For the time that's in it

Rare to see a minister get a good reception on TV but that is exactly what happened last Monday night on RTE’s “Frontline” Roisin Shortall was setting out her views on how to tackle binge drinking. Roisin is the minister responsible for the drugs strategy and she is seeking to reduce our addiction to alcohol consumption. She has a hard job however she set out in a positive way exactly the extent of the problem our society ignores. Absenteeism on Fridays or Mondays due to late night drinking is part of the €1.5B bill attributed to absenteeism in the workplace. It’s not too long ago since a local supermarket in Wexford gave a free case of beer when you bought one case.

Casual violence and vandalism adds to the damage. A few years ago a local garda told me that he was looking forward to his retirement as he’d spent enough Saturday nights in the company of enough of Wexford’s drunken youths to last him a lifetime. Alcohol contributes significantly to our levels of mental health. We’ve always tolerated the problem however it now seems that enough is enough and Rosin is looking at the volume of alcohol that is purchased here. Add to that the % alcohol content of alcopops and continental lagers, significantly stronger than the usual pint of plain. As a generation we’re storing up a problem of diabetes for the future. The health needs of the generation damaged by the over consumption of alcopos will have to be met somehow. Minister Shortall committed to ring fencing revenue raised for dealing with addiction. If a fraction of what she proposes comes through, it’ll be a good dasy work.

Lets deal with the potential downside. Cross border traffic for alcohol tends to be slightly older people who are not targeted by the alcopops manufacturers. There is little in the difference in price between many spirits here available on offer and the price across the border. Would you be bothered going to the north if the bargains aren’t there anymore? That’s not to say that some people will not go for variety and novelty. However the reality is that like the smoking ban which the north copied, any move that works on reducing alcohol consumption will in time make its way into law elsewhere. If a reduction of consumption in cheap youth orientated alcohols is Shorthall’s vision then I hope she succeeds and she deserves the support of all.

Bad night for Ireland but an appalling night for Lenihan

I have often been critical of the decisions that Brian Lenihan has taken as Minister for Finance. In the last year I have blogged about how government decisions on NAMA, banking, pay and budgetary cuts have impacted on the country. As line minister Brian Lenihan is responsible for these but he acted at the behest of a collective cabinet. All ministers share the responsibility of their decisions in cabinet. I am implacably opposed to many of the decisions this government has made.

However I’m shocked at how news of the minister’s health has been released by TV3. Surely the channel that learnt just 2 days ago of the minister’s condition should have sat on the news? The minister has said that he’ll meet the press early in the new year. Do I have the right to know about the minister’s serious health concern now? I don’t think so. This is, in my view, an invasion of the minister and his families privacy. Where exactly is the line between the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to privacy? It seems to me that the TV channel has gone too far on this. While RTE reported the matter there was no reportage nor expert opinion nor indeed effective obituary of the minister as TV3 reported. I’m certain that the TV3 report will be the basis of a complaint to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of Ireland on the basis that it infringed the Minister’s right to privacy.
Given the reality of 24 hour electronic media and the right of anyone to use this information as they see fit, it was certain that some sick clown would find the space to level at the minister and already a facebook page has been set up hoping that the minister dies of a tumour. While the TV channel is not directly responsible for the clown’s behaviour, the reality is that the page wouldn’t be there but for the nature of the news report. When TV3 comes looking for a better share of the TV license fee I wonder what the response for the government will be?
John Crown is an eminent Oncologist and advocate for a better health service in this country. I respect him greatly however tonight he did himself or his views any good by allowing himself to be interviewed in relation to the matter. The nature of a 2 minute piece to camera speculating on the possible outcomes for someone who is not his patient is bad taste. My respect for him is less tonight as indeed it is for Michael O’Leary who published ads lampooning Mary O’Rourke (Lenihan’s aunt) at the time of her own husband’s death.
There have to be boundaries in public life and the need for a different news angle so as to attract viewers cannot dictate the norms in relation to an individual’s privacy. I don’t like to attack the media but having seen TV3 tonight it deserves a rap on the knuckles this time. I now fear that tabloid papers will rush in where TV3 has gone. Nobody will come well out of this. Rightly Brian Lenihan will get the sympathy of the Irish people but the media will get a bashing that they haven’t got since the wrongly reported on the death of Liam Lawlor. Bad night for Ireland but an appalling night for the Lenihan’s. I wish him well and hope that his health recovers.

Model Trains, boats and planes in Wexford

Wexford’s best known train driver Donal Fallon has been a busy man for the last few months. He single handed organised a model exhibition over the Easter week-end in St Josephs Club in aid of the Autism unit at Scoill Mhure, Coolcotts and the RNLI. The inaugural exhibition had exhibitors from Wexford, Dublin, Cork, Laois as well as trade stands form Belfast and Dublin. The models include planes, boats and pf course trains. Donal spent most of Holy Saturday setting up the exhibition. That meant putting in crash barriers, displays as well as awaiting the arrival of HK075. HK075 is a non de guerre of a well known rail gricer Dave. Dave is a railway man to the core. The first time I met him he showed me his RMT badge within minutes of talking. Next he told me that his dad was from Arthurstown. Technically Dave is from Wolverhampton but forget the accent he’s on home turf as his dad is a yellow belly!

The exhibition was opened by Mayor Ted Howlin who congratulated Donal on his initiative on launching the exhibition. Donal was however delighted that the wet weather drove plenty of punters indoors and into support the exhibition. I went along and I was really impressed by the attention to detail in the modelling.

One model stands out as impressive and it has a local significance. It shows Wexford’s famous Kerlogue arriving in Cork Harbour laden down with a human cargo of WW2 German navy survivors from a sinking. The Kerlogue was launched in Holland in 1939. The rescue was one of the most dramatic during World War 2 when a Wexford vessel the Kerlogue was diverted in December 1943 following a request by a German aircraft to the scene of a sunken German vessel whose crew had abandoned ship and were in the waters of Biscay. The Wexford vessel took on board over 168 sailors in rough seas over a 10 hour period and ignored RAF instructions to make for the UK but continued to land at Cork Harbour. The survivors were landed in Ireland and spent the remainder of the war interned but alive. The last surviving crew man Tom O’Neill of the Kerlogue died a few years ago but at his funeral was one of the men he helped rescue. The crew were interned in the Curragh until the end of the war. While the story of the German rescue is well known, what is less often acknowledged is that rescuing at sea was part of the maritime DNA of the Kerlogue as the ship had rescued British seamen previously.Inset is a model of the original navel corvette the Macha which served as the first Irish naval vessel. The Macha is almost a constituent of mone as it snagged a tow rope on the way to a breakers yard and sank off Tuskar Rock about 50 years ago!

Other exhibits that stood out were Gerry Byrne’s display that he’s building at home. Wexford Modelling Club moved their display from Rathaspeck to St Josephs for the week-end. Usually I visit the club at Halloween when they have their open days. Their display goes from strength to strength. I’m not surprised how popular they are each year. Some photos are attached her but check out Youtube channel Menapia1 for video footage of rail models in action. Well done Donal, I hope we’re all back again next year!