Irish

In the past I have publicly complained and been quite verbal on the subject of how unrealistically expensive it is to insure anything in Ireland. Possibly none more so than motor insurance for young drivers, specifically young male drivers. Last year I guffawed in the direction of my long term broker Aon Bike Care, who after switching insurers to AXA, saw fit to raise my premium from €1275 to around €1700. No claims, accidents or any of that malarky. 5 years no claims bonus. Full license.

After cutting out the middle man and going straight to Hibernian I got the years coverage for not much more than €1300, quite a saving over the AXA option. Well that time of year has arrived once more and yet again I find myself up the creek without a paddle. Hibernian, whom I have been insured with since I began on two wheels sent me what I presumed was a renewal letter. It wasn’t. Instead they say;

Over the past few months Hibernian General Insurance Ltd. has carried out an in-depth review of it’s motorcycle insurance account. As a result of this review, a decision has been taken to withdraw from the motorcycle insurance market over a phased period commencing 1st July 2005.

Perhaps not entirely surprising given that Aon took the curious step of moving to another provider early last year. It’s more or less a given that Carole Nash will not cover me. They refused me cover last year on a 1300cc group 7 bike, given that I was below 25. It’s a foregone certainty that I won’t be going anywhere near AXA, crowd of thieves that they no doubt still are.

As was likely to happen anyway, I’ll probably be going uninsured and making use of my 4-wheeled transport instead. Maybe in the late spring I’ll take my status as a 25 year old and 6 years no claims bonus to Carole Nash and see what she thinks of it.

I feel for the bikers in their teens and early 20′s left with only AXA to fall on. As if premiums weren’t high enough already, now there’s even less competition!

I meant to write a quick note about this yesterday. Heard that a man from Waterford was given 4 years for the murder of his brother.

The men began fighting after new years celebrations under the influence of enough drink to kill a small Russian army. One of the dead man’s eyes was ‘taken out’ by his brother in a previous argument and following an offer to remove the other one, the soon to be dead man casually informed his brother that his girlfriend was sleeping around, only of course he didn’t know about it. Even more enraged (and presumably still pondering an eye popping) he went home, got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his brother several times, including once in the (as the news put it) juggler vein. I’m quite sure they meant to pronounce it “jugular”. The judge in the case deemed the man to be a danger to society and denied his mothers plea for the sentance to be suspended.

To summarise, 4 years? Almost makes me want to go out and brutally murder someone I dont like. Hey why worry? I’ll be back on the streets in 4 years! Maybe 2 of those will even get suspended! Yes ladies and gentlemen, the term Irish justice is still an oxymoron.

…or so it would seem from the complete lack of law enforcement over the busiest weekend in the year. In the few days leading up to the bank holiday weekend, there were countless warnings issued on local and national radio, TV and newspapers about the impending doom of countless roadblocks, checkpoints and hugely sophisticated means of catching those who choose to drink and drive.

Where did this vast operation take place? Was it centered locally in the Wicklow mountains? Somewhere north of Letterkenny? Was it even in Ireland? Due to some manic photo sessions over the weekend I found myself on the roads quite a bit at various times of the day & night. The only thing I noticed about “Operation Surround” was the complete lack of it.

With no great pride in the state of the country I feel safe in saying I could have had my fill of pints in the city on Friday evening and gotten home eventually without being stopped by so much as a wandering hobo. Of course I didn’t, that would be just stupid. I had great notions of there being checkpoints setup on many of the major routes and come Tuesday morning fantastic news of hundreds of drunk drivers prosecuted. I think I need not bite my tongue until tomorrow when I say that statistics can be made up to prove anything. No doubt some Garda spokesman will appear on the six o’ clock news tomorrow spouting figures of X amount of drunk drivers were stopped and breathalised over the weekend. I’m willing to bet that 0 of that X number were stopped anywhere in the south Cork county area.

Over the weekend I saw no less than 3 seperate accidents on the roads. Wether or not any of them were caused by drinking I obviously don’t know, but I mean 3 accidents in 3 days is a bit much. Is my desensitised nature wearing off? I think not. It appears this country and it’s officials are getting more complacent (hardly news at this stage). Is natural selection a good way to allow the drink drivers to wipe themselves out? It seems that’s what the Gardai have resorted to. “Operation Surround” my arse!

Ireland; the only country I know of where the term “criminal justice” is an oxymoron. Whilst driving home from work today I was disgusted to hear that James Lombard of Blarney St, Sundays Well in Cork was only given a 7 year jail sentence with the last 2 years suspended for the shocking abuse of no fewer than 16 boys and girls in the Cork area. Lombard is described as

a paedophile with an active compunction to prey on and abuse children.

The RTE Article also states that

Judge Sean O Donobhain said Lombard presented a risk into the future.

Why then was such a short prison term handed down to him? A man who fled to England only to be extradited to face the charges and then go on the run only to be arrested again in Carrigaline, a Cork suburb.

It sickens me to think that this serial offending pervert did not even receive 1 year in jail per abuse. Talk about holding no value whatsoever over the lives of the children. Will the Irish courts ever get anything right?

…for all you leaving cert students. Only 2 short weeks left to cram all that knowledge into your adolescent brains. Knowledge that after the exams will be completely useless to any of you. God bless the education system.

That brazen hussy Ruth Scott from 2FM‘s morning show also mentioned the ‘C’ word. Yes, although summer is barely upon us and Spring is but a fading memory, she found the need to remind us all that it’s only 7 months until Christmas. What’s next? “White Christmas” being chosen for ‘cheesy listening’ in June?

Have I ever been so delighted? So assured that everything is alright in the word; at least as far as taste and tonedeafness are concerned. Having channel surfed through a whole two hour sitting of the Eurovision semi-finals tonight, I feel it was all worthwhile when Ireland; led by Bosco on speed and his mother, fell flat on their faces. A well justified failure I think it’s quite safe and honest to say.

I sat, perched on the edge of my seat as the gorgeous host and her sidekick D.J. whatshisname, announced the results. Curious so that even countries where I can only speculate that indoor plumbing is considered a luxury for the rich and famous can get in so far ahead of Ireland’s pathetic attempt.

So come home to Athlone with your tails between your legs and vanish into obscurity. Actually, don’t. I’ll thoroughly enjoy hearing you both on the radio in the weeks and months to come. It’ll remind me of tonight and I can think back and laugh myself sick.

Good call citizens of Europe, you stopped what could have been a runaway train of nausea and pointless follow on songs. I salute you.

The very latest and greatest in a seemingly never ending line of banking scandal comes Bank of Ireland’s latest screw up. If you paid off your loan ahead of time and availed of a payment protection option, it’s likely you’ve got some money coming to you. Trusted by paranoid schizophrenics and grandparents worldwide, the “keep it under the mattress” method seems to be the best option in Irish banking. I wonder how much of a refund I’ll get?!?