Minister McDowell Confirms End of Winter

In what has to be one of the strangest press releases of the year, the Minister for Justice has confirmed the end of winter by announcing that clocks will indeed go forward this weekend. The press release issued this morning brings to an end weeks of speculation that clocks would not enter into a 'going forward' agreement and that each clock would engage in individual bargaining.

It is not clear whether the Tanaiste in announcing the start of summer is actually claiming credit for it. In this country that's a tactic that could fall flat on its arse.

Below is the listed the text of the press release issued by the Minister.



"REMINDER
CLOCKS GO FORWARD WEEKEND OF 24/25 MARCH, 2007The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Michael McDowell, T.D., would like to remind the general public that "Summer time" will commence at 1.00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Sunday 25 March, 2007. Clocks and watches should be put forward one hour at that time. Summer time will end at 1.00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Sunday 28 October, 2007. 21 March 2007"

Who says he doesnt earn his keep.

Where is the Opposition????

Messing with the criminal justice system three months before an election, playing politics with the law, abandoning all our rights for the sake of a few cheap headlines. Words cannot express how low an act I feel that An Tanaiste is perpetrating on the Irish people in his latest reaction to gangland crime.

4 years we waited for the Minister to start recruiting the extra Garda he promised and his first step in this was a Garda reserve that as of yet numbers about 100. He promised resources and he didn't deliver. He made claims about criminals being dying wasps on their last sting. Yesterday the same guff was splurted, these new laws marked the end of gangland crime.

Minister McDowell's period in office has been marked by such knee jerk reactions to crime. It is unfortunate that as he prepares to launch the largest single assault on civil liberties in Ireland, by giving additional and unjustifiable powers to a police force desperately in need of institutional reform and proper resourcing, that the opposition has gone AWOL. Where is the voice of reason on the opposition benches to point out that this is political chicanary. Undoubtedly the shinners will scream, but their credentials will do little to help the argument. Who else will stand up and be counted.

Hard cases make bad law, and Minister McDowell was rarely anything but a hard case.

Two Trips to the Polls?

The Government or at least Der Fuhrer has announced his intention that the referenda on Childrens rights will be held prior to the General Election. If this turns out to be true, there will be the insane spectacle of millions of pounds being needlessly wasted on a referendum, which while important, could be dove tailed with the election. Common sense says merge the two, either with a May date or that the referendum gets called in March and the Government jumps early and saves the taxpayer a few bob (and avoids any banana skins)

Next item on the agenda is who will apply for the Referendum Commission funding which is available to oppose the rights of the child. Could this be the pay day Jade Goody needs now her career is fecked.