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For the last week and more, the nation has been in part, distracted by the many terrible antics that have been exposed surrounding the executive board of RTE. A lot of their antics have been well covered by media in the limited time they have. That said, RTE news editors are still not reporting other aspects of the matter. This includes the looking after (backdoor bribing/sweetening) of journalist to limit their writing in any unfavourable direction. RTE and other on air media outlets have skipped over this matter – as it exposes that journalists from many outlets appear to have been sweetened into keep them on side.
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* Media outlets are not going to ‘shoot themselves in the foot’. If they raise this aspect too much, they know that others (many businesses, companies, individuals and even politicians) that indulge in bribing/sweeting reporters/article opinion writers, etc, are not going to keep up their bribing/sweeting acts if they fear they are going to be exposed or even ridiculed for doing it. So, in large part, this aspect has been media buried or toned far down. You were not meant to notice. The media volume on this aspect is deafening in their silence.
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* Moving on… The coverage of the RTE massive screw-up, was quietly greeted in political circles as a ‘gift from the gods’ by government party elected. Prior to the RTE scandal exploding, the government was being lashed by high and low, president to public, over their stacking of the Irish neutrality forum that the government has setup to put a gloss on forthcoming undemocratic, possible illegal and unconstitutional antics, as they seek to come up with something to justify their agenda to undermine what’s in our constitution and and an international treaty they previous signed up to. This whole matter can make up a post in itself – and there will be one coming shortly on this very matter (see “While You Were Sleeping – Part Two”). It’s explosive – even from the point of view that it’s clearly one-sided and far under reported – but that’s all to come soon in detail to you, from me. All facts you can independently check as usual. The RTE fiasco has now distracted people away from all this.
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* The RTE fiasco has also has also distracted the nations attention (again, much to government TD’s relief) away from the latest news that Homelessness in Ireland hit yet another record high. In May there has been 12,441 people officially homeless. These are just the ones living in emergency accommodation. The numbers have increased 182 since the previous month. Within these numbers, there are officially 1,770 homeless families. Those that are in these numbers include:
- Cleaners
- Event and security staff
- Construction workers
- Lorry drivers
- Van drivers
- Cab drivers
- Shop workers
- Retail staff
- Barbers
- Electricians
- Bar staff
- Healthcare assistants
- Carers
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The numbers include 3,699 childing in the state that do not have a home. Not for the first time a terrible record has been broken by a FF/FG based government, the highest number of child that are homeless in the history of the state. Another new record. Nothing to celebrate here. The RTE fiasco has distracted the bulk of the nations attention away from all this. This is before we can grasp others “couch-surfing” with other household/families – that are not fully state recognised as homeless. A state of play done to deliberately fudge further, true homelessness numbers, some assess.
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* While you were distracted by RTE financial antics, the Horseracing Board of Ireland were having their own financial antics being exposed and examined. However, unlike RTE facts now emerging, the government and the board have very quickly moved to put up a wall of silence on the matter. What we are (barely) allowed to know is that there has been some serious financial antics going on here too and people have been asked at board top level to take a rapid leave of absence. A wall of “No comment” has risen faster here than the ghost of Shergar running through Irish fields! However, you have been distracted away from all this too. Cue sighs of relief from government elected…
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* In the run up to the exposure of some RTE executive board antics – “some” (as we will never be allowed to know “all“) – there was breaking further scandals about the new National Children’s Hospital in Dublin. Matters included the state of some of the operating theatres there and more, that will have to be redone again from scratch because, in at least half of them, it appears that a right dogs bollox job was done on them. The hope that the hospital being opened before the next general election, something FF/FG hope for in order to win back votes, is a pipedream by Leo in particular, who once promised that it would be open long before even now “even if an asteroid struck the planet”. We all must have missed when it hit? News of this next latest hospital scandal just hit the Sunday papers before mid-week, then the RTE fiasco exploded. The result? One more government farce media buried so they could cover another one. Cue more sighs of relief from government elected…
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* Then there was the much buried news item regarding a former deputy chairman of An Bord Pleanála has been sentenced to two months in jail, after he pleaded guilty to making false or misleading declarations of interest to the State planning appeals body. such was the weight of evidence, he was charged with nine counts of making false or misleading declarations of interest to An Bord Pleanála between 2014 and 2022. He pleaded guilty to two of the nine counts against him, relating to 2015 and 2018. Much of this scandal has been media buried. scant reported, no more PAC or journalist questions asked (“Thank God” said government TD’s) or further investigations begun – and RTE once again, has here too, said bugger all except the bare minimum possible.
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* Just as scandalous as the RTE farces, is the current government antics are of Helen McEntee, to ensure that the government of the day can further retain personal data information on everyone due to “security concerns”, that will be gained though everyone’s phone. Taking to the courts of Ireland to ensure they get their way, the government obtained a ruling that now forces companies to hold onto people’s data for even longer, so that the state can use it more against them and in reality, further undermine any right to privacy. While you were distracted, the government also changes laws that in fact, makes it harder to people to speak up and tell of wrong doings within the Irish state. The Irish Council for Civil Rights has spoken up about amendments to the Courts and Civil Law Bill 2022. These in PR its stated, aim to create “confidential” processes for data protection investigations – but in fact according to experienced professionals in this legislative area, say what the government is up to, would “gag people from speaking about how Big Tech firms or public bodies are misusing their data”. Yes, this very important news item occurring during the RTE fiasco exploding, has been also given far less attention than it deserves. It’s only about people’s basic right to tell truths and expose wrongs. That’s all.
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* Another matter you were distracted away from, was in relation to one Christine Moran. This is a person who faced no choice but to quit their role in Maynooth University as a governing authority member. Maynooth University is no way connected to why she quit her job other than she worked there. It was alleged other antics beyond the Maynooth University that has now cause the person to go quiet and likely keep their head down for a while. Christine Moran was said to allegedly be asking developers in Ireland for extraordinary, outrageous money in order so that she didn’t official object to a housing development in Dublin. Others before the person, was said to be doing same. Allegedly extracting or attempting to extract money from developers in order to keep their mouths shut or from raising objections. A form of exploitation or blackmail? Many questions remain unanswered as this potential national scandal is quietly buried too, under the RTE farce news that’s still distracting many. Buried, is a possible long existing method of operation that some have allegedly been doing for some time – years, possibly even decades and by many. They too, we can assume, are thanking the gods for the RTE fiasco which has taken journalist and opposition TD eyes away from this potentially explosive farce too.
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* Finally – because I have to stop typing else I would be telling you more stuff for days (and I could) – there is the irony of all ironies to be told. While TD’s are (rightly) raging about the mega antics of huge paid RTE elites that are gaining daft perks, big pay and pensions, it’s been very quietly made known that even more pay increases are likely coming for Ireland’s other, most top senior public servants. Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe welcomed a report that gives 38 recommendations. Most of these are likely to be accepted and that in turn will mean that top civil servants, semi-state bosses, judges and other senior officials will see yet another whack of public money bunged to them. This will happen, all the while government TD’s and Dail opposition will equally give out about the daft pay and perks of other state civil servants on RTE boards. You couldn’t make this stuff up – but once again, they can. All this and more is being buried while your attention is distracted by RTE stars and those playing around with a slush fund and looking after themselves at taxpayers expense once again.
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Coming soon: While You Were Sleeping – Part Two.