I already have the feeling this is going to be a long post...it has been quite a while since I wrote and it seems as though so much has happened!
Radical or redundant!The parliamentary elections took place here almost two weeks ago, btw we still don't know what the make up of the next government will be that is the joy of a PR electoral system! The big news was, what many political analysts are referring to as a return, more or less, to the two and a half party system. Most of the smaller parties felt a little bit of a squeeze as the big election question became "Bertie or Enda?" While many of the smaller parties had been hoping to make gains in this election, most of them ended up battling for final seats in constituencies where their support had previously been quite strong. The big losers of the election? Undoubtedly the Progressive Democrats, Bertie's government allies for the last ten years had their number of seats quartered, going from 8 to 2! Even the leader, one of Ireland's actual ideological and political thinkers lost his seat and therefore resigned from political life. As well he might. He once famously said that the PDs would either be "radical or redundant"....well...Radical they certainly have been, supporting the party which they so dramatically pulled away from in the mid 1980s for last 10 years seems like a bit of an oxymoron in many ways and yet look at what they have achieved! For one thing Ireland has the highest minimum wage in Europe and that is just to begin with! In the last government they held 2 senior ministries (health and justice) as well as the Tanaiste position. But are they now redundant? I guess only time will tell, if Mary Harney, de facto leader once again decides to take the party back into government with Fianna Fail or well if she is given the opportunity :-/ and is once again given the chance to tackle the health system, well then I think that the electorate will get the chance to see how far from redundant the PDs can and will be!
Chavez just keeps on rolling with his Republica BolivarianaWhen I was in Venezuela over Christmas, Chavez had just been re-elected as the president of the country...but things were quiet. There were of course rumblings of what would happen next and sure enough the week after I got home the talk of nationalisation began. Last week RCTV broadcast for the final time, minutes later a new government controlled tv station started to broadcast on the same frequency. Dominance in the media is his...total control is in sight. It seems like something that you could read in a political thriller, you know the kind? A novelist's imagination let loose... but it isn't popular fiction it is in fact reality.
Summer in Dublin and birthdays galore!Ok so the bank holiday weekend didn't quite work out as we had expected weather wise...in fact it was the exact opposite of what we were hoping for but that didn't stop the fun! A rather successful XPS on Saturday (Go Prue!) started the weekend in well...at least a positive manner :) Combined birthday party on Saturday night....well that was just suuuuuuuper! fun times with someone (who will remain nameless) feeding the floor in B4TB with her shot of Jagger - although as you said yourself it was probably for the best! Verena coming from Cork just to party - woot woooot there's that REBEL spirit! and of course some seeerious dancing and some other distractions ;) and then of course we had to replan the entire weekend because rain meant that we couldn't do the festival thing as previously intended...I mean it is one thing to brave the rain for a festival like Glastonbury but for a maritime festival...hmm not so much! So we had a quiet brunch, followed by a trip to see a fortune teller on Sunday and then the magical "trust" tour to Dundrum on Monday!
The sun is shining now though! and quite a lot! I think I got a little pink (even more so Nida!) on my journeys out and about today :)
Coffee coffee coffeeSome know better than others about my love for coffee...but sitting across from Sylvia this weekend in a number of establishments selling quite nice caffeine infused beverages made me realise how many of my friendships have been forged and then cemented over a latte, cappuccino, caramel machiato hehe or the odd espresso in Egypt ;) Long live the bean I say! Long live the bean!
On being sick :(
grrr grrr grrr!!! I went home to vote and ended up staying for over a week! Stupid migraines! And this time I honestly didn't do anything to deserve it! No chocolate or any of those other silly triggers...the worst I was guilty of was relaxing and enjoying time with friends! But mucho sleep later and I think I am over it!!
The Lives of Others...Ok so I may have half tricked Shane into this one, but in the end it was
he that chose it over Alpha Dog not me! That aside, I know for sure that I enjoyed it more than he did! An incredible insight into what it was to live behind the iron curtain, the politics of power, the shattering of ideals and the atmosphere of deception.
And in other news....* I got engaged via msn.....hehe thank God for random chats with Eze - sometimes when I am alone, I google myself, Irish yoga and of course elmo :P * The whole contemplating my future endeavours continue * men are as always confusing! * Capitol cocktails have less alcohol when they are half priced - FACT * Still missing my roomie...even if I had two over the weekend ;) * Need to find time to schedule chattage with some people that I haven't talked to in a while! * Am enjoying reading all the posts about transitioning :) * did I mention it was sunny?!
