Maman Poulet

Yesterdays Irish Mail on Sunday and today’s Irish Times report that former solicitor Michael Lynn was arrested earlier this month in Budapest. The Hungarian Police wanted to extradite him but couldn’t as there are (still) no criminal charges against him. The only charges outstanding in Ireland are contempt of court.  Lynn therefore had to be released by the police in Budapest.

The arrest in Hungary was on the impetus of the Hungarian authorities.  So what has Michael been up to in Hungary that has brought him to the attention of the police and why are they so anxious to get rid?  They investigated reports on fraud related issues before in early 2008.  Have there been further reports? (I’ve not read the Mail on Sunday so it could be outlined there but I know I have Lynn interested readers all over Europe who might wish to shed some light!)

I suppose we should also be asking the question about why the Irish Authorities 22 months on have not yet prepared charges against Mr. Lynn. (For all related posts – and there are many – on Michael you may care to wade through this).

PS. Michael I’m in Portugal next month if you fancy a chat? You might be spending more time there these days rather than Budapest?

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In case you were wondering where he was and what he was thinking, Declan Ganley replies to a twitterers query. Note his new fondness for txtspk.

And they all lived happily ever after. 

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Last week in my Google reader from the Progressive Democrats. They still haven’t gone away.

ERROR: One of the search patterns caused engine to hang. Please report this to Feed43 team.

(Couldn’t the person putting the lights out and giving the archives to UCD,  put the website etc out also?)

Do you ever think about what they’d be saying about the property price crash, the builders, NAMA etc. if they weren’t going away?

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Paschal Donohoe is a rare breed – a politician who blogs and tweets his way through the summer. Yesterday’s blog entry was rather special though.

Our Oireachtas is now led by a man who is literally a waster. I can’t understand why he is still in his job and why he hasn’t commented on a month of revelations.

…

In the UK the Speaker of the House of Commons resigned because he did not represent the spirit of where the Commons needed to go in the future. How can the current Ceann Comhairle represent a spirit of change?.

Usually, Fianna Fail does not do resignations and has a history of sheltering wrongdoers. But the sheer scale of the outrages he has inflicted on the Irish taxpayer means must make his position untenable, even in the eyes of that Party.

The fact that he is the Ceann Comhairle- the Speaker of the Irish Parliament- makes his resignation even more urgent. The esteem in which politicians are held is at an historic low. We cannot allow the reputation of the Houses of the Oireachtas be dragged even further into the mire by this man.

Is this the first nail in the Ceann Comhairle’s political coffin?

If you don’t know what Senator Donohoe is talking about and have not been reading the Sunday Tribune  and the work of Ken Foxe or Gavin Sheridan’s show and tell  on Gavinsblog you should hang out there a bit and see the bills mounting up on Minister’s cars to horse-racing and between terminals in Heathrow Airport and asking the FAI to get him tickets for Manchester United matches and money paid to ‘Indians’ for portering the luggage.  It’s the story that took the silly out of ’silly season’.

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Continuing the irregular series of ‘Know your yes or no to Lisbon Group‘ today I bring you the Charter Group.

Launching next week the group will be campaigning for a yes vote and is not a group of  settlers but various Trade Unionists who’ve assembled to put together information on why workers should vote yes.

Chaired by Des Geraghty (Former SIPTU President) the group is aiming to show

‘ how the Lisbon Treaty has the potential to improve workplace rights and employment protections in Ireland and across Europe, including rights to collective bargaining and collective action. This is because the Treaty would establish the European Charter of Fundamental Rights as primary EU law for the first time, giving a wide range of human and civil rights – including workplace rights – the same legal status as existing EU laws and treaties governing internal EU trade.

The Vice Chairs  include Senator Ivana Bacik, Peter McLoone (General Secretary, IMPACT), Steve Fitzpatrick (General Secretary, Communications Workers’ Union) and Clare Tracey (Director of Social Policy, Irish Nurses Organisation).   Blair Horan (General Secretary of the CPSU) is Secretary of the group.

A 24 page booklet ‘Lisbon and your Rights at Work: Why the Lisbon Treaty is
good for Workers and their Unions’ (yes I know you can’t wait!) will be launched next week and another group for a yes vote will be let loose into the myriad of photo ops, radio debates, and public meetings and looks like being Lisbon II.

(Update Sept.1 The Charter Group Website has gone live.)

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Speaking about wanting to ban sunbeds Minister for Health Mary Harney today

“I would personally like to ban sunbeds for everybody,” the minister said. “It’s a no-brainer – we know the huge level of skin cancer in Ireland, we know that sunbeds are dangerous and hugely contributing to people developing skin cancer.”

A No-Brainer Minister!  Here’s an example of where you need to find your brain and declare the next no-brainer.

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h/t Huffington Post

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Last Friday a group of 18 male asylum seekers in Ennis  received a fax from the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) telling them them that they had a week to pack up their belongings and move to places they didn’t know. It’s not deportation (something which happens in this state far more than we know about  because nobody’s watching), no staff member of the RIA appeared to break the news, they hid behind a fax machine instead.

After up to 5 years of waiting for the state to deal with their asylum applications they found out that these still were not dealt with.  But the state is going to move them from the community they had come to know and lose the friendships and support systems they relied on to cope with the experience of seeking asylum.

They were told that they would get a bus ticket to Killarney, Tralee or Sligo and an address to report to and would be moving in about a week. There was no consultation with the men and no preparation on the emotional and psychological damage that they may be experiencing.  They also can not speak out because they are afraid that their asylum applications could be affected.

The state hopes that nobody is watching or listening  as they move these men around.  Sure nobody cares about asylum, refugee status, the process of law and procedures of hearing claims  or indeed human rights in the era of the recession.  There may be fewer people seeking asylum but the state still lags behind in the organisation of the asylum system and the fair and prompt hearing of applicaitons.

Ennis however is a town that has a lot of experience with integration and providing accommodation and support to asylum seekers. Many of the men who received their fax telling them they are to move have been involved in community organisations and have volunteered in order to keep themselves occupied and to integrate with the community they live in.  Active Citizenship I believe the government call it.

Local people know these men, work with them and are horrified at the manner that their neighbours are being treated.  In fact the local organisations working on integration and immigration issues worked on a plan on Integrated Strategy for the Co ordination of services to the Immigrant Communities in Clare which was  move launched by the Minister for State with responsibility for integration last April.

The junior minister and indeed his successor and their agencies didn’t tell anyone that this was being planned. Any other type of  institution that is being closed would have a period of preparation for closure where supports could be provided to those being moved. Referrals to towns and organisations could be made in order that they would not be completely isolated.

And Mohammad Ali arrives next month to be awarded the freedom of Ennis.  Cead Mile Failte Ali.

* Blog post title comes from a song sung by Christy Moore about Travellers and state persecution and harassment.

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Delighted to see that there is a new and updated Spoofers Guide to Lisbon from Jason O’Mahony. It should be widely read and reproduced! Great stuff in Chicken Nugget sized portions.

So, what to say about the Lisbon Treaty? Is it dry? Dry? It’s so dry that batches of it should be stored around Europe for use during floods. Tedious? Call it tedious and you’ll get sued by Tedium for character assassination. It’s boring, but what did you expect?  It’s a treaty. What child ever ripped off the wrapping paper on Christmas morning and went “Oh! The Treaty of Versailles! You shouldn’t have! I’m going to activate the stability destroying reparation mechanisms against Germany right now!� Actually, if you do know a child who did that, go and hide in a cave somewhere.

Lisbon and Humour/Satire may be a running theme this referendum cycle. Ok this is me wishful thinking but I am reading 100 reasons to vote Yes to Lisbon II and it’s producing the odd chuckle and yelp and nod of agreement. Review to come shortly.

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That’s right – 44 days to go to the Lisbon II referendum. In the meantime as well as this most important vote on the future of European political co-operation and it’s rules and regulations we’ll have an early return of the Dail and the Seanad,  NAMA, more reaction to An Bord Snip including a protest from  SIPTU community sector groupings at the end of September.

It’s fairly clear that this campaign is setting up to be a fairly politician free zone and politician won’t be sorry to save shoe leather (Pascal Donohue went through 3 pairs in the last bye-election) while they continue to try to save the country (yes that is what they are supposed to be doing I hear you say.)

No this does not mean that we will be spared Dick Roche, but the posters of politicians faces subliminally saying ‘trust me and elect me in the next election’ will not be around and I don’t think parties will be doing door to door either.  This is to be a citizen led operation.

Every day there’s a new yes grouping or campaign being launched. Yesterday it was Business for Europe, in the coming weeks it’ll be the Christians, Lawyers, Trade Unionists, and oh maybe even a few farmers.  No need for a Men for Europe Group – they’re everywhere already.

Women for Europe’s campaign material is not bad at all. The idea of talking with groups of women informally all over the country and un-spinning the rubbish from Coir and others about conscriptions and microchipping babies is a great idea and something that may work but there’s only 44 days.

*PS Business for Europe’s Website is not working is now up and running, Good morning IBEC.

What won’t work in Ireland is the celebrities – Bill Cullen, Packie Bonner and Eimear Quinn (ex Anuna/Eurovision winner in case you are going who?) does not a winning campaign make.  The no side – sorry I mean no sides because there were be many facets there – don’t do celebrities – except for Jim Corr and Mary Lou McDonald.

Local and national celebrities are being called by We Belong urging them to come out and fly the flag for a yes side because there won’t be politicians, bankers, priests and the like on the campaign trail.

And then there are the ‘We Belong’ t-shirts and photos of campaign staff wearing them.

Is this campaign about winning the referendum or about getting a job when it’s all over?

More in Know your Yes or No Lisbon Campaign Group to come in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile if anyone spots a Politician on a canvass let me know.  Bonus points for spotting Declan Ganley.

Also what directions have Party HQ’s given local organisations on when they can come out of hiding campaigning can begin? tips@mamanpoulet.com

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