Murky Waters Ahead For The Irish Nation??

Environment Minister Hogan should resign over Irish Water shambles, says Gerry Adams

The Government and Irish Water had hid from consumers the fact that €86million was spent on ‘consultancy costs’ in the set-up of Irish Water

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER Phil Hogan TD should resign over the Irish Water shambles and the Labour/Fine Gael Government reverse its drive to commercialise water, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams TD says.

“Phil Hogan is incompetent,” Gerry Adams told reporters at Leinster House on Wednesday as the Dáil official term resumed.

“He has been involved in too many debacles. Minister Hogan should resign immediately and the Government should abandon its regressive policy on water provision.”

He added:

“By failing to answer repeated questions, from Sinn Féin TDs and others on the costs associated with establishing Irish Water, Minister Hogan and his department have shown contempt for the Dáil, its members and the citizens they represent.”

Gerry Adams’s call came after another shock story that 500 Irish Water staff are entitled to “performance-related” bonuses even though the company has only just been established.

Previously, the Government and Irish Water had hid from consumers the fact that €86million was spent on ‘consultancy costs’ in the set-up of Irish Water.

Irish Water Managing Director John Tierney’s salary of €200,000 does not have a performance-related element.

Sinn Féin Mountmellick – Serving The Community

Martin McGuinness address to Six County AGM

19 January, 2014 - by Martin McGuinness

Sinn Féin activist yesterday gathered in Guladuff, County Derry for the annual Six County Cuige AGM. The meeting was addressed by deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. In the course of a wide ranging address Mr McGuinness dealt with the ongoing political fallout in the wake of the Haass negotiation.

Mr McGuinness said:

“The Haass Talks were like previous negotiations marked by a willingness by Republicans to take risks, to stretch ourselves and to seek to make agreements which consolidate the Peace Process, bed down further the political institutions and offer hope and opportunity for all citizens, particularly our young people.

It is a matter of regret that political unionism did not come to the table with the same objectives or intent. I believe not only was this a mistake, it is a disservice not just to the political process but more importantly to the vast majority of people from whatever background or tradition they come from.

I believe strongly that ordinary unionists want to see their political leaders make agreements. They want to see their political leaders reach compromises. They want to see their political leaders be peace makers.

Unfortunately over the past 12 months it is the tiny minority have shouted the loudest; who have thrown the most stones and petrol bombs; who have blocked the most roads have been the ones allowed to influence the political direction of unionism instead of the silent majority who seek peace with their neighbours and an Assembly and Executive delivering for them and their children.

Despite this I am proud of the fact that despite the provocations, despite the negativity and the deliberate attempts to derail the efforts, Republicans were able to respond with generosity and with a total desire to see progress made. That was evidenced by the decision of the Ard Chomhairle last weekend to endorse the Haass package as the basis for moving forward. The five political parties, supported by the Irish and British governments now need to make this happen.

The final Haass document is a compromise. It is not a Republican script. How would it ever be, it was the product of negotiations involving five parties. One party leader Mike Nesbitt claimed before the end of the talks that he was 80 or 90% content with the text. Well I have some advice for Mr Nesbitt as someone who is new to these sorts of negotiations from someone who has been around them all – if you have 80 or 90% of what you want in a negotiation – close the deal!!

I note that Peter Robinson has responded in the media to my interview on the View on Thursday evening. Suffice to say this. There has been a leadership deficit within some sections of political unionism for a long time. There is very important work to do to give all our people the society they deserve. That is the responsibility of every party not some.

Peter says I have a visceral hatred of the Orange Order. This is not true. I want to see the Orange treating its catholic neighbours with respect. I want to see it upholding law and order. I respect the Loyal Orders right to march. They do that without incident in my city. That is what should happen everywhere. I am happy to meet the Orange at any time and discuss these matters. Orange is one of our country's national colours. The Orange Order of Ireland is one of our national traditions. I want all our traditions to live together in peace and respect and with tolerance from everyone for everyone.

I have to say I am frustrated at the failure of political unionism to so far take that leap into a better future. The issues involved in the Haass Talks are not going away. They need resolved. It is simply not tolerable to allow these matters to hold back progress and even worse contaminate the daily business of trying to deliver for citizens who want to see welfare, education, health and other issues to the fore, not those we have spent so much time on over the past 12 months.

But to your credit as activists and members of Sinn Féin you have not allowed the issues around flags or parades to deflect you from our job – to build our party, to advance our struggle and to create the political conditions within which Irish reunification will happen.”

Sinn Féin Mountmellick - Serving The Community 

Study To Investigate Honey Bees "Colony Collapse Disorder"

5,000 bees chilled, shaved and microchipped in Australian study to prevent killer diseases

RT January 17, 2014 14:23

Australian scientists have attached small sensors onto thousands of honey bees to monitor their movements in a study aimed at stopping the spread of the illnesses that wiped out entire bee populations in the northern hemisphere.

The microchips, weighing about 5 milligrams and measuring 2.5 square millimeters, are glued to the bees after scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Tasmania soothe the insects to sleep at 5 degrees Celsius.

Some young bees tend to be hairier than the older ones, so they are shaved.

A total of 5,000 bees will be included in the study, which is taking place over the Australian summer.

The study could help deal with the so-called colony collapse disorder, a situation where bees mysteriously disappear from hives, and the encroachment of the parasitic varroa mite, the researchers say.

Since 2006, CCD has caused the devastation of an estimated 10 million beehives at an average value of $200 each, according to the May report by the US Department of Agriculture, mainly due to the use of pesticides.

The experiment will also give farmers and fruit growers a chance to manage their crops better, as it will study the bee’s role in pollination, CSIRO said in a statement.

"Using this technology, we aim to understand the bee's relationship with its environment," research project leader Paulo de Souza said.

The radio frequency identification sensors work like an electronic tag for cars on a toll road, recording when insects pass a checkpoint, and that will allow researchers to construct a 3D image of the insects' movements, a process described as "swarm sensing," Reuters reported.

The scientists are also working on diminishing the sensor to 1 square millimeter, so they can be glued to smaller insects, such as mosquitoes.

“This will be the largest study ever done of this kind, given that there will be 5,000 sensors. Two months is quite a long time to be studying them, too,” De Souza told The Guardian newspaper.

Sinn Féin Mountmellick – Serving The Community

Irish Citizens Labour To Believe Labour Party Waffle

Prendergast cannot have it both ways on EirGrid – Ní Riada

15 January, 2014 - by Liadh Ní Riada (EU candidate) 

Sinn Féin’s EU candidate for the constituency of Ireland South, Liadh Ní Riada, has stated that Labour party Mep, Phil Prendergast, cannot have it both ways on EirGrid.

Ms Ní Riada was responding to comments made by Prendergast in which she likened the building of pylons to the “rape of the countryside”.

She also voiced her strong concerns regarding health risks associated with pylons.

Ní Riada said:

“I appreciate the Labour Party MEP’s concerns even if her language was designed to grab headlines. However, Phil Prendergast cannot have it both ways on EirGrid.

“She is a member of a government party that is pushing these pylons on the people of rural Munster and South Leinster. Perhaps she should be challenging her own party colleagues regarding their stance on EirGrid rather than seeking headlines.

“Pat Rabbitte has been the main government cheerleader for the EirGrid proposal.

“Minister Rabbitte said, as far as he is concerned, that there were no health concerns regarding the building of pylons. He added that a national agency of government, such as EirGrid, has no vested interest in exposing people to risk.

“This directly contradicts what Health Minister Dr James Reilly said about the issue.

“Expert reports have conclusively shown that high voltage energy lines increase the risk of cancer, particularly for children.

“Nobody trusts Minister Rabbitte on this or any issue given his comments on TV when he said that Labour deliberately told lies during the last election.

“The bottom-line is that Phil Prendergast cannot have it both ways on what is a very serious matter for people in affected communities. It is the height of hypocrisy for her to come out with such statements while failing to challenge her colleagues and party leadership on the matter in any meaningful way.

“She is the part of an organisation that bears a weight of responsibility for all of this. She is at best complicit.

“If she has no confidence in Minister Rabbitte then she should say so. However, if the Minister is misleading people, deliberately or as result of ignorance, he should resign.”

Sinn Féin Mountmellick – Serving The Community

Another Fine Gael/Labour Party Pre Election Position Watered Away

Adams condemns Irish Water debacle

13 January, 2014 - by Gerry Adams TD

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD has called on the Irish government to make Irish Water compliant with the Freedom of Information Act and to move speedily to ensure that all relevant information about the establishment of Irish Water is accessible and available to the public.

The Sinn Féin Louth and East Meath TD said:

“The debacle around Irish Water is symptomatic of the failures of the Fine Gael and Labour government. Both parties came to power condemning the bad politics of Fianna Fáil and promising greater transparency and openness and accountability in government. Instead there has been a litany of broken promises and u-turns and the guillotine has seen significant use in the Dáil as the government has sought to stifle debate and push through its legislation.

“In government Fine Gael and Labour abolished water charges. In opposition they rejected water charges but now in government again they are reintroducing them. It is also worth noting that Fianna Fáil agreed to impose water charges under an EU-IMF arrangement but is now opposed to them.

“From the very beginning of the project, Irish water has wasted good money after bad;

· It has received €500m from the Pension Reserve Fund to install water meters

· This was followed by over €200m in the recent budget

· Only to be followed by a further allocation from the local government fund

“Then, this week Irish Water admitted that the company has spent €50m of public money on private consultants.

“People across the state are angry at this huge outlay of public money. Such public anger is understandable considering the level of experience regarding water supply that already exists in the 34 local councils.

“Rather than spend this enormous amount of money on private consultants, Irish Water should have given this work to local authority staff. This would have been an immediate saving to the taxpayer.

“We learned on Sunday, through a confidential report obtained by RTÉ's This Week programme that the Government expected Irish Water would be established using Bord Gáis' "existing operational capacity" in the specific areas of IT, asset management, customer billing systems, and other key functions.

“However, according to tender documents published on the European tendering system, the Official Journal of the European Union, the services that Irish Water has acquired from external consultants include asset management services, customer services, and other IT functions — the very services the report said should be deployed by Bord Gáis.

“So, major questions now need to be asked regarding the payment of €50 million of public money on private consultants.

“Sinn Féin intends raising this issue in the Dáil when it returns on Wednesday.”

Concluding Gerry Adams said:

“Water charges are an integral part of the government’s austerity strategy. They are an unacceptable additional stealth charge on households. The installation of water meters, their cost and the water charges that will follow will add significantly to the burden on families. This regressive tax, coupled with the others already imposed by this government, are crippling households and families.

Sinn Féin is fundamentally opposed to the introduction of water charges, to the privatisation of water and sewerage service provision.

In the north Sinn Féin has prevented the introduction of water charges and the privatisation of the water services and will continue to do so.”

Sinn Féin Mountmellick - Serving The Community