Daniel Dunne, Dublin, Ireland

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noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:45:00 +0000

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Clare Dunne's Living with Missy, a one person play

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Shameless plug for my very talented niece:

Clare Dunne will present a one woman play, Living with Missy, at the Boy's School, Smock Alley Theatre, running from December 1st to December 5th 2009, nightly at 8pm.

An ordinary Dublin girl, stranded on a street with no one to talk to but herself, is forced to contemplate where she really is and might be going. Missy tells you her story through music, film, comedy and alcohol infused memories.
If you want to see something a little different in Dublin and possibly get a free drink, come see this exciting new piece of theatre being produced for the first time in Dublin after its successful UK debut.
Tickets from Central Ticket Bureau on 0818 205 205 or through www.claredunne.ie

UNICEF explains FYFFES deal

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:20:00 +0000

On August 6th 2009 I asked UNICEF some questions about their logo appearing on fyffes bananas.

Hi

I am concerned at seeing Unicef stickers on Fyffes bananas.

This seems to give them an ethical aura in competition with fair trade
bananas. I wonder has Unicef examined Fyffes record and how it their
policies impact on children in developing countries?

Could you please send me more information on the nature of your
agreement with Fyffes?

Does Unicef have a policy in support of fair trade?

Yours sincerely

Daniel Dunne

Today I received the following reply:

Thursday, August 06, 2009
Dear Mr. Dunne,
Thank you for your email; I welcome the opportunity to answer your queries. Sincere apologies for the long delay in this response, but I wanted to ensure all the information was correct and current.
Firstly, in relation to our examination of Fyffes as a suitable partner;
UNICEF Ireland adheres to an extensive process for corporate partnerships, which is managed at a global level. Fyffes were extensively screened both internally and by a third party prior to the launch of the partnership. This screening is ongoing, with an external review done on an annual basis.
We refer to Fyffes PLC Codes of Best Practice, membership of the ETI and the Global GAP accreditation as the precursors to our agreement to partnership consideration.
Fyffes Codes of Best Practice are designed to reduce the impact of agricultural production on the environment and to ensure safe working conditions and fair treatment for workers in compliance with internationally accepted labour standards and are subject to regular independent evaluation. Fyffes is also a member of the UK government-sponsored Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). The ETI is an alliance of companies, non-governmental organisations and labour representative bodies. Its purpose is to promote and improve the conditions of workers worldwide. Fyffes is a founder member of Global GAP (formerly the European Retailers Environmental Protocol (EUREP)), established by major food retailers and their suppliers across Europe to address consumer concerns about food safety, environmental protection and worker welfare and to promote safe and sustainable agriculture. An extensive range of guidelines has been published on these matters, resulting in the Global Good Agricultural Practice (Global GAP). This standard establishes the minimum requirements to be met by growers of fruit and vegetables that supply European retailers. Fyffes first achieved Global GAP accreditation in 2003, in respect of the majority of the banana and pineapple farms from which it takes direct supplies, and this is renewed annually.
The extensive review of these policies and more was carried out by UNICEF?s partnership division in Geneva, and by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a specialised financial information services and investment advisory firm rigorously assessing corporate environmental performance.
Fyffes PLC is also happy to answer any queries you may have with regard to their support of ethical trading, labour policy and their environmental policy.
In answer to your question on the nature of the agreement with Fyffes;
In June 2008, UNICEF Ireland signed a five year contract with Fyffes PLC, with a minimum commitment of half a million euros towards child survival. The Fyffes donation is classified as 'Philanthropic' a fixed donation from the company that is unrelated to the sale of bananas. In 2008 alone Fyffes committed 2.4% of their 2007 operating profits to aid UNICEF child survival programs, which is a significant ethical contribution.
The five year partnership funds UNICEF's work in Mozambique combating the spread of malaria amongst orphaned and other vulnerable children. It is currently estimated that about 36,000 children under the age of five will die each year (about one child every fifteen minutes) in the country as a result of malaria. The funds allow UNICEF to do the following in Mozambique:

Advocate with all the concerned Ministries and stakeholders, and leverage resources (incl. LLINs, test kits, drugs) for under-five children and pregnant women, with special attention to vulnerable groups;

Support the scaling up of some key malaria control interventions (e.g.: Artemisinin Combination Therapies, Intermittent Preventive Treatment, introduction of home-based treatment, etc.);

Distribute at least 40,000 Long Lasting Insecticidal Nests per year to pregnant women, HIV-positive children under five, and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) through health facilities in collaboration with NGOs and using a participatory communication toolkit to promote the correct use of the nets;

Provide technical support for malaria prevention and control in Mozambique; and

Support the implementation of the recently developed national communication strategy, through the utilisation of a strategic blend of integrated communication initiatives such as multimedia mobile units, community theatre and radio networks, to create a supportive/protective environment where individual behaviour changes are promoted and sustained.

Children who live to the age of five will usually gain some immunity and are less likely to die of malaria. However, when a woman becomes pregnant or a person suffers from a disease that compromises their immune system such as HIV/AIDS, malaria can result in death. HIV/AIDS has also become a major development threat in Mozambique with an estimated 1.8 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2007. Malaria places a huge economic burden on the country, not only in terms of the cost of curing and preventing the disease, but also when parents are unable to work and children fall behind in their studies at schools.

Thanks to Fyffes? funding, in 2009 alone at least 80% of vulnerable population groups (HIV positive children, children under five years of age, pregnant women and orphaned and vulnerable children) in six provinces are ensured prompt malaria treatment and protection from malaria, through the distribution of mosquito nets, the support of health facilities and community projects. Fyffes has committed to supporting this programme until 2012.
In response to your third question;
Through comprehensive screening, independent evaluation and ongoing monitoring of all potential and existing partners UNICEF ensures that it works with organisations that legally meet all partnership criteria, and even more so, respect and uphold the core values of UNICEF?s work.
When sourcing activities for products and services, UNICEF applies the highest standards relating to social responsibility, ethical procurement, and safety & regulatory compliance. All items and products made available for sale by UNICEF comply with the most stringent globally applicable regulations and standards - respecting and upholding the core values of our work worldwide for children.
UNICEF works worldwide to give children the best possible start in life by making sure they have access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation, nutrition and early education. When children receive the best start in life, they are more likely to survive the risky first years, to grow healthily, to have fewer illnesses and to fully develop thinking, language, emotional and social skills ? in sum, to survive and to thrive. UNICEF is a humanitarian organisation - we work to protect and improve the lives of vulnerable children all over the world. We do not receive funding from the United Nations and rely solely on voluntary contributions on the back of campaigns such as the philanthropic partnership with Fyffes.
I hope I have gone some way towards answering your queries. If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards,
Emily Ross MIAPR NUJ
Corporate Partnership Manager UNICEF Ireland 33 Lower Ormond Quay Dublin 1
Tel: +353 1 8783000
www.unicef.ie

For every child Health, Education, Equality, Protection ADVANCE HUMANITY

Family Rounders at the Hermitage

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:51:00 +0000

Joe Dunne wins inaugural Davy's Portrait Award

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Yay!!! My brother, Joe Dunne's painting "Portrait of Cara" has won the Davy Portrait Awards for 2008.

Finally, Joe's amazing portraiture is receiving deserved recognition. (No bias here!)

Congratulations Joe!

This exhibition opens in November 2008 at the Naughton Gallery in Belfast and tours to Farmleigh House, Dublin in 2009.

Further information can be found at http://www.davyportraitawards.com/

More at http://www.joedunne.net/

Wholesome tv and internet browsing

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Having gotten rid of our sky subscription, we are happy to discover that we still get BBC1 and BBC2 for free (but not RTE or TG4 despite paying the licence fee, and their crappy analogue reception). Skipping through the hundreds of channels (past the very tempting Movies4men - also free) I discovered the Community Channel, (channel 539) which is an absolute treasure chest of wholesome programming. So far I have watched documentaries on the producers of Bonita bananas (enduring all kinds of abuses as they strike for their rights in Ecuador); a documentary on Divine Chocolate, who have a great fair trade partnership with farmers in Ghana; and a documentary on Excellent Development in Kenya. These are all archived on the Community channel website.

Related links:

Excellent Development

Banana link.

and in recognition that it's not all high moral tone in Daniel's psyche!

Movies for Men

Party photos

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Belated photos from my 40th bash:

Beware Tesco Pine nuts

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:45:00 +0000

After some investigations as to why every meal I have is accompanied by a rancid metallic taste, I have sent the following missive to Tesco Ireland:

It appears that my taste is completely ruined for up to 2 weeks,
because you are using dodgy (oxidised) chinese pine nuts.
I got them in your Country mix.

*Please take them off the shelves.*

See

http://www.euro-emergencymed.com/pt/re/ejem/fulltext.00063110-200103000-00036.htm

Listen to the youth

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:31:00 +0000

I got to attend D�il na n�g at Croke park on Feb 15th. D�il na n�g is an experiment in youth participation, funded the Office of the Minister for Children. (Full info at www.dailnanog.ie ).

The top recommendations coming from the participants included:

Education Reform
1 Language subjects should be more conversational and relevant to everyday life. Pre-examined years should take part in mandatory Gaeltacht and foreign trips that are paid for, or subsidised;

2 More focus on the oral aspect and culture in the teaching of all languages;

3 All teachers must receive training in guidance counselling and communication skills.

Mental Health
1 Accessible youth cafes in all areas. Open when needed to provide a safe space to seek help on drug and alcohol issues and other problems;

2 A positive advertising campaign that shows real life experiences and the effects of suicide on family and friends;

3 More funding for mental health services for young people, including advertising and school programmes.

For more see:
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0216/1203093372510.html

http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/sport/Kilkenny-delegates-at-Dil-na.3853025.jp

Photo by Derek Spiers.

Sand Dune Man

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:07:00 +0000

Just listening to some nice sounds at Ger Lane's myspace site. Check it out. Here is Ger getting some inspiration the recent Arvo Part concerts in Dublin. Taken with my nokia 6234!

C�rbh � S�an � R�ord�in?

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:42:00 +0000

TG4 screened a lovely documentary tonight (with english subtitles) on the life of S�an � R�ord�in. (Now freely available through their brilliant web service at www.tg4.tv ) The programme was narrated by poet Louis de Paor.

There was an interesting theme throughout to do with belonging and exclusion. "If you're out, they can't put you out", noted O' R�ord�in. The poet had suffered TB in an era when the illness was synonymous with stigma, and banishment to isolated draughty sanatoria. On account of the illness he also denied himself the possibility of marriage. He finds a sense of belonging in his idealisation of the gaelic culture of corca dhuibhne. Yet his poetry shows him suffering a clearly modern angst in its midst.

In the closing section of the program, de Paor reads a passage from � R�ord�in's diary to the nephews and nieces he had doted on, when he would visit his brother in Mayfield, Cork. Poignant and beautiful. Lovely television.

More about the poet here - last year saw the 20th anniversary of his death. Pity it's so hard to get a copy of his poems! Now where is my leaving cert irish poetry book??

1911 Census Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:44:00 +0000

The 1911 Census is a treasure trove for Dubliners interested in their roots.

I can now account for the whereabouts of all 4 of my grand parents, and two great grandparents on the night of April 2nd 1911. (I'm a true blue Dub alright)

Daniel and Maryanne Dunne were staying with relatives in Reginald Street, in the Liberties.
John Barnes and his mother Ellen were at Parnell Place (near Harold's Cross bridge), while my Granny Barnes (ne� Fallon) was based in Clontarf.

I also discovered http://www.dublinheritage.ie, which records the marriage ( I think) of my great grandmother Eliza Richardson of Beaver Row Donnybrook, to my great grandfather John Dunne in 1857. Eliza Richardson had been baptized into Catholicism the year before according to the site.

Picti�r � Chorca Dhuibhne

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:25:00 +0000

A picture from my little break on the dingle penninsula. What a beautiful place :-)

The Politics of Mental Health

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:54:00 +0000

Last wednesday I attended a very interesting meeting organised by UCD Equality Society which brought together speakers from Headstrong, Amnesty Ireland and the Irish Mental Health Coalition. (I was a bit late, so there may have been others too).

I cannot imagine a similar meeting happening when I was an undergraduate of UCD 20 years ago. The stigma of mental illness is beginning to show some small cracks at least. By far the most inspiring contribution of the night came from one of the Headstrong advisory panel, a young student who summed up the failings of the bio-medical quite expertly. Her contribution exemplified empowerment, courage and honesty.

On a macro policy level, mental health remains starved of resources in Ireland. As Tony Bates remarked, it is often a case of finding help only because the sufferer has already entered into the Justice system. Tony hopes that the new A Vision for Change strategy will be implemented and resourced, rather than collect dust. He also encouraged parents and communities to become more reponsible and empowered to act themselves.

The issue of accountability to service users and the public came up again and again.

The most interesting level for me however was the socio-cultural level. The most obscuring thing about mental health diagnosis is that it is relentlessly individualistic, paying only the most tokenistic of lip service to the social factors involved in producing distress and symptoms.

Let's hope we are beginning to see a shift towards a more emotionally literate society, if that is the right term.

Just discovered the following report on this meeting on the headstrong site:

Talented or what:

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:29:00 +0000

My 16 year old nephew is in a band who sound rather good to me.

http://pearlseven.bebo.com/

Check out the nicely produced and recorded sample tracks.

They remind me of Stiff Little Fingers a bit. (Uncle Danny knows nothing of post-punk, emo etc).

I'm sure impressing the over 35s is not in the game plan though...maybe all the offensive stuff is at a frequency my ears can't pick up??

Oh, and here's the website Patrick made while on work experience at Holisto.com.
http://www.pearlseven.com/

Who says nothing is achieved in Transition year??

New Joe Dunne Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:02:00 +0000

If you like art, check out my brothers latest exhibition, showing at Ib Jorgensen Gallery Dublin, from February 12th to March 3rd 2007.
Further info about Joe's art at www.joedunne.net

*Please note that the above image is copyrighted.

New Irish Foreign Policy Site

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:54:00 +0000

A new independent website has been set up to which aims to inform the public about all aspects of Irelend's foreign policy. Foreignpolicy.ie recognises the key importance of informed citizens in the arena of foreign policy. The format will be open and accessible and it is intended to develop the concept so as to involve the greatest degree of public access and open fora both electronic and real. The site has been initiated by Michael McLoughlin, International Secretary The Labour Party, and Member of the National Forum on Europe.

See www.foreignpolicy.ie for further details.

Web services I can be proud of!

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:26:00 +0000

I provide solutions based on almost a decade of working in web communications for small enterprises and projects. This means I know how to apply valuable low-cost solutions for small buinesses.

I have road tested a number of content management tools, in a effort to provide websites that are professional, extendable, and updateable by clients themselves. Recently I completely re-developed arcline.ie, the website of Ireland's leading archive consultants. I have used Joomla, a fairly mature open source cms, yet one that is none the less challenging. It has allowed me to provide an events publishing system which can be administered directly by the client. It has also allowed for the addition of a multi-lingual layer to the site. The graphics retain the logo and coporate style of the previous site, but in a flexible and search engine friendly template which is quick loading and accessible to a wider range of user agents, such as mobile phones.

For another client, absolutehealth.ie, (specialists in colonic irrigation!) I provided a booking availability tool, based on my adaptation of an opensource script. I aslo converted their site from a tables within tables mishmash, to tableless code which weighs in at about a tenth of the original size, and complies with web standards. Along the way we moved hosting to a more competitive platform with better features.

For Galway School of Homeopathy, I redesigned from scratch providing a cms based system (cms made simple) which allows the client to update from a front end login. Once again a move to more competitive and flexible hosting was a cost saving no brainer for the client. So this is what I have been up to, but I should really learn more about design and upgrade www.holisto.com and also this site. However, at leastmy sites are always easy for google to find, unlike some beautiful flash based- sites which google is blind to. Desparate people have approached me for help after seeing the success of my work on holisto, but I wish they would approach me earlier in the process. That's a small bit of free googlification advice for you - ask someone like me *before* you start building the site, not as an afterthought.

A poem

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 22:10:00 +0000

Still Point

There is a still point in the year,
at the height of summer,
when the earth is at the limit of its tilt,
just before returning.

Like a child upon a swing, being pushed to the hilt
swinging closer to the sun, and closer still,
suspended in awe for a moment.
There is a still point,
just before returning.

There is a still point in each wave about to turn.
You can hear it as you walk upon the shore,
There is a still point on a mid summers day,
when you forget about the why or wherefore.

And you can sense a still point in each breath
Just before returning home.

Theresa Dunne 1932-2006

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:46:00 +0000

My brother Peter wrote the following appreciation of my mother who died on June 21st. Many thanks to all those who have been so kind and supportive to us during this time. I am really grateful.

Mammy was born in 1932 in the heart of the Liberties. Her maiden name was Barnes and her mother?s maiden name was Fallon. The Barnes ancestry is rooted in Chester. My mother?s grandfather served in the British army and the Fallon family were originally from Co. Meath. She was an only child. This was quite unusual for the time but it explains a lot about her self-reliance and resourcefulness. Mammy had fascinating and detailed memories from her very early childhood that seems to have been happy but sometimes lonely. She was an early reader and was clever in school. She is an example of someone who used education as a route out of disadvantage. At the age of six she persuaded her parents to move into relatively better accommodation at Windsor Terrace. She also persuaded her parents to let her change schools. In primary school she aimed to obtain a scholarship to secondary education. On the strength of her own abilities, hard work and clarity of purpose she obtained a place in the St. Louis boarding school in Monaghan.

By her own accounts she had a tremendous time in Monaghan and excelled academically as well as in singing and drama. She obtained one of the best Leaving certs in the country and on the strength of this was expected to take a well-earned scholarship to proceed to third-level education in the NUI but decided to first enter religious life as a novice in the St Louis order of nuns. Within a short time of beginning her novitiate she contracted TB. She seemed unable to get help for her illness from her superiors and realized that if she didn?t leave the novitiate she might die. She spent time in a TB Sanatorium in Rialto, Dublin and eventually returned to full health. She worked for her relative Charlie Brocklebank in his optician business for a while and then worked in Cavendish?s in Grafton St. She was still only 19, on the 19th of March 1952 when she was asked out on a date by Daniel Dunne from Donnybrook, also employed at Cavendishes. They were married on September 8th in the same year. He was almost 18 years older and had come from quite a different kind of childhood. In 1954 they succeeded in making a move from a flat in Harrington Street to Dodder Park Road, Rathfarnham. In 1956 their first child was born, the first of 10 over the next 16 or so years.

Times were tough for parents of large families at that time. There was no car, no central heating, no washing machine or dryer, no disposable nappies, no supermarkets. Plastic pants, rubber undersheets, and a big pram for carrying the shopping were considered assets. Probably half the clothes the family wore in the early years were home made. My mother always insisted that these were the happiest days of her life. She continued to read books a plenty. She sang in the Terenure and Whitefriar Street Church choirs. My mother loved to visit the seaside during the summer, whether it be Bettystown, Bray or seapoint. And in the seventies , the use of a car brought new destinations such as Silver Strand Brittas Bay and Ardamine, Co. Wexford.

In 1972 my mother decided that a move to Meadow Park would solve a lot of financial difficulties. As the family grew up and my dad?s working years were dwindling my mother realized that she would have to become the main bread-winner. She succeeded in getting a place in UCD, an unusual step for a married woman in 1969. She successfully juggled child-rearing with night-time study for a BA degree. This was followed by a H.Dip in Education, completed in 1973. From1972 she held a teaching post close to home in Notre Dame des Missions secondary school, Churchtown.

She liked her job and she tried to encourage her students in the same way that she encouraged her children. There seemed to be no end to the personal sacrifices Mammy made to ensure that the family had a good education. She was always there to provide help and advice to all the extended family, never forgetting birthdays or anniversaries. When it was necessary she could be quite proactive in making sure that her children didn?t make bad choices. She said she had always just tried to do what she felt was best for her children. As the family progressively fled the nest she and Daniel senior came to know each other better and they had some great holiday trips together (Italia ?90 was a particular high point). She continued to read avidly and also tried to keep her mind sharp by doing crossword puzzles and the like.

Although Mammy was a very dedicated Catholic in her early life she was sometimes sceptical and other times open-minded about alternative religions and movements within the church. In the end she had come to very personal and deep conclusions about the meaning of life and the here-after. She was always very clear about what she wanted and she took this approach when health issues surfaced. After a hip operation that was not very successful she managed to maintain her independence by arranging a new layout for the house. When the hip problem was eventually sorted out she was able to become more active again. She was a regular swimming at the Rehab pool in Sandymount, where she also liked to walk along the seafront. In the last year or so she was closely involved in the care of her close friend Tommy Carroll who had tragically ended-up badly brain damaged following a heart attack.

We miss her, we were shocked at the speed of her ultimate decline and it will be a while before we have really come to the full realization of what has happened. Mammy was brave in the face of death and she went forward with great dignity. All the family managed to be there for her last moments. We all had a chance to tell her how much we loved her and to return a fraction of the love she had given us. We are as convinced as she was that this life is part of something bigger. We believe she is somewhere good with her own mother, father, husband and friends. We believe she is somehow with us too. (written by Peter Dunne)

Another Paul Mercier Triumph?

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 12:42:00 +0000

March 16 sees the Irish release of Paul Mercier's film Studs. Studs was one of Paul's popular Passion Machine plays, originally staged in the SFX, and it promises to be a riproaring success. Since the mid eighties Paul has been a chronicler of something real in the social fabric of Dublin and Ireland. Now a board member of the Abbey, his recent play Homeland held up a mirror to our most recent stage in our journey as a nation.

Of course I want Studs to be a huge success as my brother John composed the score, having also scored the original play.

See http://www.studsthemovie.com for a trailer.

Peak Oil, Gaia, reasons to be cheerful not

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:58:00 +0000

Less than a year ago I watched the End of Suburbia and got familiar with the topic of peak oil, the thesis that oil availability has peaked and that the end is nigh for our fossil fuel dependent economy. Now the idea is becoming mainstream, and the RTE series of reports on 5/7 live on the subject is an excellent primer. Philip Boucher Hayes also covers Ireland's special vulnerability to shocks to the supply of natural gas. Compelling listening:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/fivesevenlive/1052492.html

Of course, from the point of view of the planet, the end of fossil fuel burning could not come quick enough. James Lovelock says we are near the point of no return in his new book, the Revenge of Gaia. All in all it is scenario that is to say the least challenging.

In terms of politics, it is interesting to note how the greens slogan Reduce Re-use Recycle , once a faintly heard murmur in alternative culture is now the accepted best practice. (The reduce bit seems to be little emphasised however).

It is a pity the Labour party (of which I am a member) is busy finding out from focus groups what prejudices of it should appeal to in order to increase its support, rather than providing visionary leadership on issues such as this. For a start it should begin a dialogue with the Greens as to some common negotiating ground to bring to the coalition negotiating table with Fine Gael.

These are the key issues of the time and Labour is muted, as it was muted on the international trade talks and the EU budget talks. Only a clear and distinct program of visionary policies will provide people an incentive to vote for an alternative government.

However a recent statement by Tommy Broughan on biofuels is a step in the right direction.

VHI and Risk Equalisation - lessons from eircom

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 19:01:00 +0000

It's getting a bit tedious listening to Oliver Tatton of Vivas claiming that VHI as the "incumbent" is a monopoly which is "creaming profits". The impression is created that Risk Equalisation is something anti-competitive. In fact, competition requires a level playing field, and in the community rating system insurance system, risk equalisation is essential to making the field level.
The question remains, how does one bring about a market where there are multiple players giving consumers a good choice of products. The answer is in my view is not to penalise the members of VHI, or its owners (indirectly the taxpayer), making the shareholders of BUPA and VIVAS rich at our expense.
Trying to make the incumbent smaller, while trying to make it more efficient at the same time, often leads to a no win dynamic for its stakeholders. VHI should be split into two or more entities, and those entities should be sent out to compete on equal terms with the other players in the market. It would be a shame if political cowardice and foot dragging led to the decline of what has been a very good institution that has served the public interest well.

Mairead McGuinness and the Common Agricultural Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:18:00 +0000

I'm not much of an expert on the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, but if I have not picked up things wrong, our government is on the wrong side of the EU budget and WTO negotiations, supporting the Common Agricultural Policy against the interests of the worlds poorer countries. Last night I watched 'Ear to the Ground', RTE's agricultural programme. In response I sent the following message to the aid organisation B�thar. Hopefully their reply will relieve me of my simplistic notion that the sacrosanct interests of a pressure group in one of the world's richest countries are being put before the interests of the poor:

Hi

I watched Ear to the Ground yesterday and saw Mair�ad McGuinness MEP visit Africa in association with B�thar. I am sure her motivation is the highest, but I have to express my concern at B�thar associating itself so strongly with defending the CAP.

Is it not true that the CAP subsidizes our exports, and thereby makes it impossible for farmers on poorer continents to compete? (also known as dumping)

Also, is is not completely hypocritical to seek protection in one area of our economy where we would not withstand global market forces, while seeking new and open markets in the high-tech added-value sectors in which we dominate.

I also note that the programme gave a platform for someone standing in the next election to express their views in an unchallenged manner.

Am I wrong to be concerned about all this?

Does B�thar have a policy document that addresses the distorting effects on global trade of the CAP?

Yours sincerely

Daniel Dunne

B�thar have yet to respond to my message.

Democracy Commission report calls for more and better CSPE

noreply@blogger.com (Daniel) — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:57:00 +0000

While papers zoned in on the juicy stories of gender quotas and media monopolies, the part of the Democracy Commission report which interested me most was to do with civic education. The commission recommends:

? The extension of social and political education to senior cycle.
The Commission favours the introduction of citizenship studies as a full optional subject to Leaving Certificate and supports the provision of citizenship education short courses and transition year units.
? Targeting spending on citizenship education and voter awareness programmes.
? Promoting citizenship issues in primary schools.
? Promoting greater democracy within school structures.
? That democratic citizenship education in Northern Ireland be rooted in the goal to build a shared future and address issues of sectarianism, interculturalism and separateness
? Promoting democratic citizenship education within community education programmes.
? Provision of training and materials to support teachers of democratic citizenship education.

These are aspirations well worth airing. Unfortunately, despite an excellent syllabus, CSPE does not have the resources allocated to it (human resources and time) for it to make the impact it could. (See the report for a good summary of the problems).

What is needed is some poltical will. I had the good luck to attend the CSPE teachers annual conferene a few weeks ago, and Minister Hannifin came along to rally the troops. It was an interesting display. The teachers in attendance were the hardcore of committed cspe'rs who had given up their Saturday to attand the AGM and various workshops to improve their pedagogical methods. The subject association (ACT) is run with the utmost professionalism.

The minister was in high pl�masing form, indicating that she would no doubt be rostered for teaching CSPE if she were not on leave. But her committment to the subject rang a bit hollow. No indication of extension to the senior cycle as an option, or of more time. Worst of all was a celebration on her part of the fact that there is no CSPE subject at third level. CSPE in her view was a team exercise, drawing on the life experience of whoever was hanging around the staff room. (Despite the existence of many relevant degrees, and some diplomas). Mary wondered if the little bit of cspe we have would be feeding through soon in higher voter turn-out. Well, if it is three years after ending one's civic education, I wonders how much it will impact on young peoples first outing at the polls.

The minister did make positive noises about school councils. This has been an area of progress, and a great example of learning by doing. I stood in a school election as a thirteen year old, and it was a formative experience indeed. (Some months after my election, the authorities decided they didn't like democracy very much at all, and abolished the entire Representative council).

If she cares about renewing democratic values and practices, the minister will implement the relevant recommendations of the democracy commission report. Another interesting thought sprang to mind as I watched and listened: Ireland's first woman Taoiseach in the making?