In the past couple of weeks there have been reports of a new deadly strain of E. coli that has caused more than 2,000 illnesses in Europe and it seems it has now moved to the US.
I have a few things to say about it.
First of all, it is a pretty regular E. coli.  It […]

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The German constitutional court has just made a decision on the Lisbon treaty and clarified what it says about an EU-wide army.  The findings are available here -
http://www.nationalplatform.org/lisbon-treaty/german-constitutional-court.html
What is relevant for Ireland is this particular passage:
384
(2) The wording of the Treaty of Lisbon does not oblige the Member States to provide national armed forces for […]

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I have identified three areas where there is need for structural reform in order for Ireland to prosper in the future - electoral reform, educational reform and entrepreneurial reform.  These are my thoughts on these issues. 

1. Reform the system of election.  There should be at least 10% of the elected officials (Senate and Dail) without […]

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The most important thing that needs to be done when there is a pandemic strain of the flu is to decide who gets vaccinated first.
Naturally, you would think it is the front-line medics.  The doctors who will carry out the diagnoses and prescribe the mdeicine, nurses to mop the sweaty brows of the convalescing, the […]

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1. Banks: Why make good banks and bad banks?  In the national spirit, why not have some indifferent banks?  In such a scenario the bank manager would be pretty indifferent when you came in looking for a mortgage.  You ask for a mortgage and he is not sure about it, he’ll think about it and […]

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Left work at 7:15 pm last night (I’m marking exam scripts) and drove the 25 km home in the snow.
…and it only took me 2 hours.  Spent most of the journey watching the woman in front driving her rear-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo that constantly kicked out the back wheels and threatened to send her flying into […]

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Very interesting post about Libertas and that member of the landed gentry elite, Lord Ganley.:
http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/uh-oh-someone-better-tell-chairman-ganley-the-prague-libertas-office-doesnt-appear-to-be-returning-his-calls/

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I have just read how Minister Barry Andrews has referred the diocese of Cloyne to the Commission of Investigation into the Archdiocese of Dublin.
This is sad, though once again not surprising.  The level of protection the catholic church is offering to sex-offenders, even now is staggering.
The HSE have just published their investigation into the handling […]

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Sometimes all we have is our reputation.
This point has been illustrated very vividly this morning in Waterford, where the only thing of value, it seems, that is left in the Waterford Crystal factory is its reputation.  And indeeed, how valuable it is proving to be.  For more than 200 years this company has survived recessions, […]

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Was watching Questions and Answers last night and one thing came across stronger than ever.
Declan Ganley rabbits on about there being an elite in Brussels and they don’t listen to the people.  However, the truth is that the politicians in Brussels have to listen to the people, otherwise they don’t get elected.  They only got […]

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