Category: General

Congratulations to all the winners and to those who organised and presented the Blog Awards on Saturday night. , it was, as always, a very enjoyable event.

I’m absolutely delighted to have reached the final five in the ‘Best Political Blog’ in this year’s Blog Awards.

Sincere thanks to the judges who ‘broke their melt’ in judging and a particular ‘thank you’ to all those readers who voted for me.

Thank you

According to Major General Alexander of the Russian space forces, the collision between their defunct military satellite and the US commercial Iridium spacecraft was – an accident.

Mmmm…..I wonder, I just wonder.

Ray LaMontagne is some sort of a singer but, apparently, doesn’t like interviews, he finds them quite boring. This intolerance of facilitating his fan(s) had a very nervous Ryan Tubridy in all kinds of knots yesterday.

Tubridy: “You’re quite chatty, I mean, you will talk if you’re marginally engaged.”

LaMontagne: “If it’s interesting.”

Tubridy: “Ok, I’ve nothing else interesting to say to you now. Who are these heads (band members?) here with you today?”

Tubridy: “You’re all welcome. Anyway Ray LaMontagne, you’re going to sing a song for us now, I really love this song. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better about yourself.” (oooops).

Realising that he had made a dreadful faux pas, that the great LaMontagne, whoever he is, was not amused, Tubridy desperately added – “No, I really love it.” But it was too late.

LaMontagne: (In a very disapproving tone) “I feel pretty good about myself. I don’t need anybody to make me feel good about myself.”

Tubridy: (Increasingly desperate) I know, but, but…I’m trying to give you…(Then, an even more desperate attempt to save himself) – “You look good, you’re brimming with confidence”

But the great LaMontagne, whoever he is, wasn’t to be placated so Tubridy decided to go for the ultimate in desperation – the Fr. Ted option.

“But I’m just trying to pay you a compliment because we don’t do that in Ireland very much, we normally say something like, fuck off, not quite, but not far off.”

Of course, Tubridy got his interview all backwards. The moment this LaMontagne guy, whoever he is, opened his conceited mouth he should actually have been told to – fuck off.

Copy to:
Poor Ryan Tubridy

Received the following email from the Union of Students of Ireland in response to my post on wimpish students.

Hi Anthony

I would like to advise you that the Health and Safety of students expected to attend the march is of prime importance to USI and given the weather warnings from the Met Office and the fact that marchers would be coming from all corners of the country it was incumbent on USI to take heed of weather conditions and if it appeared that conditions would be hazardous, both for travel and underfoot at the march, it would have been irresponsible for the march to proceed. I hope you understand this view.

Regards

David Byrne
GM

My reply:

Consider the following David.

Padraig Pearse is making final plans on the night before the Rising when, suddenly, the door bursts open and a fellow revolutionary declares. The weather forecast is terrible Padraig; we’ll have to cancel the rebellion on health and safety grounds.

OR

The mob has just completed its siege of the Bastille when they receive news that storm clouds are gathering. The leaders declare; everybody go home, it’s too dangerous to revolt in the rain.

For feck sake, what hope for (corrupt) Mother Ireland if the students are too delicate to kick ‘ass?

I think all the talk of revolution was a bit premature.

The Union of Students of Ireland is organising a protest march in Dublin this afternoon against the possible re-introduction of third-level fees. The USI said that, weather permitting, it is expecting up to 20,000 students to march in the protest.

Weather permitting??? Feck, what would the students of ’68 make of such squeamishness? These students brought Western civilisation to the brink of collapse and daily invited the weather gods to do their worst to dampen their revolutionary passion and rage.

21st century students? – Nothing but a crowd of wimps.

Copy to:
USI

Isn’t it great, amid all the doom and gloom, to see all those people surviving the ditching of that A320 into the Hudson. Passenger Jeff Kolodjay got it right when he said:

“Gotta give it to the pilot, man, he made a hell of a landing.”

My overall sense of RTEs coverage of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is – Israel bad, Hamas good. Today with Pat Kenny, in particular, seems very anti Israel.

On today’s show we heard from a pro Hamas spokesperson, a slightly pro Hamas Middle East expert and a neutral journalist, the Israeli side wasn’t represented. There’s also a very noticeable difference in how each side is treated during interviews.

On Friday’s show the pro Hamas spokesperson was asked soft questions and allowed full time to answer while the Israeli ambassador to Ireland was constantly challenged to explain his country’s behaviour and frequently interrupted with even more hostile questions.

May the great Zeus cast his blessings on all at this time of celebration, love and friendship. May Dionysus be generous to you with his wine but sparing of the madness that sometimes accompanies the nectar.

Oh, and happy Christmas too :}

Letter in today’s Irish Independent.

Eimear Ni Bhraonain informs us (Irish Independent, November 19) that Joe Dolan recorded the song concerned “before he died”.

No — really?

NIGEL P COOKE
ST HELENS, LANCASHIRE