So Close, Yet So Far Away
Travelling towards Galway on the N6, a sign just at the junction with the N65 states that Galway is 39km away.
But then a few km
further on, at the beginning of the Loughrea
bypass, another sign advises that Galway is in fact
41km away.
These guys again,
obviously:
The Death of Irish Retail
Graphic created
using Google Sketchup
It’s bad enough having the
country in a recession. But what’s worse is that we
have a government which appears to want to stop us
spending money within our economy altogether.
Ask Irish retailers what business is like and
nearly every one will say that they are well down
on last year. Those that are within an hour’s drive
to the border will tell you that trade this year is
a disaster. Go to Newry and look at the car park at
Sainsbury’s - it will be full of southern reg cars.
Now you can easily point the finger at the
retailers themselves and say “Good enough for them.
They have been ripping us off for years.” While
this may be true to an extent, it is by no means
the full story. The cost of doing business in the
Republic is much higher than in Northern Ireland.
Staff costs, logistics, utilities, local authority
charges, etc. are a much bigger share of a southern
retail business’s cost base compared to a northern
one.
Now that the downturn is upon us, the focus for
shoppers is to spend less. With bargains to be had
in Northern Ireland (and a Euro that is 27%
stronger against Sterling than it was eighteen
months ago) it’s no wonder shoppers are flocking
over the border in their thousands. Any sensible
government would by now have put in place measures
to keep these shoppers’ euros on our side of the
border, but what has happened is that they have
done the opposite.
In October’s Budget, Brian Lenihan raised VAT to
21.5%, applicable from 1 December. So rather than
encouraging shoppers to spend in this economy, he
is actually enticing them to look elsewhere - i.e.
in the North. And then today, Alistair Darling, UK
Chancellor of the Exchequer has brought UK VAT down
to 15%, making Northern Ireland even more
attractive for southern shoppers.
The other factor that is slowly strangling retail
in the Republic is the banking crisis. Banks have
stopped lending to small businesses, which has
completely messed up the cash flow of thousands of
retailers. At this time of year, cash flow
management is crucial, and if the banks turn off
the tap and cancel the overdrafts, then there will
be a huge number of retailers in big trouble in the
coming weeks. There is potential for a vast number
of perfectly viable businesses going to the wall,
with thousands of jobs lost. Meanwhile, the
government dithers about what to do to stabilise
the banks. Answer: look at what others have done,
and do something similar.
Brians Cowen and Lenihan have made an almighty
hames of this recession so far. They can’t seem to
make any timely decisions, and when they do,
invariably make the wrong one. But we’re stuck with
them for another four years, unless the Greens
decide enough is enough and walk out.
Complete, utter, epic FAIL.
Accentuating The Negative
Against this background, it was never going to be a free-flowing game. There was never going to be any of that fancy-Dan sort of play from the backs. Both teams are strong in defence, and that showed yesterday. Throughout the match, RTE commentators Ryle Nugent and Tony Ward claimed that Argentina were winning the defensive battle, but I cannot recall a single time that Ireland’s line was broken, or that Irish defenders had to scramble back. There was only one genuine try-scoring opportunity in the match, and it was taken by Tommy Bowe, who collected Ronan O’Gara’s exquisite cross-field kick to run in unopposed. (Incidentally, one or other of RTE’s commentators referred to ROG’s kick as if he had learned the manouevre from Dan Carter. Sorry, but ROG has had that one in his arsenal for a long, long time.)
The Irish rugby team is still in transition. They are still getting over the trauma of the 2007 World Cup when their confidence imploded. Decaln Kidney has had three games in charge so far and won two of them. Add to this the ELVs, which have forced Ireland to radically rethink the way they approach the game.
Even though we won yesterday, Kidney still has some way to go to get his charges into the sort of form that is capable of competing at the top table. Last week’s result emphasised that. If it’s any small comfort, Scotland and Wales were also thumped by New Zealand during this Autumn series, and England suffered a record home defeat to South Africa yesterday. As Ronan O’Gara said, the national team needs to show a bit of the spirit Munster’s second strings displayed in their Herculean display against the All Blacks last Tuesday night. There needs to be genuine competition for every place on the team.
The next test come in the New Year, when the Six Nations comes around. Once that’s over and done, we will be in a better position to see how Declan Kidney’s new regime is shaping up.
Video Footage From Last Night's Match
Four Minutes From Immortality
Munster led for almost the entire
game. We were 16-13 up with four minutes to go,
when the heart inside every red-clad chest was
broken by a Joe Rokococko try that the All Blacks
two points ahead.
Every Munster supporter should be proud of their
team tonight. They put in a heroic performance and
left nothing on the field. And this team was
lacking almost all its internationals.
I had the video camera with me as well as the still
camera, and got some good footage. I was on the
West Terrace, just at the 10 metre line, which was
perfect for capturing the event. I’ll trawl through
the tape to see what’s useable and horse it up onto
YouTube over the next few days or so.
Off To Thomond Tomorrow
There’s nothing shabby about either side. In red, former All Black Doug Howlett starts at full back, with fellow Kiwis Rua Tipoki and Lifeimi Mafi in the centre. Veteran international scrum-half Peter Stringer will start, as will fellow Irish caps Frank Sheahan at hooker and Mick O’Driscoll in the second row. O’Driscoll has the honour of captaining the side. Denis Leamy eases himself back into the swing of things following several months out due to injury with a gentle workout at No 8.
In the black corner, scrum-half Piri Weepu captains the team. Joe Rokocoko starts on the wing, and is the only member of the starting XV from Saturday’s game. In the replacements, Mils Muliaina and Brad Thorn were also in Saturday’s match day 22.
Hopefully, we’ll see more creativity from Munster than we did from Ireland on Saturday. I’m not going to predict anything, but here’s hoping we give their cage a bloody good rattle.
Blackout
What went wrong? First up, Ireland showed too much respect. They knew that New Zealand were going to come at them with all guns blazing, and they just let them for the first twenty minutes or so. Secondly, they didn’t put any faith in their own ability to attack. Possession was hoofed away aimlessly all throughout the game.
A good kicking game has two aims. The first is to get the ball to touch in order to get a foothold in opposition territory. Even if it is an opposition lineout, there is the opportunity to disrupt and get both possession and field position. The second aim is to get the ball into open space behind the opposing three quarter line, in order to force them to turn back and secure possession, by which time your forwards will be in their faces forcing them to clear their lines. Ireland did neither yesterday. They had possession in their own half, got it back to Ronan O’Gara who just wellied it down the field, straight down the throats of the All Black three-quarters. Five seconds later, play was back at the point where ROG had kicked, except this time New Zealand had the ball. Utterly pointless play. He may as well have just taken the ball and passed it over to the other side of the ruck.
There was no creativity in Ireland’s play yesterday, mainly because they spent most of the match in defensive mode. If you don’t have the ball, you can’t attack. And if you keep giving possession away, you have no-one to blame but yourself.
Hopefully, Ireland will have learned something from yesterday’s match. Next weekend, we face Argentina, who have twice put us on the plane home from the World Cup.
In the meantime, next Tuesday evening, Munster face New Zealand at Thomond Park. This match is to commemorate the famous Munster win over the All Blacks in 1978, and is also the official opening of the new Thomond Park stadium. My old mucker Munstermad has secured the necessaries, and I will be there. Report to follow.
Ireland Team For Saturday Named
The personnel line up is virtually identical to that which wiped the floor with Canada last Saturday, the only selection changes being Girvan Dempsey taking the place of Leinster team mate Shane Horgan; and Tomás O’Leary coming in for Peter Stringer. The rest of the changes are all swaps between starting XV and the bench.
Despite a confident performance in his full international debut last week, young Keith Earls has to be content with a place on the bench for the upcoming match. I will admit to arching an eyebrow when I saw the name of Girvan Dempsey at the top of the list that was published this lunchtime. But, thinking about it, it is the correct choice. The All Blacks are starting Dan Carter at outhalf, and he has the potential to torment a relatively inexperienced full back in a match like this. Best to put in a solid and experienced man in this role, even if he is at the twilight stage of his international career.
Elsewhere in the back line, it’s as you were last week. Ireland’s back five all played well last week, in atrocious conditions and against poor opposition, so all those that are starting this weekend have won their places on merit.
It’s all-Munster in the half-backs. No surprise to see ROG reacquaint himself with Carter, McCaw & Co., and you can be sure that the Kiwis will try to exploit his channel, as they have done in the past. Tomás O’Leary comes in at scrum-half in favour of Eoin Reddan, who drops to the bench. This is a good call, as I feel that Reddan has been somewhat ponderous about his recycling. O’Leary is a fast recycler of the ball, kicks well and isn’t afraid to break if need be.
Up front, it’s wise old heads all round, almost without exception. Hayes and Horan prop, either side of Rory Best. My personal preference at hooker would be Flannery, but then I would say that, wouldn’t I? Best generally does little wrong, is reasonably accurate with his darts, and scrummages well. He will give way to Flannery late in the game. The second row consists of DOC and POC as usual, but it’s in the back row that Kidney has played his best hand.
Stephen Ferris might feel somewhat aggrieved to only have a place on the bench, given his man of the match performance against Canada last weekend. But this encounter needs a special type of player at 6, and that player is Alan Quinlan. Opposing teams hate him, because he causes havoc at the breakdown. This is where the match will be won or lost, and where New Zealand traditionally dominate, so we need the best, most experienced players at 6,7 and 8. Alongside Quinlan, Munster team mate David Wallace starts at 7 and Jamie Heaslip is at No 8.
Add to this a strong bench, most of whom started last week, and this is a formidable Irish side. It mixes the wisdom of experience with the zeal of youth and it demonstrates one thing about the dawn of the Declan Kidney era. The Corkman means to win these matches.
When Eddie O’Sullivan was coach, he simply couldn’t work out a way to pick the lock of either New Zealand or France. He seemed to be content with “moral victories” and “running them close this time.” Kidney doesn’t do that shtick. Look back at his CV and you will see winning teams all over it, from
This is a relatively inexperienced All Blacks side at the end of their season facing a very experienced Ireland side at the beginning of theirs. This crop of players want to lay the All Black hoodoo to rest, and this is probably their best opportunity to do so. They are not going to Croke Park on Saturday to make up the numbers.
I’m sticking my neck out on this one. Ireland to win by a very tight margin.
November Lights
In summary, my main bugbears are as follows:
- Use of fog lights (front or rear) when there is no fog.
- Driving on full beams on a motorway. This is especially a problem on the new M8, which has a concrete central barrier. Some drivers seem to think that this shields oncoming traffic from their full beams. It does not, nor does it prevent the drivers of cars in front from being dazzled by the full beams in their rear-view mirror.
- Not dipping headlights until the very last moment.
- Faulty brakelights, or no brakelights at all.
One more, which seems to be more prevalent this winter is the incidence of faulty headlights. It’s a fact of lights that bulbs blow, otherwise bulb manufacturers wouldn’t be able to make a living and their children would starve. When this happens, the ideal course of action is to replace the blown bulb as quickly as possible. But what a lot of drivers do is drive with their front fogs on instead. So you have one dipped headlight, the other one with a faint glimmer, and fogs on full blast. The worst, though, is when one headlight is completely dead. Driving against this is very dangerous, as you don’t know what’s coming at you, a motorbike or a four wheeled vehicle with a dodgy headlight.
I’ll have to think of another one for next year’s rant.
But Gavin Sheridan Got It Right
02 January: In a piece entitled “Predictions for 2008”
I’m not going to make any, yet anyway. Dan Drezner does. The biggest surprise? Obama for president. I have a funny feeling he may be right.
Two days later:
Obama, I think, will be in the White House in 2009.
And then on 22 April:
My two cents: Obama will win the primary. He will then go on to win in November. I am considering going to Washington for the result. Though it will be an eventful night no matter who wins.
Well done, sir!
Gil Scott Heron Got It Wrong
In your lifetime, you see events unfold in the news that you know will be recorded as turning points when the history books are written. Some are horrific, such as the events of September 11, 2001. Others are joyful, like the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
The events of 4/5 November 2008 will be remembered in the latter category. The USA has turned to Senator Barack Obama to repair America’s battered economy and society, and to restore her tarnished reputation in the wider world.
His task will not be easy. Promises are easily made on the stump, but implementing them may not be so easy. A phrase I heard more than once today on radio was “You campaign with poetry and you govern with prose.”
After 9/11, the USA had the goodwill of the rest of the world to count on as it tried to come to terms with what had happened and what it would do in response. President Bush and his neo-con goons ended up squandering that goodwill.
Messages of congratulation are pouring in to the US from all across the world, and this renewed goodwill for America’s new president will give all of us hope for the future.
President-Elect Barack Obama. Dammit, but those words sound good. They will sound better when the “-Elect” bit no longer applies.
If The Economic Downturn Means…
Dawning Of A New Era
The big news is the start for Munster full-back Keith Earls, making his Irish debut in the No 15 shirt. This is a richly deserved start for Keith, as he has been outstanding for the European Champions so far this season. Confident under the high ball, incisive in his running and blessed with a fine kicking game, he has great potential both in the red shirt of Munster and the green of Ireland.
ROG is at 10 as normal, understudied by Ulster's Paddy Wallace, while Eoin Reddan continues his stint as first choice scrum half, with back up from Peter Stringer.
In the forwards, Tony Buckley starts in the front row alongside his Munster colleagues Jerry Flannery and Marcus Horan. It's good to see Buckley get the start, as Ireland have to start preparing for the eventual retirement of the great John Hayes, who's on the bench. Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell make up an all-Munster tight five. The starting back row is remarkably Munsterless, and it must be the first time in years that an Irish starting XV hasn't had at least one Munster player at 6,7 or 8. Fear not, as David Wallace and Alan Quinlan will be prowling the touchline, ready to come on and cause mayhem to the Canadians if need be. Ulster's Stephen Ferris is at 6, and Leinster duo Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip are at 7 and 8 respectively.
In the subs, alongside those already mentioned above, are Ulstermen Rory Best and Ryan Caldwell, and veteran winger Shane Horgan.
This is a well-chosen team, with a good balance of youth and experience. Under a new coach (and also being one with a proven track record in actually winning things that matter), the players should be well up for it. What I hope to see is an efficient performance from Ireland, with good set pieces and discipline, and minimum handling errors. How many times in the last fourteen months have we seen promising passages of play lost because of a knock-on, or a crooked throw, or a touch-finder missed, or a stupid penalty conceded?
This is a new start for the Irish rugby team, and one that hopefully will bring tangible results. Triple Crowns are all well and good, but Irish rugby supporters deserve more. We need to win the Six Nations, preferably with a Grand Slam, and we need to start putting to rights our completely one-sided record against the All Blacks.
The future starts here!
Emo In Autumn
I have posted a gallery here.
