A scuffed suit
snarling
the cartway
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A use of power
Last week I did something that once upon a time I would have scorned. I asked a bouncer to remove a particularly dickheadish customer from a nightclub.
I don't really regret it, I gave him plenty of chances to move himself and ultimately I had no choice but to get him thrown out or to flatten him myself. He wasn't very drunk, just a wanker.
However, there was something very distasteful about it. I was using authority against someone. I was using hired muscle to enforce my will. Worst of all, I was using a bouncer -a mercenary- to do this. It did not feel right, and I am still troubled by it all. Short of actually flattening him, this was the most aggressive approach I could have pursued. Even if he was an asshole, I disliked dealing with him in this fashion.
In many ways, I think a fight would have been a more desirable outcome (at least for me). I have felt despicable all week for strongarming him in this way. At least in a fight, he would have had a fair chance of standing up for himself. He was pretty big and it wouldn't have been an unfair fight.
Perhaps it was laziness, or cowardice, or concern for his wellbeing, or to keep up appearances -but it seemed better to get the bouncer than to deal with him myself. But I wish I had had to do neither.
I don't really regret it, I gave him plenty of chances to move himself and ultimately I had no choice but to get him thrown out or to flatten him myself. He wasn't very drunk, just a wanker.
However, there was something very distasteful about it. I was using authority against someone. I was using hired muscle to enforce my will. Worst of all, I was using a bouncer -a mercenary- to do this. It did not feel right, and I am still troubled by it all. Short of actually flattening him, this was the most aggressive approach I could have pursued. Even if he was an asshole, I disliked dealing with him in this fashion.
In many ways, I think a fight would have been a more desirable outcome (at least for me). I have felt despicable all week for strongarming him in this way. At least in a fight, he would have had a fair chance of standing up for himself. He was pretty big and it wouldn't have been an unfair fight.
Perhaps it was laziness, or cowardice, or concern for his wellbeing, or to keep up appearances -but it seemed better to get the bouncer than to deal with him myself. But I wish I had had to do neither.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Letter to Marian Harkin MEP in response to her article on septic tanks
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0118/1224310399562.html
Dear Marian,
I am writing to express my support for your recent article in relation to septic tanks. In particular, I am in full agreement that certain people, (especially an Taisce) are using septic tanks to fight a proxy war against rural housing.
I myself am actually a member of an Taisce, but the deep ideological opposition of this group to one-off rural housing baffles me. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the horrible proliferation of housing estates across the country is a direct consequence of the lobbying of this very loud group against rural housing. Rural people found it impossible to build at home in their own communities and so the demand for new housing on the outskirts of small towns rocketed. Every time I hear an Taisce decry housing estates I cringe -where are people supposed to live if an Taisce is opposed to houses in the countryside and in the town?
It is difficult to share their concerns about groundwater contamination. After all, where do they think livestock and wildlife are relieving themselves if not into the fields and by proxy the groundwater? Nature has the tools to break down the harmful elements, and has been doing so for a long time before we started building septic tanks. An Taisce know this, but use it as an environmental argument against the "bungalow blight" they detest (known as "homes" by the rest of us).
Finally, I'm glad you highlighted the 3 card trick they are trying to pull in relation to Galway's Chryptosporidium outbreak -I would also add that there is stock footage of Duncan Stewart looking at a truly appalling septic tank somewhere. This footage is wheeled out by RTE and an Taisce every time the debate on septic tanks is raised and held up as the typical septic tank. The next time such is shown, it should be named as what it is -a freak plumbing failure, rather than the natural consequence of installing a tank.
sincerely...
Dear Marian,
I am writing to express my support for your recent article in relation to septic tanks. In particular, I am in full agreement that certain people, (especially an Taisce) are using septic tanks to fight a proxy war against rural housing.
I myself am actually a member of an Taisce, but the deep ideological opposition of this group to one-off rural housing baffles me. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the horrible proliferation of housing estates across the country is a direct consequence of the lobbying of this very loud group against rural housing. Rural people found it impossible to build at home in their own communities and so the demand for new housing on the outskirts of small towns rocketed. Every time I hear an Taisce decry housing estates I cringe -where are people supposed to live if an Taisce is opposed to houses in the countryside and in the town?
It is difficult to share their concerns about groundwater contamination. After all, where do they think livestock and wildlife are relieving themselves if not into the fields and by proxy the groundwater? Nature has the tools to break down the harmful elements, and has been doing so for a long time before we started building septic tanks. An Taisce know this, but use it as an environmental argument against the "bungalow blight" they detest (known as "homes" by the rest of us).
Finally, I'm glad you highlighted the 3 card trick they are trying to pull in relation to Galway's Chryptosporidium outbreak -I would also add that there is stock footage of Duncan Stewart looking at a truly appalling septic tank somewhere. This footage is wheeled out by RTE and an Taisce every time the debate on septic tanks is raised and held up as the typical septic tank. The next time such is shown, it should be named as what it is -a freak plumbing failure, rather than the natural consequence of installing a tank.
sincerely...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Martin Schulz elected President of the EP
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/content/20120106FCS34949/3/html/Martin-Schulz-elected-President-of-the-European-Parliament
I'm a little dismayed by this result. Martin Schulz is a very different kind of President to what has gone before in the Parliament. I'm not a fan of his.
I suspect his election has more to do with his nationality (German -at a time when the European institutions are desperate to have german backing) than his political pedigree. Hopefully, he will try to be less divisive and condescending now that he is in office -but I doubt it.
I'm a little dismayed by this result. Martin Schulz is a very different kind of President to what has gone before in the Parliament. I'm not a fan of his.
I suspect his election has more to do with his nationality (German -at a time when the European institutions are desperate to have german backing) than his political pedigree. Hopefully, he will try to be less divisive and condescending now that he is in office -but I doubt it.
At least some countries show signs of recovery.
http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2012/01/liquidity-trap-may-soon-be-over.html
In this recent posting, the always insightful Mankiw points out that US fundamentals are now recovering to the point where normal monetary policy can be restored. Absent a major setback (like a Eurozone disaster), the US economy will recover from being on the brink to merely being anaemic and fragile. Given the scale of our recent travails -that is a comforting thought. This chart seems to spell the end of Quantitative Easing and other various extraordinary measures. Once the fundamentals recover to a normal but low level of activity, the Fed will want to return to its usual interest rate tweaking to manage the economy and keep inflation down.
This is a testament to the success of Quantitative Easing as a policy. Though it will take decades for the Fed to completely reverse its extraordinary interventions in the money markets, those actions have worked and seen the US through a would-be depression. Though they will be cautious about rising interest rates too soon, doubtless the Fed will be relieved to be back in this more familiar territory.
Meanwhile in Europe, noone is in charge.
In this recent posting, the always insightful Mankiw points out that US fundamentals are now recovering to the point where normal monetary policy can be restored. Absent a major setback (like a Eurozone disaster), the US economy will recover from being on the brink to merely being anaemic and fragile. Given the scale of our recent travails -that is a comforting thought. This chart seems to spell the end of Quantitative Easing and other various extraordinary measures. Once the fundamentals recover to a normal but low level of activity, the Fed will want to return to its usual interest rate tweaking to manage the economy and keep inflation down.
This is a testament to the success of Quantitative Easing as a policy. Though it will take decades for the Fed to completely reverse its extraordinary interventions in the money markets, those actions have worked and seen the US through a would-be depression. Though they will be cautious about rising interest rates too soon, doubtless the Fed will be relieved to be back in this more familiar territory.
Meanwhile in Europe, noone is in charge.
Jean Pisani Ferry -The trilemma of Eurozone reform
http://www.bruegel.org/download/parent/674-the-euro-crisis-and-the-new-impossible-trinity/file/1540-the-euro-crisis-and-the-new-impossible-trinity/
This is a marvellously clearly written report. It concisely points out the problems with the current Eurozone approach, especially as regards a selective interpretation of the problem focusing exclusively on fiscal rules. It also makes a lot of poignant assessments of policy options and obstacles. It deserves to be read widely.
However, I'm not sure the "Trilemma" hypothesis is a comprehensive explanation of our problems. It explains well the lack of tools we have in confronting credit busts in Euro Area states and it proposes effective alternatives to equip ourselves to resolve them cheaply and more fairly -but does it help prevent credit booms to start with? It's not obvious that it does.
Secondly, though I am very much in favour of highlighting private debt booms as a more significant and thorny problem than the fiscal problems that Eurozone heads are grappling with -nevertheless this "trilemma" does not obviously assist with the problems of fiscal indiscipline.
Rather, I think both public and private debt bubbles should be accorded roughly equal importance in devising regulatory reforms. Indeed, I see the present crises as two sides of the same coin -inappropriate monetary policy in every single Member State (especially the small ones). In some countries this led to public largesse, in others private credit frenzies.
However, though I believe his proposed reforms, in conjunction with the fiscal rules currently under negotiation at Eurozone level, could do much to reduce the cost of private and sovereign crises respectively -nevertheless, the inappropriate monetary policy in each MS would remain. Misaligned incentives would still play on public and private decisions. Capital is either too cheap or too dear in every Member State and people and/or governments will find ways to mobilise it for their own ends. As soon as the ink is dry on these reforms, a continent of people would be seeking ways to bypass them. I fear that having slain these two particular monsters we could find a new hydra's head springing up in a few years time to bedevil us, sprouting from the same warped monetary policy source.
I would wholeheartedly endorse his proposals for breaking sovereign-banking interdependence. What Irish person could disagree with this after the horror of our own disaster? It only makes sense anyway. It also makes sovereign defaults less of a continentwide disaster -bringing credible moral hazard to bondmarkets.
All in all, a cracking read -and in plain, concise language. It presents reasonable ways to deal with credit busts, but I would also like to see something on prevention of credit booms as well.
This is a marvellously clearly written report. It concisely points out the problems with the current Eurozone approach, especially as regards a selective interpretation of the problem focusing exclusively on fiscal rules. It also makes a lot of poignant assessments of policy options and obstacles. It deserves to be read widely.
However, I'm not sure the "Trilemma" hypothesis is a comprehensive explanation of our problems. It explains well the lack of tools we have in confronting credit busts in Euro Area states and it proposes effective alternatives to equip ourselves to resolve them cheaply and more fairly -but does it help prevent credit booms to start with? It's not obvious that it does.
Secondly, though I am very much in favour of highlighting private debt booms as a more significant and thorny problem than the fiscal problems that Eurozone heads are grappling with -nevertheless this "trilemma" does not obviously assist with the problems of fiscal indiscipline.
Rather, I think both public and private debt bubbles should be accorded roughly equal importance in devising regulatory reforms. Indeed, I see the present crises as two sides of the same coin -inappropriate monetary policy in every single Member State (especially the small ones). In some countries this led to public largesse, in others private credit frenzies.
However, though I believe his proposed reforms, in conjunction with the fiscal rules currently under negotiation at Eurozone level, could do much to reduce the cost of private and sovereign crises respectively -nevertheless, the inappropriate monetary policy in each MS would remain. Misaligned incentives would still play on public and private decisions. Capital is either too cheap or too dear in every Member State and people and/or governments will find ways to mobilise it for their own ends. As soon as the ink is dry on these reforms, a continent of people would be seeking ways to bypass them. I fear that having slain these two particular monsters we could find a new hydra's head springing up in a few years time to bedevil us, sprouting from the same warped monetary policy source.
I would wholeheartedly endorse his proposals for breaking sovereign-banking interdependence. What Irish person could disagree with this after the horror of our own disaster? It only makes sense anyway. It also makes sovereign defaults less of a continentwide disaster -bringing credible moral hazard to bondmarkets.
All in all, a cracking read -and in plain, concise language. It presents reasonable ways to deal with credit busts, but I would also like to see something on prevention of credit booms as well.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Noone is responsible for noise.
I recently visited a nightclub in Dublin City Centre. The level of noise on the dancefloor was something I have not previously experienced. I am a regular clubber, but I cannot remember before an instance where excessive noise prevented me from enjoying myself in a club. It was extremely damaging to hearing I fear, and even now, 2 weeks later, I have not recovered my hearing fully.
I was moved to try and do something about it. I wrote to the Health and Safety Authority asking them to request the management to moderate the sound levels a bit. I received back a courteous phonecall that told me that the HSA is precluded from intervening in the matter unless a member of the staff complained (like that was going to happen). Though disappointed, I can accept that legislation prevents them from involving themselves in a non-employment related issue. They referred me to Dublin City Council.
Dublin City Council were abysmal. I received another courteous phonecall from an official. However, in contrast to HSA, this was a truly lame attempt at sidestepping. The official told me that their legal advice (I know well the usefulness of blaming inexplicable legal advice) was that they would not win a prosecution if they pursued one against a nightclub for sound inside the premises. They do not do anything unless they are likely to secure a prosecution. He tried to pan me off the Health and Safety Authority (indeed, before he said it, I knew it was going to be his next move).
I did not argue with him (what was the point), but it was a really rubbish response and epitomises Local Government in this country.
1. I was not asking for a prosecution, merely some action by the Council to try and see the law enforced. They could have asked the club to comply in a constructive manner. The idea that they are unwilling to do anything unless it results in a conviction is a pathetically narrow interpretation of their mandate. Indeed, failure to engage with offending parties prior to legal proceedings more or less guarantees they will lose all of their prosecutions.
2. If a prosecution is unlikely to succeed, then there is even more reason to pursue it. Claiming the law is unenforcable, without testing it before the courts is a cop out. If they took the case, and were defeated, at least the state of the law would be clear and the Government would be compelled to pass enforcable legislation.
3. Even if there was no hope of a conviction, Local Authorities are obliged under law to act to enforce the laws for which they are responsible. There is a legal obligation for them to act.
But as usual in Ireland, the interests of the rich nightclub owner trumps that of the man on the street. You can do anything you like in this country if you pay rates. Legal advice consistently echoes the needs of those who pay for it, and there is no way to get anything done.
We are powerless, because in every direction you turn, a wall of dutiful, compliant, fatalistic gateholders block the path of progress.
I was moved to try and do something about it. I wrote to the Health and Safety Authority asking them to request the management to moderate the sound levels a bit. I received back a courteous phonecall that told me that the HSA is precluded from intervening in the matter unless a member of the staff complained (like that was going to happen). Though disappointed, I can accept that legislation prevents them from involving themselves in a non-employment related issue. They referred me to Dublin City Council.
Dublin City Council were abysmal. I received another courteous phonecall from an official. However, in contrast to HSA, this was a truly lame attempt at sidestepping. The official told me that their legal advice (I know well the usefulness of blaming inexplicable legal advice) was that they would not win a prosecution if they pursued one against a nightclub for sound inside the premises. They do not do anything unless they are likely to secure a prosecution. He tried to pan me off the Health and Safety Authority (indeed, before he said it, I knew it was going to be his next move).
I did not argue with him (what was the point), but it was a really rubbish response and epitomises Local Government in this country.
1. I was not asking for a prosecution, merely some action by the Council to try and see the law enforced. They could have asked the club to comply in a constructive manner. The idea that they are unwilling to do anything unless it results in a conviction is a pathetically narrow interpretation of their mandate. Indeed, failure to engage with offending parties prior to legal proceedings more or less guarantees they will lose all of their prosecutions.
2. If a prosecution is unlikely to succeed, then there is even more reason to pursue it. Claiming the law is unenforcable, without testing it before the courts is a cop out. If they took the case, and were defeated, at least the state of the law would be clear and the Government would be compelled to pass enforcable legislation.
3. Even if there was no hope of a conviction, Local Authorities are obliged under law to act to enforce the laws for which they are responsible. There is a legal obligation for them to act.
But as usual in Ireland, the interests of the rich nightclub owner trumps that of the man on the street. You can do anything you like in this country if you pay rates. Legal advice consistently echoes the needs of those who pay for it, and there is no way to get anything done.
We are powerless, because in every direction you turn, a wall of dutiful, compliant, fatalistic gateholders block the path of progress.
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