Maman Poulet

Did you ever think you’d see the day??

Only a week ago Brendan Fay and his partner Tom Moulton were making headlines as Polish president Lech Kaczynski used footage of their wedding ceremony in Canada to illustrate why the Lisbon treaty was not such a good thing.

The footage and display of the couple’s Canadian marriage certificate is a about 2.25 into the political broadcast (I’ll leave my commentary on the delights of Polish political broadcasting to another day)

Now Brendan is in Poland to appear on TV after making complaints to the Polish Consulate. A TV company have flown him over, the Polish gay movement are hoping to use the visit to discuss domestic partnerships and from my sources in Warsaw things have gone a bit nuts on the Fay front.

Fay arrived yesterday in Warsaw to scenes of chaos at the airport.

Brendan is originally from Drogheda and is no stranger to controversy having been involved in ILGO – the group that campaigned to march in the St. Patricks Day Parade in New York. Being involved in ILGO is not controversial in and of itself but Brendan left ILGO to form another group which took part in and organised a inclusive St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Queens.

The sexuality of the chaplain to the Fire Department of New York was also a subject of note for Fay. Following Fr. Mychal Judge’s death Brendan and others spoke about and commemorated Judge’s sexuality not without much comment and horror from those in the mainstream and catholic media.

And now he’s in Poland talking about the Polish President and his homophobia. A Polish MP, Nelly Rokita, says the President should meet Fay whilst blaming his senior advisor for using the wedding video.

She would happily meet with the gay man from the Presidential address. “In order to see how far Europe, the USA and Canada have lost their way on these issues. Our culture and customs are different and I hope that they will allow us to be ourselves”. She emphasized “God gifted me with the luck of being normal, but I respect the differences of others”.

(From a translation provided by KPH)

The advisor Mr. Kamiński meanwhile is saying no way (in Polish!) to any meeting with President Kaczynski. Brendan will no doubt keep trying!

More from Warsaw as I get it.

* Lots of poetic license being used in the title of this post – seemingly they all think Brendan is American and the Poles love anything star spangle bannered.

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So Wordpress 2.5 is uploaded and I’m having a play around the blog. I’m really liking the new blog technology – you won’t see anything different – yet. But the dashboard and layout for writing blog posts is really good. I’m in an uber nerdy mood at the moment. Don’t worry I’ll get back to blogging about something soon enough!

Anyway I wanted to have a go at finding photo’s to use to illustrate blogposts I have in mind over the next month. Jazz Biscuit has a plug in for bloggers to use to find photo’s on Flikr which can be used non commercially.

I did a few searches for different terms.

For ‘feminist’ I find Real Women don’t use apostrophes.

Photo owned by CarbonNYC (cc)

And for ‘Damien Mulley’

Photo owned by topgold (cc)

And would you look what i found under Irish Blog

Photo owned by Eoin O’Mahony (cc)

Many thanks to the photographers for letting their photos be used in this way and thanks to Jazz Biscuit for the plug in. I think I’ll be having a lot of fun!!!!

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…and take yer capall with you!

I’m really enjoying Des Bishop learning the cupla focal in In the Name of the Fáda and now I see this making the rounds on You Tube. (h/t Keith)

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Maybe you are like me and this morning received a copy of the March 2008 newsletter from Dublin City Council listing properties throughout the city which will be available for purchase under the affordable housing scheme. There are a variety of properties on offer in Dublin 1, 2, 17 and the Docklands (that’s Dublin 1 and 2 I suppose)

I say available for purchase – not without having your teeth pulled.

First you have to enter into a draw along with thousands of others having expressed your preferences, then you have to get picked out, then you have to be made an offer, then you have to show you are entitled to the offer, then you have get mortgage approval, then you get to see the property! Then you choose to accept or reject.

And the thing that really hit me beyond the lack of information on what will be in the actual properties themselves fittings and spacewise – the majority of the properties listed in the newsletter do not have car parking spaces – so they don’t expect people to have cars for the next 20 years (the length of time one would have to own it before not being penalised by the state for selling it) or am I missing something here?? I completely get that one might not need a car to get around town but you may well own one for other reasons, like traveling or working outside of the City, shopping, mobility issues, transporting children and older people.

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From Petfinder (via OMGblog)

‘Deciding that they were not going to adhere to normative chicken social conventions Julius and Big Daddy have chosen one another as companions. Thus, against the odds, we are seeking a rooster-savvy home where they can stay together for the rest of their days. Big Daddy is Julius’ protector, and at night he roosts over Julius like a mama hen sitting on a brood of chicks! Obviously the idea of separating these guys is just too heartbreaking to even consider!’

I’m happy to report that Big Daddy and Julius are headed for a home to roost in Alabama. Normative Chicken Social Conventions well and truly messed with!

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If I want my feed aggregated in an Irish political hub then I’ll sort it – Something Marketing (based in Eastcliff House, Glanmire, Cork) nicks posts of prominent bloggers for their own hubs and makes it look like the posters have contributed as part of their ‘community’. The terms and conditions and privacy policy sections of the site are blank – no surprise there then.

To make it very clear I don’t contribute my posts to this commercial enterprise and don’t receive anything for their inclusion. I’m dammed if someone is going to get google ad clicks and whatever else for my post to line their own pockets and pretend they’re doing it for the good of ‘the cause’. There’s some sort of business directory that they’re charging for and allegedly free space for NGO’s and other groups to publish on their something.ie page whenever they publish to their own page and the point being??

For the record the political hub/aggregator I currently participate in is Politics in Ireland. If there are other attempts at community that are not involved in making cash and exploiting bloggers then feel free to contact me for my feed/thoughts/comments. I’m all for sharing the love…consensually!

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I’m trying to get audio on the full interview given by John McGuinness on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Show this afternoon – but have a transcript of the important bits from a press release they’ve just issued. Will update the post later.

‘Minister McGuinness told Lunchtime with Eamon Keane on Newstalk 106-108fm that he didn’t think Bertie Ahern’s interview with RTE’s 6.01 News was beneficial:

“The case was presented. Maybe that’s part of the difficulty that we’re now experiencing because people are measuring what’s being said against that particular public appeal or public statement. I think they are taking that measurement, those that are interested, those that are still engaged with the Tribunal are perhaps looking at it, and measuring against that public statement. And that’s what’s causing concern and confusion for others, and sadness for more people, so there’s a whole mixture of emotions in there.”

Eamon Keane then asked Minister McGuinness if the RTE interview was a mistake:

“Given the amount of information that has emerged from the Tribunal since then, it was perhaps better if all of that had emerged, or been allowed to emerge without any intervention. It’s always a judgement call to as to whether you’ll do something at the beginning, the middle or the end of a contribution to a court case or a Tribunal, and sometimes you’re better to hold your peace and to say nothing, and maybe that might have been a better course to take in this instance. But what’s done is done and there’s nothing you can say about that.”

Minister McGuinness also outlined the damage the Tribunal evidence is having on the public as well as Fianna Fail:

“There is now doubt that it is having an effect on the party. No political party would like to see its leader pulled around like this, in these sorts of circumstances. There is no doubt about that. Publicly, I suppose people are concerned about the Tribunal and what’s happening there. And it’s up to the Taoiseach to convince them otherwise… It’s hard for me on a personal basis to see him in that difficulty or to see that evidence being given because of all the questions it brings up.”

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Senator Eoghan Harris on the Last Word (he always saves his best for Today Fm!) yesterday talking about women, childbirth and misogyny (I kid you not!)

“…A lot of women who leave jobs for marriage and for children do not really recollect instantly what happened 13 years ago, 13 years ago…. Certainly I don’t have that kind of memory. She [Ms. Carruth] rings true when she doesn’t remember that far back, 13 years, 3 children in between, a marriage with all it’s ups and downs….”

All the women who have appeared before the Tribunal have suffered it’s mysogyny he continued. It seems it also failed to take into account that marriage, childbirth or being the life partner in Celia Larkin’s case, could have on women’s memories.

He’s obviously still failing to see ‘Where’s the corruption in all this’….

Meanwhile Gavin flags up Law and Order – Mahon Tribunal Unit. Ah but where is Mariska Hargitay!!!

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Herman and Wilkinson hold weekly household item auctions in their rooms in Rathmines. Next Thursday morning the ‘extensive’ wine collection of fugitive solicitor Michael Lynn goes under the hammer.

The auctioneers have no idea what treasures await them as they have not seen the lots yet themselves. The wine was seized by the sheriff from Lynn’s property in 20 St. Alban’s Park, Sandymount, the property which failed to sell at auction earlier this month.

Maman Poulet is thinking about going – because she would really enjoy toasting him. Anyone care to join me?

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The man from the building society says that B/T account meant Bertie/Tim to him back in 1994 – I still prefer Bartholomue’s Treasury!! But that may not be too far off the mark!

And then there’s Grainne Carruth – whom I never heard about until today – and who will be someone we’ll be hearing a lot more about tomorrow.

The violence/post Paddy’s Day clean up/priest dodging tax court case means that people will have missed what happened at the Mahon Tribunal at Dublin Castle today. Never fear the marvelous Gavin is on the ball.

Please let someone reenact this tomorrow pretty please!!! I’m feeling a bit sorry for Ms. Carruth. She only did the lodging and now she has to do some remembering. Previous to this she was the person cashing Bertie’s pay cheques and leaving the money in the drawer.

And can we be assured that whatever happens in the tribunal tomorrow will be properly reported on tomorrow evening? The full transcript of todays proceedings is here.

I’m no Mahon expert – but I want to know why there is so much sterling going into the B/T account – in cash! And how did it get into the country?? Tim Collins did the lodging there – where did he get that money?

Then there’s the sterling going into Bertie’s personal account, Cecelia’s and Georgina’s account – and the woman that did the lodging didn’t remember and in fact said she didn’t until the Tribunal showed her the paperwork saying she had.

Any ministers back in the country yet??

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