Soapbox « Thurles Information

Tourism Figures – “Lies, Damned Lies And Statistics”

A shout of “hurrah,” deafened this country, coming from the Internet searching Press Reporters of Ireland today.

For according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), figures, published on-line this week, more than 30,000 extra visitors came to Ireland in the period December 2012 – February 2013.

These marvellous, encouraging new figures from the CSO could indicate that tourist numbers actually did grow over the period December 2012 – February 2013, as the Government’s ‘The Gathering,‘ initiative got under-way.

Per the CSO, in the period December 2012 – February 2013, the total number of trips undertaken to Ireland increased by 2.6% to 1,176,100 – an overall increase of 30,200 bodies, compared to the same period twelve months earlier.

The present Government is aiming to attract 325,000 more tourists to Ireland this year. None, I hasten to add, have materialized here in Thurles, or indeed North Tipperary, to any great degree this year to date.

Can these CSO figures be accurately proven or should they be categorised under a heading, which is attributed to the 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881,) by the American author and humorist Mark Twain, the former who supposedly stated “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Emigration from Ireland in the twelve months to April 2012 is estimated to have increased to 87,100 from 80,600 in the year to April 2011. Add another 10,000 at least to these figures to keep us in line with 2013 figures not yet presented.

The question must now be asked, purely to curb the use of statistics being used to bolster weak arguments; “How many of these so called ‘extra visitors,‘ were simply these same former, forced emigrants returning from abroad for a brief spell, to be with their families for the Christmas season, before returning back into exile, where paid work for them is more easily available?”

Forgive the humour, but in this country “The problem with unemployment is that it’s not working.”

Are the Irish people & hence the world, being drip-fed with the fertiliser normally attributed to the nourishing of the Mushroom Crop, grown in the darkness of a producers poly-tunnel ?

As my once wise old granny used to say, after I had retrieved the hurling ball, before she discovered the smashed window pane “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” In other words, as in a mathematical formula: “Travel,” implies “Visitor,” but “Visitor,” is false, therefore “Travel,” is false.

Anyone care to discuss?

New Broadcasting Charge Due In Value For Money Report

News of further possible taxation as Labour Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte states that everyone will now have to pay a new ‘Broadcasting Charge,’ latter which will replace the annual TV Licence. This charge will be made, regardless of whether or not you actually own a Television Set.

The Minister has informed the Dáil that he is due to receive a ‘Value For Money Report,’ (Probably the first one in the history of the Irish State.) recommending the best way to implement this new Broadcasting Charge. Same report is expected to be ready by the end of March.

The new charge will take account of the fact that people, who may not own actual TV receiving equipment, just maybe viewing TV programme content on mobile devices such as Smart phones, Tablets or Laptops. Let’s therefore call this new tax for what it really is, “The Technology Tax.”

Like Water Charges, Household Charges, Septic Tank Charges & Property Tax, Labour Minister Pat Rabbitte believes that his new Broadcasting Charge or Technology Tax should be implemented on every home in the country regardless, since access to programme content is not dependent on the ownership of just a Television Set.

Minister Rabbitte stated, “Everybody benefits from the availability of these services, regardless of how content is accessed or relayed to the public, and therefore it is my view that the cost should be borne by society as a whole.”

Are we, the taxpayer, to now pay for the compensation correctly paid to Fr Kevin Reynolds, latter seriously libelled and defamed by false allegations in ‘Mission to Prey,’ by an over paid RTÉ gutter press, who seriously believe they are entitled to the same pay as professional footballers?

Can we expect RTÉ cameras ‘to roll,’ shortly in an effort to depict why the world should now visit our ‘green red-necked abode,’ during this year’s “The Gathering 2013,” instead of being recommended, in repeat programmes, to take Airboat Rides in Orlando’s Florida Everglades?

Can our children perhaps expect to view some educational children’s programmes, during and around the time we air “Judge Judy,” perhaps in the not too distant future?

TV Licences do not exist, at all, in Australia, so surely if we, The Taxpayer, must fund RTÉ salaries & programming, then we should also have some small control over its current programming content or must we continue to seek out foreign channels that actually do entertain?

Government Continue Their Weekly New Taxation Introductions

Despite the austere ‘Budget 2013,’ measures introduced on December 5th 2012 last, the search for gaining other ways of imposing further taxes on the Irish nation continues unabated.

Children’s Allowance May Be Taxed

Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection, has suggested this week that taxing Child Benefit is now a possibility & the fairest way to make reforms to monthly payment to some 600,000 Irish families.

The Ministers expert Government Commission Group is understood to be recommending that these payments be taxed or a two tier system be now put in place regarding these payments.

This report from the ‘Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare,’ will be brought before the Cabinet for discussion on Tuesday next.

While this Government’s Commission Group Report does strangely acknowledge the necessity to retain this family support for the rich, by keeping these universal payments in place, the Minister will now undertake to decide how to achieve the best outcome. Meanwhile children whose bread winners are unemployed & other low income families must now await the outcome of Tuesday’s Cabinet decision.

These latter individuals are those who in an effort to make ends meet, were forced in recent months, to gorge their bellies on incorrectly labelled Beef Bolognese Sauce, Cottage Pies, Beef Lasagne’s & Burgers, same containing 100% Horse meat, Pig DNA & other foreign frozen assorted beef trimmings, thus ensuring that some wealthy criminal factions in our midst, once again increased their company profits by deceit.

I can still hear my granny, speaking from the shadows, cast by the paraffin oil lamp, warning me, “It is far from Beef Bolognese Sauce & Beef Lasagne’s you were all reared. Take care that ye do not end up wearing an S.& A.G. Davis flour sack for a petticoat, in your not to distant futures.”

[Explanation: For those of you who were not around in the 1950’s, local shopkeepers, back then, were being continuously propositioned by low income families, to put aside any empty large S.& A.G. Davis bulk flour sacks, which were then manufactured by this same company, using light weight white linen material. This much sought after large linen sack was then recycled by enterprising rural women folk, mainly to make pillow cases & bed sheets, but also (& I whisper) young ladies undergarments. The difficulty, however, with these sacks when recycled, was that users could never remove that red dyed imprinted lettering, S.& A.G. Davis, latter which remained very clearly visible on any hand sewn garment, despite scrubbing & bleaching, thus causing some little embarrassment on occasion to a proud wearer.]

Still this decision on children’s allowance could mean the end of ‘Ballet Classes,’ for those on the upper income scale.

Further Property Stealth Taxes On The Way

Meanwhile, as irresponsible & criminal meat processors and dealers continue to tamper with the fruits of honest Tipperary farming folk, in order to steal an extra buck, yesterday’s Sunday Business Post reports that hard pressed house owners may again be hit with yet another charge, on top of Minister Phil Hogan’s patriotic €100 Household Charge & his soon to be imposed and much sought Property /Water charges.

It appears that County Councils and/or Local Authorities have the legal right to recoup the cost of unpaid development levies from burdened home owners. Development levies, you might vaguely remember, were charges forced on dodgy developers to cover the cost of connecting properties to essential public utilities, e.g. sewage & water, much of which was ignored or simply went unpaid by unscrupulous builders.

Wicklow County Council were first ‘out of the trap,’ last week in this venture, seeking payment of over €65,000, & have accordingly sent letters to home owners requesting payments of up to €4,800, which they are now legally entitled to pursue through the courts, if deemed necessary.

New Suggestion To Increase Government Revenue

I was just thinking the other day, is it not peculiar that this Government has not, as yet, introduced a licence on our Irish cat population, after all the family dog has been licensed for many years. Then I suppose Minister Phil Hogan might interpret such licensing action as somewhat racist, him being a Kilkenny Cat, if you understand me.

On the issue of dog fouling, mentioned in the Sunday Independent yesterday, since our family dogs are fully paid up community tax contributors, surely they are well within their rights to cock their leg, on the odd occasion at least, near Kilkenny Golf Club, without Minister Hogan, his overpaid senior special advisers and a number of his wealthy constituents voicing grave concerns. His action after all forced an impoverished Kilkenny Co Council into erecting embarrassing dog sign-age, criticizing these unfortunate animals who after all are illiterate.

Phil, my old son, dog fouling is simple a matter of mathematics, plus add a shovel & a good yard brush, preferably with a connected handle, in the interests of H & S.

Now allow me to deal with the maths for you first. A dog is taken on his walk past your golf club play ground once a day & defecates during this one outing from home. If he is taken on this same walk seven days in a row, expect him to defecate seven times and keep in mind that he may be a guide dog, which brings about separate issues for his handler. Do not assume that thousands of dogs are at large, deliberately converging daily on & targeting your favourite play ground. Solution is to put an advert in the paper seeking one skilled individual & stating, “Previous Shovel & Yard Brush Experience Essential,” & you will find that same skills are in abundance in your local area & available for interview – no more expensive signs now required, one dole payment less to be gratuitously handed out, PAYE & other taxes can be collected from his/her pay packet at source, local Kilkenny high street economy begins to grow etc. etc. etc.. Truth is Minister, everyone wins.

Personally I fear that this country is just slowly going to the cats.

Double Standards In High Places

A new law governing persons who are observed smoking in cars where children are present, has been approved by Health Minister James Reilly and will come into force, if passed by government, with effect from possibly July next.

Smoking

Under this new draft legislation, to be completed by the end of January, passengers as well as drivers will face fines of €3,000, if they are observed to be smoking in a private or commercial vehicle, where children are being transported. Forest Éireann, a group who represent the views of consumers who choose to smoke, say the ban and fine amount to government bullying, especially in the context of people who are totally guilty of ruining this country financially, both while in government & in opposition.

There are presently one million smokers in Ireland, which is equal to a third of the adult population and smokers contribute €1.5 billion per annum to Revenues in tobacco duty alone.

The Irish Cancer Society, who now welcome these latest plans, have continued to support the government in increasing legalised tobacco taxes and by doing so, in reality, also now indirectly support Irish criminal gangs, who openly sell cigarettes, focusing directly on young people, thus making it easier for children themselves to take up the habit.

These sellers of illegal low cost tobacco cost the Irish Exchequer an estimated €581,963,500 in VAT and excise last year, equivalent to €1,594,420 per day. These easily available illegal cigarettes have been found to contain up to six times the level of lead, five times the level of cadmium and three times the level of arsenic found in ordinary cigarettes. These cigarettes also contain rat and mouse droppings, dead insects, floor sweepings and dust.

It is understood, under this latest proposed legislation, Gardaí (If we still still have any available & working by the summer) will be allowed to rely solely on their visual evidence, when cases come before Irish courts.

Meanwhile, talking about children, in the same crisis-prone Minister Reilly’s area of responsibility, teachers who report serious issues of continuous child neglect, to the Health Service Executive (HSE) are being completely ignored. This is despite last November, the children’s rights referendum having passed by a narrow margin of 58% in favour, versus 42% against and hailed, “A historic day for the protection of children in Ireland.”

Still I suppose anti smoking fines can generate easy indirect taxes, especially in a State which continues to be governed by overpaid & pampered union representatives, working mainly in the HSE & Public Service, for decades.

Cyber Bullying

Definition of Cyber Bullying: Use of communication technologies that seek to intimidate, control, manipulate, put down, falsely discredit, or humiliate the recipient.

Meanwhile South Tipperary TD Deputy Tom Hayes, has been appointed by the government to investigate cyber bullying. This is the same Deputy Tom Hayes who was involved in playing the ‘pizza prank phone call,‘ on Tipperary constituency colleague Deputy Mattie McGrath, a humiliating & intimidating event, publicly now referred too as ‘Pizzagate.’

You will remember five overpaid TDs, including Tom Hayes, rang the Tipperary Independent TD, pretending to be from a Pizza Takeaway Restaurant and said they too didn’t like banks and would send food to support McGrath’s worthy sit-in.

McGrath at the time was taking part in a protest at a ‘Friends First Dublin bank,’ in support of an impoverished farming family, when the call was received from the Dáil Éireann Bar. (I often wonder why the Minister for Health James Reilly hasn’t taken action to close this Dáil bar, especially given his governments policy in tackling our drunken culture.)

In “The Nationalist,” newspaper, (dated 3rd January 2013) this same South Tipperary TD Tom Hayes, chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communication, stated he was concerned about the growth of cyber bullying and abusive remarks generally made on social media. “People have to be made accountable for what they are saying. Members of the public across a wide section of Irish life are being subjected to bullying and harassment. Politicians are just one group of people affected by this. The fierce problems this issue is creating is very evident and it is of huge concern.”

How right you are Deputy Tom, & as my old Granny (God be good to her) used to say, “To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential, and when you decide to ridicule stupid people, sure remember this: Without them, you’d only be average.“

Confusion, Household Charge, Mare’s Fart, Water & Swallows

“The Cushag”
By Josephine Kermode (1852–1937)
(Latter word ‘Cushag,’ is the Isle of Man name for Ragwort or Senecio jacobea)

Now the Cushag we know, must never grow, where the farmer’s work is done.
But along the rills, in the heart of the hills, the Cushag may shine like the sun.
Where the golden flowers, have fairy powers, to gladden our hearts with their grace.
And in Vannin Veg Veen, in the valleys green, the Cushags have still a place.
(Note: Vannin Veg Veen is Manx for “Dear Little Isle of Man.”)

Confusion

If you had asked the question, “What is the definition of the word ‘Confusion,” some years ago, the standard reply usually used was “Father’s Day in Ballymun,” but this is no longer an accurate or valid definition, in our present fiscal climate.

The Local Government Management Agencies (LGMA) Chief Executive Paul McSweeney stated in the last few days that action will be taken in the coming months against homeowners who are non-compliant through failing to pay their €100 Household Charge, although the LGMA are reluctant to do so. “Letter number two will be going out now to landlords. Certainly we would expect that after three letters, some action is going to need to be taken,” he stated. “To be honest, we’re not really interested in doing that. We want to provide local services & taking people to court, or prosecuting them, that’s not the business we’re in. We are in the business of supplying local services to communities.”

In 2006, the total number of people resident in Tipperary on the work force numbered around 71,000, North & South of the County. Approximately 5,700 were listed as being unemployed in the same year. The work force has since risen to around 75,500, however the total out of work has risen to some 15,000, demonstrating an almost three-fold increase in the amount of people unemployed.

Mare’s Fart or Ragwort

Latest ‘Household Charge Data,’ shows that only around 4 out of every 10 householders in County Tipperary have paid this inequitable charge. By the time all the threatening letters are posted out, Mr Paul McSweeney may find that he has already spent the cost in stamps of what he has collected to-date, of Minister Phil Hogan’s unmerited, unjustifiable & inequitable tax.

Over 50% of Irish householders have now been forced to become criminals, since our present government wrote the Household charge into Irish legislation, thus allowing our court system to prosecute for non-compliance. Since the Government wielded the axe over North Tipperary Co. Council and other local authorities around the country, by cutting central funding by between 5% and 15%, it would appear Minister Hogan’s bullish approach and unjust new law is all set to create negative community reaction, to the level of recent Athens street riots.

Mare’s Fart or Ragwort

However all you “criminals,” out there, should take heart that such laws are rarely pursued, which brings me to the topic of ‘Mare’s Fart,’ one of the alternative Scottish names given to the toxic alkaloid weed known as Common Ragwort because of the foul unpleasant smell or stench of its leaves or better known here in Ireland as Bualachains or Buachalan Buidhe.

In the Republic of Ireland, the Noxious Weeds Order (Thistle, Ragwort, and Dock) came into force on January 1st 1937, issued under the Noxious Weeds Act of 1936, which declared ragwort as a poisonous plant, requiring landowners to control its growth.

Continue reading Confusion, Household Charge, Mare’s Fart, Water & Swallows