Les Grognards

Who speaks for the people of Cork. Not ‘De Paper’ and certainly not Minister Micheal Martin.

Yesterday in the Seanad the issue of a debt-free, independent Cork airport was raised. Les Grognards would have missed it if we hadn’t been surfing the web rather than working as we should be (hope you’re not reading this boss). There was no mention of the debate in the Irish Examiner and no comment from ‘Our’ Minister. Once again it was left to the PDs’ Senator John Minihan (click here for speech), aided and abetted by his Seanad colleague Brendan Ryan, to fly the flag for Cork Airport.

When will the Dublin-based clique that runs aviation policy in this country listen to the people of Cork and for that matter Shannon? We want and deserve an independent and debt-free airport able to develop services and compete with Dublin on an equal footing.

Fair play to John Minihan for speaking up for the people he represents, that’s more than can be said for ‘Our’ Minister.

So the PDs have gone back to first principles and have launched a massive tax cut strategy for the next election. Will it work? We at Les Gognards think it will, if only the French government would follow the PDs example.

For those that are interested ‘100′ stands for a couple earning €100,000 will pay the standard rate of tax; ‘40′ the higher rate to be lowered to 40%; ‘40′ no tax on couples earning less than €40,000.

With more money to spend consumers will soon be giving the money back to government through VAT so everyone wins. As for Les Grognards we’re looking forward to blowing the lot on a nice Courgettes aux Câpres followed by a Pâtes aux Coquillages washed down with a fine Bordeaux, perhaps Premières Côte de Blaye.

Bon Appetit!

Is it a sign of their growing desperation or is it a cynical ploy to use bogeymen from the past as a scare tactic? The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors at their annual conference in Killarney have taken to describing the proposed Garda Reserve Force as “auxiliaries” and decrying their introduction as “Thatcherite”.

The image conjured up by this language is one of ‘Black and Tans,’ ‘B-Specials’ and British rule in the North during the Thatcher years; language that even militant-republican spin doctors would baulk at.

Delegates at the conference have even taking to saying, against all available evidence, that the people don’t want the Garda Reserve; that in effect members of the Oireachtas (save for the Greens and Sinn Féin) are out of touch with their constituents.

It would seem to Les Grognards that it is the Gardai that are out of step with the communities they serve. Anecdotal evidence can be found wherever you care to look. Here in Cork on 103FM last Friday (7th April), following a debate where Senator John Minihan (Progressive Democrats Cork South Central) clearly put the Government’s case, a phone-in poll showed a clear 3 to 1 majority in favour of the Reserve.

The First Commissioner of An Garda Síochána Commissioner Michael Staines once said that “The Garda Síochána will succeed, not by force of arms or numbers, but by their moral authority as servants of the people.”

Les Grognards believe the Government need to draw a line in the sand, if not in concrete, on this. The will of the people and the authority of the Oireachtas cannot be defied. ‘Blue flu’ and Garda abuse of power in Donegal has already done much damage to An Garda Síochána’s ‘morale authority’ continued defiance on the Reserve issue will sound the death-knell for what little respect remains to the force.

Hands up who listened to Joe Duffy yesterday. We did and very illuminating it was too. For those that didn’t it seems that Ógra Shinn Féin let off 20 stink bombs in the Berkeley Court Hotel as a “Direct Action” protest against the privatisation of the health service.

This is the same party that promised us that it would in future pursue its political objectives in a peaceful manner. Les Grognards believes that Sinn Féin, Ógra Shinn Féin and any other party for that matter has the right to make a peaceful protest and to make their point but by letting off those bombs Ógra Shinn Féin denied others their freedom of speech.

The apologist for Ógra Shinn Féin on the Joe Duffy Show maintained that they were just highlighting an important issue. In a way they did but not the issue they wanted to raise as those phoning in to the show were quick to point out. The real issue here is will Sinn Féin allow their opponents to same freedom of speech as we allow them?

For the record Les Grognards in some respects agrees with Ógra Shinn Féin; we do not want a privatised health service. The sooner private patients are out of public hospitals the better but Ógra Shinn Féin’s protest will do little to speed that day.

For those that missed the programme it can be found at http://www.rte.ie/rams/radio/latest/Thu/rte-liveline.smil

Listen and enjoy.

So the last great Irish socialist – Bertie Ahern to the rest of us – has finally sanctioned the partial sale of Aer Lingus much to the displeasure of his fellow socialists Joe Higgins and Pat Rabbitte and the brothers and (in these politically correct times) sisters out in Dublin airport.

Pat reckons the sale is based on two deceptions while Joe accuses poor Bertie of treachery and of swimming with sharks. Meanwhile the most telling response comes from Enda Kenny.

Poor Enda is in a quandary. His new best friend Pat doesn’t want the national airline sold off but many of the blue-shirted ones do. What’s a man to do in a situation like that? A man would stand up and speak his mind regardless of the consequences but Les Grognards believes that Enda will probably role over and allow Pat to tickle his tummy for awhile.

While all this is going on the people of Cork are still waiting for Bertie, Martin Cullen et al to stop their dithering and give us the thriving international airport we were promised rather than the debt-laden, white-elephant it looks like we’ll get. Still we needn’t worry for we have a Cabinet Minister unfortunately Micheal Martin seems to have taken the same vow of silence as Enda or perhaps he too is off having his tummy tickled.

It’s probably a step too far for the ‘Great Socialist’ to assist Cork at the expense of his buddies at Dublin airport but the least we should expect is the vocal support of our Minister.

So speak up Minister for the only sound Les Grognards can hear at the moment is the sound of the people gathering in the long grass.

‘Donaldson murdered’ the headlines thundered. For a second, just a second, we thought “Jeffrey” and then though of the terminal damage that would do to the peace process. But fortunately it wasn’t Jeffrey but poor Denis, the winner of Magill’s Best British Mole Award (at least the best they’ve had since the Wind in the Willows), that had gone to see his maker.

Still with Denis gone it leaves us facing a ‘who done it’ worthy of Jessica Fletcher. The IRA says they didn’t do it. Loyalist gunmen too aren’t fessing up to this one. Some will point fingers at the ‘Securicrats’ but that particular accusation will go unanswered. So that just leaves us with dissident Republicans or regular Republicans doing a bit of freelancing a la Garda McCabe. We’ll give you ten to one that when Donaldson’s killers are caught there’ll be calls in some quarters for them to be set free under the Good Friday agreement. What no takers?

Speaking of Garda McCabe we see yesterday that Senator John Minihan (Progressive Democrats Cork South Central) called on Cork’s Fianna Fáil councillors to condemn their party colleagues in Kerry County Council for the duplicitous way they dealt with Sinn Féin’s Toiréasa Ferris’s recent ‘Late Late Show’ comments. Don’t you just love it when ‘friends’ fall out, still he has a point?

Coming to a town near you; restorative justice you know it makes sense.

Yesterday’s Sunday Independent carried a story under the banner “Exposed: SF’s secret plan to stir up unrest” outlining Sinn Fein’s ten-year plan to subvert democracy in the Republic.

While this may be news to some Les Grognards can report that we here in Cork have known about this for some time. Cork’s own Senator John Minihan of the Progressive Democrats has been continuously warning those who care to listen about the danger Sinn Fein poses to democracy on this island.

Perhaps its time we looked again at the peace process before committees of ‘concerned’ citizens begin to insist that you report to them for restorative justice rather than the traditional type the Gardai and the legal system can offer.

There was something in the air in Dublin this weekend; something primordial. Its progress was marked by its acolytes, young and old alike, arms raised aloft bayed for the blood of their adversaries. Something primordial indeed!

But more of the Labour Party conference later, first we at Les Grognards would like to congratulate the Munster team and wish them success against the Dubs in the next round.

Pat Rabbitte was at his rabble-rousing best at the weekend. Yes he would spend more on the Health Service; yes he would spend more on childcare, yes he would spend more on education. Yes; yes; yes. Spend; spend; spend. And the clincher for us; not a penny (or should that be cent) extra in tax. “Read my lips, no new taxes.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say it but had he we’re sure he would have been carried shoulder high from the hall by his adoring public.

But alas it wasn’t to be, our dreams of a utopian Socialist Republic where one can have ones cake and eat it was shattered. It was that last line of his speech that did it, the last line that wasn’t meant to be uttered out loud; the one we weren’t meant to hear. “April Fools,” he whispered and with that our dreams died.

So if you want your dreams to live on; if you want honest endeavour to triumph over mediocrity then follow Paul O’Connell and his granite-hewn, red-shirted Munstermen. But if you want a bit of a joke then Pat Rabbitte and those other reds are the only team for you.