The first time the Irish tricolour was ever flown was in 1848, long before the war of independence, long before the Irish constitution and not many people know that. Further more, even fewer know that the flag was conceived by Thomas Francis Meagher and first unveiled in Waterford on March 7th 1848, at 33 The Mall – his lasting vision for the true colours of the flag was peace (white) between the unionists (orange) and republicans (green) who all wanted to share the one land of Ireland. At some point in history the flag was reversed to position green as the primary colour but the symbolism and meaning remains the same.

Now, how many Irish people could tell you that? How often have you ever seen people express pride in the flag outside of a sporting event? This March (5th-6th) an event to commemorate the message, and first raising, of our nation’s greatest symbol, will take place in Waterford. An international event with guests from France and the United States will take place, to acknowledge the history of our flag and create a little bit of pride and goodwill in these difficult and gloomy times. For more information check out http://www.1848tricolour.com and join in the festivities.

Disclosure: I am a member of the organising committee for the 1848 Tricolour Celebration.

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Much is being uttered regarding a cap on civil service salaries – most recent indications suggest €250,000 will be the limit applied. I do subscribe to the philosophy that there is no greater pain and suffering at any level is individual, beyond comparison. As such I always stay clear of making a logical argument into a battle of two sides where each defeats the other and the problem lives to fight another day – the kind of politics that has been played in this country for way too long. Without applying the classical “but”, I do still feel that as a corrective measure, this rumoured limit is still grossly excessive. Public service is just that, it is people who seek a career that aims to improve the standard of life for everyone and to partake in the running of the country – it’s a vocation of such. Sadly in the last 10 years the public service has been seen as a gravy train by many (sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly). There are many lower paid public servants that rightly voice their concerns about cuts but there are equally as many, excessively high-paid public servants, with guaranteed pensions of 50% of their final paycheck who scurry for subterfuge when genuinely angry people come knocking. This is where the gravy train view of the public service gains most credence and it needs to stop. It needs to be tackled by sensible caps on top level scales, the kind of salary that will only attract somebody who wants to make a difference and serve their country not chancers looking for big money first and duty second. The guaranteed pension at 50% of final salary for a full service term also needs to be scrapped or alternatively made less exclusive and opened up to the public to choose as a viable pension offering compared to the leading institutions – either way a flat 50% is not a viable payout.

One of my biggest worries is the legacy of the Greens and the carbon tax inclusions in this budget. Carbon tax was pushed so much as an environmentally conscious mechanism to reduce emissions. However, last week, in the criticism of the 4-year plan by other political forces such as the EU, the truth became blindingly obvious (not as if we didn’t already know). One criticism of the plan by the EU (to save a crippled economy and bring more cash into the public finances) was that they would have liked to see greater carbon taxes. So, there it is folks, the bitter proof – there is no interest in using carbon tax at all, to dissuade pollution or emissions, it’s plain and simple, a tax generator to screw the common man in everything he does. Even in a crippled economy. I dread to see what else will appear under this guise in years to come.

News broke this morning regarding the honour bestowed upon Brian Lenihan, as worst finance minister in the EU. To be honest, I never had much time for Brian, always thought that his ideas and interactions with the public were the actions of a desperate man. However, I don’t think it fair that he has been branded as such in this poll. He inherited a poisoned chalice, a bird’s nest of public finance mismanagement, and a black hole of financial corruption (at least a black hole in terms of public knowledge, some government officials may well have been aware of what lied upon if not beyond the event horizon).

It’s still cold outside; about the only thing that hasn’t entered a state of flux in the last week. I’m working in a public service building whose temperature was well below the HSA guideline minimum (due to heating failure) but nobody left on such grounds. Not a bad result for a country that is supposed to be a militant, unionised farce who drops shovels at the first breach of conditions. Despite what some people want to believe (let’s call them secondary problem creators, primary problem failures) this is not “Carry On at Your Convenience” – if you don’t get the reference then try to watch that movie with its own brand of bawdy, British comedy at some stage that it will probably be aired this festive season. If only people invested the same effort into problem solving as they did into pitting groups against each other; We’d not be in this predicament now, that’s for sure – the eye would never have been off the ball.

So, we sit and wait for the published budget to be aired tomorrow afternoon. We await our financial fate with unprecedented, nervous anticipation. For many years budgets have come and gone. I certainly never paid much heed to the prophecies of doom in previous times. I don’t think we have ever really had a harsh budget in recent history. However, tomorrow’s tale has me a little concerned for the future of society. I foresee a long Winter of civil unrest, should certain things come into being. Yes, it will be cold for a long time to come.

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Abraham Lincoln had ratified, in 1865, a bill that would become known as the emancipation of the slaves in America. While ratified by congress it would be another 100 years or so until the rights of African Americans were gaining acceptance amidst a horribly racist and bigoted nation. The civil rights marches of the late 50′s and 60′s, followed by the Black Power Movement of the late 60′s and early 70′s, opened the eyes of the world to the injustice and suffering of many races at the hands of White oppression. A sequence of events that should never have had to be fought for, was put in place and these events would eventually culminate in a great victory that would send shockwaves around the world. Shockwaves of joy, jubilance, and belief that finally we are on the road to becoming a less oppressive and racist planet.

Those shockwaves crashed on my doorstep this morning before I set off for work and while I was listening to the radio; the morning news. Senator Barack Obama had been officially elected as president of the United States of America – history had been made. The first black president of the United States of America. Even writing the preceding text I feel uncomfortable. Not that America has a black president but because I have always failed to see the difference and why distinction should be made between two races of people. In terms of the suffering and hardship that way too many people have endured, this election victory symbolises a huge shift in the temporal race plane for acceptance, understanding, and equality. Nobody would want to take this from those who fought hard so that one day equality would be shown and people across the land would recognise that there was no reason or just mindset that should stop anybody from achieving what they are capable of.

I openly hoped that Obama would win the election. I admired his poise, his capability, and I believe that his financial outlook will be both good for the U.S. and eventually for the global financial crisis. In fact I believe that our politicians in Ireland should probably take a leaf out of his book in terms of looking at investing and sustaining indigenous business in our country and not being reliant on FDI to bolster our economy. I’m not knowingly a Democrat, in the context of U.S. politics; within the Republican camp, I disliked Bush (both of) but I admired and respected Reagan for the achievements made while he was in office. For me the U.S. Presidentials were about the one who appeared to be the most competent and the one who saw America’s internal problems and wasn’t afraid to address them. America has a huge impact on the rest of the globe and needs to be careful that its foreign policies do not exclude the global economy nor the effect that the combined consuming power of the U.S. can have on that.

Barack Obama appears to have the mindset that will bring great stability to the U.S. and ultimately that makes life better for everyone on the planet. His historic win in terms of race and civil rights history should not overshadow the fact that this man has achieved a great victory; through words of wisdom, articulate speeches delivered, intelligent policies, competent debating, and overall charisma. Obama has won over a very partisan audience with his politics to become America’s next president and when one man can overcome all odds to gain such a victory, we must surely say that we have reached a turning point in the history of this world. Good luck President Obama – we wish you well.

Extra! Extra!

Damien Mulley sums it up nicely

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