Quotes for the day

And there is no doubt that in recessionary times the whiter, ablebodied, not pregnant, straighter, settled amongst us are going to be the chosen ones when the choosing gets done.

- Maman Poulet on the resignation of Equality Authority CEO Niall Crowley yesterday.

The Equality Authority’s budget has been cut by 43 per cent and its staff turnover has increased because of the inability of existing employees to move to its decentralised office in Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

Crowley said the “only credible explanation” for the treatment of the authority was that some of its case work, “particularly in relation to allegations of discrimination in the public sector, has been experienced as a threat by senior civil servants”.

Pat Rabbitte cut to the chase on Wednesday:

I don’t accept cutting any agency by 43 per cent is a cutback. The intention is to kill it.

Settling Guantánamo inmates here

I think Amnesty Ireland have been pushing this for sometime but Colm O’Gorman mentioned it again during his speech to the Young Greens on Friday. Not only would we be giving an ex-detainee refuge from torture in his native land, we’d also be gaining leverage with an Obama administration on the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre and the ending of rendition flights through Shannon.

Well it appears the wheels may already be in motion:

A GUANTÁNAMO Bay detainee’s lawyer is in discussions with the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs about the possibility of allowing him to settle in Ireland… It is understood there is some resistance to the proposal within the Department of Justice, but some Department of Foreign Affairs officials believe the Government could earn kudos with the Obama administration by agreeing to resettle at least one detainee.