According to United Kingdom’s Retail Research centre (as published by Sunday Times 15th November ), Irish employee’s are rated the most light fingered in Europe. The centre estimates that nearly 40% of all missing goods are taken by employee’s. Which in the Irish context is nearly €170 million worth of goods.

Ireland however is ranked only 11th in actual shoplifting, you can find out who took that record here- World News. It’s good that we didn’t come first for that as well !! The poor state of the economy as well as low wages and the general malaise if politicians and solicitors can do it so can we mentality.

Don’t think it is good for the country to have a record like that, it could effect investment by foreign companies, employment and so on.

Do you think this report is justified are other nations more honest than the Irish or the Irish dishonest ??

Or is it a piece of “paddy-bashing”  by an English newspaper ???

There you have it, Ireland says “bye-bye ” to South Africa 2010 after failing to qualify after the “helping hand”  of Thierry Henry put France ahead. Certainly the referee and the linesmen fell down on not picking up on Henry’s handling of the ball, but some of the French players looked like they were offside as well. Another thing why wasn’t there a break after full time ? Ireland were clearly exhausted … Not having one suited the French. Still Ireland should have not left it all to do in Paris either, somewhat like doing all your revision for an exam the night before very stressful. The campaign for a replay was never a runner really was it ?

Just noticed a letter that arrrived lately from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions ( ICTU ) on their ” Get Up Stand Up ” campaign. It’s in opposition to the planned Government cut-backs in services in the December 9th budget and other measures planned throught-out the year .

The Government seemingly found it prudent to borrow a massive  €54 billion to bail out property speculators, I kid you not €54 billion for s-p-e-c-u-l-a-t-o-r-s , not for a swanky new metro for Dublin or light rail for Cork or Limerick, upgraded public transport to finally bring it to Western european standards or other measures to generate employment.

No it’s €54 billion for s-p-e-c-u-l-a-t-o-r-s.

To hide the disaster ( and the fact that basically the national debt has been doubled), they have created a new agency called the National Asset Management  Agency ( NAMA ). It’s not like the Government wasn’t warned of property bubble imploding, it’s been flagged for years. Nama is likely to go on for ten to fifteen years with no indication of any possible claw back by sale of assets etc…

The people who are been asked to pickup the tab are mainly people who were bypassed by the boom. They are also going be asked to bear the brunt of government imposed cutbacks. Charming What ?

Links of interest

getupstandup.ie

National Asset Management Agency ( NAMA )

Nama is Highway Robbery

Protest Marches are planned for Friday 6th.

See what you make of this … I didn’t write it of course, just came across it. The blogsphere is something else isn’t it ?

http://bigmentaldisease.com/ireland/bertie-the-bollocks/

This is the Breaking News, newly installed U.S President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel prize by the committee in Olso Norway. Barack Obama has yet to complete a year in office and has negotiated no  international peace treaties or settlements so far.  The award is for his efforts to strengthen diplomacy  and  co-operation between peoples. I believe the award is given in hope for the future. Barack Obama has yet to show whether he is a man of Peace or a Man of War.

Here is a link to the Nobel Institute

There you have it … the No side was well trounced with a result of 67 %-Yes to 33 % -No.

Though the campaign was one sided with the “Yes” side getting all the media coverage and seemingly the Referendum commission on their side as well. The No’s did as well as they could (including a very late entry by Declan Ganley & Libertas). They could have empathized the loss of sovereignty, giving so much away in return for so little. The No side also failed to sink the Yes’s campaign about Lisbon been good for the economy etc.. etc.. Lisbon will not do anything for the economy, no jobs- no money.

The treaty is very undemocratic (unelected President and Foreign minster), it’s also very pro-big business at the expense of workers right and largely hands over the reins of the EU to France and Germany.

We better get used to all the decisions been made in Paris and Berlin for better or worse.