Interesting articles

Probably both. But they got their OECD 15% corporate tax rate, so they can **** off.

In any case, even using the Irish preference for the more accurate GNI* metric rather than GDP, we are still the second highest perfomer in the EU and fifth in the World.

The only reason that doesn't translate to second / fifth wealthiest outright, is that our national reserves are low and our debt still quite high, but by 2030, all things being equal, that position will have reversed and our national wealth per capita will be up there with Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Hardly much credibility in playing the poor mouth then.....

When it comes to the french they are not afraid to do deals to sell gear, Just look at the amount new Renault Trucks on the road, the french will find a payment soluton for anyone

When you combine this with the earlier article in the Times, and the fact an irish company has a maintenance contract on the RAF A400s, it makes the whole situation an even bigger joke. That said, if Lossie has 4 squadrons available to maintain a QRA, we do need to dig deep to find solutions in the short and medium term in the matter of air policing.

The options are all out there, we are running out of excuses.

Renualt Trucks ( not owned by Reno) are heavily subsidised by the french government to keep the production lines. Renualt Ireland will offer you rates to buy the trucks at very good prices compare to scania is they are getting plenty of help from the french government. Its all about keeping the production lines going the same as Dassualt

Cathal Berry mentioned it last week in the committee that it was only brought in during the crash as they had large numbers applying.

The science behind psychometric testing is about as accurate as David Brent 's method.

It made sense when there was a waiting list of thousands wanting to join and only a few hundred recruited. The DF managed to recruit fine before its introduction.

It's fine if you want to find someone who likes doing long division or counting things in an office. It has no usefulness in selecting people who the military life would suit. That's what the physical test is for. The interview is enough then to establish if the potential candidate is capable of tying their own bootlaces, or dressing themselves unassisted. Those who fail at this test go on to become officer cadets.😄 (Its an NCOs joke).

I was surprised we had as many as that left too. I guess these are the ones that were hiding in old FCA stores in recently closed barracks, that had missed the original cleanout. They might have been held on the books as the FCA sniper rifle or something. I spent a lot of time in our unt stores in the day, and we never had access to EVERYTHING in the inventory. There was always stuff being swapped between units depending on what inspection was on. The FALs were still on the racks a long time after the Steyr was introduced.

As for the rest though, the numbers are small, and I know the condition of the brownings when they went out of use, and to be honest if their condition is anything to go by, its unsurprising nothing was sold back.

WeaponType Quantity

Pistol 1,714 :Anyone who had cause to use the BAP knows the state they were in. I saw one brought to competition with a cracked slide. I'm just surprised we had as many as that.

Rifle 1,555: At least some were 303s, but some of the FALs in stores were well worn. I remember competitions where armourers failed ridles because the barrel was no longer 7.62m, but closer to 8mm.I imagine some of this number may also include certain rifles in civvy ownership that had been surrendered for a myriad of reasons.

LMG 208 :Note LMG, not GPMG. We had 2 types of BREN in stores, the more modern of which was from the 1950s, the other was never fired, but counted every time.

HMG 96

20mmCannon 23 :Not specified which type. The old NS PVs used 3 types of 20mm in their service, the latter (RH202) which was already refitted to other ships since, but before that P21, 22 and 23 Used the Oerlikon, and later GAMBO 20mm cannon. that accounts for at least 12, and add to that the AML 20 cannon, of which there were at least 16

Gun A/Tk 7 :Doesn't say what calibre. Were there still a few 90mm RCL floating around?

Mortars 3 :Again, what calibre? Old 60mm, many failed inspection due to cracked barrels. 81mm? 120mm Brandt?

AssortedBarrels 564 :Every LMG came with a spare barrel, as did the HMGs

Total 4,170

Great series of 3 podcasts on the BelTel about Irish neutrality. Part 1 was with Cathal Berry, This is part 2.....

https://open.spotify.com/episode/74jYg8jO9B21w7gUQIRQs1

Why in the name of god does Paul Up Paul get to be the only opposition figure that gets the airwaves on defence. The man doesn’t have a fecking clue about any area of the topic and is just a default anti West BS merchant. He adds nothing to the topic and is never challenged.

They are grey with a gun on it… What else could it be? I mean he’s not alone in making that mistake but with him I’m fairly sure it’s intentional to make it sound somehow worse than saying an OPV or corvette or frigate.

Tankie's naval knowledge just about extends to a game of Battleship.

Not the electronic version obviously, that would be far too bourgeois.

SF wouldn't be without a few tankies theirselves.

And the chances of all the People Before Logics losing their seats in one go is slim, so we'll still be treated to the dulcet tones of Bríd or Gino or RBB.

Documents reveal divisions between Dept and military on how to handle abuse claims (thejournal.ie)

Every step we take, we seem to be confronted with the DoD putting barriers in the way of any progress.

I doubt a tribunal of inquiry would achieve much as, if I recall completely, any complaints on the old system were not treated as a disciplinary matter, and as such not recorded on the culprits file.

Unless the complainant can remember who they made the complaint to, if notes were taken, and who took them, and the outcome, if any, you are starting with a blank page.

If area records couldn't issue me a discharge card in the 12 years since I signed off and requested same (in writing) I don't hold out much hope of there being much in the way of records for the shambolic system that was created in the early 00s following Senator Clonan's findings.

Contrary to what you say "The Brass" wanted to continue using the IMG, which the Obmudsman for the defence forces stated was useful, as it monitored the usefulness, if any of the old system. Instead DoD got rid of the IMG quietly, and who knows what oversight, if any there was after 2014.

And people will still blame Mellett....

It wouldn't shock me to see some form of national service re-introduced in Britain, to cope with long term demands on leading NATO members. Obviously the likes of Germany already had in place a routine military service obligation.