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Blog Awards – nomination

Some kind folk have nominated this blog in the best political blog category. I can’t say I deserve it, my blogging has been hit and miss of late, thanks to time consuming projects like finishing my BA, working in the Irish Examiner, working on the Mahon Tribunal wiki (yes I am still working on it). But the nomination is much appreciated…

Others nominated:

Irish Election
Slugger O’Toole
Cedar Lounge Revolution
Damien Blake
James Lawless
El Blogador
Mamanpoulet
Bock The Robber
That’s Ireland
1169 and Counting
Harry McGee
Gavin’s Blog
Seamus Ryan
O’Conall Street
Notes on the Front
Dominic Hannigan
Skin flicks
Political Verse
Organized Rage
Ciaran Cuffe
Dublin Opinion
Tuppenceworth
Balrog
Everything Ulster
Richard Delevan
AtlanticBlog
Eric Byrne

Ahern helped with passport

RTE are leading with this story and it looks like this will set the news agenda for tomorrow. Ahern is due back before the Tribunal on February 21 and 22.

It has been confirmed tonight that Bertie Ahern assisted Manchester businessman Norman Turner in receiving a passport in 1994.

Mr Turner – who donated money to Fianna Fáil – was at the centre of a proposal to build a controversial casino in the Phoenix Park in the same year.

The information has come to light following a series of parliamentary questions by Fine Gael deputy Phil Hogan.

Let me say it again, it is time for Ahern to resign.

Was the Fed duped?

The Big Picture speculates that Bernanke was caught out by Societe Generale dumping futures contracts. The WSJ Market Beat blog tends to agree.

Did Bernanke know about the fraud on Monday? Did Societe Generale tell the Bank of France, who then would have told the ECB? Did the ECB inform the Fed?

The dumping of all those futures contracts, says the WSJ, certainly contributed to the market falls on Monday and Tuesday. What now for the presumed Fed Cut on January 30? IF Bernanke knew of the fraud, then he acted partly on that basis, if he didn’t then he acted without knowing the full picture.

This story will run, and is certainly bigger than the individual fraudster himself.#

Update:

According to this breaking Bloomberg story: Federal Reserve policy makers didn’t know about a $7.2 billion trading loss at Societe Generale SA prior to their Jan. 21 decision to reduce interest rates.

Policy makers were convinced by late December that increasing volatility in financial markets reflected a weakening U.S. economy and that further rate reductions were needed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Federal Open Market Committee convened a conference call at 6 p.m. on Jan. 21 after stock markets in Asia and Europe tumbled. Members voted to cut the federal funds rate by three quarters of a percentage point, the most since the Fed began using the rate as its main tool of monetary policy in 1990, to 3.5 percent. Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and his colleagues concluded that losses in financial markets may result in reduced credit for companies and consumers, the official said.

Dissertation topic

1. History

2. Module:

Machiavelli’s World: Political Ideology from Renaissance to Revolution

This seminar will trace the development of modern political ideologies out of a variety of contexts in the early modern world. A wide range of key authors will be considered, from Machiavelli, Luther and Erasmus to Hobbes, Rousseau, Voltaire and Paine. Their texts will be used to examine topics such as the relationship of church and state, the role of morality in politics, ideologies of imperialism, the growth of natural and international law, the rise of the media in politics, and the idea of popular sovereignty.

3. 8,000 words maximum.

4. Ideas for title/topic for the period.

Any thoughts?

I was thinking of something to bring in blogging. I know it has been done in the past, but I am sure I could find a unique line on the development of media during the 18th century and the development of blogging in the 21st century.

Answers on a postcard please, to the comments section below.

Tribunal test podcast

Myself and my friend John Dennehy have put together a test version of a Mahon Tribunal podcast.

It’s about 30 mins long and weighs in at 39mb and represents Q1 – Q159, up to the yellow hair comments on Bertie Ahern’s controversial first day of evidence in December. We shaved about 10 minutes off the actual time it took to ask the questions.

Do bare in mind it is a test podcast, and we are looking for feedback. Comments and criticism are welcome. There are some small errors, but it is accurate overall.

You can listen to it here.


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