Archive for January 2010
SHOCKING TREATMENT OF LENIHAN FAMILY BREACHES LETTER AND SPIRIT OF MEDIA PRIVACY CODES - CHILDERS
Posted on January 21, 2010 by Eamonn O'Gara
The shocking treatment of Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan and his family in the context of media reports into the Minister’s health is a ‘clear and disturbing breach’ of the Broadcasting Commissions of Ireland’s Code of Programme Standards and the Press Ombudsman’s Privacy Code, according to Labour MEP, Nessa Childers.
“Even a cursory reading of the relevant sections of these Codes shows that the media outlets who went public with the revelations about the Minister’s health status drove a coach and four through the letter and spirit of the frameworks governing print and broadcast media standards in Ireland.
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EU and Ireland should show courage and talk to Hamas
Posted on January 20, 2010 by Andy White
Nessa Childers, Labour MEP for Ireland East has urged the EU and the Irish government to ‘take a courageous step and meet with Hamas’ in the interests of moving peace forward in the Middle East.
Nessa Childers has returned from a visit to Gaza as part of the largest political delegation ever to travel to the Strip. It consisted of 14 MEPs and 34 MPs from 13 countries. The visit included meetings with leading elected members of Hamas including former Prime Minister of the Palestinian unity government - Ismail Haniya, Irishman John Ging, Head of UNRWA in Gaza and the Egyptian Foreign Minister - Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in Cairo.
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Un climate talks system needs life saving surgery, Childers tells European Parliament
Posted on January 20, 2010 by Andy White
Speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg today (Wednesday, 20th January), Labour MEP Nessa Childers said that the UN climate talks system “needs life-saving surgery before the next round of negotiations in Mexico.”
A member of the Parliament’s Environment Committee, Childers said, “I attended the Copenhagen summit and on the basis of what I experienced, I am right to be concerned about how easy it was for the US, China and others to circumvent the UN structure, sideline the EU and agree an arrangement which fell far short of global expectations.
“One thing is crystal clear to me – the UN climate talks system needs life-saving surgery before Mexico. To borrow a phrase, there truly was ‘something rotten in the State of Denmark’ last December. Copenhagen was a both political failure and an organisational fiasco.”
Nessa Childers told the European Parliament, “Its organisation by the UN and its Danish hosts was derisory, and contributed to a negative atmosphere from the beginning. At one side of the table President Obama was hamstrung by domestic commitments, while on the other China was semi-detached and participated in name but not in action.
“The irony of the situation is this. The longer the US, China and others frustrate, delay and prevaricate on a deal the tougher the targets for reduction will, of necessity, become.
“As far as I am concerned, the EU and this Parliament needs to honestly examine how it approaches international talks of this magnitude in the future. Europe must be much more assertive in standing up for itself and in doing so should continue to set ambitious targets for itself involving targets in emissions reductions of 30%.
“The COP15 forum provided the EU with an opportunity to assert its new 'Lisbon Treaty' credentials. However it made little impact in its efforts to lead the rest of the world. It now needs to seriously reassess how it approaches such occasions.
“Luckily opportunities still exist, not least in the global race to become a leading 21st Century green economy. Action in this regard and a fresh approach will provide an important impetus approaching the next round of climate talks in Mexico later this year.”
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My Trip to Gaza- Saturday and Sunday
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Eamonn O'Gara
Saturday was another early day, though the view from our beachside hotel quickly woke me up. Along the beautiful coastline lie mounds of ruins, which make up much of Gaza City. After breakfast our delegation went on a tour of some of the destroyed areas of the city, and listened to eye witnesses of the IDF assault. Such destruction is unbelievable- almost every building showed traces of damage.
During our tour we met with many of the local inhabitants of Gaza City. Around 400,000 people live in Gaza City, where levels of poverty and unemployment are regrettably predictable. Over half the population of the city is under 18 years old, and everywhere we travelled there were scores of children following our group. Over two thirds of these children, our guide informed us, are refugees.
One of the principle reasons for our trip was to check on the progress made in rebuilding the region since the Israeli 'Operation Cast Lead' about this time last year. Many members of our delegation had visited Gaza shortly after the operation, which left 1,400 Gazans dead. In their opinion, unfortunately, little had changed.
Meeting with the inhabitants of the area was a bittersweet occasion. The Gazans we met were overwhelmingly genial and welcoming, and keen to practice their English. However the psychological impact which the battles in the area must have on these children, many of whom have lost multiple family members, is upsetting.
Later on Saturday we also met with Irishman John Ging, who is the head of the UNWRA in the area. John was very interesting to talk to, not least because he provides an Irish perspective into the troubles in the region. Given our own history people in the Middle East tend to listen to an Irish opinion on conflict resolution, and the work of John and his colleagues is crucial in providing some quality of life in Gaza.
On Saturday evening we travelled back to Cairo, where traffic is about as ordered as the Gaza waterfront. Late on Sunday afternoon we set off for our meeting with Amr Mousa, who is Secretary General of the Arab League. The meeting lasted for an hour or so and many important topics were covered. We also met with Egyptian officials including the Foreign Minister Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Whilst the meeting with the Egyptians was constructive, their delegation firmly expressed the view that while they sympathised with the Palestinian people, they were not willing to intervene at the expense of their own stability.
- I will be in Strasbourg this week, having travelled back from Cairo this morning. However I intend to devote more of my time to the issue in future, and have scheduled a speech in parliament this week in order to share my experiences with my fellow MEPs.
In the meantime I welcome any opinions or commentary on the topic.
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My trip to Gaza- Thursday and Friday
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Eamonn O'Gara
If the imposing city of Cairo wasn't enough to take in on the first day of my trip to the Middle East -anyone who has been to Egypt will remember the organised chaos of the city- the experience of getting to know the fifty or so other European MPs and MEPs who are part of our delegation has made for a very interesting start.
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Labour MEP in Gaza as part of largest ever political delegation to the strip
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Andy White
The delegation includes over fifty MPs and MEPs from 12 separate countries and the visit has been organised by the NGO 'End the Siege on Gaza'.
Nessa Childers said: "A year on from the 2009 Israeli war on Gaza which saw the deaths of 1,400 people, Gaza is still being controlled by the Israelis. With a population of over one and a half million people in an area half the size of Co. Louth, residents continue to be denied the basic materials, and the food and medical care required for human survival and development as a direct result of the ongoing Israeli blockade.
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Environment Commissioner Potočnik seems to pass test while Friends of the Earth provide food for thought
Posted on January 13, 2010 by Eamonn O'Gara
As an MEP I often receive requests from various groups for a meeting in my office, in order to discuss the position of their organisation in advance of an upcoming vote in the European Parliament. As any legislation passed or dismissed by the parliament can often have a profound impact on these organisations (as well as many citizens in the EU), I regularly hold meetings with such groups in order to gain a wider perspective of the issue at hand.
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Ashton first in line as grilling of new Commission begins
Posted on January 11, 2010 by Eamonn O'Gara
The latest prospective European Commission is being grilled by the parliament all this week, and the interrogation kicked off today with its most controversial and high-profile new addition, Catherine Ashton.
The Commission itself is one of the most debated in decades, not least because of its new Vice-President, who will also hold the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU. Due to Ireland's much publicised on-off love affair with the Lisbon Treaty, most people are aware that the Commission was originally due to be reduced from 27 to 18 Commissioners, with each country serving two out of every three terms. However thanks to our unique ratification process, all 27 positions from the previous Commission will now be retained.
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