Our 1st series of new leaflets have already gone out to hundreds of people. As Catholics and Irish Nationalists, there is no excuse for the mass murder of innocents. The people of Ireland don’t want abortion and every patriot must resist the anti-family lobby. Tradition, Family and Patriotism still means something in Ireland.
Monday, December 31, 2012
In relation to MARP, the advice Thought and Action would give is not to fill out the MARP form. Whilst the MARPS process is claimed publicly to assist those in arrears with their mortgage payments, in practice it has been widely used to oblige people to sell their property- at current market prices. This ensures there will be substantial debt remaining to the vendor once the selling price is deducted from the outstanding loan. In reality, MARP is a smoke and mirrors affair, designed to give a “caring” façade to banks to the wider public, but which in reality is quite the contrary. It’s another question for the banks to answer.
https://www.facebook.com/AntiEvictionTaskforce
“this is a personal statement from an AET member about their treatment by the banks ... After continuous negotiations with the Bank of Ireland via the (MARP) (CCMA) for over two years, they sent a letter signed with an illegible signature that cannot be recognised as it is just a scribbled blob of nonsense; non-identified name offering Voluntary Sale, Voluntary Surrender and Trading Down. My wife and I are in the process of telling them to identify this person who says she/he is the"Manager Mortgage Support Unit" Bank of Ireland. The B.O.I. won't identify this person to us. This is what we are up against. This scribbler then told us that if we disagree with the decision, we should appeal to the Mortgage Appeals Board. We sent various letters (3) with recorded delivery to the Bank of Ireland saying we cannot appeal or respond to anything until we know who this person is. Hardly clear communication when (MARP) (CCMA) is being abused by these people in the Bank of Ireland in this way.
Personally, I am fairly up to dealing with bullshit but this must be even more of a nightmare for most people who would not be as up-to-speed on this type of treatment. I should also add that I had a mental breakdown last week after a suicide attempt and was released from hospital a few days ago. People are dying in Ireland due to suicide caused by these types of pressures. When will something constructive be done by the Banks/Government. I am prepared to go public with this story and the AET know my identity. The Bank of Ireland are doing nothing to help struggling mortgage holders and when they talk of restructured mortgages all they mean is Deffered Interest Schemes. The Bank of Ireland are doing nothing but torturing Irish Mortgage holders”
A letter sent by the Anti Eviction Taskforce.
by Anti-Eviction Taskforce on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Dear Mr Archie Kane (Governor of Bank of Ireland)
As part of the initial refinancing of BOI, the Minister for Finance Mr Noonan advised that Bank of Ireland received €4.7bn recapitilisation plus €1.8billion to cover losses that might result from residential mortgage default.
The Anti Eviction Taskforce ask that the Bank of Ireland clarify for what purpose exactly has this €1.8 billion been used, in light of their recent statement declaring 'no debt forgiveness' to mortgage holders in distress. Is BOI still in possession of this €1.8billion and what are BOI's intentions in respect of this fund if not for debt forgiveness/relief?
As BOI is well aware, the number of mortgages in arrears continues to rise in Ireland and this €1.8billion was provided by the state for the specific purpose of lessening the impact of mortgage default on the Irish economy, on BOI and, of course, the distressed mortgage holders.
The Anti Eviction Taskforce also ask the Bank of Ireland to detail what options are currently being offered by them to the distressed mortgage holders on their loan books, other than so-called Voluntary Sale, Voluntary Surrender and Trading Down.
In the absence of any clarification or data on this matter from BOI, it is reasonable to assume that the funds provided to compensate BOI for losses as a result of mortgage default are either still on BOI books or have been used for purposes other than the intended, which of course would be illegal.
The Anti Eviction Taskforce request BOI to provide clear and detailed answers to the above questions and warn that failure to adequately answer will result in our turning to the judicial system, on behalf of distressed mortgage holders, in order to obtain same.
Yours
The Anti-Eviction Taskforce.
A short documentary looking at the past several years in Ireland
“Published on Dec 30, 2012
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
Nearly 100 years on from the Irish Easter Rising, it would be an interesting question to ask what leaders of Ireland's past would say of Ireland today. And just who is to blame here, politicians, bankers or international financial institutions or Irish people? In Oct 2012 a process was put in motion where individuals from every county in Ireland could sue their mortgage providers. The European Union is also in serious danger of going into a recession. Countries such as Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain are facing severe hardship. International financial institutions are only lending to countries like Ireland if the people are taxed heavily to guarantee their loan. This video has no allegiance to any political party in Ireland but rather it's intention is to educate about some of the main issues regarding the recession in Ireland.
To the best of my ability, all videos used have been referenced in the credits at the end of this video
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
I do not claim to own any of this footage or to profit from it. This video is to be used for educational discussion. This video can be shared but must be shown in it's entirety.
The original video footage is available under the Creative Commons License:Public Domain. All photos are copyrighted and sole property of indicated artists.”
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The ‘Eleison Comments’ of Bishop Richard Williamson.
Number CCLXXXV (285)
29 December 2012
CULTURE ALERT
As the leadership of the Society of St Pius X seems to be faltering, so Catholics who love the Society because they have received so much from it in years gone by might be tempted to think that there is nothing much that they as simple faithful can do about it. They would be wrong. Let them read these reflections from a friend of mine, and they should be able to read between the lines that if God does not rescue the Society for them, as of course he could do, then it has at least in part depended on them. My friend’s letter is adapted here below :-
“A practical agreement would be ruinous to the cause of Catholic Tradition. One need only look at what has happened to the Traditional Redemptorists in Scotland... The two Masses cannot co-exist. One will always drive the other out... At a Novus Ordo Mass I attended recently, the whole church was pervaded by chatter and continual clapping... The two sides are simply too far apart for an agreement to work. No meeting of the minds is possible between modernity and Tradition.
“Then there is the profound revolution which has overwhelmed modern civilization, including the Traditional movement, and which has for the most part been missed by the leadership of Tradition... Electronic technology has wrought a cultural revolution in our lives, especially of the younger generation. If it is not managed properly, it certainly weakens the faith because it can take over people’s whole lives. Youngsters are liable to be captured by it. They hang on it all day long. People too engulfed in it become dysfunctional, unable to get up in the morning, or to maintain a live conversation, or to hold down a job.
“Now if a sports team is not admonished by its coach, its playing standards begin to fall. If Catholics are not admonished on cultural issues like music, women’s dress, or watching television, their cultural standards begin to fall, which has profound implications for their faith. Traditional parents are being left to struggle alone with their families to keep the worldliness of modern society out of their homes, because the leadership of the SSPX has either missed this cultural revolution, or it is not giving it the attention that it deserves. I have had many long discussions with Traditional families who are concerned about the way that the Traditional movement is going. Religious movements must take a stand on cultural issues if they are to flourish. Tradition was strengthened when it used to take a stand on television. But if a stand is not taken on cultural issues, the stand on doctrinal issues soon begins to weaken.
“The latest Chapter of the SSPX may have pulled the organization back from the brink, but I cannot take much comfort from it. It spent much attention on defining the parameters of any future discussions with Rome in making an agreement. Yet, Rome is basically unchanged from 1988. In my opinion, the SSPX needs to recover the prophetic role that it performed when Archbishop Lefebvre was still alive. The Traditional movement needs to strongly denounce the modernism and liberalism that is leading the Catholic Church to its destruction. These denunciations lately have been muted. Perhaps many Traditional priests are distracted by the comforts that they think an agreement with Rome would bring them.
Over to you, dear readers. Away with trashy and valueless music in the home. Get rid of the television set. Reduce electronics to a minimum. Mothers, wear skirts whenever possible, which is most of the time. Otherwise do not complain if God does not rescue the Society. He forces his gifts upon nobody. Blessed be his name for ever.
Kyrie eleison.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
No to a property tax. There should be NO tax on the family home.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/housecharge-database-to-help-tax-child-benefit-3335438.html
By Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Monday December 24 2012
THE Government is moving towards taxing child benefit with the help of the Big Brother database being put together to collect the property tax.
On top of the €10 cut in child benefit in the Budget, a tax on the benefit is on the agenda as the Government seeks to make future savings.
Figures from the Department of Finance show anything up to €400m could be saved by taxing the benefit.
Taxing child benefit, instead of a straight cut to the rate, would also protect those on low incomes.
But problems around identifying who receives the benefit, their tax credits and the issue of unmarried couples would also have to be addressed.
Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has frequently expressed a preference for taxing child benefit, but has explained there are difficulties.
Criticised
She is due to publish an expert group report in the New Year, which sets out the various options for the Government on child benefit, including a cut, taxing or means testing.
Ms Burton has been criticised by fellow ministers for the slow progress on delivering a way to means-test or tax child benefit.
But ministers believe the Revenue Commissioners' development of the property tax database – the most comprehensive of its type – will speed up the process.
"As a result of the property tax, I would hope that within a short time, we would have the development of capacity in relation to child benefit to allow taxing or means-testing," a Cabinet minister told the Irish Independent.
"You would still maintain it as a universal payment. There'd be a lot of administration involved. The level of IT and interactivity is not as strong as it could be," the minister added.
As well as containing details on every homeowner in the country, the property tax database will see advances in the information technology capabilities of government and state agencies.
When it is up and running, the property tax database will contain details on:
? The address of the home;
? Value of the home;
? Unique ID for the home;
? Name of the homeowner;
? Name of their spouse or civil partner;
? The homeowner's personal public service number
? The homeowner's postal address;
? The name of the council area where the home is situated;
? Any other details that are needed.
The cut of €10 to child benefit in Budget 2013 saved €136m, whereas taxing child benefit would bring in up to €395m – depending on what level the Government decided to tax the payment.
- Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
COMMENT: More and more banks in Ireland are refusing to take in, or pay out, in cash. The prime reason is that CASH allows people to avoid paying government taxes on a range of items – and we cannot have that now can we? Plastic is not safer as we have seen with all kinds of laptops “disappearing” which contain highly personal information on bank accounts. The answer to this trend is very simple: insist on cash or take your business elsewhere. We can survive without the usury banks, but they cannot exist without us!
http://lewrockwell.com/salerno/salerno13.1.html
By Joseph Salerno
Thursday, December 27th, 2012
The war on cash in Sweden may be stalling. The anti-cash movement has been vigorously promoted by major Swedish commercial banks as well as the Riksbank, the Swedish central bank. In fact, for three of the four major Swedish banks combined, 530 of their 780 office no longer accept or pay out cash. In the case of the Nordea Bank, 200 of its 300 branches are now cashless, and three-quarters of Swedbank’s branches no longer handle cash. As Peter Borsos, a spokesman for Swedbank, freely admits, his bank is working “actively to reduce the [amount] of cash in society.” The reasons for this push toward a cashless society, of course, have nothing to do with pumping up earnings from bank card fees or, more important, freeing fractional-reserve banks from the constraints of bank runs. No, according to Borsos, the reasons are the environment, cost, and security: ”We ourselves emit 700 tons of carbon dioxide by cash transport. It costs society 11 billion per year. And cash helps robberies everywhere.” Hans Jacobson, head of Nordea Bank, argues similarly: ”Our mission is to make people understand the point of cards, cards are more secure than cash.”
Fortunately, it seems that the Swedish people are not falling for the anti-cash propaganda spewed by private bankers and Riksbank officials and are resisting the trend toward a cashless economy. It is reported that last year the value of cash transactions in Sweden were 99 billion krona which represented only a marginal decrease from ten years ago. And small shops continue to do one-third to one-half of their business in cash. Furthermore a study of bank customers satisfaction released by the Swedish Quality Index in October 2012, indicated that the satisfaction index was pulled down among customers of Swedbank, Nordea and SEB by their policy of eliminating cash transactions at their bank branches. Even more heartening is the fact that Handelsbanken, the largest bank in Sweden, is committed to serving consumers who demand cash. As Kai Jokitulppo, head of private services at Handelsbanken, puts it:
“As long as we know that our customers are asking for cash, it is important that we as a bank [are] providing it. . . . We see places where other banks are taking other decisions, we get customers from them and positive response.”
Fewer then 10 of Handelsbanken’s 461 branches currently do not handle cash and the bank’s goal is to have cash in every branch by the first quarter of 2013.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
A very happy Christmas to all readers, supporters and friends of Thought and Action. 2012 has been an exceptionally busy year. Many thanks to those who contributed articles, helped send out leaflets,videos etc etc. A few projects are already planned for 2013. For a Christmas reflection please see the blog post ‘Christ Born’.
Have a Happy and Holy Christmas!
2012 has seen hundreds of people taking on the banks legally and lawfully in the courts. Thought and Action was able to distribute leaflets and videos during the year and assisted people in trouble with the banks. Groups like People for Economic Justice and Debt Options emerged. The Anti Eviction Taskforce is active across Ireland. The Common Law Society of Ireland held well attended ‘Lay Litigation Days’ during 2012. They also host regular educational workshops. Seamus Sherlock and family continue their noble stand at their family home and farm.
Modern banking built on the system of usury is nothing other than a scam of the greatest order. People and entire Nations are enslaved in debt and politicians are nothing other than puppets of the International Financiers.
In 2013, the fight will continue. See extracts from Sunday Indo article below
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/banks-put-lives-at-risk-says-charity-3334489.html
“BUSINESSMAN Noel Smyth, the founder of charity 3Ts (Turn The Tide of Suicide), has accused banks of putting vulnerable people's lives at risk with their "punitive" approach to collecting debt.
"The value of human life in Ireland is diminishing by the fact that we've now decided it's reasonable to be punitive with people who haven't been able to pay their debts," he told the Sunday Independent.
"If that ends up with that person taking their own life, that's a consequence of being in the system. That to me is the biggest failure we are facing going into 2013. The one thing we are losing is our value for life. You cannot get blood from a stone. It doesn't exist.
"In the normal course of events, you would not put someone at risk by pursuing them if they are vulnerable."
Renewing his call for the establishment of a national suicide prevention authority, he questioned whether those tasked with collecting debts on behalf of Ireland's financial institutions had been given any professional training in how to deal with potential suicides.”
The weekly ‘Eleison Comments’ of Bishop Richard Williamson
Number CCLXXXIV (284)
22 December 2012
CHRIST BORN
The appeal of the divine baby in the arms of his Virgin Mother still makes of Christmas the most popular of Christian Feasts, but as the world turns away from God, so the heart and soul of the Nativity Scene fade out, and “Christmassy” feelings become more and more fake. Truly Christendom is burnt out. It is time to turn back with the liturgy of Mother Church to the ages before Christ when wise men rejoiced intensely in the expectation of his coming. For them, it alone made sense of the unhappiness of mankind being ravaged by the consequences of original sin. It was their great hope, and it could not be shaken. The Christ would come, and with him the gates of Heaven would be open once more to souls of good will. Here are the Antiphons of the fourth Sunday of Advent, composed from texts of the Old Testament.
“Blow the trumpet in Sion, because the day of the Lord is near: behold, he will come to save us, allelujah, allelujah.” If men do not want to be saved, then they can hardly understand what they were born for, and they must die in a greater or lesser degree of despair. But if we want to be happy for all eternity, and if we know that Jesus Christ alone makes that possible, then how must we rejoice that he came !
“Behold, the desired of all nations will come, and the house of the Lord will be filled with glory, allelujah.” As original sin is universal, so the Magi came from strange and distant lands to adore their Saviour in Bethlehem, and they could have come from all nations of the world in desire of him. Since their time, Christians have indeed come from all nations to find their Saviour in his Catholic Church, and they have filled it with the glory of beautiful ceremonies, buildings, vestments, art and music, ever since.
“The crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth: come, O Lord, and do not delay.” Four thousand years on from the Fall of Adam and Eve, the world had become quite crooked. Two thousand years ago the most astonishing transformation of mankind began with Our Lord being born. For centuries we have taken for granted that smooth ways of civilization will remain smooth, but with men’s spurning of Christ those ways are turning rougher than ever - see any newspaper of today. Come, O Lord, come back, and do not delay, because otherwise we shall all be devouring one another like wild beasts.
“The Lord will come, go to meet him, saying:”Great is his beginning, and of his kingdom there will be no end: God, Mighty, Lord of all, Prince of Peace, allelujah, allelujah.” With such words maybe the Magi greeted the Christ Child when after long travels they found him. Converts of today, after long travails in the desert of godlessness, may still find similar words to remind us of how the Child in the crib should be greeted. Without him the world cannot have peace, and it stands on the brink of another terrible war. Divine Child, come, do not delay, or we perish.
“Thy Almighty Word, O Lord, will leap from thy royal throne, allelujah.” Christmas is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity descending all the way from Heaven, being clothed in a feeble human nature and being born of a human Mother to buy us back from slavery to the Devil and re-open the gates of Heaven for souls of good will, ready to believe. Divine Child, I believe. Help thou my unbelief, and help with special graces on the Feast of your birth millions and millions of unbelieving souls.
Kyrie eleison.
Issue 3 is being printed.
http://www.ecclesiamilitans.com/the_recusant_-_issue_2_-_nov_dec_2012.pdf
“An unofficial SSPX newsletter, fighting a guerrilla war for the soul of Tradition”
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Extracts below. See the link for more details.
The Truth
Savita Journalist admits facts ‘muddled’ & there was ‘no request for termination’.
Kitty Holland, the journalist who wrote Savita died after being refused an abortion, now admits the facts were ‘muddled’ and there may have been ‘no request for a termination’. Savita’s husband says he never claimed an abortion would have saved her. And Minister says there’s ‘no evidence’ to support ‘Catholic ethos’ claim.
The Lies
Abortion supporters falsely claimed that Savita died because she couldn’t get an abortion.
The media claimed that Savita died because Irish doctors have a ‘Catholic ethos’, and refused her an abortion. Their claims are later shown to be untrue.
And a leaked email shows that abortion campaigners were tipped off about Savita’s death and plotted to use the tragedy.
The Facts
An official autopsy has showed Savita Halappanavar died of an E-coli infection.
The autopsy said that Savita died from an infection caused by an antibiotic-resistant form E-coli in Galway University Hospital following a miscarriage.
Hospital records show there was NO request for an abortion. And top doctors say Savita’s death has NOTHING to do with Ireland’s ban on abortion.
http://z10.invisionfree.com/Ignis_Ardens/index.php?showtopic=4850
O Rex Gentium
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum; veni, et salva hominem quem de limo formasti.
O King of nations, and their desired One, and the corner-stone that makest both one; come and save man whom thou formedst out of slime.
O King of Nations! thou art approaching still nigher to Bethlehem, where thou art to be born. The journey is almost over, and thy august Mother, consoled and strengthened by the dear weight she bears, holds an unceasing converse with thee on the way. She adores thy divine Majesty; she gives thanks to thy mercy; she rejoices that she has been chosen for the sublime ministry of being Mother to God. She longs for that happy moment when her eyes shall look upon thee, and yet she fears it. For, how will she be able to render thee those services which are due to thy infinite greatness, she that thinks herself the last of creatures? How will she dare to raise thee up in her arms, and press thee to her heart, and feed thee at her breasts? When she reflects that the hour is now near at hand, in which, being born of her, thou wilt require all her care and tenderness, her heart sinks within her; for, what human heart could bear the intense vehemence of these two affections, - the love of such a Mother for her Babe, and the love of such a Creature for her God? But thou supportest her, O thou the Desired of Nations! for thou, too, longest for that happy Birth, which is to give the earth its Saviour, and to men that Corner-Stone, which will unite them all into one family. Dearest King! be thou blessed for all these wonders of thy power and goodness! Come speedily, we beseech thee, come and save us, for we are dear to thee, as creatures that have been formed by thy divine hands. Yea, come, for thy creation has grown degenerate; it is lost; death has taken possession of it: take it thou again into thy almighty hands, and give it a new creation; save it; for thou hast not ceased to take pleasure in and love thine own work.
THE GREAT ANTIPHON IN HONOUR OF CHRIST.
O Rex Pacifice, tu ante saecula nate, per auream egredere portam, redemptos tuos visita, et eos illuc revoca, unde ruerunt per culpam.
O King of Peace! that wast born before all ages, come by the golden gate; visit them whom thou hast redeemed, and lead them back to the place whence they fell by sin.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
2012 has been a year when hundreds of Irish people have taken on the banks. Two popular videos from 2012. A fight back has begun and will continue in 2013.
See article below regarding troubled PTSB
http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/ptsb-has-170000-mortgages-in-arrears-217512.html
By John Walsh, Business Correspondent
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Permanent TSB has 170,000 mortgages in arrears with a total value of €7.9bn.
Roughly 20% of the residential mortgage book and one-third of buy-to-let mortgages were in arrears.
The figures emerged as PTSB public interest directors Ray MacSharry and Margaret Hayes appeared before the Oireachtas Finance Committee yesterday.
TDs Richard Boyd Barrett and Joe Higgins asked Mr MacSharry what it would cost PTSB if all the mortgages issued between 2000 and 2008 were written down to current market value. The former Fianna Fáil finance minister said he did not have the information but would supply it to the committee as soon as possible.
But the decision to write down that much debt would ultimately be a decision for the bank’s major shareholder — the current finance minister, Michael Noonan, Mr MacSharry said.
He said as public interest directors, he and Ms Hayes were obliged to act in the best interests of the bank. Even though a law introduced in 2010 meant all PTSB non-executive directors had to act in the public interest, he acknowledged there were flaws covering public interest directors.
Public interest directors do not report separately to the Department of Finance or Central Bank. Their duties and obligations did not differ from other non-executive directors, he added. Mr MacSharry said he and Ms Hayes had been at PTSB since 2008 and that "it was about time that they were replaced".
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty wanted to know if a €2.7bn bond be paid next April as scheduled. Ms Hayes said PTSB’s treasurer was looking at options including a bond rollover.
Mr Doherty asked Mr MacSharry was he a suitable candidate as a public interest director given that he was a non-executive director of Bank of Ireland between 1993 and 2005. Mr MacSharry said he resigned from Bank of Ireland in Feb 2005, "before the damaging decisions were made".
No increments, bonuses, or salary increases had been sanctioned since he joined PTSB, he said. He has received €179,000 in fees since joining four years ago and Ms Hayes had received €271,000, although the former secretary general of the Department of Tourism also sat on the audit committee.
It was also announced yesterday that Glen Lucken has been appointed PTSB’s chief financial officer and Dominic Dodd appointed as a non-executive director.
This case has implications for those in front of a Judge for “Non-Declaration” or “Non-Payment”. It might be lawfully and constitutionally unsound or unsafe for the Court to proceed, until the case with Phil Hogan & Co has been concluded in the High Court.
For more on this please visit the blog of the Common Law Society of Ireland. http://thecls.blog.com/2012/12/11/hogans-last-stand/
See RTE reporting below.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1220/high-court-challenge-to-household-charge-begins.html
A 70-year-old Co Mayo man challenging the validity of the Household Charge has initiated proceedings in the High Court.
Peter Anthony Keegan from Belclare, Westport has named ministers Phil Hogan, Alan Shatter and Michael Noonan among those he says are in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Employees at Mayo County Council and the Local Government Management Agency were also named.
He says the defendants wilfully neglected and disregarded a demand for information and answers about what he claims is an unlawfully concocted local government household charge.
Mr Keegan says he has been given no recourse to a defence on the matter, which he claims is unlawful, unconstitutional and a human rights violation.
He was one of a number of property owners before Westport District Court in relation to non-payment of the household charge.
He was accompanied by his sister Mary and son Brendan. A number of other cases have since been resolved.
Judge Conal Gibbons adjourned the rest of the cases to 7 March pending the outcome of the High Court proceedings.
More news regarding the ‘public interest directors’ of the banks.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/aib-director-defends-59k-salary-for-60-days-work-578532.html
“20/12/2012 - 14:00:04
Former Tánaiste Dick Spring, who represents the taxpayer on the board of AIB, has defended his salary as "reasonable".
Mr Spring is a public interest director at the bank and was paid €59,000 for 60 days work last year.
He also receives one of the largest state pensions of more than €121,000.
The former Labour Party leader said the pay is appropriate for the work he does and that he has turned down higher paying jobs.
Mr Spring said: "My pension as a former deputy, which you will be entitled to in time, and as a former minister you will achieve a ministerial pension if you enter ministerial office, and I think you will be perfectly entitled to it.
"There is another way of looking at this, I have turned down numerous invitations to take up other positions which would be equally, if not more lucrative, than working for Allied Irish Bank, I have turned them down."
Meanwhile, the Government nominee to the board of AIB has said there will be "no divine mercy" when it comes to dealing with homeowners in arrears.
Michael Somers has told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that while people won't be thrown out on the streets, this is an issue that will have to be dealt with.”
An article in relation to the recent meetings of the ‘public interest directors.
By Donal O'Donovan
Thursday December 20 2012
Government-appointed directors at the country's biggest mortgage lenders appear to disagree over forgiving mortgage debt.
Former finance minister Ray MacSharry and former senior civil servant Margaret Hayes are public interest directors at Permanent TSB.
Appearing before the Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee, Mr MacSharry insisted that the bank would not forgive mortgage debt.
However, Ms Hayes said that in some instances unsustainable loans could be written off on a case-by-case basis.
Stephen Donnelly TD said he had been left in some confusion by different answers provided by the two directors in relation to writing off unsustainable debts.
One in five home loans and one in three buy-to-let investor mortgages are in arrears at Permanent TSB, among the worst situation of any lender.
The two public interest directors were accused of "going native" and "window dressing" in bruising encounters with politicians yesterday.
Mr MacSharry and Ms Hayes, have been public interest directors at the bank since it needed state support to survive in 2008.
Role
The role of public interest directors at bailed-out banks is increasingly controversial as details emerge of the high pensions and salaries still being paid to bankers at bailed out institutions, while at the same time lending remains subdued.
Permanent TSB loaned just €70m to homebuyers this year, Margaret Hayes said, enough to finance fewer than 300 typical mortgages.
She said the bank did intend to increase lending in the year ahead.
Despite being public interest directors, they have no duties beyond those of other board members, and do not report back to the Minister for Finance, the Dail or the Central Bank, Mr MacSharry told the politicians.
Committee chairman Ciaran Lynch said that the public believed their job was; "to be in there batting on their (the public's) behalf".
"Our role does not differ from any other director on the board," Mr MacSharry said.
The public interest directors were not given any particular instruction, remit or terms of reference when the appointments were made, he added.
He had not asked for the job, he said later in the session.
Under intense questioning the former finance minister and European Commissioner admitted that he had not pushed a single issue to a vote during his time at the bank.
"You have been captured by the board and are about as useful as paps on a bull," Fine Gael senator Paul Coughlan argued during the tense session yesterday. Mr MacSharry said that in his time on the board he had proposed a 25pc cut in fees paid to non-executive directors that was then supported by other board members.
Margaret Hayes said the norm at the board was for all directors to arrive at decisions by consensus.
Issues such as "interest rates, arrears management and assisting individuals" were of particular interest to the public interest directors, she said.
Mr Lynch said that it was clear to him that public interest directors had a role in relation to the State that takes priority over their role within the bank, despite the insistence by the directors themselves that their role is the same as other directors.
- Donal O'Donovan
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
An analysis as found on NAMA Wine Lake.
Budget 2013 – final words
December 16, 2012 by namawinelake
Just as it seemed as if it had been pulled off and a week after unveiling a draconian and unfair budget, with ministers stonewalling and boostering and the media cycle about to come to an end, a single dissenter in the Labour Party now threatens to split the Party and consequently undermine the Coalition. And that legacy of Budget 2013 will survive for weeks to come, it seems. Meanwhile the Social Welfare Bill and Property Tax Bill seem set to be voted into law before Christmas, so this is just an overview of what has happened in Budget 2013.
(1) The promise not to increase income tax was broken by Fine Gael – this was an election commitment which made it into the Programme for Government which commits the Coalition to “ Maintain the current rates of income tax together with bands and credits. We will not increase the top marginal rates of taxes on income. We will reduce, cap or abolish property tax reliefs and other tax shelters which benefit very high income earners. We will also ensure the implementation of a minimum effective tax rate of 30% for very high earners “. And the Labour Party broke again its commitment, which didn’t make it into the Programme for Government, to cut child benefit. Now the Government has been getting a relatively free ride by claiming PRSI is not an income tax, but as far as the IMF is concerned, PAYE, USC and PRSI are all income taxes. Both Labour and Fine Gael abandoned pre-election commitments not to tax the family home. Promises and commitments have been broken.
(2) The Fiscal Advisory Council was ignored (again). The independent Fiscal Advisory Council set up in a rush in July 2011 to meet an IMF deadline, again produced its pre-budget analysis and recommendations at a very general level for the Irish economy. And again, the Government and particularly, the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan “noted” the advice but for the second year running, dismissed it. The Council refused to do the honorable thing which was to resign which would then prompt the IMF to re-engage on the matter and presumably take robust steps to force the Government to establish some mechanism which would prevent the Charlie McCreevy “if we have it, we’ll spend it” type of economic policy perspective. But instead of resigning, the Council has remain muted on its role. Very disappointing.
(3) There was consultation amongst ministers before the Budget was announced, but not what was anticipated by the electorate or ministers when this commitment was made in the Programme for Government “We will open up the Budget process to the full glare of public scrutiny in a way that restores confidence and stability by exposing and cutting failing programmes and pork barrel politics.“ It was reportedly eight days before the Budget announcement when the four members of the Economic Management Council, Enda Kenny, Eamon Gilmore, Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, handed down the Budget to other ministers. This was the first time reportedly when they all saw the Budget though there had been bilateral consultations and exchanges beforehand. It was reportedly seven days before the Budget announcement when the government parliamentary parties had sight of the Budget and that’s when the leaks started. And there was a final meeting five days before the Budget announcement when the parties tried to push their own agendas but there was very limited change. All of this of course happened behind closed doors so we can only speculate about the reports, but it is a fact that there was very little prior consultation or “opening up the Budget process to the full glare of public scrutiny”
(4) The property tax is rushed and un-costed. Many people are still scratching their heads at the calculations underpinning next year’s estimates. What is clear is that the Budget announcement on 5th December 2012 was followed by the publication on 6th December 2012 of the expert report that has been sitting on Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan’s desk since June, followed by the publication of the 66-page Property Tax Bill on the 7th December 2012, and it is likely that the Bill will become law before Christmas 2012. So it has been rushed, there has been little consultation or debate and as revealed on here during the week, you can probably take the estimates of yield with a pinch of salt.
(5) Savings of €390m in Minister Joan Burton’s Department of Social Protection are more or less easy to see. Welfare is being cut. But there are even bigger savings in Minister James Reilly’s Department of Health, but people are scratching their heads wondering if the savings are feasible. And people have good reason to be suspicious – in 2012, it is Minister Reilly’s Department which has singularly failed to deliver savings – yes social protection is also up, but unless you cut benefit rates, the social welfare budget will be set by the number of people claiming.
(6) The debate and engagement by the Government in the aftermath of the Budget announcements were atrocious. It is 22 months since Fianna Fail was in power and this is the second Coalition budget and yet, any attempt by Fianna Fail to tease out or examine or debate budget adjustments was generally met with the refrain that reduces to Fianna Fail, a party which received 17% of the votes in February 2011, should not criticize or challenge this Government’s policies because of that Party’s record in office. And as for Sinn Fein, because of its legacy in the Troubles in Northern Ireland on one hand and because of its role in an administration in Northern Ireland, a country which depends on a €15bn annual subvention from Westminister, that Party which received 10% of the votes in February 2011 should not criticize or challenge this Government’s policies. For outsiders looking in at the operation of democracy in this State, this is patently shameful.
(7) No debt deal. Remember that it has been at least 15 months since Minister Noonan set off for Poznan in Poland for an meeting of finance ministers and where private talks were held with the ECB’s then-president, Jean Claude Trichet. Yes, it really was at least 15 months ago since negotiations started on our bank debt burden. Since then there has been the blether about technical papers being prepared by the Troika, a “re-engineering of the promissory notes”, an event in March 2011 when the Government settled the promissory note payment that then fell due by issuing a new sovereign bond. The Government said it didn’t “pay” the promissory note, but if that were true, you don’t “pay” for your meal in a restaurant if you settle by credit card. That’s what the Government did, and the credit card analogy is particularly apt because the sovereign bond issued to settle the obligation carries an interest rate of 5.4% per annum which is almost twice the interest charge on the bailout cash. Then in June 2012, we had talk of “game-changers” and “hard graft” and our very own Playboy of the Western World wooed us when he said that some people in Europe found out he was not someone to be tangled with too easily. There was an indication there would be a debt deal by October 2012, then that it would be settled before the Budget 2013 announcement and the latest is that there will be a deal in place by March 2013, and although there may well be a change in which the promissory note is repaid, the word on the street is that any new arrangement will be mostly optics and will not materially alter Ireland’s debt burnden.
(8) No bankers remuneration report. Even since the Fianna Fail finance spokesperson Michael McGrath reignited the furore about bankers’ salaries and pensions when AIB turned up for an Oireachtas hearing in October 2012, the Government has been protesting that (a) it is powerless to interfere in remuneration paid to bankers in utterly bust banks in which the finance minister owns all the shares (b) that the Government has commissioned yet another expert report to examine bankers’ salaries. No-one regards this tactic as anything other than an attempt to kick the issue into the long grass, and it does not take six months for a consultancy at a cost of €120,000 to produce a report – no, it takes seven months, even though An Taoiseach indicated the report could have been available before the Budget 2013 announcements. At this stage, we can conclude there is no political will to interfere in these salary arrangements and that it just for Paddies to offer up waivers of their salaries.
(9) Political salaries were left untouched, save for a minor reduction in the allowance paid to Independent TD’s in lieu of a leaders allowance and the fact that such allowances will need be evidenced with receipts, there was nary a finger laid on political pay and perks in Budget 2013 save for the €264 per annum extra that TDs and senators will need cough up in income tax/PRSI payments in 2013. Remind yourselves here how much the 166 TDs and 60 senators are paid in pay and perks, it’s both a scandal in the context of a Budget that should have placed solidarity at its heart but more practically, it makes a joke of Ireland adopting the “poor mouth” and shaking the begging bowl for a debt deal at our partners in Europe, when our own politicians earn more, and often substantially more, than those same partners.
(10) This Budget looks extremely regressive and the ESRI will no doubt give their verdict shortly, but what seems clear of that the Budget was not tested in advance to determine its impact on poverty levels. The spinning from the Government of the €500m of measures aimed at the wealthy out of a total Budget adjustment of €3.5bn is insultingly wrong, half the €500m – the change to pension allowances where the final pension will pay €60,000 or more per year – will only kick in, in 2014. So in 2013, a mere €250m of wealth-focussed taxes out of a total adjustment of €3.5bn will obtain. Ireland continues to have a progressive tax system, meaning those with more income pay more, but both the 2011 and now this, Budget have been regressive.
Will any of this make any difference? We will need wait for the next opinion poll to see how far the Government parties have dropped but even dramatic changes are unlikely to be taken seriously at this stage of the Government’s term, which naturally has another three years to run. The Labour Party’s internal troubles have a more immediate and profound potential, and it seems there are two sides emerging in a battle for the soul of the Labour Party, and this ultimately has the potential to undermine the Government and change the political landscape.
So broken promises, the independent fiscal council as useful as a chocolate teapot – but by God, they will not resign on principle – no debt deal, minimal pre-budget consultation, a mockery of debate, no debt relief and politicians acting like kleptocrats keeping their own pay and perks, and those of bailed out bankers, whilst slashing around them. And one lone voice of dissent amongst 110 TDs. So adieu then to the Budget until next year, when a further €3bn-odd will be taken out of the economy in Budget 2014.
An update in relation to the ‘public interest director’ appearing before the Finance Committee.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1219/mcsharry-accepts-public-interest-role-has-flaws-business.html
The role of public interest directors at banks in which the state is a shareholder is flawed according to former finance minister and Permanent TSB (PTSB) public interest director Ray McSharry.
Appearing before the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Mr McSharry accepted that the role should enable a distinct line of communication to the Minister For Finance.
Earlier Fianna Fáíl finance spokesman Michael McGrath had put it to Mr McSharry that there was "a flaw in the structure of the role of public interest directors that they didn't have any distinguishing feature such as a distinct line of communication to the Minister".
Mr McSharry said this was "absolutely right". "We don't have the ability to come out of a board meeting and make points," he said.
The role of public interest directors was limited to trying to "influence rather than dictate" policy to the bank's board of directors, according to Mr McSharry.
Asked by committee chairman Ciaran Lynch if had voted against the board in his capacity of public interest director, Mr MacSharry said at all times he took into account the interests of the stakeholders which included the customers.
He said he had his views representing the public had never been pushed to a vote.
The bank's other public interest director, Margaret Hayes, told the committee PTSB was working "assiduously to address its growing mortgage arrears problem.
PTSB has 174,000 mortgages, she said, of which some 20% of its home loans were in arrears of some description. Ms Hayes said she was confident that the bank would improve the arrears situation.
http://abortioninireland.blogspot.ie/2012/12/whats-it-all-about-labour.html
See also the blog article:
NWCI CAMPAIGNS FOR ABORTION WITH YOUR TAX MONEY
http://abortioninireland.blogspot.ie/2012/11/nwci-campaigns-for-abortion-with-your.html
“National Women's Council of Ireland”
Unlike Fine Gael, the Labour party never claim to be Christian Democratic and have always favoured the ‘British model’ regarding abortion. This is abortion on demand and right up to birth. It is expected many in the Labour party will retire at the next general election.
See article below.
“Wednesday December 19 2012
A TRIUMPHANT Labour Party is declaring victory on abortion policy following a historic Coalition decision to bring in new laws – which has angered some in Fine Gael, writes Fionnan Sheahan.
Labour proclaimed repeatedly it had delivered on its promise to legislate for the X Case, which a senior Fine Gael figure privately said was "sickening".
Labour issued no less than seven separate statements from party figures hailing the Government's decision.
However, the celebratory tone did not go down well with many members of their coalition partners Fine Gael, which is facing internal turmoil over how the legislation is worded.
Health Minister James Reilly said he was conscious of the sensitivities of the contentious issue, but said that ensuring the safety of pregnant women was a priority.
"We will clarify in legislation and regulation what is available by way of treatment to a woman when a pregnancy gives rise to a threat to a woman's life," Dr Reilly said.
"We will also clarify what is legal for the professionals who must provide that care while at all times taking full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child."
Nowhere in its statement did the Government refer directly to suicide. However, the Supreme Court ruling on the X Case cited the threat of suicide as a legitimate risk to life, giving grounds for abortion.
Irish Independent”
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
With Ray Mac Sharry and other ‘public interest directors’ appearing before the Oireachtas Finance Committee tomorrow and Thursday these comments from the IMF are interesting. Earlier in the year a Fine Gael TD stated there is “no justification for austerity”.
By Brendan Keenan
Tuesday December 18 2012
IRELAND should not impose further austerity even if growth targets are missed next year, the IMF has said.
The agency also called on Europe to honour pledges to help make Ireland's debt more sustainable, in its latest review of the country's finances.
It outlined fears that growth may be weaker than expected during 2013 - but does not advocate more austerity.
Instead it advises the coalition that if it is failing to reach economic targets next year, it should not rush to bring in any further cutbacks, for fear of damaging any fragile growth. Instead the economic targets could be pushed out until 2015 to help recovery.
The IMF made the statement as it approved its eighth review of the bailout programme, authorising the release of a further €890m funding under the bailout terms.
It said Ireland had so far shown "steadfast policy implementation" with the conditions of the bailout programme, despite slower growth this year.
It is predicting more gradual economic recovery with growth of 1.1pc in 2013 and 2.2pc in 2014. But with many economists forecasting growth of less than 1pc in 2013, there is a real threat to Ireland's chances of getting out of bailout and back to the markets as planned in 2014.
The IMF says that if growth is weaker than forecast and economic targets begin to slip, the Government should not introduce extra cuts or a mini-Budget. Instead the Government should wait until 2015 before taking extra measures, in order to protect whatever growth there is.
IMF deputy managing director David Lipton said: "The program with Ireland has now been in place for two years and the Irish authorities have consistently maintained strong policy implementation.
"The authorities have demonstrated their commitment to put Ireland's fiscal position on a sound footing, with the 2012 deficit target expected to be met even though growth has been low.
"Nonetheless, if next year's growth were to disappoint, any additional fiscal consolidation should be deferred to 2015 to protect the recovery.
"Continued strong Irish policy implementation is essential for the programme's success," said Mr Lipton.
In what may be a reference to the ongoing negotiations on repayment of Anglo Irish debt, Mr Lipton called on European partners to deliver on pledges to help Ireland.
"Ireland's market access would also be greatly enhanced by forceful delivery of European pledges to improve programme sustainability, especially by breaking the vicious circle between the Irish sovereign and the banks."
The IMF also said that the banking sector needs to be reformed and shored up to help improve lending. "Vigorous implementation of financial sector reforms is needed to revive sound bank lending in support of economic growth," it said.
- Brendan Keenan
Monday, December 17, 2012
A few days ago, Thought and Action reposted an article from the NAMA Wine Lake which gave details regarding these ‘public interest directors’. Ray MacSharry is associated with the Charlie Haughey era. MacSharry is a director of the Permanent TSB of which Jeremy Masding is Chief Executive. Another director is Margaret Hayes , a former secretary general for a government department. Dick Spring mentioned below is well known.
http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/banks-public-interest-directors-to-meet-oireachtas-for-first-time-3327513.html
By Maeve Dineen
Monday December 17 2012
Public interest directors on the boards of bailed-out banks are to appear before the Oireachtas Finance Committee on Wednesday and Thursday.
It will be the first time the government-appointed gatekeepers will have reported to the State since they took up their positions in 2008.
Ciaran Lynch TD, chairman of the finance, public expenditure and reform committee, said they would be quizzed on their roles and responsibilities during three separate sittings next week.
Mr Lynch said: "Among the other issues we will want to address with the public interest directors are: what distinguishes them from the other directors on the banks' boards; how do they invoke and carry out their roles; what are their responsibilities; how have they reported on their role and to whom do they report; what is their contribution to the banks' policies, in particular the function they have in setting the rates of pay and the remuneration policy at their particular bank for management and senior executives."
The decision to haul the directors before the committee comes amid public concern over rising mortgage interest rates, increasing deposit charges and an unwillingness to lend to businesses.
Mr Lynch added: "We will also be keen to consider what scrutiny they apply to the banks' lending policies, such as lending to SMEs and assisting struggling mortgage holders."
Public interest directors were appointed in late 2008 after the banks were guaranteed by the State. Former Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said the non-executive directors would promote the public interest as a way of easing pressure on consumers.
Margaret Hayes and Ray MacSharry, PTSB public interest directors, will appear before the committee at 3pm on Wednesday.
Duties
Tom Considine and Joe Walsh, who sit on the Bank of Ireland board, will attend the committee meeting at 9.30am, while Dick Spring, public interest director at AIB, and Dr Michael Somers, the government-appointed nominee at AIB, will attend at 12.30pm the same day.
Mr Lynch said: "Our meetings provide us with an opportunity to get an overview of the roles, responsibilities, duties and contribution of the public interest directors on the boards of banks which have been bailed out by the State.
"We will also be interested in receiving an outline of how the public interest directors have reported on their roles."
Public interest directors on the boards of bailed-out banks have earned over €1m since being appointed in 2008.
The top paid include Dick Spring (€132,000) in AIB, Tom Considine (€240,000) and Joe Walsh (€217,000) in Bank of Ireland, as well as Margaret Hayes (€207,000) and Ray MacSharry (€183,000) in PTSB.
These fees do not include amounts those directors are being paid this year.
Most of the directors were appointed around the same time of the bank guarantee four years ago by Brian Lenihan.
- Maeve Dineen
See also the two recent videos of his sermons in Toronto, Canada. A reminder also of perhaps sending a donation to donate@dinoscopus.org or to the St. Marcel Initiative.
Thought and Action extends Christmas greetings to His Lordship.
Number CCLXXXIII (283)
15 December 2012
FAREWELL, WIMBLEDON
So I have moved out of Wimbledon, which at least corresponds to the reality of my supposed “expulsion” from the Society of St Pius X. But the move is not without its sadness, because I spent nearly four years there after my real expulsion from Argentina, and they have been happy years, despite everything. Perhaps the main happiness has been the company of the priests in SSPX headquarters in England, St George’s House. They have been very good company. May God bless each of them.
However one thing I must say. People ask why I left the Society. I did not leave the Society. The Society left me, by abandoning the principles for which I joined it. Once again, the parallel with Vatican II is exact. Just as countless Catholic priests, religious and layfolk were abandoned by the churchmen who opted in the 1960’s for the Council, so a number of faithful priests and laity are being abandoned in the 2010’s by the leaders of the Society as these choose to head for peace with their “new friends in Rome” - quote of the Society’s First Assistant. The blindness is astonishing, for those who can see. It is all too natural for those who cannot see. May God have mercy on them. I do believe that these leaders have never understood what Archbishop Lefebvre was all about. They are children of their age.
The only substantial reason given for their “expelling” me was disobedience. But the only substantial disobedience on my part was the repeated refusal to close down these “Eleison Comments”. Yet when I asked the Superior General on two different occasions to specify which precise numbers of the “Comments” were so problematic, each time he did not give an answer, no doubt because he would have had to admit that the real problem was one of content, namely my resolute opposition to his suicidal approach to Conciliar Rome. Instead he continues to pretend, that the problem is one of discipline, thus diverting attention away from the real problem. And I am not the first priest and I will not be the last that he treats in this way. May God give him light. He risks chasing out many of his true friends in order to please his true enemies, just like Pope Paul VI did with Archbishop Lefebvre. The parallels never end. The Newchurch and the Newsociety are the same malady of our age.
So what now ? I borrow a friend’s flat in the vicinity of London for a few weeks at best, for a few months at worst, until I can find suitable property to rent for 6 or 12 months. At this point I still do not believe in making any permanent arrangements. Alas, I shall not be easy to contact because my friend has to be discreet out of care for his neighbours. In any case snail mail will reach me through P.O. Box 423, Deal CT14 4BF, England. (but please don’t send Christmas cards. I send none). From December 13 to January 3 I plan to make an apostolic visit to Canada and the USA, Deo volente, and immediately after that a visit to France for the Feast of the Epiphany.
Also changing will be some aspects of how my spoken and written words are published. The format and method of delivery of “Eleison Comments” may change too, but what I hope will not change is their appearing every Saturday through December and into the New Year. . Thank you for all your contributions to the St Marcel Initiative. In case you were concerned, I can promise you that they have not gone astray. Happy Christmas.Kyrie eleison
See below. A vote for Sinn Fein is a vote for Abortion!
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1217/breaking17.html
GENEVIEVE CARBERY
Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín has been removed from the chairmanship of an Oireachtas committee for failing to vote with his party on proposed abortion legislation.
Mr Tóibín failed to turn up to the Dáil for a vote last month in which his party voted in favour of proposed X case legislation put forward by United Left Alliance TD Clare Daly.
The Government defeated the Bill by 101 votes to 27 with the support of Fianna Fáil.
Mr Tóibín has expressed fears that legislating for the X case could be a “stepping stone” to the broadening of cases.
Mr Tóibín “stated that he did not wish to vote against his own party and so, took the decision to absent himself from the vote and has stated publicly that he understood that this was in breach of the party whip,” Sinn Fein TD and party whip Aengus Ó’Snodaigh said in a statement last night.
Resulting from the “serious breach” of party rules Mr Toibin has been removed as chairman of the Committee on Investigations, Oversight and Petitions, Mr Ó Snodaigh said. He will continue as party spokesman on enterprise.
In a statement last night, the Meath West TD said he has “strong personal opinions” on abortion legislation. He said he had anticipated disciplinary action for his breach of the whip.
“I remain a Sinn Féin TD and am fully committed to the party,” he added.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
With political retirements expected at the next general election an interesting piece here from John Drennan in the Sunday Independent. See below.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/kenny-told-stitchup-on-x-case-will-cause-revolt-3327194.html
Kenny told 'stitch-up' on X Case will cause revolt
By JOHN DRENNAN
Sunday December 16 2012
Senior FG figures warn Taoiseach not to rush decision on legislation
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been warned that if the Government attempts to rush through any "stitch-up'' when it presents its proposed response to legislating for the X Case next week, he will face a major Fine Gael revolt.
The Government is expected to present its response on Tuesday, but Mr Kenny was warned that he will "be seen to be in absolute breach of his word if anything resembling a final solution is presented next week".
And the claim by Eamon Gilmore that he and Mr Kenny would resolve the abortion issue by Christmas has sparked a furious response from senior Fine Gael figures who warned that "the Government must absolutely facilitate an open-ended debate that is respectful of all views'' before it finalises its response to the Ryan report.
They added: "A very significant number of people will not accept a stitch-up. . . as part of some divvy-up to facilitate the wishes of the Labour Party.''
The mood amongst the wing of Fine Gael that is suspicious of any attempt to legislate for suicide will have been hardened by a letter sent to all of the party's representatives by 11 top-level consultant psychiatrists.
The letter was signed by Jacqueline Montwill, consultant psychiatrist for Mayo Mental Health Services; Eugene Breen, CP Mater University Hospital; Alan Byrne, CP Naas; Patricia Casey, professor of psychiatry Mater/UCD; Ciaran Clarke, CP Barringtons Limerick; Brid Corkery, CP St Stephen's Hospital Cork; Brian Houlihan, consultant child psychiatrist at Children's University Hospital Temple St; Richelle Kirrane, CP John Connolly Hospital; Martin Mahon, CP John Connolly Hospital; Bernie McCabe, CP Navan Mental Health Services, and Geraldine Lyster, CP St Brigid's Hospital Louth
Significantly, the letter claims that "termination of pregnancy is not a psychiatric treatment for suicidality, nor is it mentioned as such in any of the major textbooks of psychiatry''.
The letter also expresses the belief that "offering an abortion to a distressed person who is psychiatrically ill would be strongly ill-advised since the person's capacity to make important life decisions is frequently impaired".
Political sources have said that tensions have arisen between Mr Kenny and Justice Minister Alan Shatter over Mr Shatter's response to the Expert Group Report on Abortion which appeared, to many observers, to implicitly endorse the development of a far more liberal abortion regime than the simple outworking of the X Case Supreme Court Judgement.
However, opinion within Fine Gael is so divided over the issue of legislation. Lucinda Creighton has made it clear she will resign if any legislation is too liberal.
Ms Creighton was not available for comment. However, Fine Gael sources also noted that "Shatter is driving every-one mad. He is complaining the X Case is not enough."
Within Fine Gael it is believed that at least 30 TDs and senators remain to be convinced by the virtues of the legislative route. These include Ms Creighton; Derek Keating; Michelle Mulherin; Regina Doherty; John O'Mahony; John Paul Phelan; Brian Walsh; Peter Mathews; party chairperson Charles Flanagan; Terence Flanagan; Billy Timmins; Sean Conlon; Michael Creed; John Deasy; James Bannon; Paul Connaughton, Tony McLoughlin; Jim Daly; Marcella Corcoran Kennedy; Patrick O'Donovan; and a number of senators such as Paul Bradford.
One source noted: "It is not that we are medieval about what women can or cannot do with their bodies. Our concern is about issues such as how do we define suicide and is it the case that we run the risk of following the path of other jurisdictions where this legislation could be used to introduce a UK-style abortion regime though the back door.''
Another source asked: "How do we define regulations for suicides? Dan Neville, who is the expert on this issue, admitted it is actually impossible to form a conclusion on suicidal ideation.''
TDs were also anxious to clarify that "this is not about being controlled by Opus Dei or priests and nuns waving rosary beads. People have genuine issues of conscience."
- JOHN DRENNAN
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A new investigation and research. See below.
Written by Administrator
December 14, 2012 at 11:13 am
Not one Irish woman has had an abortion in the UK in order to save her life since 1992, new research from the Committee for Excellence in Maternal Healthcare (CEMH) has shown.
A response to a freedom of information request by the Committee to the British Department of Health shows that, between 1992 and 2010, no abortions were carried out on Irish women under section F of the UK Abortion Act, which requires records to be kept of abortions that were carried out to “save the life of the mother”.
Further, the same data shows that no abortions were carried out on Irish women between 1992 and 2010 under Section G of the same Act, which requires records to be kept of abortions conducted to “prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman”.
Commenting on the data for CEMH, Dr Eoghan de Faoite said:
“This data makes clear what Irish women have known all along – they do not have to leave Ireland to seek abortions if their life is in danger. In fact, not one abortion has been carried out to save an Irish woman’s life since the X case, despite the frequent and misleading claims of those who support the provision of induced abortion.
“As the Dublin Declaration, issued following the International Symposium on Maternal Health, confirmed: ‘the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women’. ”
“Further, the data makes clear that not one single abortion has been carried out on an Irish woman in the UK to protect her from grave permanent injury to her physical or mental health”.
“The results of this investigation are hugely significant for the government at this current time. Policy makers must be aware of the facts revealed by the official British records which show that abortions are not being carried out on Irish women in order to save their lives.
“Irish women will not be surprised by these figures. Pregnancy is not a disease and abortion is not a cure. The oft-repeated claim that Irish women are travelling for so-called ‘life-saving’ abortions are shown to be false and without foundation. The truth is that British statistics show not a single life saved by an abortion in 20 years,” he added.
What we do know from the British experience is that in 2010, 66 children were born as a result of botched abortions in the United Kingdom and left to die. This is not a record to emulate in regard to human rights, or maternal health.
These figures make absolutely clear that Irish women are not traveling to Britain from Ireland to procure abortions in order to save their lives. Excellence in Maternal Healthcare should strive to obtain the best possible outcome for both mother and baby.
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