THE FUNDRAISING GROUP behind a drive to build a hospice in Wicklow have announced they are now ready for the building of the facility to get under way.

 

Under a deal struck with the HSE, the Wicklow Hospice Foundation agreed to try and raise three million euro, nu skin product with the proviso that the health service would then come on board with the rest of the funding.

 

That target has almost been reached, nuskin group and patron of the project Daniel Day Lewis announced today at the Magheramore site that they are ready for the next phase to proceed:

 

“We are so grateful that the HSE will now come on board to fund the remaining 50 per cent of the building and the running costs of the facility at the idyllic Magheramore site in its service plan for 2014.”

 

The Academy Award winning actor nu skin hong kong, who lives in the county, became involved in the project in 2009 after he was contacted by chair of the foundation Evanne Cahill. Day Lewis was instrumental in bringing philanthropic group the American Ireland Fund on-board, and donated all of the profits from this year’s Dublin premiere of ‘Lincoln’ to the effort, Cahill tells TheJournal.ie:

 

I sent Daniel a letter in 2009 – a birthday card in fact IP camera manufacturer. He then asked that I call him to tell him more.

IN IRELAND TODAY, there is a culture which lets certain powerful people do whatever they want. This was shown most recently by the findings of the Mahon Tribunal, but it is something the ordinary folk have known about for decades.

 

The chance of this kind of abuse occurring will be cut by introducing “direct democracy” into our Constitution.

 

What is ‘direct democracy’?

Among other things, silk ribbon embroidery direct democracy will let the people call their own referendums whenever they choose – about matters of genuine importance to them, instead of the type of nonsense debate currently taking place at the moment around abolishing the Seanad. Abolishing the Seanad, which has some of Ireland’s most outspoken independent politicians, is nothing to do with real reform, but is instead a cynical power grab by Enda Kenny, Pat Rabbitte and Alan Shatter to concentrate power into a politburo of their own choosing. Direct democracy would eliminate or seriously reduce the possibility of this kind of fiasco happening.

 

Direct democracy works from the ground up in order to engage local people in every area that effects their lives, and gives them a say in how their resources, environment, and finances are utilised for the benefit of the community as a whole. Deals behind closed doors and over the heads of the people cannot happen. Everything has to be open and transparent as the community are part of the political process on an on-going basis.

 

Fundamental flaw in representative democracy

 

A fundamental flaw in the current system of representative democracy is that property in thailand, once a person has voted, they have given away the power to have a say in decisions that could impact hugely on the rest of their lives — and in our case our lives of our children and grandchildren — which at the end of the day isn’t very democratic.

 

We can see the tragic consequences all around us, and the misery and cost it has brought on our population over and over again. To most people it does not seem very ‘representative’.

 

With direct democracy, there is great efficiency. One only has to look at Switzerland, which spends almost half of what the Irish government spends on services. While we have little to show it, Switzerland have some of the best in the world. The figures are around 70 per cent of Gross Domestic Product for Ireland and 36 per cent for Switzerland.

 

We would not be in the position we are in today, with great financial loss and record suicide statistics, if the kind of openness, transparency, accountability, and efficiency that comes with direct democracy were in operation. Representative democracy engenders a helplessness by transferring power into the hands of someone else to make your decisions for you.

 

Direct democracy engages, informs, empowers and energizes people – and with that makes sure that whoever we vote for to do a job of representing us does exactly that. The real power is in the hands of the people , where it should always be.

 

Power in the hands of the people

 

The present system of representative democracy is broken because, once a person has voted, they surrender their right to have a say in decisions that can have a big effect upon their lives. Remember, Brian Cowen became Taoiseach without a general election and, once he was in power, there was no way to remove him until the next election?

 

During his spell as Taoiseach, Cowen surrounded himself with cronies who wouldn’t disobey him. Cowen showed his contempt for the people by refusing to hold not just one but two by-elections. All the time there was nothing the people could do to remove this failed Taoiseach who would not budge, but at the same time would not govern.

 

That was neither representative nor democratic.

 

On the other hand, direct democracy will allow recall votes for failing politicians – this will enable voters to force a by-election against the politician’s choice.

 

It is time to change our broken political system before it hurts anyone else, nuskin and we call on anyone who is shut out of the system and excluded from the loop to support Direct Democracy Ireland at the next local, national and European elections. Come along, join in and get involved.

HERE'S A LOOK AT POTENTIAL NAMES FOR THE CAMBRIDGES' BABY SON:

GEORGE:

 

A popular royal name, with six King Georges having worn the crown since the German-born George I, the first Hanoverian king of Great Britain, acceded to the throne in 1714. Has come to symbolise the continuity of the monarchy.

 

CHARLES:

 

William is close to his father and most likely wants to honour him. Also name of Diana, Princess of Wales's brother, Earl Spencer. But could be unlucky for a king iphone Case: Charles I was executed and Charles II's reign featured the plague and Great Fire of London.

 

PHILIP

 

William and Kate also expected to acknowledge William's grandfather and the Queen's consort the Duke of Edinburgh in the names they pick digitizing embroidery. Charles and William have Philip as middle name.

 

FRANCIS

 

Recurring name in Kate's family tree. Middle name of her father and grandfather. Feminine form of Francis, Frances, cem1 pcb was also Diana, Princess of Wales's middle name.

 

JAMES

 

Popular at bookmakers. But William has a cousin James - the Earl and Countess of Wessex's son Viscount Severn. Could be used as a middle name to signify Kate's affection for her brother, the baby's uncle James Middleton.

 

OTHER NAMES:

 

Perhaps William as a nod to the Duke, IP Camera Manufacturer or Michael as middle name out of respect for Kate's father. Kate's paternal grandfather was Peter, her maternal grandfather was Ronald. Name Thomas also on both sides of her family.

 

Harry most popular first name for boys born in England and Wales in 2011. William and Kate could include Harry or even Henry, Prince Harry's actual first name, as middle name.

THERE WILL BE ‘riots’ when young criminal inmates are moved from St Patrick’s Institution to an adult prison in Dublin as rival factions battle for dominance, a senior prison officer has warned.

 

The inmates aged between 17 and 21 will be housed in Wheatfield prison in Dublin with senior members of gangs they are affiliated to which will lead to major tensions, food wine the officer said.

 

He warned that mixing junior and senior members of gangs from places like Finglas, Crumlin and Limerick will cause chaos in an already overstretched prison system.

 

“This hasn’t been fully thought through,” he told TheJournal.ie. “All of the issues that already exist in Pat’s will be magnified ten times over when they [inmates] are put in with other gang members.

 

St Pat’s is the most violent prison in the country. Moving all the [inmates] will make for a hothouse – there’s no question. There will be riots in Wheatfield when they move in.

The officer, who works in St Patrick’s and who spoke on condition of anonymity, formation of company said all of the young offenders already belong to gangs in the medium-security prison. “They all have to prove themselves,” he said.

 

Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan visited Wheatfield Prison on Friday to see where the 17-year-old inmates will be held amid concerns over whether the west Dublin prison has the space or the staff to deal with the extra prisoners.

 

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has indicated that the youngest offenders will be held in a separate unit to the rest of the adult prison population. However it is not yet clear how long the 17-year-old criminals will be held in the jail before being moved to a special detention unit in Oberstown which is supposed to open next year.

 

Problems have persisted at St Patrick’s Institution, Asian college of knowledge management despite attempts to change the culture at the facility. The head of the Irish Prison Service said that the safety and security of offenders cannot be guaranteed during the announcement during the week that St Patrick’s is to close down.

Stephen Hovell, who had been principal at the school for 24 years, tried to fight his sacking earlier this year, arguing it was unjustified. He says he has been made a scapegoa Office Design.

 

He was sacked in February after a report commissioned by the school last year said Mr Hovell had not done enough to investigate his deputy, Parker, Residence Designafter parents and teachers raised concerns about his behaviour>.

 

Parker, 37, will be sentenced in August after admitting he sexually abused 20 boys at the school over about 12 years. He was finally charged last year.

 

In its decision the Employment Relations Authority says the school was right to sack Mr Hovell, and was highly critical of his failure to act on a 2009 complaint to police about Parker's indecent assault of a pupil, Office Design,, media report.

 

The complaint was withdrawn, but police wrote a letter to the school saying Parker should not have pupils staying overnight at his house.

 

However, Mr Hovell withheld that from the school's board and failed to record him telling Parker the sleepovers should stop. He also failed to monitor Parker's activity after he returned to school following the police investigation.

 

Authority member James Crichton said it "strains credibility to breaking point" that Mr Hovell did not know the sleepovers were continuing.

 

"That last-mentioned failure, the failure to monitor, ultimately led inexorably to further abuse of these young people, abuse which could so easily have been avoided by Mr Hovell taking some very straightforward steps to ensure his instructions were being followed."

 

The school is now looking to appoint a new principal in time for the beginning of the third term.