Nurses may say NO .. again

RANT ALERT:

Listening to Joe Duffy today and other shows on Irish Radio, it looks like the Nurses are going to say NO to the idea of a 37.5 hour week which was put out there yesterday as some way toward ending this Nurse work to rule.


I just had a thought - I have a degree also - that should allow me to have loads more money according to the nurses. When - in this country - did JUST HAVING A DEGREE mean, by default, one could demand more money?

Again on Joe Duffy - a nurse "Im only on €22 [ approx ] AN HOUR", ONLY???? A few weeks in the private sector - thats what some people need - 50 / 60 hour weeks and in some cases for less per hour. The grass IS NOT always greener.

Also - if the economy slows down and unemployment increases - will we see any nurses on the dole queues? NO - they are permanent AND pensionable also - what is that worth on top of the €22 per hour - ONLY. In the case of a slow down will we see the nurses AND the politicians AND the civil service in general, taking a cut in pay to decrease the Government spend when needed? NO we wont.

A question - in this case did someone hold a gun to nurses heads when they started out in this profession? If they think its so great out here in the private sector and want parity in wage and status - QUIT THE NURSING JOB - come on out here. Again I dont think any nurse has a gun to HIS OR HER HEAD - stopping them from quiting.

Oh, as I freely stated already, I am in the private sector, have a small web design company ... and no I dont have a zillion holidays a year OR a merc OR a 4x4 OR a mansion. The thing called competition in the private sector, particularly in certain areas like tech, can dictate your hours and your money earned.

One prediction from here - the nurses are going to loose public sympathy very fast, they already are. Cut and run guys, take whats offered FOR THE MOMENT, live to fight another day.
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Anti Inflammatary drug banned in Ireland ..

I realise this is slightly away from the Election and all things politics, but it may not be THAT far away actually. A class of Anti-Inflammatary called Nimesulides has been suspended by the IMB [ Irish Medicines Board ] today - 15 May 2007.

"Liver damage is a rare but serious adverse effect known to occur with nimesulide"[ Quote IMB Site ]. SHOCKINGLY - "Since nimesulide was first licensed in Ireland in 1995, a total of 53 liver-related adverse reaction reports have been received." [ Quote IMB Site ]

And more SHOCKINGLY "This includes 9 cases of liver failure, 6 of which originated from the National Liver Transplant Unit. Three cases of liver failure resulted in a fatal outcome and the IMB is aware of one additional liver-related fatality." [ Quote IMB Site ]

IMB Site: http://www.imb.ie/safety.asp?nav=70&action=view&safety_item_id=64

This article includes advice and free phone details for those concerned. If you are on any of these drugs PLEASE read the IMB article above.

Under the Nimisulide name - the trademarked names at risk are Aulin and Mesulid as stated at the IMB site above. To read up a little more on Nimisulide try Wikipedia at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimesulide

Note somebody hot off the mark has updated the Wikipedia article with the Irish decision that occurred today.

Wikipedia states that "It did not achieve Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the USA, and is banned in many countries due to cases of jaundice and hepatitis induced by its use."

I suppose now we have to ask the question - if this were the case why did it take so long to get banned here. On the 9 O Clock news on Irish TV Station RTE, a solicitor seemed to flag potential legal action on all of this. It now remains to be seen how this story develops over the next short while - Yet another bombshell to side track our politicians on the road to election day and beyond perhaps.

As an aside and of further interest look here also:

Use of nimesulide in Indian children must be stopped -
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7391/713



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Corporation Tax, Nurses, Interest Rates ..

A few areas are in sharp focus for election 2007. Mr Aherne's house is slowly melting into the background. The Nurses are not. Tax harmonisation across Europe and attempts to do so is very dangerous for us here on this Island. As is an interest rate hike flagged for June.

First - the Nurses, they are going to ramp up their protests, especially if the threat of docked pay while on walk out arises. Though - the HSE have backed off on this for a few days yet. The hard nut to crack with this whole Nurses Strike / increased pay / less hours is to keep it inside the framework of SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP. Though - I get the feeling that the Nurse representatives do not care much for this as long as they get the increased pay and shorter hours. I may be wrong ....

Here I will have to state that I am in the private sector, I own a small web design company. From this vantage point I see anomallies in this SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP and the pay deals within. Two things us in the private sector DO NOT have are:

1. A guaranteed pensionable Job
2. A permanent job for life - guaranteed

These two items ARE NOT factored in to any pay deals, they are not given ANY VALUE and they should be. They are worth something surely.

NEXT - tax harmonisation across Europe and Corporation Tax. Since the mid ninties we in Ireland have enjoyed ever lower Corporation tax percentages. It is now set at 12% here.

What is Corporation Tax? In a nutshell it is a tax on what I call pure profit. When all other bills, wages, taxes, owings are all paid off what a company has left is pure profit. One would think that all the taxation should be over at this stage [ a reward perhaps, for risk taken running ones own company and maybe employing people ], but no, in comes Corporation tax. Another 12% of your pure profit goes to revenue.

Anyway, it seems certain quarters of Europe are jealous of our low Corporation Tax rate. It is one of the major reasons why large Multinational companies settle here providing HUGE EMPLOYMENT. Simply - they get to keep a larger portion of their pure profit. If we suseed to this European wide tax harmonisation we will have a major problem. Watch these multinationals slowly shut up shop and move on leaving vast unemployment in their wake. So please understand why this is a big issue for all us here in Ireland, even if you are a PAYE worker and not a company owner. Your employment could be threatened by higher Corporation tax rates.

Finally another thing that is chipping away at the average Joe / Josephine is the interest rate increases in the last while. Yet another is due in June, bringing the rate up to 4%, nice round figure. Not so nice really as it is constantly eroding the spending power of the average person [ who has a mortgage ]. No matter what the 'bank employed' economists on the radio say OR the auctioneering fraternity says, I believe this is the bigger reason behind the housing slow down we are seeing. Bigger than the stamp duty uncertainty. Even as it was - where I live - I notice more and more people are NOT moving house to a bigger abode. Instead they are BUILDING ON. Spending the potential Stamp duty amount they would incur if they sold on an extension. To me this makes more sense if one can do it.
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Leaks, smear Campaigns and the like!

That was an interesting weekend. Will they, wont they .. they didnt bother, where the PD's were concerned, they are still in government. Accusations, Smear Campaigns, leaks - theirs a book in all of this. Meanwhile their is the serious business of a country to run. But by what? A bunch of children throwing toys out of their prams and getting involved in school yard antics?

Fianna Fail start the smear campaign allegations, oh woe is me, people are besmearching the name of a good man type stuff. Accuse Fine Gael of a deliberate campaign to bring down Mr. Ahern and in the process bring down Fianna fail. Fine Gael then make accusations back that any leaks are coming from within the current government. Meanwhile Noel Ahern, Bertie Ahern's brother comes out playing the poor dead mother card, glad she was not here to see all this, and included a well placed pregnant pause for effect.

In my opinion - Fine Gael and all others should have stayed out of it, left Fianna Fail allegations hang. Give the electorate some credit, we are not stupid. Least of all if Fine Gael just rationally explained they are not involved in such campaigns and move on, dont labour on the subject, but no Mr. Enda kenny had to introduce a sting in the tail and tell the current government to look INSIDE for any leaks. Hence, prolonging this side show.

All this has done is led people to the conclusion that Fine Gael and Labour are now coming down to the gutter level also. Now we will have a week of sporadic mud slinging while awaiting Mr. Bertie Ahern to come out and come clean with his legal councils considered response.

SO, the side show that is Mr. Ahern's personal finances, has taken centre stage, all other pertinent and more important things with respect to the future of this country are now on the back burner - ROUND TWO will occur when Mr. Ahern and his council decide, now we are in purgatory, no mans land.

Finally with respect to the PD's, they have stayed in Government. After all this messing, they have stayed in Government .... Yes, I repeat it - all this has done [ again in my opinion ] is to decrease the PD's credibility in spades. Here is another party that should have kept their mouth shut, their powder dry for now. In the end what has it achieved for them and for all of us? More negative than positive results is the case here. The past has shown that the "Bertie" factor wins out in these situations.

The weekend past has been one big tantrum thats side railed the election proper and has further cemented in peoples mind that Irish Political partys are a joke, a very serious joke mind. Read more!

PD's may walk out of Government ...

So today Saturday 5th May 2007 rumours abound that the PD's may walk out of Government. This as a result of YET MORE new information given to Minister McDowell relating to the ongoing show that is Bertie's Personal Finances.

Well, this seems to be round two of the PD walkout phenomenon. They threatened this again in recent times and came back from the brink - Is this a repeat of the same?

Is this Hobsons choice? Damed if they do Damed if they don't. I think the feeling abounds that maybe they should have walked the first time, this could possibly have shown strength and character. Now people may look at this current 'Walk Out' scenario as ... well ... looking TOO opportunistic and whatever level of respect they have now could be lowered further by actually proceeding with a Walk Out.

BUT, then of course, if this new information re Bertie gets published in the newspapers TOMORROW, Sunday 6th May 2007, based on its content, the PD's may have no choice but to walk out. Either way they may not really gain from all of this - hence Hobsons Choice!

So lets say the PD's Walk. Fianna Fail then have to reshuffle ministries to fill Health and Justice, vacated by the PD's. But - Shock, Horror & based on the vorasity of this new information - do the Fianna Fail Party now do the unthinkable and dump Bertie as Taoiseach, fastly replacing him with Brian Cowen and from their try and shore up the inevitable damage. OH Yes, they will also have to employ loads more workers to go around the country with black markers and quickly change the posters from "BERTIES TEAM" to "BRIANS TEAM" ... All this before an election, interesting times ahead! Read more!

Weekend Voting - Response from Fine Gael

Frank Flannery, Fine Gael Director of Elections, has asked me to respond to your query.

"Fine Gael attempted to force the Government- and all future Governments- to hold elections at the weekends when we brought our Private Members Bill to the floor of the Dail. Fianna Fail and the PDs voted it down. We are committed to introducing it in Government. There follows a press statement outlining our proposals."

Kind regards
Stephen Lynam
Policy Officer
Fine Gael Election Campaign 2007.



Fine Gael to Make Weekend Voting Law - Naughten

Fine Gael are to introduce a new law which would ensure that voting for all elections must be held between Friday and Sunday" said local TD Denis Naughten.

“The last election that was held on a Friday saw the turnout increase by one sixth and we as politicians must ensure all those who wish to vote are given the maximum opportunity to do so”.

“It is totally unacceptable that the Taoiseach wants to reduce the number of people who actually cast their vote on election day and it begs the question; "What is Fianna Fáil afraid of?"

"The fact is that Friday voting works. In 1994, the European Elections were held on a Thursday with a turnout of about 44%. However, when the 2004 European and Local Elections were switched to a Friday, turnout rose dramatically to 58.58%”.

“The new Fine Gael law will ensure all elections are held on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays”.

"Every voter must be given the maximum opportunity to vote, and Friday polling is one way to do this as is opening the polls earlier and closing them later. Holding the election on a Thursday will effectively disenfranchise thousands of people, and Fianna Fáil must explain why they think it is beneficial to disqualify so many from the vote."
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Election 07 called on a Thursday ... Hmmph!

So Election 07 is called for May 24th 07 - a Thursday. Why not a Saturday OR a Sunday, even a Friday - give people time to get home. This takes away the ability of a large amount of the electorate to cast their vote due to a number of reasons:Students away at college / doing exams about thenPeople away at their work / cannot get home on a ThursdayThe cynical amongst us would say - this is a stroke. It may suit some parties to have a low voting turn out. What do ye think?

Apparently their are ways to get around this like - The Postal Vote. Mmm, have ye looked into this? Go here:

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/government-in-ireland/elections-and-referenda/voting/registering-to-vote

and scroll down to "Supplement to the Postal or Special Voters List" section.

Here it says: "The latest date for receipt of applications [ for postal vote ] is two days after the date of dissolution of the Dáil in the case of a general election "

Who thought of this one? Two days? Are we Clairvoyant? The current Taoiseach disolves the dail and calls the election on SUNDAY 29th of April 07 - in the early hours of the morning. This meant one had to have the postal vote form posted and at its destination by the early hours of the Tuesday morning following. Anyway the form:

http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/ElectionsElectoralRegister/

What of a temporary change of address form - does this exist? BUT have a look at the following about a form called RFA2: http://www.checktheregister.ie/

This says "If your details do not appear and are not included at another address you must complete an application form (RFA2) for inclusion in the supplement to the 2007/2008 Register" Will the RFA2 do the trick -

http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/ElectionsElectoralRegister/

Not sure when this has to be returned by, will update when I find out. Read more!