Organisation: Glenageary Co

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

opinion

Readers Blog: Do we need a State-owned broadcaster?

The hullabaloo about the gender pay gap in RTÉ follows the publication of comparable data by BBC. The 56th annual report discloses cash-strapped RTÉ reported a deficit in 2016 of €19.7m from total revenue of €337.3m on top of a pre-existing cumulative deficit of €15.1m.

Dear Sir... Readers' Views (19/10/16)

Dear Sir... Readers' Views (03/10/16)

Dear Sir... Readers' Views (22/08/16)

Politics needs to endorse and live the ideals of the Nolan principles

Minister should ask Irish people first if they agree with injection centres

Public sector is as unenthusiastic as Joe Public about costly postal codes

If a proxy for the public sector’s engagement, efficacy and the adaptability was to be measured by their promptness in using Eircode smart postal codes in the ‘contact us’ section of their websites, the impression conveyed would be that citizen relations and customer-focused culture are low priority.

Sat, 29 Aug, 2015

Actions speak louder than words on migrants

Some commentators suggest that illegal migration is “a class issue’ that doesn’t impact on any other than the poorer classes in host countries. Surely this persiflage grossly distorts reality and the consequences of what is unfolding and threatened.

Wed, 12 Aug, 2015

Drumm should not be allowed to use video link

The declaration by David Drumm, former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank that he would deliberate to the banking inquiry by video link is an outrageous display of condescension and disrespect toward the Irish public and a mischievous instance of self-serving manipulation.

Thu, 30 Jul, 2015

Shoppers won’t forget how Clerys staff treated

The announcement of grandiose plans to redevelop Clerys department store in Dublin strikes like a trespass on public patience while the former Clerys’ employees flounder in frustration, anger and bewilderment for some semblance of dignity, validation and due process.

Mon, 22 Jun, 2015

No evidence that ‘yes’ vote good for economy

According to the chief executive of IDA Ireland, a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum would be ‘good for business’. This is a curious assertion because there is no evidence in any jurisdiction, where same-sex marriage is lawful that it had any impact whatsoever on their prosperity.

Wed, 06 May, 2015

Same-sex marriage not relevant to most people

Was it not strange and neglectful that the script of Micheál Martin’s leader’s speech to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis did not contain any references to either of the two referendum proposals that the electorate will consider on May 22?

Wed, 29 Apr, 2015

‘Name and shame’ TDs who employ relatives

Taoiseach Enda Kenny opined: “I don’t think it is a wise thing for politicians to employ family members”, in response to the disclosure that Fine Gael TD, John Perry, is employing his wife as a parliamentary assistant, on an annual salary scale that can rise to €49,000, with the potential to earn further in over-time.

Sat, 21 Mar, 2015

An Post stamp could influence referendum

The article by Dr Seán Ó’Conaill of UCC Faculty of Law (Equality terminology maybe troublesome for government, Irish Examiner, February 13) was timely and interesting. 

Wed, 18 Feb, 2015

Extravagant salaries in the public sector unjustifiable

It has been reported that the new chief executive of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) could get a ‘bonus entitlement’ of up to €384,000, on top of a salary-and-benefits package of €445,000.

Wed, 07 Jan, 2015

Forget the IMMA board debacle, we need to examine Aosdána

Too much energy has been wasted on the bushfire which flared since the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) board appointments debacle.

Tue, 07 Oct, 2014

Minister accountable for Flannery

Calls for Frank Flannery to appear before the Public Accounts Committee intensified after his resignation as chairman of the Forum on Philanthropy to which Phil Hogan, Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, had appointed him in 2011.

Sat, 15 Mar, 2014

Charity sector needs more transparency

There is no evidence of an independent review and approval process at the Central Remedial Clinic in the determination of the outrageous scale of remuneration, termination and pension arrangements with its former chief executive, or the source of cash to pay these, contrary to basic standards of acceptable institutional governance.

Mon, 27 Jan, 2014

Tánaiste needs to get tough on Uganda same-sex stance

When former president Mary McAleese remarked in Scotland last month that ‘a very large number’ of Catholic priests are homosexual, the response of the Catholic Church in Ireland was that it was up to Mrs McAleese ‘to raise these matters’, but that the Church does not respond to reported comments of individuals.

Sat, 18 Jan, 2014

Secret payments an unhealthy practice

Your report (Irish Examiner, Nov 19), that so many publicly-funded healthcare institutions are flagrantly breaching public pay policy with impunity, by making secret top-level remuneration payments in a manner that is not decipherable to taxpayers, conveys an impression that these institutions are operating at the behest of feudal aristocrats who are accountable to nobody.

Fri, 22 Nov, 2013

Cut TV licence fee and appoint new collector

The alarming admission in the Dáil last week by Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte that the television licence evasion rate has reached 16% is a symptom of catastrophic systemic failure.

Fri, 31 May, 2013

A waste of energy

The Croke Park II deal is worthless in reducing our deficit.

Tue, 21 May, 2013

Danger of public sector reform

The flaccid, complacent character of the Siptu press conference on Mar 14 advocating support for the proposals set out in the proposed public sector agreement would imply that enthusiasm among trade union members is not broadly based and that, where it exists, support for pay cuts and longer working hours is somewhat less than galeforce in its intensity.

Tue, 19 Mar, 2013

A question of valuation

A property has two prices, the price you can get for it, or the net present value of its future cash flows.

Thu, 24 Jan, 2013

Commercial failure by Government

This Government’s decision to renege on their programme for government policy to allow commercial tenants market rents, was the worst economic decision since the bank guarantee.

Tue, 02 Oct, 2012

Root and branch reform of Church practices needed

The response to the latest shocking revelations of clerical sex abuse have included calls for new Garda inquiries and investigations.

Thu, 13 Sep, 2012

Sex abuse culpability

The most recent report on child sexual abuse by Catholic priests and the systematic cover-up by Church authorities again confirms the Catholic Church’s culpable ignorance, willful neglect and total disregard of the welfare and rights of children.

Tue, 11 Sep, 2012

Government borrowing heading way off target

The statement by Minister Michael Noonan that the Exchequer figures for the first three months were on target, is pure hogwash.

Sat, 07 Apr, 2012

Lowry’s many allowances should be questioned

Fine Gael ministers have robustly defended the principle of meeting Deputy Michael Lowry after the publication of adverse findings against him by the Moriarty Tribunal on the grounds that he has a mandate to represent the voters of Tipperary North (Irish Examiner, Apr 6).

Sat, 07 Apr, 2012

Safeguarding children?

IT is deeply troubling that the 2010 Annual Report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children reveals that the review of child safeguarding practices in each diocese, which the Hierarchy requested the board to commence in 2009, has been thwarted by them for over two years.

Wed, 18 May, 2011

Colossal bailout

WHILE the pundits deliberate on whether, or not, Irish people have the capacity to cope with the staggering consequences of the bank bailout, it is relevant to point out that the scale of it now exceeds the GDP in 2010 of eight other member states of the EU.

Sat, 02 Apr, 2011

Bailout won't save us

THERE are two huge elephants in our electoral room. One is our social welfare spend of €20bn and the second is the public service pay bill of €20bn.

Fri, 11 Feb, 2011

Next government must rebuild the nation

THE admission by Alan Dukes that Anglo Irish Bank will need €50 billion in State support is cataclysmic in consequence.

Thu, 10 Feb, 2011

Pallbearers arrive to remove our profligate corpse

THE squandering of our sovereignty is an outrageous betrayal of national trust that has taken just eight years to accomplish.

Sat, 20 Nov, 2010

Why should we buy Labour’s pig in a poke?

THE Labour Party remains stubbornly mute on public expenditure cuts, including whether child benefit should, or should not, be cut.

Mon, 08 Nov, 2010

AIB needs new broom

I HAVE been an AIB customer for 35 years. The advocacy of Padraic Fallon, former director, in favour of appointing an insider as chief executive ignores public sentiment, however strongly he believes the candidate in question is the “obvious man for the job”.

Sat, 24 Oct, 2009

Lack of communication an utter disgrace

ONE of the many criticisms levelled at the Government in the aftermath of the election is their capacity to communicate coherently with citizens.

Wed, 10 Jun, 2009

The financial regulation fiasco

THE news that in 2008 Irish Nationwide Building Society made a loss of €€243 million, incurred a loan impairment charge of €€464 million and has debts of €2.23 billion maturing this year is another shocking indictment of a dysfunctional, complacent financial regulatory system.

Mon, 20 Apr, 2009