Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
Parse failure for http://humanrights.ie/feed/. Last Retry Thursday September 25, 2025 11:11
A New Definition of Freedom of Speech: An Unsackable Late Night Host Thu Sep 25, 2025 09:00 | James Alexander From liberal America, the people who brought you Covid and climate censorship and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we have a new definition of free speech: the unsackable late night host, says Prof James Alexander.
The post A New Definition of Freedom of Speech: An Unsackable Late Night Host appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
How Quakers Are Funding Open Borders Thu Sep 25, 2025 07:00 | Charlotte Gill Quaker foundations pour millions into organisations promoting open borders, interfering in our democracy and undermining voters' clear wish for security. Charlotte Gill investigates.
The post How Quakers Are Funding Open Borders appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Thu Sep 25, 2025 00:46 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
?Serious Safety Concerns? as Trans Criminals Remain in Women?s Prison Despite Supreme Court Ruling Wed Sep 24, 2025 19:00 | Will Jones Male trans criminals are still being held in a women's prison despite the Supreme Court ruling that sexes must be segregated, with the independent monitor reporting serious safety and welfare concerns.
The post “Serious Safety Concerns” as Trans Criminals Remain in Women’s Prison Despite Supreme Court Ruling appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Antidote to Western Education Wed Sep 24, 2025 17:10 | Paul Frijters Western education, riddled with progressive fads, has been grinding down the spirits of young people for decades. Now, a group of dissenting academics has decided to do something about it, says Professor Paul Frijters.
The post The Antidote to Western Education appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en
Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en
The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en Voltaire Network >>
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IRELAND: New Head Arrives - Same Old Reactionary Politics?
As minister-for-poverty in one of the richest countries in the World (or at least one of the most indebted) Minister Varadkar achieved fame in the run up to the Leadership context with his April 2017 Campaign against welfare recipients and the unemployed: ‘Welfare cheats cheat us all“. “My systemic examination of social welfare processes for recovering overpayments is continuing in 2017...” — Irish Ombudsman Peter Tyndall
Ireland now inherits a new Taoiseach and the Fine Gael party a new head on boring-old-shoulders, existing Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar just securing his place in the leadership contest, despite his lack of support (a mere 35%) among rank-and file Fine Gaelers...
As minister-for-poverty in one of the richest countries in the World (or at least one of the most indebted) Minister Varadkar achieved fame in the run up to the Leadership context with his April 2017 Campaign against welfare recipients and the unemployed: 'Welfare cheats cheat us all".
"Nothing upsets people more than someone else cheating the system at their expense. That’s why we are launching a new campaign to encourage members of the public to report suspected or known cases of welfare fraud..." the Minister told us...coyly.
Now as he tries his new crown on for size he will probably be able to ignore the recent report from the Irish Ombudsman, who deals with complaints from frustrated Irish citizens "about how they have been treated by public bodies in Ireland. The Ombudsman can examine decisions, refusals to take action and administrative procedures of public bodies."
With no axes-to-grind on behalf of a government - apparently horrified at the thought of a few dole recipients doing "nixers" and possibly claiming a paltry 42 million euros (possibly - ? - or is it €500 million?) in benefits while fighting an extended battle to return €13 billion in tax to the-not-strapped-for-cash Apple Corporation (only this May, Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s Competition Commissioner, pointed out that Ireland was taking too long to recover the €13 billion in back-taxes owed by Apple!) - the Ombudsman’s findings add a new dimension to the campaign to isolate the cheating citizens currently being stalked by the Department of Social Protection ('Helping You Build A Better Life'):
"During 2015 and 2016, I noticed an increase in the number of complaints to my Office from people who had been, or who were currently, in receipt of social welfare payments and who had received notice from the Department of Social Protection that they had been overpaid. The Department was demanding repayment from them.
The periods during which the overpayments accrued ranged from relatively recently to over 20 years ago. The amounts also ranged from €1,000 to over €100,000.
An examination of these complaints raised significant concerns so I decided to initiate a systemic examination of the Department’s processes in raising and collecting overpayment debts from claimants.
My Office examined local overpayment files held in two Dublin Intreo Offices. In October 2016, I sent a report of our findings to the Department for its consideration and response.
During 2016, my Office examined other individual complaints received from overpaid social welfare claimants. A total of 55 overpayment complaints have been examined. 25 have been finalised and closed. Of those closed, I upheld 15 (60%) and the overpayments were written off by the Department." Ombudsman Peter Tyndall
One significant case study by the Ombudsman showed how one woman, who was told she owed the Department of Social Protection €19,900.00 ended up receiving a €700 refund from the department:
"A woman complained to the Ombudsman after she wrote to the local office of the Department of Social Protection and failed to receive a response. The woman had received correspondence from her local office saying that an overpayment of €19,900 had been made to her. The woman was unaware of how this debt arose and had written to the Department for an explanation.
The Ombudsman contacted the Department’s local office and asked it to respond to the woman’s correspondence. While responding to the Ombudsman the Department also reviewed the woman’s social welfare payments. It discovered that her application had not been processed correctly. The woman’s income had been recalculated a number of times resulting in different outcomes, while in considering her husband’s income the Department had failed to take account of an illness that reduced his income.
Following the review, Department discovered that not only had there been no overpayment but that the woman was entitled to a refund of approximately €700."
Of course the heavy hand and the incompetence of a tight-fisted Government's bureaucracy is surely not a concern for the new Leadership of this probably-almost-worn-out-party and this newly resurgent nation. Like witches rubbing their hands around a pot of boiling toads it appears that those in power are now rubbing their hands together at the soon-to be realised profits from the upcoming housing explosion or the next bankers' revolution or some other waiting-in-the-wings Ponzi get-rich-fast scheme...
Ombudsman Peter Tyndall:
"The Department of Social Protection has strong powers of recovery in the case of overpayments made to social welfare claimants. In my discussions with the Department, among other things, I placed an emphasis on:
• ‘Poverty proofing’ – to ensure that the rate of overpayment recovery does not cause undue hardship for claimants
• Minimum standard of documentation – all documentation pertinent to the identification and raising of an overpayment debt must be maintained
• Right of appeal – claimants should have the right to challenge every aspect of the debt recovery process through the appeals framework."
Lao-Tzu (6th century BCE, possibly) in his Tao Te Ching made a comment on rulers that the new regime may do well to reflect on, though as citizens in this age-of-the-end-of-politics we know not to be too hopeful:
"The supreme rulers are hardly known by their subjects.
The lesser are loved and praised.
The even lesser are feared.
The least are despised.
Those who show no trust will not be trusted.
Those who are quiet value the words.
When their task is completed, people will say:
We did it ourselves."
[Tao Te Ching chapter 17]
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