Shooting Ourselves In The Foot AGAIN

Am I the only person who thinks that when Jack Burtchaell - who won a recent Tourism award, had a rant (covered extensively in the local media) about the drunks in Waterford the only thing he achieved was shooting himself, his own business and every other tourism related business in Waterford, right bang in the foot?



I'm not going to repeat the bulk of his arguments here - suffice to say that they covered things like graffiti and drunks. Now whether he's wrong or right isn't my point, for the moment. My point is that what he did was counter-productive and destined to damage his own business!



On a related matter - to claim that tourists, particularly American, have never seen graffiti or drunks is testing credibility somewhat. But that's neither here nor there. It all amounts to Waterford people taking the wrong route, highlighting negative things about the city (which believe me is no worse than any other Irish City and in my opinion is far better) and doing damage to us all and to our futures in the process.



When are we going to learn? When are we going to stop throwing out the baby with the bath water? When are we going to become part of the solution? When are we going to put our brains in gear before we kick our mouths into action?



This type of action could really be defined as sabotage - but the real irony is that its not anyone else sabotaging our city or our product, it's self-sabotage.



Jack Burtchaell runs a fantastic Walking tours of Waterford business - built out of his own extensive knowledge and innovation. Fair play to him. But I have spoken to other people in the tourism business here in Waterford who are most upset at his comments and who are not and never have been affected by either drunks or graffiti.



Surely it would have been better for Jack to use the opportunity to promote his own business and Waterford - which may not have received the same covergage perhaps - but neither would it have had the same potential for damage.



It's just my opinion - but there y'go.

Photo shows a lively and active John Roberts Square

Natural Burial Ground For Waterford?

Above is a photograph of something that is not yet available in Ireland - a Natural Burial Ground. Perhaps with the imminent development of the Citys' new graveyard at Kilbarry we have an opportunity to have one in Waterford.

During the Election Campaign I had an email on this issue and found it intriguing. I have put down a motion for debate at City Council requesting that part of the new graveyard at Kilbarry might be used for this purpose.

I am reproducing here the details of the information which was sent to me on this subject which you might be interested in:


A natural burial ground is one where instead of placing a more traditional headstone one has an option to plant a tree or a bush or simply some wild flowers. Over time a copse is created. Trees are normally planted at a ratio of one per grave and it is preferable to plant native species which reflect what is already growing in the surrounding area. Tree planting is often incorporated into significant social occasions and the tree planting could form part of the burial ceremony. In England there are now over 200 natural burial grounds and most are woodland burial grounds. Recently, a lot of attention was given to the celebrity Jade Goody who chose to be buried in Epping Forest Woodland Burial Park.

Increasingly people are looking at more environmentally sustainable alternatives to current or traditional approaches and this includes burial practices. Indeed natural burial has been one of the fastest growing environmental movements when one considers that the first natural burial ground in the UK was opened in only 1993 in Carlisle cemetery and now there are over 200.

The creation of a natural burial ground within the proposed new cemetery would offer choice to members of the public. For those who would prefer to rest in a place that embraces nature and the natural processes of death, a place where their loved ones could come to visit and enjoy, natural burial has much to offer. Those who would prefer a more conventional burial are of course also accommodated.

I understand that the cemetery is to be opened in two phases and that a wall or other structure will be erected to demarcate the areas of phases I and II. I would humbly suggest the erection of a beautiful polished wall of remembrance where families could pay to have the names of their deceased loved ones engraved at a nominal cost. Alternatively a discreet plaque could be placed on the grave with the name of the deceased.

For those seeking to remember their loved ones with a piece of art, an option could be given to allow (subject to obtaining planning permission) the commission of a piece of naturalistic sculpture or a piece of furniture such as a memorial bench which could be then used by visitors. Where concern lies around the identification of unmarked graves, electronic global positioning technologies could be used (and are used already in other natural burial grounds).



There is a lot of information on this issue on the 'net. Perhaps, dear reader, you might be kind enough to let me know what you think of this idea?

A Disgusting Poo Problem

Dog poo, doo doo or whatever you want to call it - is now a big problem in Waterford. Why do people insist on leaving their dogs droppings all over pathways where people walk, children go to school, tourists visit, prams are rolled and children play?

This is an issue that I highlighted on my Election Literature as one which, quite simply, must be tackled. I got an email today from Oliver Dempsey congratulating me on my election and saying nice things about this blog. I had a look at Olis' blog (http://www.olidempsey.blogspot.com/) and this is also an issue (among others) which Oli has an interest in solving.

It is also one of the issues that was raised by Voice of the Young earlier this year when they presented to the City Council. I promised the young people I would try to tackle the problem.

The first thing I must say is that primary responsibility rests with dog owners. The minority of the dog owners of Waterford who show, by their action in leaving their dogs poo on our paths, how little they give a s**t about the rest of us! (Quite literally). Let me say before I go any further that I know there are many responsible dog owners out there who would not dream of leaving this mess on our streets and are very quick and discreet in getting rid of 'it'.

My own son goes to Newtown Junior School on Passage Road where there was a very bad poo problem. I won't go into too much detail but suffice to say that new offerings were on the path every morning right outside the school gates - often in a condition to indicate that whatever the dog had eaten certainly didn't agree with him!

The school tackled the problem directly, but also subtly, with colurful and clear posters drawn and printed up by the children and placed profligately at eye level on every pole along the pathway with various obvious messages on everything from the health risks to the smell to the inconvenience! Whatever walker was responsible clearly got the message and the poo problem has cleared up for now. Although I suspect this might simply be due to the dogs' walking route being changed as opposed to the owner cleaning up after him as he or she should.

I have been wondering about solutions to this problem - and postering certianly did work in this case - when I came across the two photos (and many more similar) on the internet. It seems we are not the first to experience this problem! And we don't have to invent the solution either.

Signage exists - as do various deisgns of Pooper Scoop dispensers. I thought the one above was the neatest. It's from Singapore if you're interested.

This type of signage and dispensers must be placed liberally around our city particularly in the suburbs and along popular walking routes. At least then owners would have no excuse and members of the public might be less inclined to accept dogs pooing on our paths.

I intend to raise this issue at the City Council until some action is taken. After all, even if you put aside the visual and nasal effects (ew) - there are very serious health implications.

Three Things That Bother Me About Breastcheck

There are three serious problems with Breastcheck that are bothering me at the moment. All are big issues and all need to be looked at with a fresh perspective.

The first, and most obvious, is simply that Breastcheck is still not available in Waterford. I remember when ex-Councillor Mary O'Halloran was our citys' first Lady Mayor she had a face to face meeting with the Minister for Health (at the Ministers own request) and was promised that Breaskcheck would be delivered that year. That was a long time ago. Needless to say the date came and went and still no Breastcheck. It was not the first or last promise broken in relation to the date for delivery of Breastcheck to the women of Waterford.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Mary who during her entire term as a Councillor, along with other Council members, worked hard on and brought focus to this particular issue. It is a pity that she gained no electoral advantage herself for that work but at any rate I know that was not her motivation. I also know that as a private citizen she will do all she can to continue to support and assist in the delivery of the Breastcheck service to Waterford.

I am calling now on the Minister for Health, not only to deliver Breastcheck to Waterford but to initiate an investigation into why the service can have been promised so many times only for those promises - including her own - to be broken. This is not an acceptable position for the women of Waterford to be in and needs immediate and urgent attention.

The second thing that bothers me about Breastcheck, is that in advance of its delivery to Waterford, routine screening of women - especially those at high risk of breast cancer - is no longer carried out in WRH. That means that women whose mothers or sisters may have had breast cancer, thereby increasing the likelihood that they may get the disease, can not avail of screening.

A woman now has to present with an actual or suspected lump in order to receive a test. This is surely a retrogressive step and one which endangers the lives of many or our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, wives, partners, aunts, cousins and friends. Instead now of perhaps preventing or detecting breast cancer very early on, women must actually have discovered a lump in order to receive a mammogram.

This situation simply has to end and in advance of the delivery of Breastcheck (and God knows at this stage when that will come) a programme must be made available at the very least, for women at high risk, whereby they can be screened regularly.

The final thing that bothers me about Breastcheck is that, even if it were delivered in the morning, it would not be available to my mother. My mother is a healthy, vibrant 67 year old woman. Breastcheck is not available to women after the age of 64. This is a disgrace. It is discriminatory, ageist, sexist and in my opinion it should be illegal.

Only today I heard a call on the News at One for a Colo-rectal Cancer screening programme to be introduced for those up to 75 years of age. This is of course an excellent suggestion. Yet a cancer that affects almost exclusively, women, can only be screened up to 64 years of age. How can this be? Are women over 65 years somehow less valuable to society or less worth investing in than those under 64?

I am calling - no demanding - for this upper age limit for Breastcheck screening to be raised substantially. We, as a nation should not accept the notion that women over 64 are somehow less valuable than younger women. The average lifespan for a woman in Ireland today is well over eighty years long. It is not equal treatment for women in the last 20 years of their lives to be simply left without a screening programme.

Our over 70's displayed their unity of purpose and strength when it came to the medical card issue. Well here in another issue that also affects them directly and also needs fighting. It is a direct discrimination of women aged 65 and over, nothing more and nothing less. I hope that this fight will be taken up by the media and championed by the very same groups who sought and received concessions on the medical card issue.

Why should they accept this lesser treatment on the basis of age? The answer is: they should not.

Time To Reinvigourate University Campaign

In case anyone thinks that this one is going away - it is not. I am renewing my call for the Government to immediately designate WIT as the University of the South East. We now know (thanks to Ms. Coughlan) that the Ministers' own industry advisers aka the IDA are in favour of that designation and that the only reason for not moving, is parochialism.

I am calling for all lobby groups to re-activate and re-start the campaign with a new vigour. Once again the Government is attempting to fob us off with yet another interim group to assess 3rd and 4th level education in Ireland. How many times do we have to jump these manufactued hurdles.

The University Act is there. The process is laid out. WIT has made a substantial submission justifying our case. It is up to the Minister for Education to act and to quit the prevarication in the hope that we will all go away or give up.

We are not going away. We are not giving up. We need to continue to act to ensure that the Government does its job. Lets all keep pushing them. Lets find our voices again.

Come on Batt. Step front and centre and do your job. Get on with it now. Or do we have to wait for the run up to the next General Election for more empty promises (as those given by Bertie the last time) to keep us on the hook?

Wake up Waterford. This is the most important issue facing us and we've gone quiet on it. I know its hard when we seem to be getting knocked back all the time. But the delivery of a University would literally underpin the future of the entire South East Region.

We are Irelands' oldest and noblest City. We are a proud people and we are not taking NO for an answer. The sooner the Government realise this, the better. But we've got to mobilise again.

So come on, pick yourself up, dust your petitions off and lets keep the pressure on. Lets build up a momentum that is unstoppable. I don't see why we shouldn't. I don't see why we can't. I don't see why we should let them silence us. They can't win - it's just too important.

Designate WIT now!
Designate WIT NOW!
DESIGNATE WIT NOW!!!!!!!

Limit Premium Phone Service 'Sharks'

Everything is proportionate. Losing a million would knock most of us out. But not if you've got a billion. At the other end of the scale losing €2,000 can knock you out if you are living with just enough income to pay your way. Why then, are phone services companies allowed to literally fleece people - often taking those kinds of sums and more - in a totally legal way?

I am talking about premium phone line services which are very misleadingly advertised. Why do the advertising standards authority allow these phone 'draws' for example to advertise entry to their competition with a 'FREETEXT' voiceover, while in tiny writing sometimes not even legible to those of us with 20/20 vision, the true price is flashed on screen?

It would be easy to assume you are entering a free draw - unless you can read the small print.

The small print can indicate a cost of anything from €2.50 for 'textbacks' to €6 every 5 days etc.etc. This means they text you back - as many times as they like until you text back stop. Now while I have a problem with this type of service per se (I think they are sly, dishonest and badly regulated) I realise that many people like to take part. My point is that the true cost should be voiced in and obvious. Texters should know what they are getting themselves into upfront. Not in some miniature writing flashed onto the screen, in an obvious attempt to mask the real cost or to make it extremely difficult to even see.

This leads me on to other premium phone services advertising psychics, friendship or even relationships. Again in my experience the people who ring for these services are vulnerable. Some have been bereaved. Some are lonely or even depressed and ill.

Yet they are preyed upon by these phone line services who promise advice and friendship while all the while merely running commercial operations designed to keep callers on the line for as long as possible, thereby ensuring their own coffers swell while the callers can see themselves left with huge phonebills which they can end up having no way to pay.

I believe that these services again should 'say what they are'. They should not be allowed make false claims of having psychics, or single guys and girls and they should be sold as the 'entertainment services' that they are.

There should also be limits on what they can charge in any phone-billing two-month period. Some people need to be protected from phone sharks preying on their lonliness, need or lack of self-confidence. Some commercial operations should be limited in their ability to literally put their hands into the purses and pockets of the vulnerable.

Keep It Up!!!!

To everyone who has been emailing, calling and texting their congratultions and good wishes - thank you very much and keep up the good work! I appreciate your comments as much as I did your vote!! I hope you get all that good karma is returned to you in spades.

Thanks again.

Vovlo Ocean Yacht Race Versus Tallships

It was impossible while over at the ship last Friday not to worry somewhat about the state of the North Quays (see above). With the Tallships 2011 Festival just 2 years away and no sign of any development happening there in the short, medium or long term - and its' continuing deterioration - including the quay wall where ships berth, I wonder how much it will cost to remediate this area to make it safe for ships and the public for this event? It is an awful shame that the North Quays were unable to proceed when cash was flowing. No use crying over spilled milk I suppose.

That leads me onto the visit of the Volvo Ocean Yacht race to Galway for the past two weeks - which, while a great event cannot compare in spectacle to the Tallships. Galway, it is reported saw an influx of 4-500,000 visitors over the two weeks and received €8m (yes, eight million euro) from the Government towards the hosting of this event.

Now the Tallships in 2005 in Waterford brought that many visitors to our city in just 3 days and the Government investment was much, much, MUCH less! As was the media coverage - with some notable exceptions.

I know it seems mealy minded but am I wrong is suspecting that Waterford is not getting a fair crack at the whip either financially or in terms of media coverage from our wonderful festivals and events? Will there be such a hoo-ha when the Tallships return here in 2011?

And if not, why not? Could it be because there simply aren't enough Waterford 'ambassadors' in the civil service and media institutions? Could this be because a journalism degree is not available in the South East? Could it be because we have traditionally had such a strong manufacturing offering that our best and brightest stayed here and worked rather than went to 3rd level and from there into the Civil Service in Dublin or into the national media?

Whatever it is, there can be no doubt but that there is a plethora of Galway people in both areas and a lack of Waterford people.

Of course, there is no doubt but that a University in Galway makes a huge difference as well. Another reason (as if we needed one) to continue the fight amidst increasing diffidence from the current Government, for the designation of WIT as a University.

Ah yes! It's good to be back. The fight goes on......

A Nice View

While I'm at it......it's not too often we see two Tallships in our City (not until July 2011 anyway when several more should be berthed there!) so here's a photo I got on Friday evening. It's taken from the North Quays through the mooring rope of the Stavros S Niarchos showing the Tenacious making her way up river on a beautiful sunny evening.

A Long Battle - But We Made IT!

It has been a long two days. Fifteen hours yesterday with a recount called at midnight. That meant another 6 or so hours today. But it has been worth it. I got elected to the fifth seat (of six) in this ward.

I would like to commiserate with my former colleagues Mary O'Halloran, Joe Kelly and Tom Murphy who all lost seats. All were disappointed but dignified. I would like to congratulate all who got elected, old and new and all who ran. It can be a pretty bruising affair and it's not an easy decision to put yourself in for that kind of scrap.

We're back to just one woman on the Council again unfortunately. A backwards step in my opinion. But as ever it is up to the voters and we must accept their decisions.

To Liam and Liam (husband and uncle), to Dad & Mum, to Kevin, to Larry, to Eileen, Annabel, Frances and Ailish (who cleaned the whole house AND babysat last night!!) a BIG thank you. You have been a great support all through the campaign and in the last few days.

To everyone who helped, haggled and made it happen, thank you. To everyone who voted for me - especially the number 1'ers - thanks a million. I hope that I can continue to deserve your vote for the next 5 years.

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail, thru this blog or on the telephone.

Now. The washing machine is mid-cycle. The oven has a casserole in it. The voice is still gone. But normal life is returning slowly. I enjoyed the campaign but I am glad that it's over!

Thanks again.