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A caller to some radio show yesterday said there were 28 generals in the Irish Army each on a salary of €200,000.

The presenter’s scepticism of this claim was justified when another caller said there were only eleven generals in the army.

But even eleven generals is an astonishing figure for such a small defence force.

In total, there are 9,500 personnel in the Irish Defence Forces. That includes the Navy (just under 1,000 personnel) and the Air Corps (also about 1,000).

In real armies there are (generally) three types of generals.

Brigadier General; commands up to 5,000 soldiers.

Major General; commands up to 15,000 soldiers.

Lieutenant General; commands up to 50,000 plus.

Going by these figures the Irish Army should have just one general, what are the rest of them doing?

Disgust is the overwhelming emotion I feel whenever I hear the chairman of NAMA, Frank Daly, speak.

His arrogant, condescending voice raises my hackles not just because he’s the ultimate example of insincerity but also because, for me, he represents all that is rotten about the powers that have destroyed this country.

Here’s Daly justifying, before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) NAMA’s decision to pay some developers €200,000 per annum plus a 10% commission if they reach financial milestones (Six One News; 5:25).

If you take the average in the industry and you’re asking an assets manager to come in and manage a portfolio of 2 billion they will charge you about one percent, that is, twenty million.

What we have to do is compare that with the possibility of paying somebody, reluctantly, €200,000.

This argument is, of course, complete bullshit.

It’s the old, dishonest argument of pulling a gigantic figure out of the air and then expecting taxpayers’ to be grateful that such a great deal was negotiated on their behalf.

NAMA is holding every single card with regard to the bankrupt developers, it has the power to force developers to accept any deal demanded.

NAMA could, for example, say, we’ll pay you €100,000 per annum but if you don’t reach set targets we’ll cut your salary by 50%.

Let’s remind ourselves of what Daly had to say at a previous PAC hearing when, as Revenue Commissioner, he was making excuses for the massive fraud engaged in by the banks by way of bogus non-resident accounts.

The banks would have brought the shutters down if Revenue had pursued officials aggressively. We had to go about this in a pragmatic way.

Pragmatic meant the banks got off and the taxpayer was screwed.

Daly’s pragmatism is, I suspect, still at work in NAMA.

I received a letter in the post today from Limerick City Council in response to my formal complaint concerning the alleged abuse of expenses by Cllr. Kennedy.

My complaint has been forwarded to Cllr. Kennedy and a report has been requested from him by 1st November next.

When that report is received Limerick City Council officials will consider the reply (explanation) and forward same to me.

I submitted my complaint on 4th Oct. This is only the 24th and Limerick City Council has set a deadline for Cllr. Kennedy of 1st November.

In comparison to the Standards in Public Office (SIPO) who, on average, take about a year to make progress on complaints, this is indeed impressive.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Roger Lewis said that Warren Gatland should be praised for choosing not to cheat in the game against France.

Shopping in the supermarket the other day I found myself in a perfect position to rob a packet of Marietta biscuits but choose not to.

So – Kudos to me.

I’ve just listened to a speech given by Steve Jobs to students at Stanford University in 2005.

It’s probably the most inspirational speech I have ever heard and, for me, the following quote lies at the heart of what he had to say.

Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Don’t be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other peoples thinking.

Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice and, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary.

Well Hallelujah, praise the Lord, break out the champagne and let’s party.

The Pensions Board has finally managed, after 50 years of hand wringing, to put a couple of criminal company directors behind bars.

Damien Goff and Francis Goff, directors of Goff Developments Limited, were jailed for five months at Wexford District Court for failing to remit pension contributions to the Construction Workers Pension Scheme between November 2008 and December 2009

This type of theft, principally by construction industry companies, has been going on practically unchallenged for decades.

Over the years hundreds of millions have been robbed from ordinary workers by their employers resulting in untold grief and hardship for workers and their families.

Until now, no effective action was ever taken to put a stop to the widespread and blatant criminality.

Could we be witnessing, for the first time in the history of our failed state, actual law enforcement by a state agency against white collar criminals?

Only time will tell.

Copy to:

Pensions Board

From a political and military point of view the recent attack by Taliban insurgents on Kabul was well planned and successful.

For twenty hours a small group of determined insurgents (about 12) held off the combined might of the Afghan army, police and NATO forces.

The insurgents occupied a half built building just behind the American embassy. That nobody realised the danger this reinforced concrete building posed to the embassy is incredible.

The insurgents simply shot the lone security man guarding the building and used the building to fire several RPG rounds into the American compound.

The response of the US ambassador, Ryan Crocker, was telling:

Half a dozen RPG rounds from 800 meters away, that isn’t Tet, that’s harassment. If that’s the best they can do I think it is a statement of their weakness.

Although minor in comparison to the Tet Offensive, which effectively marked America’s defeat in the Vietnam War, this attack is anything but mere harassment.

It is a strong indication of what’s going to happen as soon as the last NATO soldier vacates Kabul.

I’ll be surprised if the Taliban are not back in power within a year of NATOs departure.

I was in Cork city last Sunday when, coincidently, the annual Corpus Christi procession was taking place.

As a result, the city’s principal thoroughfare, Patrick Street, was blocked off for the occasion.

Standing outside Waterstones, just next to Daunt Square where the religious ceremony was winding up, I had a fit of eccentricity and decided to walk down the length of Cork’s premier street.

It was a surreal experience not just because of the rare opportunity to walk down the middle of a vehicle free Patrick Street but also to observe how the general population reacted to the occasion.

I found myself all alone on the wilderness of the street as hundreds of citizens milled about on the footpaths either side of me.

All dutiful citizens continuing to obey the law even though it had been suspended for those few hours.

Even the famous Cork jay walkers, who can usually be seen strolling about amidst the heavy traffic, were absent.

Perhaps their confused brain radars only operate when traffic is present.

As I approached a pedestrian crossing it was interesting to observe a group of people pushing the pedestrian button, look up and down for traffic and then cross.

What were they expecting, to be run over by the only traffic on the street – myself?

Mmmm…Maybe they were.