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Luke Ming Flanagan Niall Carson/PA Archive/Press Association Images
Penalty Points
Flanagan to address Dáil amid claims he denied penalty points were wiped
The independent TD was asked if he had penalty points wiped from his licence last December but denied he had. He intends to address the Dáil this evening.
6.45am, 12 Mar 2013
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LUKE ‘MING’ FLANAGAN intends to address the Dáil today about claims that he had penalty points wiped from his record two years ago.
The independent TD has said that he will address the Dáil at 6pm today on a report at the weekend that he had two penalty points, imposed for driving while using his mobile phone, wiped from his licence in June 2011.
Flanagan said on Twitter at the weekend that he would reveal to fellow deputies how he was contacted by gardaí who he alleges asked him if he would like to have the penalty points wiped.
However it is claimed that Flanagan denied having points wiped when asked about the matter last year. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A Twitter exchange on Christmas Day last year shows that the Roscommon-South Leitrim TD denied he had a “ticket from the Garda squashed”:
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The Sunday Independent newspaper reported last weekend that Flanagan was stopped by gardaí in June 2011 and was issued with a €60 fine and two penalty points for using his mobile phone while driving.
As well as tweeting his intention to make a statement today, Flanagan also suggested that he was not just contacted by gardaí about the matter: “You’d be surprised to hear of the people who call you to offer to have points wiped. Not just Guards. Will tell all Tues.”
He intends to make a statement to the Dáil this evening at 6pm but it is not clear under which Dáil procedure the TD intends to address the chamber tonight.
Attempts to reach Flanagan yesterday were unsuccessful and the Dáil Whips’ Office was not aware of any request for speaking time when contacted yesterday.
Flanagan has been critical of gardaí and the government in the wake of revelations that penalty points were being wiped from driving licences of, among others, well-known public figures, some of whom have been named in the Dáil.
The matter is currently being investigated by a Garda Assistant Commissioner and the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter says he expects a report on the matter to be delivered to him in the coming weeks.
Flanagan has said previously that revelations about penalty points showed “quite clearly that in this country some people are more important than others”.
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Use the nightline courier and they give you a N.I address so if its free UK shipping you get that part of delivery free and they also allow delivery of anything that can be sent to the UK!!
The desk made out of a door is now a badge of honour in Amazon. Employees who perform exceptionally well get to build their own desk from a door. When you walk around the office and see some mad looking desk, you know you’re dealing with someone who is excellent at their job.
Its annoying as all hell when it happens but in their defence IIRC any sale that is direct from or fulfilled by Amazon.co.uk will be delivered to Ireland. However Amazon, much like other sites like play.com also acts as a store-front for smaller sellers who are allowed to set their own shipping terms. As Amazon is only getting commission on those sales they do not dictate the sellers shipping policies
They also sold a book called ‘The paedophile’s guide to love and pleasure; a Child-lover’s code of conduct’. They have let their factory workers work in conditions bordering on slavery and have sacked workers, en-masse, because they attempted to unionise. I wonder if they sell a book about how they really operate.
Hope they never, ever, ever set up shop here. There wouldn’t be a bookshop left in the country. Look at what Tesco have done and continue to do to small, independent retailers.
They do deliver books here. But I agree with your sentiment. I try to shop in local bookstores when I can, but sometimes they don’t have the books I want and to order them costs twice as much as amazon. If that’s the case then I do order from amazon, but only after trawling the local shops. I actually enjoy searching the number of shops for what I’m looking for because sometimes I come across books I wouldn’t have normally seen.
I agree Thomas. And movies and music in digital format are very convenient. Some would say the same about kindle and ebooks but personally, even though I’m a total techie, still prefer printed books. I guess it may be that I spend so much time looking at a screen for work and in general!
Another interesting fact that many people might not know is that they are one of the worst employers in Cork, who punish you with a point system if you are genuinely sick.
On any given Monday, 5% of teachers in Ireland are “genuinely” sick.
Ive no idea what the same stats are for the self-employed, but I’d hazard a guess they are considerably lower.
Amazon’s points system disincentives absenteeism, quite frankly I don’t take issue with it.
You forgot to mention how Amazon almost power most of the internet with their Amazon Web Services. Lots of popular internet services live on top of Amazon, e.g. Foursquare, Netflix etc. And that Dublin in the European home for these services with multiple Amazon data enters around the capital.
You can’t use your amazon.com gift card balance on amazon.co.uk which means you end up paying higher shipping costs, customs fees and duty and you’ll be waiting longer to get it.
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