Exploiting the dark side of humanity

Anonymous tip-offs to the Department of Social Protection regarding suspected social welfare fraud increased from 600 in 2005 to over 16,000 this year (Irish Times).

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton suggests two reasons for this sharp increase.

A cultural shift in Irish attitudes towards breaches of the law and, principally, a strong feeling in people that limited resources should be used for the benefit of those most in need.

I suspect the Minister is happy to occupy this cosy frame of mind regarding human psychology rather than facing the more sinister, and more likely reality that the increase is due to a deep resentment that a neighbour or acquaintance may be getting more than the informer.

Governments often exploit this dark side of humanity as a useful means of doing their dirty work.

The most extreme example being Nazi Germany when even parents informed on their own children and vice versa.

Christopher Hitchens death: A great loss to humanity

The great Christopher Hitchens has died.

Journalist, literary critic, polemicist and constant scourge of those who promote religious superstition, Hitchens is a great loss to humanity.

It is reported that he was writing right up to his death which reminds me of another great philosopher/writer/atheist – Bertrand Russell.

Russell was still writing on the day he died in 1970 at the grand old age of 98.

Many years previously, in 1921, while on a lecture tour in China, Russell became so ill that he had the pleasure of reading his own obituary notices.

One missionary paper had an obituary notice of just one sentence which read:

Missionaries may be pardoned for heaving a sigh of relief at the news of Mr. Bertrand Russell’s death.

No doubt many purveyors of religious superstition will be greatly relieved on hearing of Mr. Hitchens passing but I believe he will continue to inspire through his writings, lectures and debates.

Damaging conservatism in the Irish media

Letter in today’s Irish Times.

When I read the particular Editorial referred to by the letter writer I came to the same conclusion.

The Editorial, and a number of other editorials on the same matter, reflect a deep and damaging ultra conservatism in the Irish media.

Sir,

Your Editorial on property tax is sheer nonsense. “We are living beyond our means”, it begins. Yes we are.

But the problem is not a lack of property tax: as anyone who has paid stamp duty knows,

Irish home-owners have been royally fleeced in recent years.

The reason is that as the Local Government Efficiency Review Group has identified, at a very minimum €511 million is being wasted on excessive layers of local government and hierarchy, waste which that report – commissioned by government – recommended be ended.

You could have used your Editorial to urge government to eliminate waste in local government.

And to curb eye-wateringly generous pay and pensions conditions enjoyed by the large number of the 32,000 local government employees whose role is administrative and unconnected with the provision of any real services to the public.

Instead you observe “Nobody likes to pay tax” before describing the “contempt for civic morality” of those opposed to the tax.

Can I suggest that the real “contempt for civic morality” is amongst those who expect hard- pressed homeowners to suffer more taxation to fund the egregious waste of public money.

Yours, etc,
Marc Coleman

Innocent until proved guilty – except for Mass card dealers

Letter in this week’s Irish Catholic.

Sir,

In his article (Irish Catholic; November 24th) on the Fr. Reynolds/RTE defamation case Independent Senator Ronan Mullen asks:

Was the presumption of innocence that should be enjoyed by all citizens replaced by a presumption of guilt in the case of priests?

This is a very important question as the principle of innocent until proved guilty is enshrined in the legal code of all modern democracies as well as in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It would be interesting, therefore, to hear Senator Mullen’s views on Section 99 of the recent Charities Act legislation concerning the sale of Mass cards which states:

2) In proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved on the balance of probabilities; that the sale of the Mass card to which the alleged offence relates was not done pursuant to an arrangement with a recognised person.

Yours etc.
Anthony Sheridan

Mass card law protects the Catholic Church from embarrassment?

My application to Archbishop Clifford, my local bishop, for permission to sell Mass cards is still on hold due to an ongoing court case.

If I were to sell a Mass card without the permission of a Catholic bishop I could find myself serving ten years in prison and/or a fine of €300,000.

This punishment is a great deal more severe than that reserved for even the most ruthless criminals.

The draconian law does, however, serve to protect a monopoly worth countless millions to the Catholic Church.

The law also discards the principle of innocent until proved guilty as outlined in Article 48 (1) of the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It only recently dawned on me that this universal right has probably been discarded for the purpose of protecting bishops and the institution of the Catholic Church in general.

Section 99 (2) of the Charities Act, 2009 states:

In proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved on the balance of probabilities; that the sale of the Mass card to which the alleged offence relates was not done pursuant to an arrangement with a recognised person.

This, I believe, is specifically designed to avoid the embarrassing spectacle of a Catholic bishop having to give evidence before a judge in a public court.

Or am I just becoming paranoid in my old age?

A nation sold into slavery

One of the books I’m reading at the moment is Chronicles of the Tudor Kings.

Henry VIII died leaving England virtually bankrupt.

In 1547 Edward Seymour, Lord Protector after the death of Henry, introduced the notorious Vagrancy Act which proposed to deal with the problem of long-term unemployment by capital punishment.

I’m not sure if this measure was actually enacted but the following measures were:

Any able-bodied person who was out of work for more than three days should be branded with a V and sold into slavery for two years.

Other offences by the same individual would lead to a life of slavery.

While present day Irish rulers (lords) haven’t (yet) introduced the death penalty for being unemployed they have certainly, by their corruption, incompetence and arrogance, sold the country and its people into decades of (debt) slavery.

Cardiff's pack of wolves gets him the job

Depressingly, the incompetent Mr. Cardiff has been gifted his fat cat job in Europe.

Two Irish MEPs who voted against Cardiff were interviewed on Today with Pat Kenny.

Socialist MEP Paul Murphy said that Ireland needs someone on the Court of Auditors with a record of independence and with a capacity for uncovering corruption.

Somehow I don’t think Cardiff fits that particular bill.

The one good thing to come out of this disgraceful saga is the emergence of that very, very rare phenomenon – a straight talking, principled Irish politician.

Nessa Childers is under no illusions about the consequences she may face for taking a principled stand on this matter.

The Labour Party is likely to exact a heavy price on her for failing to run with the pack of wolves that supported Cardiff.

Here’s what she had to say on the matter:

This is what happens when you voice an opinion. It felt like a pack of wolves had burst out of the undergrowth on top of me.

I began to see that something was going on at the highest levels of government to do with Mr. Cardiff and what happened was an attempt to stop me and two other MEPs from voicing our opinions.

I think that has very serious consequences about the way government operates in Ireland.

Sensational news: Drink affects decision making

Sensational news:

Experts have found that alcohol consumption affects decision making and that the more alcohol drunk the worse the decision making gets.

This has led experts the conclude that the more alcohol a person drinks the more likely they are to have unprotected sex.

My goodness, what shocking news.

What next – that the more alcohol a person drinks the more likely they are to talk gibberish?

🙂