bloggarriv

First of all, last year I think, Boxer was awarded the contract for the Irish DTT rollout. They took too long and eventually pulled out from the contract. The government then awarded the contract to the second placed consortium, who also did not take up the offer. Finally we thought it was going to land in the lap of the third, and final placed consortium from the original bidding process. But guess what, now they dont want it either.

Now we have a looming analogue switch off deadline, and no one want to run the commercial DTT!

Communications Minister Eamon Ryan is to meet the Broadcasting Authority, ComReg and RTE next week in a bid to kickstart the collapsed Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project.

A spokeswoman for the minister said last night he was “disappointed” that the Broadcasting Authority’s process to find a commercial DTT operator had failed. She added, however, that public service television would switch over from analogue to the DTT system by the EU’s 2012 deadline “come what may”.

via The Indo

When reading the Irish Independent online today, I was asked to complete a survey. So I did, being the good citizen that I am. The Indo’s survey is all about what you would consider paying for online, and what you would do if they started charging for online content.

THe Times had a pay model for years and only in the past few years reverted back to the free online model. Ever since Rupert Murdoch took a hissy fit about free content, it seems all of the news organization now want to charge you for the content you have been accessing for free for years

Public sector workers were last night accused of taking advantage of the nationwide strike which all but shut down the country. As a quarter of a million workers downed tools for the day, southern shoppers caused traffic gridlock as they flocked across the border, causing 6km traffic tailbacks into Newry.

Employers’ group ISME described the strike as a “disgrace” and warned that public sector union bosses were leading their members “down a path of no return”.

“We cannot say it was all public sector workers but when you see tailbacks on the very day the public sector take a day off it is fair to say that the vast majority are public sector workers,” Mark Fielding, chief executive of ISME said. “If that is what is happening, it is beyond belief.”

The Small Firms Association also slammed the stoppage and said it caused unnecessary widespread disruption to the economy. SFA director Patricia Callan said a lot of people chose to take the day off and if it was true that Newry was very busy as a result of the stoppage then it was “quite shocking”.

Even before yesterday’s massive northern trek, the cross-border shopping exodus had been a cause of serious economic concern for southern businesses as hundreds of millions of euro have been siphoned off by stores in the North.

via The Indo

The government caved in to pressure from the drinks lobby, again. This time the the cop-out is that they would rather endanger lives of many people on our roads than lower the drink driving limit to the European norm of 50mg. And the reason for this: well they want harmony with the level in the North don’t they. Its all about harmony with the laws north of the border these days.

Well why don’t they drop the VAT rate to 15% to be in harmony with our northern cousins?

Here is a quick video clip of the current state of the railway viaduct at Malahide after last weeks subsidence and collapse:

Is there not a case here under the Equal Status Act. Are Tesco discriminating against consumers based on where they live?? Tesco said it would roll out the price reductions to all its 116 stores “in the near future”, but was unable to say when this would happen. It estimates the cost of the changes at €100 million in the coming year. The stores where prices were reduced are Bailieborough, Ballinamore, Cavan, Carrick-on-Shannon, Dundalk (two stores), Drogheda (two stores), Letterkenny, Monaghan and Sligo. All 11 stores were closed for the weekend for restocking with directly-imported brands.

It shows you how much Irish consumers were being ripped off by pricey Irish brands. Buying Irish is one thing, but at least give us the choice. If there is an Irish brand selling for double the price of an imported brand then I would like the opportunity to at least try the other brand. If the Irish brand was up to scratch then they have nothing to worry about, on the other hand if their product isnt up to scratch (bearing in mind the price being charged) then live with the consequences.

Stand by for some hysterical whingeing from the likes of RGDATA or similar organizations

In an article in the Irish Times, dismissed Minister of State John McGuinness has detailed the circumstances under which he claims to have told Tánaiste Mary Coughlan that he had no confidence in her as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

I told Mary Coughlan after a meeting in the department which began at 8pm on March 11th, 2009, that I had ‘no confidence in her ability’. I used those words, spoke them clearly and remember them well because I was determined at that time to lay my cards on the table

A spokesperson for the Tánaiste issued the following statement:

While it is regrettable, the Tánaiste feels obliged to clarify the record and confirm that her colleague Deputy McGuinness did not convey the comment made on last night’s Late Late Show, or any similar comment, to her in person at any stage. The Tánaiste understands the upset that the deputy may be feeling, having lost his position, and that certain things can be said in the heat of the moment.

Now it would appear to me that one of these politicians is lying, and I would tend to believe the one who has nothing left to lose. It seems also that the top brass are going to support the Tánaiste and there are a number of backbench TD’s that have expressed support for Deputy McGuinness. Deputy McGuinness also added that

It is possible that the Minister may not have heard me, given that she has heard nothing, and acted on nothing, that business leaders in this country have been telling her, since her appointment

via IrishTimes.com

I am not looking forward to this budget, the second one in 6 months! Later on I will post the “highlights” (sic) of the Budget but in the meantime I advise everyone to go out and buy petrol/diesel, wine, beer, spirits, cigs etc.

(Well if we all did that we probably wouldn’t be in this mess, lol)

Please see below the updates from Budget 2009

• The income levy rates will be doubled to 2%, 4% and 6%.
• The exemption threshold will be €15,028. The 4% rate will apply to income in excess of €75,036 and the 6% rate to income in excess of €174,980.
• The health levy rates will double to 4% and 5%. The entry point to the higher rate will be €75,036.
• The PRSI ceiling will be increased from €52,000 to €75,036.
• Mortgage interest relief will be discontinued for any mortgage over 7 years from 1 May.
• Diesel to increase by 5c a litre (including VAT)
• The Excise Duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes will be increased by 25 cent (including VAT)
• Early Childcare Supplement monthly payment to be halved to €41.50 per child with effect from 1 May 2009 and abolished at end-2009. It will be replaced in January 2010 with a pre-school Early Childhood and Education Scheme (ECCE) for all children between the ages of 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months

More in-depth details can be found at budget.gov.ie

Time to go Minister! Any 16 year old kid doing Economics for the leaving will be able to tell you about basic suply and demand. Price goes up, demand will fall. So our guy ups VAT at the same time as the UK reduce VAT. Its a no brainer. If I lived near the border I know where I would do my shopping. Is it any wonder there were streams of cars heading North before Christmas. Its not in the news as much anymore but there must still be a huge flow northwards. Is this the reason for Superquinn in Dundalk to close, and how many other shops/business have closed becasuse of this blunder. This guy is the Minister for Finance and he has admitted that his mistake has cost the country €700million. What an idiot!!

Time to go Minister, can we get someone in who knows how to do the job?

In my job, if I cost the company even a miniscule fraction of the €700million Lenihan cost us I would be out on my ear.

Great news again for mortgage holders: The ECB (European Central Bank) has cut interest rates to a new low of 1.5%. This means an average reduction of about €80 a month on a €300,000 mortgage. Also in a similar move in London, the Bank of England has cut its rates to an all-time low of 0.5%.