Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Budget 2002 Margaret McKearney December 4 2002 witnessed the Minister of Finance deliver his sixth budget.  Lobbyists on behalf of the Banks, the Farmers, and the Estate Agents, amongst others rushed to air their grievances.  The Irish financial institutions declared themselves stunned at the projected o300m levy, which being phased into place over three years, hardly begins to dent previous profits extorted by these institutions by their utilisation of recent legal loopholes.  Likewise the Estate agents have declared that the decision to increase stamp duty will drive commercial speculators abroad, and the farmers are threatening to pull out of the partnership talks completely over a removal of capital gains tax relief on compensatory monies paid to farmers whose lands had been acquired for the national land building programme. [Fourthwrite: Budget 2002] Comments: Google It! 10:46:11 AM

The Beast is Back Henry McDonald Anti-semitism, as Conor Cruise O'Brien once pointed out, is a light sleeper. Judging by recent events in Ireland, O'Brien is right: the beast has only been dozing. It briefly raised its head and exposed itself in tooth and claw last month when the Pat Kenny Show discussed a suicide bomb that killed 11 schoolchildren in Israel. Despite harrowing reports of young girls and boys crying 'Mama! Mama!' from the bombed bus, no sympathy was expressed by those who took the time to call into Kenny's weekday radio show. Instead, he was met with gales of 'whataboutery' as callers ignored the slaughter on the bus, preferring to focus on the deaths of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories at the hands of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). [The Blanket: The Beast is Back] Comments: Google It! 10:42:24 AM

Brits admit shooting victim was unarmed The British government has admitted that a 16-year-old youth, Daniel Hegarty, who was shot dead by the British Army during Operation Motorman in July 1972, was unarmed when killed. [AP/RN: Brits admit shooting victim was unarmed] Comments: Google It! 10:40:27 AM

[ Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous | Previous | Next ] Irish Republican Web Ring Join this ring [ Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites ]

© Copyright 2003 The Badger.