So I did say it was going to be a very long day. Worse off then when we started, people who are not going for re-election convince a Taoiseach who doesn’t reveal information and can’t run the country that he has done nothing wrong. So he’s going to have a chat with a load of retiring TD’s and many other unelectables to see if he should run the country for a little bit longer. Nice of him.
Meanwhile Senator Dan Boyle on Facebook (no instruction to tweet?)
Yes there are serious issues afoot. Yes we are unhappy about what’s going on. But we’ve half disengaged from government. There will be an election in weeks. Until then we expect others to sort our their situation.
Half disengaged from government. Ah sure that’s ok then. Isn’t it? I can smell the Dettol and Domestos from here.
Wednesday was a very long day, with lots of long questions and longer answers, few of them to the questions that were being asked in the Dáíl. As I depart for bed word reaches me that Thursday may be even longer. #ffheave Goodnight.
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The website is still not working so Enda Kenny was spot on when he said he said he was going to stand it down but he is back in town ready for the Dáíl.
In remarks just delivered on the plinth of Leinster House he’s talking about his plans to ‘Get Ireland Working’. You may remember this from the research I covered at the end of last month.
“Fine Gael has the plan to get Ireland working. It’s a plan based on five key priorities:
Protecting and creating jobs;
Better and fairer Budgets that keep taxes low;
Smaller, better government where front line services are prioritised
over backroom waste;
A completely new heath system; and
A more effective, less expensive political system.
“Over the coming weeks, I and my colleagues in the Fine Gael look forward to engaging with the Irish people on the details of our plan to get Ireland working again.”
So there’s his ideas, he has some and doesn’t need to wait for the public to ‘cyber’ him whenever the passwords are changed and the video reloaded and it’ll be time to stand it up again.
Amnesty International and See Change are hosting a number of public events on the subject of ending discrimination and stigma in the area of mental health.
One of the current projects supported by both groups First Fortnight which takes place this Saturday in Dublin with a public debate on the subject of Have attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems really changed? Those taking part will include novelist Colm Tobin, GAA Star Liam Hayes, Dr. Siobhan Barry, and Amnesty CEO Colm O’Gorman. Details on obtaining a free ticket to the event are available here.
Much of the public discourse about mental health issues is not from people openly speaking of their experience of problems with their health. Politicians and policy makers argue constantly about funding and places in institutions, the media coverage is about the location of facilities or voyeuristic misinformed comment on criminal issues. There is little pride on the issue or celebration regarding recovery or supports available or acknowledgement that there is difference and that’s just the way things are meant to be. Opposition has gathered in local communities against the locating of community housing and drop in venues. Rights and entitlements for those who experience mental health difficulties are also frequently overlooked with emphasis on protection of everyone else. The medical model has ruled the discourse also. However despite all this there have been powerful examples of social movements growing of survivors, of Mad Pride, of self help.
The video below launched recently by Amnesty has no voiceover artists or actors or celebrities, just people talking about their experiences. More please.
(Find details of meetings organised by See Change (a national partnership of organisations committed to reducing stigma on mental health) around the country here.)
All together now! Ahhh! [Ok so she didn’t correct his spelling but that will come soon no doubt!]
Some of us were expecting a FF heave after Mary’s earlier tweet yesterday. But she explained later that while she did mean it, it was the election she wanted (don’t we all Deputy!) and not the end of the Taoiseach. Yet.