text:
Order of Business.
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Seanad Eireann Debate
Senator Donie Cassidy: The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on climate change and energy security, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude not later than 1.30 p.m., with spokespersons having 15 minutes, all Senators having ten minutes, on which Senators may share time with agreement of the House, and the Minister to be called upon ten minutes from the end of the debate for closing comments and to respond to questions from spokespersons.
Senator Frances Fitzgerald: Yesterday Senators from across the political divide raised a concern at the judgment on the Ó Cuanacháin family and applied behavioural analysis, ABA, education. There were urgent calls for the Minister for Education and Science to attend the House so that we could have a debate on this matter. What progress has the Leader made in ensuring that we have discussion as soon as possible? I note the Minister commented on it yesterday, while the Minister of State said that he would defer to her on the issue. It would be helpful if the Leader could tell us if he has made any progress.
There has been a continuing drip feed of information on the Taoiseach and I noted the fairly empty Government benches last night during the debate on the Mahon tribunal. When does the Leader expect legislation on this matter to come before the House?
The Taoiseach yesterday opened the Office for Older People and the Office for Disability and Mental Health. We clearly welcome the focus on these two areas, but we need an action plan from both Ministers of State in the areas and we need to know what resources they will get. We could usefully pursue that issue here in the Senate with both Ministers of State. We do not want more bureaucracy, red tape, quangos and more appointments, but we want to see action on the ground. Given the focus this House has placed on mental health issues, last week's report by the Irish Psychiatric Association, The lie of the land, should be of great concern to us all. It makes for very disturbing reading as it states that the resources from the land banks from psychiatric hospitals do not appear to have been put into the mental health services. Last year saw a reduction in the budget for mental health services. We now have a new Office for Disability and Mental Health, but there has been a reduction in the budget for the area.
We have great concerns about the land banks which are being given for co-located hospitals. At the same time, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, has questioned co-location in Cork. I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of the co-location plan. It appears as if it is full of contradictions and will not enhance public health services, but lead to a deterioration. I would like the Leader to ask both [575]Ministers of State to come before the House so we can find out about the resources and the action plans. This is the second anniversary of A Vision for Change and it is not being implemented. It is an area of great concern to this House and we should be pursuing it in the near future.
Senator Joe O'Toole: I would like to remind the Leader that when we raised the Ó Cuanacháin judgment yesterday we were not seeking a debate on what the judges were doing or seeking to interfere with what might happen in the Supreme Court. It is a very simple request. We believe the State should pick up the bill for the Ó Cuanacháin family. That is really the only issue we can debate because the Leader is right in saying it would be inappropriate to discuss the court case while it is ongoing.
The question of the reception abroad of RTE broadcasts was raised in the House yesterday, and it is an issue that I have touched on many times in the House. I have a file, two feet high, built up over the past 15 years relating to people looking for short and long wave as well as satellite reception and arguing that RTE is the only national radio station in Europe which is encrypted on satellite, etc. I appreciate the reasons behind Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú's point yesterday, but I do not agree with his solution. I believe the solution is not and does not need to be to maintain medium wave, which is not a very good reception. Long wave is clearer, carries all the stations the Leader mentioned as well as religious services on Sunday mornings and all the sports at other times of the day when they are not available on FM. Long wave is also clear. It can be obtained on the car radio, from Edinburgh to Brussels. It is a much clearer reception.
Rather than focusing on RTE maintaining the medium wave service, the Government in its support for emigrant groups in the UK, should provide a long wave radio service to them from Ireland. It would mean they could get a clearer reception, the cost would be small and this is something we could do. We might also examine the possibilities of broadband radio, which is now available for less than €100 and is easier to use than an ordinary radio. It means they could listen to Radio Kerry, Clare FM or any of the local stations around Ireland, just at the press of a button. The issue raised by Senator Ó Murchú was very important and he is right, perhaps, in saying people might not be able to change over to any new arrangement. We should support emigrant communities in making better radio reception available rather than trying to maintain the current system.
I congratulate the IFA and the Minister for Agriculture and Food on an issue that many Senators have raised over recent years, namely, Brazilian beef. It is a major victory for Irish agriculture and I congratulate the lobbying powers of [576]the IFA. This is a classic example of lobbying groups doing something which is good for the country as well as for themselves. It must be recognised that the Minister has supported them all the way and I said as much when she was in this House some months back.
Senator Dominic Hannigan: I want to raise the issue of the recent disturbances in Kenya. I was in Kenya on the day of the elections and witnessed at first hand the queues forming at many polling stations as citizens sought to exercise their democratic right to vote. Naturally, I was disturbed and saddened afterwards to see the consequential riots and disturbances. As many Senators will know, Kenya was, up to these disturbances, one of the most peaceful, stable and vibrant countries in east Africa. Many Irish aid agencies base themselves in Kenya and target their operations from there into Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania as well as within Kenya itself. I am concerned about the potential impact this is having on our aid agencies. Will the Leader ask the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development aid to come to the Seanad and, perhaps, make a statement on the current state of affairs and how it is affecting the Irish aid programme, including our aid agencies based in Kenya?
I see this morning that the head of the African Union is concerned about the potential outbreak of ethnic violence and genocide in Kenya. Will the Leader impress on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, the need for the European Union to bring as much pressure to bear as possible, to try to resolve the situation in Kenya and east Africa?
Senator Mark Daly: I am seeking a debate in the House in reaction to the Thatcherite tactics of the Health Service Executive in its negotiations with the pharmacists. If the HSE has its way many pharmacies in rural Ireland will be forced to closed. The Thatcherite tactics by the HSE have been exposed by the issuing of an interim contract on 9 January despite the express statement by the Government and the Minister for Health and Children to the effect that the dispute between the HSE and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union should be resolved by an independent body. The issuing of these contracts flies in the face of this Government's and Fianna Fáil's belief in social partnership and I seek a debate on this matter.
Senator Jerry Buttimer: That is not what the Minister said in the House.
Senator Liam Twomey: It was a Cabinet sub-committee decision.
Senator Paul Coghlan: I note that there are just three Government Bills on the Order Paper. One is on Committee Stage, one is on Report Stage [577]and I believe it is intended that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will not move the other one. Enlarging on the point made by Senator Fizgerald, could the Seanad hear from the Leader, perhaps, what Bills are to be dealt with this session in the House? This will be a relatively short session and perhaps the Leader might let the House know what is intended for sitting times up to St. Patrick's Day and Easter week.
Co-located hospitals have been mentioned as well as the proposed use of hospital land and alterations thereto. The Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works in the previous Administration, former Deputy Tom Parlon, came up with a plan for a State inventory of surplus State properties, having reviewed all the Departments and their respective agencies. Will the Leader say whether such an inventory exists? Was it every completed? We never heard that it was.
On the matter raised by Senator Daly, I do not know precisely the detail he has in mind, but I would like to support him. I am mindful in particular of the smaller pharmacies in provincial towns, those on the sides of streets that we should like to hold on to rather than have them abolished in deference to larger retail centres and so on. I want more detail of what the Government has in mind in this regard. Picking up on what the Senator said, the situation at the moment is a shambles. Perhaps the Leader might comment on that too.
Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú: Yesterday I raised the issue of RTE's intention to cease its medium wave service on RTE Radio 1. The point I made was that it will affect in particular older members of the Irish community in Britain. I appreciate the comments made by Senator O'Toole on the issue that has now arisen. I know he is an optimist but he knows full well that a big box of long wave radios will not be sent over to Britain to solve the problem and the logistics of trying to achieve that are somewhat far-fetched. Ultimately, this issue will be quietly put to bed and a whole generation — the older generation in Britain — will be ignored in this regard.
Many Senators travel to Britain regularly and come in contact with the Irish community there. If one visits the homes, as I have done, one finds a little bit of Ireland there. If such emigrants are accustomed to receiving RTE Radio 1 in a particular manner, they will not avail of the new technological changes. I am talking about the older members of that community. I know well that after 1 March, we shall be hearing how these people have suffered and that their lifeline has been cut off. That is a pity and whatever money is involved in maintaining this service, I believe, is well owed to the Irish community in Britain. I do not believe we shall be remembered kindly in years to come if we do not take into consideration now the emotional and sentimental impact of this initiative.
[578]The person who communicated to me from Britain on this issue had done a considerable amount of research. He is a columnist in a newspaper, and is not just writing as one person. He has been surveying this issue extensively throughout Britain. I know him and he is genuine. The manner in which he approached this issue on behalf of Irish people in Britain who are affected is genuine, sincere and is an appeal from the heart. It has come to the right place when it has come to Parliament. It has come to the Seanad and I hope that in the debate promised by the Leader for next week we will have an opportunity to discuss it further. I have a great deal more material which I cannot put forward on the Order of Business.
Senator Jerry Buttimer: Will the Leader organise a debate on regional development? This is in the context of the proposed Cork to Swansea ferry link which Senator O'Donovan and I raised yesterday. I am disappointed to read in the Irish Examiner today that it is 95% certain a consortium will not run the ferry next year. It seems neither the Members of this House on the Government side nor the Cabinet believe life exists beyond the M50. I am disappointed no member of the Green Party is present in the House because we still do not have a commitment that incentives for the Cork docklands will be included in the Finance Bill.
On Monday night at a public meeting on co-location, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, stated that while on one level a proposed site for co-location is unsustainable he was in favour of it. It is important to the people of Bishopstown and Wilton who will have a co-located hospital foisted upon them that we have this debate.
Senator Ned O'Sullivan: I rise to support the request of my colleague, Senator Mark Daly, for a debate on the pharmaceutical issue. Like him, in recent days I was contacted by quite a number of pharmacists in the mid-west region. Many are proprietors of small shops and are far from the large multinationals such as Boots who are able to take on board some of the HSE proposals. Many of them are concerned they will not be able to keep staff employed or to keep their doors open. A certain amount of disinformation or confusion has come from the HSE. I am indebted to my colleague, Senator Geraldine Feeney, who advised me the Joint Committee on Health and Children hopes to bring both sides before it. This would be ideal. Let us have talks across the table without hiding behind propaganda. In supporting Senator Daly, I ask the Leader to advance this matter in his own way.
Senator David Norris: On 19 February 2003, the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Michael McDowell, introduced the Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002 to the House. [579] It took more than a year for it to reach Committee Stage, which it did on 7 April 2004, by which time 150 amendments had been tabled, more than 90 of which were placed on the Order Paper by our former colleague Dr. Mary Henry. Not a single amendment was accepted.
This chimes in with what the leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad, Senator Fitzgerald, stated on mental health issues. Recently, substantial professional interest in this area indicated frustration, particularly with regard to the Central Mental Hospital, where persons who have recovered or who have reached advanced age are appropriate to be released back into the community but cannot be released because of the failure to accept legislative amendments with regard to simple legal machinery permitting the release of these people. In light of this failure on the part of legislation to address the real issues confronting certain people and the management of these hospitals, will the Leader establish whether the Government proposes to introduce amendments of this type into legislation dealing with insanity in the criminal law?
We have increasingly draconian legislation aimed at deporting people with the minimum of legal fuss or capacity for appeal. A number of issues have been raised, including the case of Great Agbonlahor, an autistic child returned to Nigeria, and a young woman with no visible means of support or surviving family members who was returned to the streets of Lagos.
We are blandly assured these people will be all right and that conditions are fine. However, it is never followed up. Previously, I asked for information with which the Leader stated he would come back to me but so far he has not been able to do so. I again ask the Leader to inquire whether any follow up takes place through our embassy in Nigeria and if not why not. We should demand it. If we are fobbed off with stories that when these people are returned to their country of origin nothing will happen to them, they will be able to survive and they are perfectly well, let us know that this is in fact the case. I do not believe for a minute that it is.
I support Senator Daly. I understood the dispute between the pharmacists and the HSE was ventilated at considerable length in this House during the previous session. I also understood a measure of agreement had been reached and that both sides agreed the way forward was independent arbitration. It seems the HSE has made an attempt to create facts on the ground in advance of independent arbitration. It is not appropriate that prior to independent arbitration getting underway the HSE should pre-empt it by coercing pharmacists into an advance agreement.
Senator John Carty: I join with my colleague, Senator O'Toole, in congratulating the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the Brazilian beef issue. I also congratulate the IFA. [580] As a lobby group, it did tremendous detective work in bringing this to light. This is an opportune time to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to come to the House to discuss what was contained in a recent announcement on extra benefits for the sheep sector which is experiencing a difficult time and to discuss REPS 4 in detail. It would be a worthwhile exercise.
I also support my colleague, Senator Mark Daly, and other Senators in calling for the Leader to facilitate a debate on the pharmacists' issue.
Senator Eugene Regan: I wish to add to the observations on the ban on Brazilian beef. I worked for the Irish Farmers Association and represented their interests in Brussels during the 1970s. I agree with Senator O'Toole on the effectiveness of the IFA as a professional lobbying body. The work done by the IFA and other farming organisations in highlighting the difference in the treatment of farmers and beef producers in countries such as Brazil and in the European Union has been vindicated and the decision of the European Commission is very welcome.
The legislative programme for the spring was circulated to us this week. Our leader, Senator Frances Fitzgerald, made the point that we had little legislation in the previous session. It is an issue which also arises in the Dáil. The current legislative programme is very modest. Given the work we did in the previous session, does any real prospect exist of us getting through it or of the Government fulfilling this programme?
The Government is distracted and after a short time in office it has lost its way. I understand why it is distracted. We saw it yesterday with new revelations about the Taoiseach. We also find that when any of his stories, whether with regard to his connection to the Phoenix Park casino issue, his contacts with the tax authorities or his dig-out stories in the Mahon tribunal, are put under close scrutiny they do not bear up and the Taoiseach has been found out.
An Cathaoirleach: I will not allow anybody to go down this road with regard to the Mahon tribunal.
Senator Eugene Regan: I appreciate it is frowned upon by some people to make such remarks about the Taoiseach, given his achievements. Senator Eoghan Harris has strong views about this matter, particularly in the context of——
An Cathaoirleach: As an eminent legal figure, Senator Regan will be aware that matters before the courts are sub judice. I do not want the House to be brought into disrepute by becoming involved in matters before the courts and would prefer if Senators steered clear of such issues.
[581]Senator Eugene Regan: I am not raising any matters that are in the courts, although a matter related to a prosecution in the courts which a fellow Senator raised yesterday was entirely out of order. I am not speaking about courts but about an issue concerning the Taoiseach. Yesterday, I corrected a matter concerning the presentation by the Taoiseach of his unique address to the United States Congress. I pointed out that the only Taoisigh to have addressed the joint Houses of Congress were the Fine Gael leaders, Liam Cosgrave, Garret FitzGerald and John Bruton. When we talk about the peace process we write out of the script all of those who contributed from all parties, whether Garret FitzGerald, John Bruton or Albert Reynolds.
Senator Mary M. White: That has never been the case. We never heard the term "decommissioning" until John Bruton became Taoiseach.
Senator Eugene Regan: It is wrong to appropriate the credit for the peace process to one man and use it as vindication for the Taoiseach and an excuse for not upholding the rule of law. We should address this issue at a future date.
Senator Joe O'Reilly: I concur with Senator Norris's remarks on the pharmacists' dispute. It should go to arbitration immediately and an outcome should not be pre-empted.
The recent decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw a major charge in the case against Mr. Eddie Halvey was somewhat contentious. The DPP stated that he cannot give details about the process by which he arrives at decisions or precise details of a case because it would result in individuals being judged by public opinion and finding themselves in difficulty. This is a reasonable position for him to adopt and one I support.
Nevertheless, I propose that in contentious cases such as the Halvey case which do not occur often but enter public discourse, a commission of three eminent legal persons should sit in arbitration and approve the DPP's position. As this would require legislation, I ask the Leader to convey my proposal to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Senators should not read into my remarks either implicit or explicit criticism of the DPP who is above reproach and a person of integrity. The issue is one of achieving transparency, due process and the filtering of cases, especially those of a contentious nature. The establishment of a commission would assist the judicial process and support the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. I commend it to the Leader for consideration by the Minister.
Senator Liam Twomey: While the life of a young girl in County Cork is being crushed out of her by a spinal deformity, the Health Service Executive indicates it is appropriate that she wait until 2010 before it will consider providing the [582]treatment she needs. Fortunately, someone else has a greater sense of morality than the HSE. Case law indicates that the HSE would lose a case brought before the European Court of Justice and would be required to pay for the girl's treatment. I ask the Leader to request that the Minister for Health and Children come to the House to explain the reason the HSE finds it acceptable to allow a young child to die slowly as a result of the weight of her body while it refuses to give her treatment. The Minister should also state whether it is appropriate that the State should not pay for the necessary treatment. This is one of the most immoral decisions I have heard in a long time.
Senators on the Government side should note that a Cabinet sub-committee consisting of the Taoiseach, Minister for Finance and Minister for Health and Children decided to reduce the costs of medication in the health system. The HSE is trying to implement this decision in the pharmacy sector. For this reason, rather than referring to the role of the HSE, it would be more appropriate for those Senators to raise the matter with the Ministers in question.
Senator Paul Coghlan: Hear, hear.
Senator John Paul Phelan: I echo the sentiments expressed by Senator Twomey on the pharmacy dispute. I also join my colleague, Senator Buttimer, in calling for a debate on regional development.
Will the Leader contact the Minister for Education and Science regarding the ongoing debacle arising from the possibility of establishing a university for the south-east region? Before Christmas, the Government appointed Dr. Jim Port, a British gentleman with many years experience in education, to report on the third level facilities available in the south-east region and the current operations of Waterford Institute of Technology. I understand Dr. Port's report was presented to the Government before Christmas. Despite having been contacted by the institute of technology, the regional authority and various local bodies in the south east, the Minister has refused to publish the document. Two schools of thought have arisen as a result. The majority of local people believe the reason the Minister has not published the report is that it makes positive recommendations which would compel her to make a positive decision and grant university status to the Waterford Institute of Technology. Regardless of its contents, it is essential the report is published. Will the Leader bring as much pressure as possible to bear on the Minister to ensure the report is published as soon as possible?
I refer to a recent three-part series broadcast on RTE on the State Pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy. It will be recalled that during my previous term as a Senator, I expressed strong support for Professor Cassidy and requested that additional funding be made available to improve [583]the facilities in south Dublin from which she and her predecessor have operated because they leave a great deal to be desired.
I am unhappy, however, about the disclosure of certain details in the series. I had time to watch the first of the three programmes. Anyone with an interest in pathology or the way our criminal system operates would be interested in the series. Some of the detailed information broadcast about recent sensitive cases, including the discovery of bodies, was highly inappropriate. These cases concern people's children or brothers or sisters. Professor Cassidy made a serious error of judgment in some of the comments she made.
Senator Eoghan Harris: I wish to correct an impression Senator Regan may have inadvertently left, namely, that the Taoiseach is less than generous in paying tribute to fellow Taoisigh. The Taoiseach, in his Westminster address, was most careful to pay tribute to John Bruton's work for peace. I was glad to note his comments in this regard. It is not true to state the Taoiseach is cavalier or indifferent. Everyone knows he was personally and politically delighted when John Bruton was appointed European Union Ambassador to the United States and he endorsed the appointment at every level, both privately and publicly.
Senator Nicky McFadden: I raise with the Leader the issue of the primary care unit in Athlone. Before Christmas I asked about the lack of progress on the primary care unit in Athlone since the designs were first drawn up in 1999. The property has been purchased and nothing is happening. I am disappointed that I have got no response from the Leader and that nothing seems to be happening. I appreciate it was Christmas and that, perhaps, it was difficult for him. I urge the Leader to ascertain the position from the Health Service Executive.
My second point concerns the ambulance service, which has threatened to take strike action. In Athlone on a Wednesday there is one ambulance covering the whole area. I ask that the Minister for Health and Children come into the House yet again and give us honest answers on what we are to do when somebody becomes ill in the Athlone area and the ambulance has gone to Mullingar or to Portiuncula Hospital. This has happened. I also ask that she clarify the contracting out of the transporting of patients and the escorting of psychiatric patients, as the system has been changed. We need clear answers from the Minister on all of these issues.
Senator Maria Corrigan: I was hoping to have some clarification from the Leader on my request for two debates that I made prior to Christmas. One was for a debate on the roll-out of the national disability strategy and how we are meeting the needs of people with a disability in such a [584]way as to enable them to take their rightful place as equal members of society. There are still a number of legislative issues to be addressed as at present there is no recognition afforded of their capacity to give consent to various issues and to make choices about various aspects of their own lives, such as where and with whom they live and who should receive the money they receive as part of the disability allowance. A significant sum of money has been allocated in this year's budget for people with disabilities. It is important that Members have the opportunity to hear where that money will be spent and are given an assurance that it will all be spent in the area of disability.
This brings me to the second request for a debate on the issue of mental health and the implementation of A Vision for Change. It is apparent that the moneys allocated in the budget for 2007 were not spent in the areas for which they were allocated. This area is in great need of funds. The implementation of A Vision for Change has still not progressed, despite the fact that the Health Service Executive said it hoped to have a draft implementation plan by the end of December. It is not acceptable that four years on we are still talking about draft plans for implementation. I should appreciate if the Leader would indicate when we may have two those very important debates.
Senator Paschal Donohoe: Other Senators have commented on the nature of the legislative programme for this session. One of the most prominent Bills concerns the proposal to set up the Dublin transport authority, the objective of which is to implement Transport 21 within Dublin and the Dublin region. Will the Leader facilitate a debate on Transport 21 and its implementation? Two issues merit debate. The first is the degree of change that is taking place in Transport 21. For example, the new plan proposes to put heavy rail rather than LUAS on the Broadstone line. This will seriously threaten the ability of the Grangegorman Institute of Technology to get planning permission for its new master plan and is the kind of policy change that should be debated here.
The second issue is one that was raised at the Joint Committee on Transport yesterday. The leaders of the local authorities within the Dublin area raised the prospect of congestion charging, a proposal not contained in Transport 21. It is the role of elected politicians and our leaders, such as the Minister for Transport, to raise such issues and have them debated in the House rather than leave it to executive managers in local authorities, who have no choice but to deal with the mess arising from the implementation of contradictory plans and for which they must carry the can.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames: I was encouraged here yesterday to see the consensus across the House on the severity of the legal costs being imposed on the Ó Cuanacháin family from [585]Wicklow who sought an entitlement for an appropriate education for their autistic son in the High Court. The proposal by Senator Ross to seek an immediate debate was a positive one, given that the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, was coming to the House in the afternoon. However, I was disappointed when I saw how the Green Party voted on this issue.
An Cathaoirleach: We are on the Order of Business. If the Senator has a question for the Leader I ask her to put it.
Senator Donie Cassidy: A Second Stage speech is not allowed.
Senator Fidelma Healy Eames: I wish to make the point that when we speak for something, it is important we follow it with our vote. The Ó Cuanacháin family may be made bankrupt by the courts.
It is clear from the Irish Independent that we are wasting in excess of €35 million on renting prefabs. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Education and Science to attend the House to address this serious issue in the context of our growing population. An extra 13,000 children are coming into our primary schools this year. These prefabs were rented, not bought out. What are the Minister's forward plans in terms of permanent building structures for our growing population? I would appreciate it if the Leader would respond as soon as possible as this debate was sought prior to Christmas.
Senator Donie Cassidy: Senators Fitzgerald, O'Toole, Coghlan, Regan, Donohoe and Healy Eames expressed their concern about the decision of the High Court on the case brought before it by the Ó Cuanacháin family. Senator O'Toole suggested that the State should pick up the bill. I will endeavour to see how I can facilitate the request of Members to have this matter discussed in the House without infringing in any way on the separation of the courts and the Oireachtas.
I will address the issue of impending legislation at the end of the Order of Business. On the other matters raised by Senator Fitzgereald and on matters concerning education, I am pleased to inform Members that the Minister for Education and Science will come to the House in three weeks' time when there will be a special debate on the broad issue of autism. A significant number of young couples find themselves in very difficult positions and to say they are traumatised is an understatement. When one visits these young couples in their homes one realises they receive no assistance in some cases. There are 12 or 14 excellent centres where the service is being provided.
Keith Duffy, who is a champion of this cause, is a great example of what can be done. Early intervention has got to be the order of the day in [586]respect of providing the service. I understand the Minister is looking at this matter sympathetically and I expect an announcement soon. We have a date placed on the Minister's diary for three weeks' time, which is the earliest possible date that could have been arranged for a debate of this nature.
Senators O'Toole and Ó Murchú asked about RTÉ's proposal to cease broadcasting on medium wave. Having listened to the Senators speak on this matter perhaps RTÉ will start an advertising campaign on its medium wave bandwidth and even defer its decision for a couple of months to facilitate those who wish to make an application, such as the Catholic Church and the Gaelic Athletic Association in the UK, and all those other organisations that help the senior citizens and those unfortunate people who had to leave our shores in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. I know hundreds and perhaps thousands of these people as I used to be over there on tour five times a year for two weeks at a time. They would go to all my functions on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was heartbreaking to see them there on a Friday evening with a smile on their faces. The greatest gift I could give them was to bring over the Westmeath Examiner with the Midland Topic. All these things kept them in touch with home and were very important. The expression this morning by Senator Ó Murchú that it is part of the furniture in their kitchens, bed-sittingrooms or bedrooms to have RTE available was correct as it keeps them in touch with their homeland.
RTE has a responsibility in this regard. The chief executive, Mr. Cathal Goan, is one of the greatest Irish men living in our country at this time. He knows exactly the plight of the emigrant, having been such a wonderfully successful director general of TG4 when it was getting off the ground. In the interests of everything good done in Ireland over the years, I ask that he would rally to the call and begin an advertising campaign to ascertain through the GAA and the churches how many thousands of people will need to have their radios replaced. It is a simple request.
RTE will save quite a lot of money from this change because it is expensive to broadcast on medium wave, which I presume is the only reason the service is being removed. As long as the services on a Sunday morning and all the various other Irish events that can be received in the UK, can be received on another wavelength, we in the Oireachtas would be happy. We are very unhappy at present, however, because people are being left to feel no one really cares. I want it to go out from Seanad Éireann that this House does care and is seriously concerned. We await a response from the director general of RTE on how it will address the situation. We will work hand in hand with the national broadcaster to find how we can facilitate the requests made in the House yesterday and today.
Senators O'Toole, Carty and Regan congratulated the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and [587]Food and the IFA on bringing to a successful conclusion the Brazilian beef issue. I will request that the Minister would come to the House to debate agriculture. As Leader from 1997 to 2002, when I called an agriculture debate and put it on the clár, it was always an all-day debate. I look forward to having a meaningful review of the entire agriculture portfolio, particularly the successful conclusion of the Brazilian beef issue, on which the IFA and the Minister have worked hand in hand. I will ensure this takes place at the earliest possible time.
Senator Hannigan raised serious issues with regard to the Kenyan elections and I will pass on his views to the Minister. With regard to the proposed changes to payments to pharmacies, Senators Daly, Coghlan, O'Sullivan, Norris and Carty expressed their support for pharmacists, especially those in rural areas and smaller towns, and those family pharmacists who have given such tremendous service to families for generations. We care about this issue. When our concerns were raised previously, particularly at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting where more than 80% of members expressed their serious concerns, the Health Service Executive extended the scheme, through the intervention of the Minister and others, as I understand it. I have no difficulty asking the Minister to come to the House to update us on the serious request made of me today.
Senators John Paul Phelan and Buttimer called for a debate on regional development and co-location. I have no difficulty in allowing time for this to take place.
Senator Norris highlighted the issue of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act. I will pass on the Senator's views to the Minister. I will have inquiries made into the issue he raised concerning the Nigerian situation.
Senator Regan raised the old chestnut of bashing the Taoiseach in various ways while making his concerns available to the House one more time. All fair-minded people will accept there has been no more successful Taoiseach in our lifetime or in the past seven years than Bertie Ahern.
Senator John Paul Phelan: The Senator is correct. There has been no more successful Taoiseach in the past seven years.
Senator Donie Cassidy:
His achievements stand for themselves. I would not like new Members to give the House the benefit of their inexperience in this area. With regard to his stewardship, when Fianna Fáil was in power, the
ceasefire did not break down.
Senator John Paul Phelan: That is a low blow.
[588]Senator Donie Cassidy: When the Taoiseach took office, the ceasefire returned within three weeks. He played a major role in the peace initiative and in giving us the Celtic tiger.
Senator Mary M. White: Hear, hear.
Senator Donie Cassidy: Who was the Minister for Labour who negotiated the national understanding in 1987?
Senator Liam Twomey: Can we have a debate on the issue?
Senator Donie Cassidy: The year 1982 was the last occasion the Irish people gave Fine Gael a mandate. We have seen four leaders of Fine Gael come and go since that time.
Senator Liam Twomey: Are we having a debate?
An Cathaoirleach: The Leader should reply to the Order of Business.
Senator Donie Cassidy: We will see another one go before the end of this Taoiseach's term.
Senator Liam Twomey: We should open up the debate on this issue.
An Cathaoirleach: The Leader should reply to the Order of Business.
Senator Donie Cassidy: That may be the case, a Chathaoirligh, but we on this side of the House——
Senator John Paul Phelan: The Leader is provoking a response.
Senator Donie Cassidy: ——look for parity in regard to the time Senator Regan seems to be able to get on this issue on various mornings. I have restrained myself, although it was not easy, because I have nothing but the height of admiration for all Members of the House. Some Members come to the House day after day with an agenda, however, even though we have placed responsibility on the Mahon tribunal and its eminent judges who we expect to come back to us. We will have an opportunity to discuss this issue for one, two, three or four days. Whatever is required of me, I will afford the time to each and every Member. If Members want a half hour or an hour each, they will get it from this Leader of the House. There will be no muzzling when the issue of the Mahon tribunal comes to the House. I am confident the Taoiseach will be vindicated when he is allowed to give his entire evidence.
Senator John Paul Phelan: The Leader is in cloud cuckoo land.
[589]Senator Donie Cassidy: However, to have evidence edited daily by eminent people from the law side of the Opposition in this House is not fair.
Senator Liam Twomey: The Government press office is doing the same.
Senator Donie Cassidy: I am an ordinary person who represents ordinary people. No lecturing from the Opposition will be taken on this side of the House.
Senator Liam Twomey: Let us have the debate.
An Cathaoirleach: The Leader to reply to the Order of Business, please.
Senator Donie Cassidy: Senator O'Reilly——-
Senator Liam Twomey: We have spent that much time on it, we could have a debate.
A Senator: What about the passports?
Senator Liam Twomey: I would love to have a debate on how the resources of Government are used.
An Cathaoirleach: I ask Members on all sides to respect my ruling on the Mahon tribunal. I do not want that matter raised.
Senator John Paul Phelan: We have listened for ten minutes about the Mahon tribunal.
Senator Donie Cassidy: I am simply facilitating the Opposition. Points are made on the Opposition side and it is my duty to address them if some Member is not being fair to a Member of the Dáil or Seanad who has delivered to the people.
Senator John Paul Phelan: It is not his duty to provoke a response.
Senator Donie Cassidy: He is a three-in-a-row Taoiseach and he should be honoured as such.
Senator Frances Fitzgerald: We have an obligation to raise these issues.
Senator Donie Cassidy: The Opposition would love to have him on its side of the House. He was the difference in the last general election and the previous two.
Senator Frances Fitzgerald: We have an obligation to raise these issues.
Senator Donie Cassidy: Like me, Senator Twomey lost his seat. He knows this was because Bertie Ahern was the leader.
An Cathaoirleach: The general election is over.
[590]Senator Donie Cassidy: I lost because of the commission.
Senator Liam Twomey: We are talking about——
An Cathaoirleach: The general election is over.
Senator Donie Cassidy: It is. People will have to accept the result and the findings of the people.
Senator Liam Twomey: Democracy is a very important issue.
Senator Frances Fitzgerald: Democracy is about raising the issues, it is not about——
Senator Donie Cassidy: I will pass on Senator O'Reilly's views about the DPP to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Senator Twomey called for the Minister to come to the House to explain the issue of the treatment of a child. I have no difficulty in having the Minister come to the House to debate the up-to-date position on matters pertaining to the health portfolio, in particular the unfortunate case of the patient in Cork highlighted by the Senator.
Senator John Paul Phelan called for the Minister for Education and Science to come to the House. As I said, the Minister will be in the House in three weeks so the Senator will be able to raise his points at that time.
Senator McFadden raised the issues of a primary care unit and an ambulance service for Athlone. We now have access numbers for all of the HSE senior executives in every region who can be contacted. We also have the Adjournment on which these matters can be raised, in addition to Private Members' business when parties can decide on prioritising the urgency of various matters raised by Senators. Information on most of these issues can be ascertained through those channels. Unfortunately, I am not a Minister so those are the ways in which we try to obtain information. I will try to give the Senator all the help I can but she has the same channel for finding the information as I do.
I have given Senator Corrigan my word that we will debate the two issues she has raised. I am endeavouring to find time in the Ministers' diaries for such matters. Senator Donohoe called for a debate on Transport 21, which would be timely, and I will have no difficulty in arranging time for such a debate. Senator Healy Eames expressed her concerns about educational matters, which can be debated when the Minister attends this House in three weeks' time.
I wish to update the House on the Government's proposals for Bills that are expected to be published during this session: Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism — Irish Sports Council (Amendment) Bill; Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources — Broadcasting Bill and Electricity Regulation (EirGrid) [591](Amendment) Bill; Department of Education and Science — Student Support Bill; Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment — Chemicals Regulation and Enforcement Bill and Employment Law Compliance Bill; Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government — Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) (Confirmation of Orders) Bill and Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill; Department of Finance — Finance Bill and Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill; Department of Foreign Affairs — Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill (Reform Treaty); Department of Health and Children — Adoption Bill and Health (Long-term Residential Care Services) Bill; Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform — Legal Services Ombudsman Bill and Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill; Department of Social and Family Affairs — Social Welfare and Pensions Bill; Department of Transport — Dublin Transport Authority Bill.
The foregoing list comprises 17 Bills which the Government hopes to publish in this session. The Finance Bill is being published today and will be taken in the Dáil over the last two weeks in February. It is proposed to take all Stages of the Bill in this House before St. Patrick's Day.
|Last Updated: 18/11/2010 19:50:42
|Page of 8


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Man, 56, dies of electric shock
A 56-year-old man was electrocuted yesterday afternoon while doing some work in Cospicua.
It is understood the man was raising an electric winch when it malfunctioned. The police said they were called to Pietru Pawl Street where they found the man, who lives in Cospicua, dead on site.
Magistrate Gabriella Vella is carrying out a magisterial inquiry and police investigations are under way, headed by the district police.
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text:
Special education complaints in Wisconsin
2010: 75 statewide; seven from Fox Valley schools
2009: 79 statewide; four from Fox Valley schools
2008: 98 statewide; three from Fox Valley schools
2007: 93 statewide; one from a Fox Valley school
2006: 60 statewide; two from Fox Valley schools
2005: 64 statewide; three from Fox Valley schools
Total: 469 statewide (56 withdrawn); 20 from Fox Valley schools (three withdrawn)
On the Web: To read the complaints, visit http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/complain.html
Restraint issues are a minority among complaints levied in Wisconsin in regard to special education.
The state Department of Public Instruction received 469 special education complaints from 2005-10, an average of 78 per year, according to a review of data on the agency's website by The Post-Crescent.
In addition to the case of Mary Berglund, a former Appleton teacher facing child abuse charges from a string of classroom incidents dating back to 2009, the only other seclusion and restraint complaints from the Fox Valley during that five-year period included one filed in Waupaca in 2010, one in Clintonville in 2009 and one in Neenah in 2008.
In all, Fox Valley parents registered 20 special education complaints in that time frame.
"As a whole, we don't get as many (complaints) as other states," said Patricia Williams, the DPI's coordinator for the special education complaint process.
Williams said the most common special education complaints arise from issues with a child's individualized education program, or IEP. An IEP is a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed and revised in meetings between educators and parents. It outlines academics, behavior and other goals.
In terms of seclusion and restraint procedures, Williams said altering behavior and positive reinforcement are stressed in both training and directives. She said the training helps educators learn how to address negative behaviors and prevent them from occurring so seclusion and restraint aren't needed.
Learning to understand the child's behavior helps so educators don't take behaviors like spitting, biting and kicking so personally, Williams said.
Wisconsin is different based on how it partners with parents.
Williams said the state may receive fewer complaints than others because of its Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Educator Initiative, a service for parents, educators and others interested in parent-educator partnerships for children with disabilities.
"Collaboration is key to a child's success," Williams said. "Parents and their child's teacher often have long-term relationships. It's better for everyone to work together."


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Couples Coping Support Group
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If your husband has given up on sex because of HIS inability to perform sexually (and medical treatment has not improved the issue). there is no reason for you to feel unattractive because he cannot perform.
GailView Thread
It's important to remember that even with therapy the relationship will never be the same as it was before. It will be like having been injured severely; one may heal but there will be a scar left behind. You must question whether you can live with this scar.
If you cannot (or cannot live with the fear that he will cheat again..and therapy should help to reveal WHY the cheating was done in the first place) then end the marriage.
GailView Thread
He's had unprotected sex with prostitutes. Make an appointment for some STD testing for yourself. Then, if cleared, sit him down and ask him these same questions.
GailView Thread
It is hoped that soon this second half will develop the strength to leave this "mama's boy" and either find someone who will treat you right or realize that yes, it's perfectly fine to live by yourself.
GailView Thread
And your husband is an idiot by the way.
GailView Thread
GailView Thread
Your boyfriend goofed big time on this one.
GailView Thread
GailView Thread
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Clinical trials are research studies that involve people and test new ways to treat cancer. Ask your neurosurgeon about which trials might be right for you.
If a clinical trial is presented as a treatment option, explore with your doctor why he believes this trial might be of benefit. Are there particular characteristics of your tumors that leads him to think a specific trial is the best option?
Inquire about clinical trials at other institutions and ask your neurosurgeon if he is comfortable working collaboratively with other doctors to coordinate your care.
You can research clinical trials yourself online or with the help of a nurse advocate. The National Cancer Institute web site has a section on clinical trials and includes detailed information about specific ongoing studies of brain tumors. NCI's Information Specialists at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) and at LiveHelp can answer questions and provide information about clinical trials.
The Brain Tumor Network (BTN) will conduct a personalized clinical trial sort for you, taking into consideration your brain tumor diagnosis and treatment history, your geographic location, and ability/desire to travel. The BTN staff will equip you with information to discuss options with your physician. Call 1.844.286.6110
Also know that once you start chemotherapy and radiation you become ineligible for a significant number of trials. So evaluate the clinical trial options before you start chemo and radiation, if you're able to.
If researchers learn that a treatment harms you, you will be taken off the study right away. You may then receive other treatments. You have the right to leave a study at any time.[1]
How clinical trials work:
All clinical trials treatments can have different side effects depending on what treatment is being tested, so it is vital to discuss this with your doctors. Possible side effects should also be enumerated in the release that you sign to in your agreement to participate in the trial. By nature of the trial, you also may be put in the placebo group that does not receive the experimental treatment.
Nontherapeutic clinical trials involve monitoring some aspect of a patient's health throughout the course of his or her care without adding a new investigational agent to the patient's current treatment.[3] This could be something like a diet, for example. They can be a lower-risk way to help add to science's body of knowledge on cancer.
Downloadable Brochures & Booklets
[1] Johns Hopkins Patients' Guide To Brain Cancer
[2] Faster Cures: Glioblastoma Multiforme - A Giving Smarter Guide to Accelerate Research Progress
[3] Johns Hopkins Patients' Guide To Brain Cancer


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Trademark Fine Art Color Abstract by Michelle Calkins Canvas Art
Original: $110.00 - $286.00
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Web exclusive! This abstract giclee' is absolutely stunning!
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Dazzle with home décor that displays your love of color with a Trademark Art 'Color Abstract' by Michelle Calkins Canvas Giclee´. Color beautiful is really what this gorgeous giclee' should be called. Bright hues of greens, reds and yellows are the highlight of this high quality fine art reproduction that would make a great feature in your dining room.
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-T / T / +T | Comment(s)
Monday, January 10, 2005
Rentals Improve Sporadically
The high price of fuel, the improvement in market conditions and increased airline profitability, and new aircraft discounting are all reducing the emphasis on lease rentals of some older aircraft, although interest rates may be pulling in the opposite direction. Lease rentals on Stage 2 aircraft and some...
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Mid-range (84 community guides)
Sort by
All at sea on the west coast of Scotland...what a wonderful place to be. The short break teeming with wildlife, walking, great food, equally great company and the best bit of all - relaxation... read more »
The Galapagos Islands are high on most people's travel wish lists, and no wonder. The experience is massively rewarding - especially with creature comforts to return to at the end of each day... read more »
Vivacious and vain, breezy and blithe, posing around its shimmering harbour. Sydney is a sun-kissed show-off with a whimsical grin... read more »
Venture deep into the jungle, where monkeys clamber over ruined temples, and prepare to unleash your inner Mowgli on a magical adventure into the heart of the Mayan empire... read more »
On a cruise of Alaska's Inside Passage, you'll find a land full of awe-inspiring scenery, fascinating native culture, historic Gold Rush-era towns and the occasional brown bear ... read more »
Nestling between South Africa and Mozambique, the small landlocked kingdom of Swaziland is often overlooked by tourists, but has a surprising amount to offer... read more »
Rainforests, orang-utans, national parks... the often overlooked island of Borneo has much to offer those looking for something different... read more »
Tobago is a Caribbean gem, with pristine beaches, protected rainforests, abundant bird life and great food. Above all, though, it has wonderful people keen for you to enjoy their fabulous island... read more »
What's that, Skippy? Don't drive after dark in case you hit a kangaroo? Good idea, mate! Time to spill the beans on driving in Australia... read more »
Britain's most remote inhabited island, the historic wildlife sanctuary of Fair Isle, is home to 50,000 puffins and just 70 people... read more »
Take a road trip through Australia's Northern Territory, from Darwin to Alice Springs, and you'll have all sorts of weird and wonderful wildlife encounters en route... read more »
Every year, as the ice freezes on Hudson Bay, polar bears gather near the town of Churchill in northern Canada. On my first day, I saw 10 or 12 of them – plus an abundance of other arctic wildlife... read more »
Who needs breakfast at Tiffany's when you can have brunch with cheetahs? At Okonjima in Namibia, you can see these elegant creatures at close quarters and witness wildlife conservation at work... read more »
Iguazu, Iguassu, Iguaçu... however you spell their name, these awe-inspiring waterfalls on the border of Brazil and Argentina can justifiably claim to be the most spectacular in the world... read more »
If you're looking for the ultimate adrenaline buzz, you might just find it on the waters of the Ganges in northern India... read more »
Borneo is a land of mystery, an exotic, untamed destination. Following the headhunters' trail makes for a uniquely cultural experience, as modern life merges gently with ancient customs... read more »
Slip silently through the sea in a kayak and enjoy an accessible wildlife-watching experience off the coast of Anglesey in North Wales... read more »
Silver sand beaches, azure seas and no crowds (except at church on Sundays) - that's what you'll find on the Isle of Harris, a world apart from anywhere you've ever been... read more »
Amazing wildlife, unlimited adrenaline activities, not to mention the best views of the world's largest waterfalls. Why not give Zimbabwe a chance?... read more »
Namibia is a country of extreme wild beauty, unique landscapes and, of course, wildlife. But it's not all about the big five; Namibia is where the desert comes alive – if you know where to look...... read more »
Showing 1-20 of 84 results


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Bushfires Burn Across Victoria
Smoke rises near the town of Seaton on January 19, 2013 in Melbourne,... NachrichtenfotoAustralien,Horizontal,Kleinstadt,Melbourne,Unfall und KatastrophePhotographer Craig SillitoeCollection: Getty Images News 2013 Getty ImagesMELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 19: Smoke rises near the town of Seaton on January 19, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. Bushfires in Victoria have claimed one life and destroyed several houses. Record heat continues to create extreme fire conditions throughout Australia. (Photo by Craig Sillitoe/Getty Images)


text:
|Top News > sports
Barbados warm up with a victory
A 54-run sixth wicket partnership between Shamarh Brooks and Kyle Mayers lifted Barbados to victory in their Twenty20 practice match against Combined Campuses & Colleges at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus 3Ws Oval yesterday.
Chasing a target of 136 for victory, Barbados had slumped to 82/5 after losing three wickets for a mere 26 runs.
But the Barbados team did not seemingly panic and when Brooks and Mayers came together, they set about rebuilding the innings with singles and the odd boundary.
With plenty balls in hand, these two timed the innings to perfection when many thought that Barbados were struggling.
Mayers, who played in the final of the Inter Parish tournament the night before, struck the winning runs as Akeem Dewar was hammered for 13 runs off four balls in the penultimate over.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, CCC lost the wicket of Raymond Reifer with the score on 22. But the in form Walton carried on in a partnership of in a second-wicket partnership.
CCC lost four wickets while just adding 40 runs, but managed to consolidate in the end to get up to 135/5.
In reply Barbados lost their captain and opening batsman Dwayne Smith when he edged a ball to the wicketkeeper Walton who took a low catch to his right.
However Justin Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich shared in a 44-run second-wicket stand which steadied the Barbados batting. Brathwaite was seemingly struggling to time the ball well, but his strength was enough for him to clear the boundary twice on his way to 32 off 24 deliveries. He was caught trying to hook a ball.
A ball which cramped Dowrich for room was cut into the hands of the point field Ryan Wiggins and Dowrich departed for 20 off 18 balls.
Brooks (30) and Mayers (25) safely saw Barbados home.
The second practice match is slated for today at 1 p.m. at the same venue. (CG)
CCC: Kyle Corbin (captain), Raymon Reifer, Chadwick Walton (wkp), Ryan Wiggins, Wayne Morgan, Jason Holder, Sunil Ambris, Kristopher Ramsaran, Kevin McClean, Derone Davis, Akeem Dewar, Kesrick Williams,
Floyd Reifer, Ryan Austin
Barbados: Dwayne Smith (captain), Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Carlos Brathwaite, Justin Brathwaite, Ryan Hinds, Shane Dowrich (wkp), Ashley Nurse, Javon Searles, Kyle Mayers, Fidel Edwards.
Did not play: Roston Chase, Sulieman Benn, Rashidi Boucher, Christopher Jordan
Combined Campuses & Colleges vs. Barbados
Toss: Combined Campuses & Colleges (Batted)
Combined Campuses & Colleges Innings
C. Walton c Searles b A. Nurse... 33 (23)
R. Reifer c Mayers b R. Hinds... 12 (13)
K. Corbin c Nurse b D. Smith... 32 (29)
S. Ambris b D. Smith... 13 (16)
W. Morgan c J. Brathwaite b D. Smith ...3 (9)
R. Wiggins not out. ..23 (20)
J. Holder not out. ..11 (11)
Extras: ( 1b, 3lb, 1nb, 3w). ..8
Total: 135 for 5 in 20 overs
Did not bat: K. Ramsaran, A. Dewar, K. McClean, D. Davis
Fall of wickets: 22, 63, 95, 95, 103
Bowling: R. Hinds 4-0-31-1, F. Edwards 4-0-28-0, Javon Searles 2-0-18-0, D. Smith 4-0-20-3, A. Nurse 4-0-16-1, C. Brathwaite 2-0-18-0
Barbados Innings
D. Smith c wk Walton b K. McClean. ..10 (10)
J. Brathwaite c R. Reifer b K. Williams. ..32 (24)
S. Dowrich c Wiggins b K. Williams.. .20 (18)
R. Hinds c Ramsaran b K. Williams.. .12 (14)
J. Carter b K. Williams.. .1 (3)
S. Brooks not out. ..30 (27)
K. Mayers not out. ..25 (18)
Extras: (1lb, 6w) ...7
Total: 136 for5 in 18.4 overs
Did not bat: A. Nurse, C. Brathwaite, J. Searles, F. Edwards
Fall of wickets: 12, 56, 69, 71, 82,
Bowling: K. McClean 3-0-22-1, D. Davis 3-0-16-0, J. Holder 3-0-26-0, K. Williams 3-0-20-4, K. Ramsaran 2-0-13-0, A. Dewar 2.4-0-27-0, W. Morgan 2-0-11-0
Result: Barbados win by five wickets
Umpires: Vincent Bullen, Leslie Reifer Jr.
DLMM: Vincent Bullen
Scorers: Lee-Ann Johnson, Natalia Parris


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Someone was to blame - but not me
29 May, 2009
In an article in todays Telegraph, Jeff Randall takes a humourous sideswipe at those MPs who have blamed the world and his wife for their persistent wrongdoing. He writes:
Many MPs whose fingers have been suspiciously near the taxpayer's wallet are desperate to deflect suggestions of culpability. In thrashing about for plausible escape routes, they appear unbothered by the facts and eager to frame anyone but themselves for their embarrassment. Ben Chapman, the Labour member for Wirral South, who overclaimed £15,000 on his mortgage, might have plucked his attempt at self-exculpation from the pages of Burgess's dystopian novel: "It is clear that I was misled by the fees office into the arrangement in question." Get it? Nothing to do with Mr. Chapman's behaviour; all the fault of perfidious bean counters.
He goes on: Thus we had Margaret Moran (Luton South) claiming £22,500 of taxpayers' money to treat dry rot at a house in Southampton, 100 miles from her constituency, so that she and her partner, who works on the south coast, could enjoy a cosy family life. This, she insisted, was acceptable "support". No less grotesque was Julie Kirkbride's last-ditch effort to save her skin by bleating about the pressures of being a working mum. In order for her to square the circle of parental and official duties, she "needed" a £50,000 extension, funded by taxpayers, to the home we had already subsidised.
In order to understand this persistent excuse making we need to delve into a little psychology, specifically the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when someone holds two contradictory beliefs or attitudes simultaneously with the resulting feeling one of discomfort or anxiety. To reduce this discomfort, dissonance theory tells us that people will seek to justify or rationalise their beliefs and attitudes, usually in such a way as to maintain the integrity of their ego. That is the case with our MPs.
They view themselves as both effective and benevolent yet are simultaneously confronted with evidence concerning their dubious financial activities. Were they to look at this evidence impartially, they would view themselves as we do: as incompetent, deceitful and thoroughly dishonourable individuals. Yet such an epiphany would batter the self esteem of any individual, never mind a monstrously egotistical politician.
So the alternative strategy is to engage in a tortuous process of self justification whereby discomfiting evidence is explained away using every contrivance in the book. So when an MP is engaged in tax avoidance it is the consequence of poor advice from the fees office. Phantom mortgages are the result of poor accounting. Clearing dry rot in a partners home is acceptable because of the need for a normal family life. It was the system, stupid. Dodgy expenses have been supplemented with even more dodgy excuses.
Of course self justification, which comes naturally to us all, is not the only response to evidence that we are less perfect than we think. We can admit our follies and mistakes and hold up a mirror to our actions. We can focus on our failings and promise to learn from them instead of deflecting criticism. Yet this seems to be the exception, rather than the rule. There is nothing worse than seeing people in positions of public authority stubbornly deny any responsibility for mistakes on their watch. Hence the public outrage when Sharon Shoesmith, former head of Childrens services at Haringey, refused to apologise for failings over the baby P saga. Her lack of contrition was a mistake of the heart that people found hard to forgive.
Sorry may be the hardest word, but it may sometimes keep you in your job. Someone should tell our MPs.top
Feckless diplomacy has brought us North Korean intransigence
26 May, 2009
To understand why the Wests diplomacy towards Iran has failed, it is instructive to examine its policy towards North Korea. Once again, this tyrannical, Stalinist outpost has defied international opinion by carrying out a prohibited nuclear test. Despite an agreement to shut down the Yongbyon plant and account for its nuclear programme, the regime has flexed its military muscles with cavalier disregard for its neighbours security. This behaviour has rightly provoked an outcry from the West, followed by vague threats of sanctions against Kims regime. Tough measures are certainly needed to deter North Korea from further aggression.
A leader in The Times today suggests that Kims regime is irrational and that it remains impervious to the threat of outside force. This view is questionable. Kim Jung Ils policy of nuclear brinkmanship is arguably a perfectly rational response to 15 years of feckless Western engagement.
In 1994 the Clinton administration reached a deal with North Korea whereby it would shut down its nuclear facilities in return for receiving half a million tons of oil and the construction of two light-water nuclear reactors. In John Boltons words, this represented a prayer to negotiate the North out of its nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang took advantage of Western largesse by secretly resuming work at Yongbyon and withdrawing from the nuclear non proliferation treaty. Further six party talks continued and appeared to bear fruit in 2007 with the shut down of Yongbyon. But a year later the North Koreans resumed nuclear processing while shipping nuclear technology to Syria, further endangering the stability of the Middle East. Western carrots proved to be largely ineffective.
All the inducements offered to Iran to end its nuclear programme have been similarly futile. For years, the EU3 offered one financial incentive after another to Tehran, often in the teeth of US opposition, and all to no avail. Irans intransigent leaders could no more be talked out of their nuclear ambitions than the North Koreans. For the mullahs, it is a matter of national honour that their country flexes its muscles in defiance of The Great Satan and becomes the regions dominant power. They see no better way to secure this ambition than by joining the elite nuclear club.
After years of bankrupt policy, Western leaders need to get real with the autocrats of both countries. UN sanctions will be watered down (by China and others) while further financial carrots will prove futile. Tough talking is one thing but the bite should be as strong as the bark.top
The start of a British revolution?
24 May, 2009
After another week in which MPs expenses have come under intense scrutiny, the wave of public anger shows little sign of abating. On the contrary, the anecdotal evidence suggests that the publics emotions are at boiling point with their political representatives. Up and down the land, MPs have returned nervously to the constituents and faced sustained displays of public indignation. A number of MPs have been forced into early retirement and others will soon face a similar fate.
It is hard to find many parallels for what we are experiencing. Perhaps the nearest equivalent is the Iraq war of 2003. The conflict certainly generated heated debate but it was possible to find people passionately supportive of ousting Saddam as well. And no one was turfed out of a job (as an MP) in 2003 for supporting the invasion. Similarly in 1997, amid a media orchestrated wave of anger with aloof Royals, one could find diehard Republicans who scarcely cared about the Peoples Princess. No, the current rage is unprecedented because it does not divide us. After all, is there anybody who believes that horse manure is a legitimate expense?
For some, this is a disturbing indication that we have gone too far. Writing in The Times on 23rd May, Matthew Parris commented that Britain had gone beserk, and that it was in one of its periodic fits of moral horror before adding There is no arguing with a spasm of popular anger. His point was echoed by David Aaronovitch who argued that Twenty-five light bulbs, 20 grand on security, a bath plug, a boiler, a property flip that earns a grand, a shared cleaner does not add up to clawing greed, constitute a sordid culture of abuse or justify the assertion that Parliament's moral authority is at the lowest ebb in living memory.
Well we can agree that corruption is as old as British politics and that occasionally, fits of outrage are somewhat misdirected. But both miss the point somewhat. In themselves, these dubious (in some cases fraudulent) claims are a drop in the ocean compared to total government spending. This is not a Continental level of corruption nor is it on the scale of the African kleptocrats who amass billions of pounds, dollars and rupees. But expense-gate does matter, and it has rightly generated a storm, because it is a perfect microcosm of the failings of our political class.
Firstly, it reveals how our political class is out of touch with those they claim to serve. No MP could justify to his constituents a claim for moat cleaning, wisteria or duck ponds. No MP could justify deliberate tax avoidance as part of the Commons rules. Yet these egregious breaches of morality are suddenly acceptable within the Palace of Westminster. It is as if these MPs are living in a kind of manufactured Westminster bubble that severs them from the concerns of ordinary voters. People rightly question why politicians can escape the consequences of fraud and chicanery when they would suffer for the same thing.
Living in the Westminster bubble leaves our politicians out of touch on other issues too. From mass immigration to multiculturalism, from state education to the NHS, from violent crime to the EU, our mainstream politicians regularly licence views that are remote from the experiences of their constituents. Consider how many times we are lectured about the moral need for higher taxes, how many times we are informed that state education are great, how often we are made to feel guilty about criticising mass immigration and Islam. Yet we can all see that many state schools are dire, that MRSA is blighting the health service, that violent crime is increasing and that unrestricted immigration has brought disaster. It is no surprise that MPs are frequently told to live in the real world.
The second issue raised by the expense scandal is the flagrant misuse of public money. Among the inappropriate claims uncovered by the Telegraph were the following gems: £16,000 claimed by Tam Dalyell for 2 bookcases and Gerald Kaufmanns £8,000 plasma TV. What stinks here is not just that these items were illegitimate political expenses but that they represent a extravagant misuse of public funds. Gerald Kaufmann could have bought his own television or charged for one costing a tiny fraction of £8,000. Nothing better illustrates the truism that when politicians get hold of your cash, they are liable to waste it.
The right lessons have got to be learnt from this appalling fiasco. Firstly, Parliament needs to be strengthened at the expense of the executive. To avoid the charge that MPs are the mere playthings of their party, they must be given more free votes on issues that do not relate to manifesto commitments. The power of the whips should be reduced and MPs must decide the composition of select committees. This way, Parliament can more effectively hold the government to account. Finally, there must be a referendum on EU membership following a complete disclosure of the powers we have given up to Europe.
Secondly, the electorate needs to be strengthened at the expense of Parliament. The American idea of recalling politicians back to their constituencies needs to be taken seriously. Where there is clear evidence of corruption and wrong doing or where an MP has broken a manifesto pledge, he or she must be liable to face the wrath of the voters back at home. We must be able to know how much our MPs cost the taxpayer and where and when they are claming expenses.
But none of this can happen while the current crop of MPs still sits in the Commons. A summer general election is essential so that voters up and down the land can remove the rotten apples that have blighted our political life.top
The Iranian-Palestinian connection
19 May, 2009
Behind the smiles and the familiar bonhomie, the sharp differences between Israel and the US over regional security are being exposed. President Obama has endorsed a Palestinian state in all but name on Israels borders and called for further dialogue between the US and Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stopped short of embracing a two state solution, believing that with the Middle East in its current state, any such development would be premature and dangerous. He prefers economic development within the disputed territories as a prelude to a workable political settlement.
Netanyahu is clearly the more realistic of the two, not least because he is alert to the connections between a Palestinian state and the Iranian terror machine. Consider the simple facts. Iran has used terror proxies to spread instability and violence across the region. These proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, have precipitated aggressive acts against Israel in recent years which have led to bloody regional conflagrations. The current regime in the West Bank led by Mahmoud Abbas is weak and could face a coup by Hamas in the near future, a disastrous outcome which would leave Israel at the mercy of 2 neighbouring (pro Iranian) terror states.
With Irans nuclear ambitions clearly insatiable, and with the West seemingly powerless to prevent them, the dangers for the Jewish state are clear. Even if Iran could be deterred from a nuclear strike on Israel, there would be little to prevent the regime from passing on its nuclear knowledge to other terror groups, or terror states. The resulting instability would be terrifying.
Obama, together with Israeli doves and other Western leaders, sees Israeli disengagement as an opportunity for peace and as the prelude to Arab-Israeli harmony. From Tehrans perspective, a precipitate Israeli pullback also provides opportunities, except that these are to carve out a third Iranian sphere of influence next to Israel (after Gaza and South Lebanon) as part of a scarcely concealed bid to extend their dominance from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.
Fortunately, some of Israels Arab allies understand the Palestine-Iran connection very well. The leaders of the Sunni quadrangle (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States) are quaking in their collective boots at the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran. They fear that a nuclearised Tehran would try and impose its will at will, stirring up discontent among Shia communities and undermining pro Western regimes across the region.
Two things are obvious, and Netanyahu understands both. There can also be no viable settlement without a strong and credible Palestinian leadership willing to implement serious political reform, end incitement, and destroy forever the misguided dream of a right of return. Secondly, a two state solution will not work unless the Iranian menace is tackled. Arab leaders dont always get the first proposition but do get the second. Obama understands neither. Yet he is the leader of the free world.top
A wave of public anger
15 May, 2009
Judging by last nights Question Time, there is an understandable chorus of public indignation sweeping the land over the expenses scandal. One politician after another was heckled, hissed and booed after it was revealed that they had made fraudulent and immoral claims at the taxpayers expense. Even Ming Campbell, that much lauded paragon of liberal virtue, was exposed for wrong doing and heckled accordingly. In each case, the politicians fended off accusations of greed or corruption by engaging in a tortuous process of self justification, attempting to extricate themselves from the quagmire that is their current reputation. How Sir Fred Goodwin must be loving this. He knows that politicians have replaced investment bankers at the apex of Britains hall of shame.
What clearly annoyed last nights audience was not just the dubious way that unscrupulous politicians were augmenting their income. It was the fact that politicians had got away with something that would have cost ordinary taxpayers their jobs or freedom. Fraud is a criminal offence and dubious expense claims often result in instant dismissal, for us ordinary mortals that is. But so far, no MP has been de-selected while the chance of criminal convictions remains slight. The double standards are galling.
The level of public anger probably reflects something else. Occasionally in politics there are events which unleash a torrent of pent up fury at any particular moment. One thinks of how the widespread support for the petrol protests in 2000 reflected public anger at the increasing tax burden. Then there was the Brand/Ross affair which drew public indignation at the coarse standards of our major public broadcaster. Perhaps this is another seismic moment that will help to define modern politics.
For this affair has exposed not just the breathtaking arrogance of many MPs but their radical disconnection from the rest of us. Some are so cocooned in the Westminster village that they are switched off from the concerns of ordinary people. They are caught up in their own narrative in which the flagrant misuse of public money is a mere embarrassment, a trifling and peripheral matter, rather than a stain on Parliament. And the most egregious form of self justification is one where the individual admits that things are wrong, but not because of their own failings. Thus the deafening chorus of blame for the system, not for individual MPs. Yet MPs created the system and knew that its basic rule proscribed any expense that was seen as a misuse of public money.
Of course we must never engage in a witch hunt. Not all MPs are tainted by corruption and some, such as Norman Baker, have long urged the publication of MPs expenses. Not all second home allowances are wrong and not all expense claims are fraudulent. And not all MPs enter politics to defraud the taxpayer. But one can no longer claim, at least with a straight face, that this is all about one or two rotten apples in an otherwise gleaming basket. Only a general election will allow us to keep the baby while throwing out the bathwater.top
Speaker Martin is a disgrace to his office
12 May, 2009
Nothing has been more nauseating in the last 24 hours than the sight of Michael Martin lecturing MPs on the expenses fiasco. Nothing better illustrates his contempt for the public and for those MPs brave enough to defy his idiotic interventions.
His attack on Kate Hoey yesterday was simply astonishing in light of the growing public anger over MPs behaviour. Hoey had questioned why the Speaker wanted to call in the police to investigate the leaking of expenses. As she pointed out, it was surely more appropriate for the police to investigate the dishonourable activities of MPs. Martins patronizing response demonstrated just how out of touch he was with the public: Is it the case that an employee of this House should be able to hand over any private data to any organisation of his or her choosing?
So instead of rounding on Parliamentarians for their disgraceful abuse of expenses, he chose to vent his fury on the media. Instead of insisting that MPs return the money they obtained fraudulently, he was angered by the leaking of information from Parliament. But whatever the concerns about the security of private information, the leak is a peripheral concern right now. The primary issue, the one that ought to exercise Mr. Martin, is the tarnished reputation of Parliament. The Speakers priorities could not be more twisted.
And this is hardly surprising. For this breathtakingly supercilious twit has presided over the systematic abuse of the expense system. He fought to prevent publication of MPs expense claims and was therefore an integral part of the conspiracy to defraud the public. Worse, he failed to defend Damien Green from an unnecessary police with hunt when the MPs only crime was to embarrass the government. The longer Michael Martin sits in the Speakers Chair, the more he demeans the great office he represents.
If MPs are sincere about cleaning up politics, they must force this man from office in the impending no confidence vote and return him to the backbenches. No doubt Kate Hoey or Norman Baker would make excellent replacements. And once this is done, Parliament should be dissolved for an immediate general election. It is only then that we will be able to remove from office all those shabby, deceitful and corrupt politicians who have treated us with such contempt.top
The shaming of Parliament
9 May, 2009
Westminster politics is in deep crisis. The latest revelations of financial chicanery, courtesy of the Daily Telegraph, are truly appalling. They paint our politicians as a corrupt and deceitful lot who are intent on fleecing the electorate for their own gain. The expenses system is revealed to be an utter sham, together with those who administer it. Second home allowances are designed for MPs with constituencies outside London. They have been flagrantly abused by politicians who see them as a means to augment their parliamentary salaries. The deceit is shameful.
Predictably the politicians affected have refused to own up to this mess. Ministers have lined up to tell us that it was the system to blame or that the Commons rules were not clear. Actually the basic rule on expenses is clear and stipulates that there should be "no grounds for a suggestion of a misuse of public money". If ministers think they have not misused public money, they are living on another planet.
But they are not solely to blame. Part of the problem is that parliamentary officials signed off these fraudulent claims in the first place. Perhaps they were just incompetent or (more likely) felt intimidated by their political 'superiors' and felt they could do little more than advise against undue extragavance. Clearly politicians expenses were regulated as badly as our beleaguered banks. But it is disingenuous for MPs to offer their version of the Nuremburg defence: We were only following rules! There is also the question of whether it was right to fleece the public using such dubious interpretations of the rules. This is the issue that should exercise the conscience of every MP whose behaviour is now under relentless scrutiny.
So what do we do? In the most blatant cases of abuse, MPs should be expelled from the Commons; in some cases, pursued by the police for criminal misdemeanours. We need a new, impartial administrator, elected on a yearly basis, who can scrutinize MPs expense claims with increased rigour and competence. Speaker Martin, who oversaw the entire rotten system, must be forced out once and for good and replaced with someone who commands the respect of the House. Only then can we have a system that works properly in the interests of the public.
Until then, the repercussions from this affair will be dreadful. With local and European elections coming up in June, the only beneficiaries will be the small, fringe parties that thrive on public discontent with Westminster politics. The BNP, among others, love to exploit the view that the mainstream parties are equally bad and that MPs are out for their own interests. It will be hard to argue against them.
Indeed for far right politicians, this is a god-send. Traditionally, their big rallying cries have included violent crime, immigration and the EU. Now they can add the financial corruption of MPs to their charge sheet and who can blame them?top
Paul K
Edgware, England
MP's are being shown up for the greedy, currupt fatcats they are. When billing the taxpayer £3k for house repairs after quitting as an MP, Peter Mandleson replied that the system needs to change. Gordon Brown again blamed the system. Let's be clear the MP's created this system for themselves in the first place! They are abusing the system and breaching guidelines, and pulling every trick in a system that is also run by them. They've now been found out, a shameless cash grab to milk as much as possible the very people they are supposed to be looking after. In other areas of employment, they would be sacked with probable criminal investigations undertaken.
Paul K
London, England
The abuse of the MP expense system is beyond reproach - £20,000 for dry rot treatment on a seaside holiday home, £70,000 for a home 12 miles from his London home, £25,000 for security, Jack Straw only pays back when rumbled and Peter Mandleson just blames the system when he claimed when no longer an MP, 3 main residences in one year switching as each one being done up, £550 to clean a rug, even one claiming on a place that his civil partner has a mortgage on, chocolate, clothes, tampons, pornography, silk pillows; The abuse of taxpayers money is endless. If anyone did that with inland revenue, or indeed at their own workplace it would be a very different outcome
Paul K
London, UK
And of course tax payers should pay for over £300 worth of silk pillows for someone's 'second home'. Many are claiming a second home, when their main home is less than 20 miles away! Everyone else travels to work, why can't MP's?????????
Another clumsy intervention from Jacqui Smith
07 May, 2009
Jacqui Smiths record on liberty isnt good. Im not talking about the Damien Green arrest, the DNA database, ID cards, or a host of other draconian policies. I refer to her inconsistent approach in barring people from the UK. Ever since she prevented Geert Wilders from entering the UK on the grounds that his presence was not conducive to the national good, she has faced justified criticisms of double standards. She excludes politicians with tendentious views, such as Wilders, but is passive in the face of Islamist intimidation.
Now she has landed herself in the brown stuff again after banning the American talk show host, Michael Savage. Savage is a controversial broadcaster whose views offend many people. He opposes illegal immigration into the United States and condemns gay marriage in forthright terms. He has labelled the Koran a book of hate and called on listeners to burn Mexican flags in protest at immigration. He would hardly win an award for promoting community cohesion.
But he is understandably outraged to find his name on a list that includes Hamas terrorists, neo Nazis and Islamist activists. It is one thing to keep out a preacher or activist who incites violence against a section of the community. But it is entirely another to ban an individual simply for holding tendentious opinions.
Certainly some of those opinions appear bigoted and ill informed, as one might expect from a leading shock jock. But people are entitled to offer misguided and offensive views without being regarded as an imminent threat to national security. Causing offence and inciting hatred are two different things, as our legal system recognises.
We should welcome any attempt to exclude genuine fanatics. But consistency and common sense need to be part of the governments armoury too.top
The government is in meltdown. But are the Conservatives ready for power?
4 May, 2009
In the last 48 hours, Hazel Blears has ramped up the crisis which now threatens to engulf Gordon Browns premiership. In a recent interview, she savaged Gordon Browns leadership in the most forthright manner, dismissing his use of You Tube as a worthless gimmick. Now she claims she has been misunderstood (a favourite tactic of New Labour ministers) and that she is 100% behind him. Naturally this statement is as risible as the Prime Ministers u-turn over the second home allowances. Ms Blears is 100% behind her own scarcely concealed ambition to succeed Mr. Brown, a politician whose authority is ebbing away by the minute.
Meanwhile Harriet Harman has 'privately' signalled her own interest in the top job while Alan Johnson is being put about as the populist candidate who can reconnect with the electorate. With the stench of Cabinet betrayal blowing through Downing Street, it is little wonder that Gordon Brown is having temper tantrums! Still, the odds must be on the Prime Minister remaining in Downing Street until 2010. This is a man whose pursuit of power has been relentless over the last decade. He will not stand down without a protracted fight and, in any case, it is never easy to unseat a serving Labour leader. More to the point, Browns rivals would all inherit the ultimate poisoned chalice. The moment they reached no. 10, they would face overwhelming pressure to hold an early election, one that would certainly result in a terrible Labour defeat.
But while Brown remains a limbo PM, maintaining power without authority, more misery is being piled on the British people. In the midst of rising unemployment and financial meltdown, the last thing we need is a disfiguring feud between Blairites and Brownites. An executive torn between factions cannot govern effectively. In any case, a change in Labour leadership will not solve the partys most fundamental problem the complete breakdown of public trust in those who govern us. In the eyes of the public, New Labour is a damaged product whose credibility has melted away.
All the promises made in 1997 - that there would be no return to boom and bust, that the economy was safe in Labours hands, that taxpayers money was needed to improve public services, that the government would offer openness and accountability - these have all been shot to pieces. The economy is in meltdown, businesses are failing, bankruptcies are rising and taxes are shooting up.
Vast amounts of public money have been squandered in a failed bid to improve public services. And the governments obsession with spin doctors and media manipulation has corroded public trust in the political class. A different leader offering a new deal for the British public will enjoy only a temporary bounce in the polls. Barring sudden economic revival, or a war in the Falklands, Labours march to electoral oblivion cannot be averted.
Naturally, this gives the Conservatives an important opportunity. After 13 years in the political wilderness, they can finally return to power on the back of the governments misery and abject failure. But in politics, there is a huge difference between victory and success. It is one thing to win an election, and another to reconnect with the electorate. If you ask most people what Cameronomics is all about, they will probably shrug their shoulders. The grand Tory narrative on public services, welfare reform and economic revival is not easy to discern, even if Cameron himself is a personable and telegenic figure. In 2010, many people will be voting against the government rather than for the opposition.
It is 30 years since another Tory leader stormed to power after defeating a failed Labour Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher arrived at no. 10 with the country in the doldrums and convulsed by union power - the sick man of Europe. Over the next decade, she helped to transform our national fortunes, overturning a post war economic consensus in favour of high taxes and strong state intervention. While she failed to alter that consensus completely, she laid the foundations for our future prosperity and national revival.
Will the same ever be said of David Cameron?top


text:
This study originated from the reality on the SDN 19 Sungai Aur that learning is dominated by the teacher as a source of information. Teachers using the conventional method of teaching that resulted in a student science learning outcomes are low, for that researchers aim to discuss the increased yield learning science through experimental method in SDN 19 Class IV Sungai Aur West Pasaman.
The approach used is a qualitative and quantitative approach consisting of two cycles includes four phases: planning, implementation, observation and reflection. The data of this study in the form of information about the process and outcome measures of data obtained from the observation and tests. Subjects were teachers, researchers (practitioners) and fourth grade students of SDN 19 classes totaling 20 people. Data analysis was performed using qualitative analysis and quantitative models.
The results showed an increase. The increase can be seen from: a) the lesson plan (RPP) cycle I value the percentage is 74.5% (average) increased to 85.5% (good) in the second cycle. b) Implementation of experimental methods to study the aspects of teachers in the first cycle 78 (good) increased to 86% (very good) II.c cycle) implementation of learning with the experimental method in aspects of students' first cycle 72.5% (good) increased to 86% (very good) student learning outcomes in the first cycle value was 68.8 (moderately) increased to 78.8 (good) in the second cycle. So it can be concluded that the experimental method can improve student learning outcomes in learning science in the fourth grade at SDN 19 Sungai Aur.
Kata Kunci: hasil; belajar; IPA; metode; eksperimen
Igak Wardani.2002. Penelitian Tindakan Kelas. Jakarta : Universitas Terbuka
Roestiyah N.K. 2001. Strategi Belajar Mengajar. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.
Sri Anitah. 2008. Strategi pembelajaran di SD. Jakarta: Universitas Terbuka
Suharsimi Arikunti, Suhardjono, dan Supardi. 2008. Penelitian Tindakan Kelas. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara
Udin S. Winaputra, dkk. 1993. Strategi Belajar Mengajar IPA. Jakarta: Universitas
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