but a boatload of stressed out drivers. €34bn well spent there, gimps.

There’s also talk of hubs and gateways, and of the western rail corridor. Talk. But we’ve had talk of these for a while now. Action? Sweet F.A.

If the government were serious about developing a counterpoint to Dublin’s continuing colonisation of the entire east coast and some parts of the midlands then it would not just be building a load of motorways leading to Dublin. It would also be building an actual road between Cork and Sligo. I say a ‘road’ because the cow-trail between Cork and limerick and Gort and Galway doesn’t count as one.

Irelands second, third and fourth largest cities lie on the west coast. That they aren’t even linked together by rail or decent roads is lamentable. These three centres of population linked by a respectable transport system would provide a realistic balance to growth on the east, and also help provide those in the west with a good quality of life.

I can never understand how the west allows itself to be so neglected. Galway and Limericks traffic problems are beyond belief. Each city has three bridges crossing the major rivers that divide them. Three bridges! Give us a break.

As for Cork – Cork must have the worst political representation in the country. The largest county and second largest city has a new airport that has lost 65 routes in recent times due to expensive landing charges and a debt that hangs in the air like last months stale cheese. What mention of this in the National Development Plan? No mention until after the election. Looks like government policy is to continue overcrowding Dublin airport, and to saddle Cork with a debt that will mean it’s sparkly new airport will remain empty.

Dublin’s railway stations were renovated to European standards over the past 5 years. Galway’s station is to be revamped. But plans for Kent station in Cork have been shelved indefinitely and instead the station will get a lick of paint.

There is a plan to link Galway to Limerick road of motorway standard, but the road between Limerick and Cork is to be two plus one – a sham. And we all know these roads will be the last to be built, if they are ever built at all. Why not construct a rail line beside a motorway all the way from Cork to Galway? Rail and road, side by side. If the representatives of the west could only get their act together and unite everyone from Cork to Donegal would benefit. And the east would benefit too – from less traffic congestion and a better quality of life.

There is no joined up thinking in this latest NDP. It is simply a pre-election gimmick. And while all roads lead to Dublin the west lies in slumber.

The west asleep, the west asleep.

Oil and gas prices down – Regulator where are you?

I was delighted to hear that oil touched a fresh 19-month low to under $53 a barrel yesterday. About time something went down in price for a change. But looking around at local filling stations you wouldn’t know that oil is back down to 2005 prices. Every station around here is selling for €1.03+.

In fact there isn’t much evidence of this decrease in the price of oil anywhere at all. Some companies are really cleaning up. The ESB must be laughing while it rolls about in power stations tiled with cash. Foreign companies haven’t failed to notice (like maybe the rest of us have) that they are paying 40% more for electricity now than they were 2 years ago. Gas prices are up 83% in the same period! Even though the price of gas in Britain (where Bord Gais buys its gas) has fallen dramatically in the last four months.

We don’t hear any complaints from TDs either. The huge increases in the cost of living over the past few years is easily covered by their €93,493 plus expenses pay packet. They are in for another big pay hike this summer while the rest of us are being warned about uncompetitive wage rises and the dangers they bring to the Irish economy.

Businesses will always attempt to price goods at the level the market will bear. But what about our energy regulator? If this were France we would be calling for his resignation. He sanctioned the massive increases in electricity and gas prices. Now he is silent. Where are the announcements of decreases in our electricity bills, taxi fares, gas bills, fuel surcharges etc? How frustrating it is to watch these costs ‘forced’ upwards by oil prices, and not a whisper about them as oil prices fall to the lowest they’ve been in almost two years. We are being royally conned, and the energy regulator should hang his head in shame.

Irish roads

It seems appropriate that I begin this new blog with a short piece about Irish roads. They’re crap.

Every time I have the misfortune of driving on one I remark to myself how I really must get this blog up and running and vent some frustration that will otherwise be left fester and boil and end up reducing my life by many years – a fate suffered by many Irish road users.

I know that the government will point out that they are building roads yada yada yada. But to still be without a main road between Dublin and Cork, Dublin and Limerick, Dublin and Galway and Dublin and Waterford is ludicrous. To believe that this is the norm in the world and that we needed to ‘catch up’ is to believe in the existence of leprechauns and faeries. Let’s face it – our infrastructure is rubbish and nobody in charge seems to know what the hell they are doing. Didn’t you ever notice that it is really only politicians or civil servants who tell us that we are ‘catching up’? Why don’t the Luas lines join up? Why wasn’t m50 overcrowding solved before the port tunnel was built? Why can the Spanish build an underground rail system in Barcelona and Balboa efficiently, quickly and cost effectively and yet one line that isn’t even entirely underground is estimated to cost us around one BILLION euro? Ever get the feeling that this ‘catching up’ process is going to go on forever?

There is no excuse for the road between Cork and Dublin. Sections of the road are no less than a bloody embarrassment. This is allegedly the main road between our two biggest cities. I submit that there is no main road. Only a road which happens to go between the two. I am choosing this road purposely as an example, because if we cannot connect our two main cities with a decent road in almost a hundred years of independence then it follows that other roads are perhaps even worse. There are bends on the Cork-Dublin road that should have been removed long ago. That they remain to this day is laughable. That commuters and traders sit in their vehicles at Abbeyleix for an hour or more at peak times is a disgrace. There are worse stories than this. If I were to highlight them all then this article would be hundreds of pages long.

All I can say for sure is that driving in Ireland is one of the most stressful things that anyone can do. That our ‘leaders’ have allowed this situation to develop is nothing short of a disgrace.