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EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you begin your day.
1. #SHOOTING Gardaí are continuing to appeal for information after a man in his 50s was shot in Clondalkin, Dublin yesterday evening. The man is still in hospital in a critical condition, and one scene is preserved in Rowlagh Park, where the shooting occurred. Gardaí are appealing for anyone who saw a dark-coloured car leave the scene to contact them.
2. #WEATHER It might be mid-April, and the temperatures might have risen just a little, but unfortunately we can expect bad weather today. Met Éireann says that there will be heavy, thundery downpours leading to spot flooding – although we can expect “some sunny intervals”. It will be a very windy day, with highest temperatures 12 – 15 degrees and strong to gale force winds gusting to around 100 km/h.
3. #RUBBISH Dublin City Council plans to contact the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, to see if the law can be amended so that people who dump rubbish illegally can be ‘named and shamed’. The news comes after the council announced it was to temporarily halt rubbish collection in ‘blackspots’ in the north inner city area of the capital.
4. #TAX CUTS The government plans to cut income-tax rates before 2016 to benefit middle-income families, the Sunday Times reports today. It says that junior minister Brian Hayes said tax reductions should be introduced within the next three years, and it wasn’t realistic that income tax be cut in the forthcoming budget. Meanwhile, the Sunday Business Post says that Minister Joan Burton has allegedly told Labour colleagues she will not implement proposed cuts of €440 million to her budget in 2014.
5. #POLL A Sunday Independent/Millward Brown poll shows that 75 per cent of people say they are dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country, while one in five is satisfied with the coalition’s implementation of austerity measures. The poll also found that 35 per cent say they ‘don’t know’ what party they will give their first preference to, while nearly one third have lost faith in all political leaders.
6. #STABBING A woman (22) arrested over the stabbing of another female (23) in Ennis yesterday is still in custody, gardaí said. It is believed the victim has been moved to Cork University Hospital after suffering serious wounds in the incident on the grounds of a primary school in Ennis, Co Clare.
7. #KOREA North Korea has dismissed the South’s offer for dialogue on the future of the Kaesong joint industrial zone, calling the offer an “empty” political gesture. The North announced the withdrawal of its 53,000 workers and the suspension of operations at Kaesong last week, and Seoul had called for Pyongyang to “come to the dialogue table”.
8. #CONSTITUTION The Constitutional Convention is to vote on the issue of same-sex marriage today. It comes after a day spent debating the subject yesterday, with contributions from people on both sides of the issue, and citizens taking part in the convention.
9. #CHAVEZ Venezuelans will elect Hugo Chavez’s successor today in a battle between the heir of the late leader’s socialist revolution, Nicolas Maduro, and opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Maduro has led opinion polls, promising to continue the oil-funded policies that cut poverty from 50 to 29 percent through popular health, education and food programmes.
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This is a letter I wrote to Francis and as I know he is busy reforming the Church I can wait a little for his reply; As you know the debate is still being violently acted here in France about the same sex marriage issue and has lead to some very questionable methods. The Senate and the House have now both voted positively on the legislation and I hope that the issue is dealt with equally quickly in Ireland, my homeland and the place where I was legally partnered with my companion about a year ago. It was the bitter hateful way some of the Catholics of France have been acting that prompted my letter to Francis and I hope the contents might touch one or two people to change their minds;
Dear Holy Father Francis,
I am a practicing Catholic who has defended our Mother Church in my poor way as best I can and shown love to my neighbors through many years. Today, I am faced with the dilemma of my own sexuality and a love which is denied its existence by the cannons of the church of which you, as successor of Peter, hold the key. Dearly beloved father, when will you pronounce words which will appease the feeling of so many Catholics who are in the same position as I. When will you pronounce the words which will take the Hate out of the minds of many Catholics who hunt, hurt and maim their fellows physically in the name of our Holy Mother Church. We have seen in France recently where I live, an exhibition of hatred and violence against a gay couple walking in the streets. These people hold your personal negative anti-Gay attitude as a blessing for these activities, in the name of our Mother Mary and her position as the guarantor of the immensity of the Love of God I humbly ask you to pronounce on the importance of God’s love touching all people, even those who cannot understand the theological reasons you may hold the exclusion of Gay Catholics and non Catholics as being the right road to follow. I do not know if you will ever see this note, if you will ever respond to its contents but I do wish you the best in your ministry and your sharing of the Light which is to be found in the hearts of the Holy Trinity and which pours down on saint and sinner alike. I remain, Brother Francis a Christian trying to understand. Eric
Ever notice that Brian Hayes is plonked in front of a camera whenever the blue shirts are forcing something down our throats. They seem to think that his innocent little face will make us all accept that the oft unfair concocted cuts are for our own good…. I think people are starting to catch on to that strategy. It’s kind of the reverse of what they do with Phil hogan really. That’s why they have him jetting around the world. Keeps him out of the way.
Blue Shirts?
That’s the sort of civil war voting mentality that has this country so messed up in the first place.
I assume your Grandfather was a FF man, so all your family now blindly follow him.
I think the blue shirt reference is acceptable as a throw back to an extreme right wing past. I don’t think anyone could deny that FGs policies today are pretty right wing.
my favorite Brian Hayes interview: ‘someone could have been killed’; what a turnip! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyKzzpW5O7s
Says the man with the ironic photo of Haughney as his avatar.. Civil war politics? It’s just more of a historical fact. Should past historical facts be denied when it suits? seems to me that the blueshirts are carrying on as per their history. Oh and I think there’s a bit more to the intricacies of the mess we find ourselves in than civil war politics mentality. While you bring up grandfathers how are yours.?
Another slide in the polls for the government :)
Oh if only polls made politicians act on their decisions…unfortunately the truth is that they are already in government and can do pretty much anything they want as they have the majority to do so !…oh and good luck to the minister for social welfare trying to avoid the 440 million in cuts to her department ….not her decision to make !!!
I don’t pay much value to polls as the only one that counts is the one in the booths on polling day.
However, it’s nice to see a rise in support for Labour and a fall for all of the other parties :)
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