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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.  We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below). 

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
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Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy

offsite link Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy

offsite link It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy

offsite link Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left

offsite link Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Porsche Scraps Electric Car Targets as Demand Slumps Tue Jul 23, 2024 19:43 | Will Jones
Porsche has scrapped its sales targets for EVs amid a slump in demand. A previous goal of 80% by 2030 has been watered down and the company now says sales will depend on uptake and how the technology develops.
The post Porsche Scraps Electric Car Targets as Demand Slumps appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link ?Mission-Driven? Government is the Antithesis of Liberty Tue Jul 23, 2024 17:30 | Dr David McGrogan
Labour is "mission-driven", says Keir Starmer. But the last thing anyone should want is a Government with a mission, says David McGrogan. That's because a Government with a mission needs conscripts. That's you and me.
The post “Mission-Driven” Government is the Antithesis of Liberty appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Victory! Hospitals That Brought Back Mask Mandates Backtrack After Complaints Tue Jul 23, 2024 15:30 | Dr Gary Sidley
A victory in the mask wars! Two hospital providers that brought back mask mandates have backtracked and scrapped them following complaints from Daily Sceptic readers and Smile Free supporters.
The post Victory! Hospitals That Brought Back Mask Mandates Backtrack After Complaints appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Read it and Weep: The BBC Journalists Taking Home Six Figure Salaries Courtesy of the Licence Fee Pa... Tue Jul 23, 2024 13:45 | Will Jones
Read it and weep: the list of the BBC journalists taking home six figure salaries courtesy of the licence fee payer. Disgraced presenter Huw Edwards came top with £475k despite being off air for nine months of the year.
The post Read it and Weep: The BBC Journalists Taking Home Six Figure Salaries Courtesy of the Licence Fee Payer appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link David Lammy: The Foreign Secretary Who Called Trump ?a Racist KKK and Nazi Sympathiser? and Refuses ... Tue Jul 23, 2024 12:43 | Peter Harris
Britain's new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, is on record calling Donald Trump "a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser" and has refused to apologise. This is clearly going to be a problem, says Peter Harris.
The post David Lammy: The Foreign Secretary Who Called Trump “a Racist KKK and Nazi Sympathiser” and Refuses to Apologise appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Welfare Tip-Offs

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis author Wednesday September 15, 2010 02:34author by Declan Cullen - None Report this post to the editors

It is with great despair that I read about the 6000 tip - offs to the Dept of Social Protection in last weeks papers. While I gladly welcome any crackdown on fraud, we must be mindful about the double edge side of this particular sword.
People have to remember that these so - called welfare fraud lines can be used by a person with an axe to grind with a person that they don't like or have falling out with in the the form a malicous and false call to the dept just to cause bother to that particular person.

It is with great despair that I read about the 6000 tip - offs to the Dept of Social Protection in last week's papers.
While I gladly welcome any crackdown on fraud, we must be mindful about the double edge side of this particular sword.
People have to remember that these so - called welfare fraud lines can be used by a person with an axe to grind with a person that they don't like or have falling out with in the the form a malicous and false call to the dept just to cause bother to that particular person.
When the department gets a complaint it treats the person as it they are guilty until proven innocent, and can put the claimant through an intimidating interview process with a local inspector were your right to privacy is thrown out of the window and you are left treated like dirt.
With all the current fervour to crack down on the ordinary people of Ireland unlucky to find themselves in the welfare trap we still have one very large elephant in the room. That is the fact that the people that have caused Ireland's financial meltdown are not feeling the heat for what they have done and don't have to worry about their welfare payments being stopped or suspended because they are far above worrying about such things.
I hope sending in my comment will add balance to your discussions today as there probably will be a chorus of internet opinion praising the Department for its crack down, but forgetting that one day that aforementioned sword might be wielded in their direction with no mercy.
Ireland was always called the nation of Saints and Scholars. Unfortunately we seem to have become a nation of informers and curtain twichers who have taken their eye off the ball as regards the sins of the government and their cronies.

Declan Cullen
Dublin

author by V for vendettapublication date Wed Sep 15, 2010 03:28author address author phone Report this post to the editors


"Put an Irishman on a spit
and you will find two more
to turn him"

-Swift

That's all we need. The poor turning on each other instead of uniting against their common enemy. The old tools of imperialism still work well. Divide and conquer. People should not be so petty and short sighted as to use these numbers.

Tell me this: Why did we not have a tax dodger helpline before this one arrived. And why is it that all those lucrative loopholes still have not been closed after all this time mr Lenihan??

It's evident what he and his crony government's priorities are and it's clear from this cynical exercise that he does not have the interests of the poor or unemployed at heart.

author by Sceptic - None whatsoeverpublication date Wed Sep 15, 2010 05:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As per usual the lads have written about something which is of great concern to US ALL .

''Let me share this with you '' as the yanks would say .

I was a victim of the dreaded green eyed monster of the 80s , i was signing on in my home
town of Bray at the time , i was 'pulled in ' about twice a week by la manager who performed
his usual spanish inquisition with such profound tory like questions about this that n' thother
until i was blue in the face , to be brief i was eventually ' snipped ' and allowed languish in
a flat i had rented as a result of my then situation , i could'nt pay de rent because i had not
got it to give , i couldn't afford to feed myself because i had no money , and so on .

I ended up in Peamount hospital for a period of time because i had been so run down it was
unreal , at least i got 3 square meals a day in peamount and a bed to lie on which is more
than i had in Bray , and no it had nothing to do with drink or drugs it had to do with a mouth
piece who had nothing better to do than to hang me to the authorities who were only too
glad to get a feather in their cap as to catch a person whom they had reason to believe was
working and signing on . when i did eventually leave peamount i was, ( listen to this )
''awarded social welfare '' and continued my treatment in peamount as an out patient for
quite a while , The moral of the story is this , the squealers who are hell bent on venting
their begrudgery on others have a lot to answer for . thanks to peamount hospital for all ur help , i am doing fine now and many thanks for all they done to make the pain ( of hunger )
go away . P.S wait until i write that book .

author by Doleboy and Proudpublication date Wed Sep 15, 2010 09:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This kind of thing is truly disgusting, appealing to the worst side of people's nature and turning us all against each other while the rich laugh at us. But remember all this grassing and interrogation system is run by card carrying trade unionists. If the unions were to show the solidarity with the unemployed they boast about they would refuse to take part in this harrassment. They would do their job i.e. facilitate people without jobs in getting what theyre entitled to. Many people working in dole offices do that, let it be said, but the minority of evil bastards who run this harrassment system should be treated like the scabs they are.

author by RedOakpublication date Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:26author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Based on my own experiences with some but not all of the social welfare\FAS staff I've encountered there does seem to be certain people who set out to make you feel as low as a snakes guts. I've been in the interrogation rooms with the stone faced inquisitors who seem to actually begrudge you the payments that you qualify for. Through squinty eyes they use rapid fire questioning to try and trip you up when the last thing you want to do is be a 'sponger' , given the chance and the availibility of decent sustainable jobs you would take one in a heartbeat. I'm also hearing the stories from family and friends of social welfare officers at Garda checkpoints checking cars for tools , wood shavings etc. , just in case you would dare try to earn a few extra bob on top of the 'scratcher'. Possibly followed by a write up in the local paper for the self righteous pillars of the community to get high off of.

People are also being offered courses which are clearly unsuited to their aptitudes and the career path they actually want. I think non apprecticeship FAS courses are by and large being offered to siphon off people from the live register to mask the true extent of the unemployment situation. I can understand someone who is a long term work dodger being interrogated but the thing is they don't seem to be , it's the recently unemployed being told to find work when it should be quite clear to these people that work is extremely scarce at the moment. I know that there must be decent staff in FAS and the department of social protection as it's now called but Jesus Christ when you run into one of the bad sorts thay can really f**k up your day and probably your near future too. People that have worked hard for years and probably either have never signed on or last did in the eighties are being demeaned and scrutinised and made to feel like wasters. I advised my own brother to report a very aggressive FAS interviewer to their manager but I think he was wary that it could backfire on him.

 
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