three sheets to the wind

The Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club was holding its annual blessing of the boats ceremony yesterday and I was invited along for the day. A friend of mine works down at the club and said it would be good fun so I was looking forward to it. Even though I had spent most of the week trying to keep Sunday free – I haven’t had a day off in at least a month. It’s not that it was going to be work, and it certainly wasn’t; it’s just, I was looking forward to a day where I had absolutely no commitments. A day to waste if you like.

Anyway, I walked sown in the sun, meeting a few people on the way, taking my time, having a few chats. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I didn’t know that they ever blessed boats like this and was even more surprised that it still happened. There was a big crowd down and after a short blessing ceremony (well, short for me, I missed most of it of course), the day began.

A couple of boat races, boys and girls rowing furiously to the flag. People down on the pontoon inspecting the various vessels. Drinks out in the sunshine. Bit of a breeze and a great hum of activity. I popped in and got myself a pint and went out then to take a look at the different boats and yachts as their crews got ready to cast off. The sun was glorious – a little reward perhaps for getting soaked as we dropped flyers in the rain the day before.

It was very fine and I was enjoying myself well enough, planning on leaving once the boats headed off up the Liffey, when we were asked if we wanted to come along. Three minutes later, pint still in hand, we were aboard and pushing off our berth and heading out.

About 30 boats in all, some old, some new and some great names amongst them. Each boat was pretty full, with guests milling around the deck, everyone waving to one another and taking photos. It was very cool when the East Link opened up for us but the new Samuel Beckett Bridge was something else. It’s a swing bridge, which I hadn’t realised, and so instead of lifting up, it swung out to let us through, turning no its own pivot so that when fully opened it touched neither bank of the river.  Quite a piece of engineering.

There were a lot of people on the banks, watching, and I felt privileged to be getting this experience, sailing down the Liffey in the sun. With all the new buildings, the apartments and office blocks, the new convention centre and the new bridges. It reminded me a bit of sailing down parts of the Thames, past Southbank, and all the great new buildings they had built there, mixed with more traditional ones. Only a much shorter version. 

One of our crew had a very detailed knowledge of what had happened in the DDDA and it was fascinating to discuss the different sites – Anglo, U2 etc – as we sailed past them. Who was linked to whom, what was to happen where. It made me think that it could be a very good idea for a tour. Instead of a simple “on your left you can see” tour, it could be a visual explanation of boom to bust in Ireland. A bit of fun.

We came back after maybe an hour on the water and off the boat on to dry land. Still a great crowd hanging around, more rowers heading out. I couldn’t stay unfortunately as I had family commitments, though another drink wouldn’t have been avoided if it had been forced on me.

There are days when Dublin can get to you. When you feel it’s a bit too small or a bit too boring. This wasn’t one of them. I saw the City from a different perspective and so in a new light and it was great, just what I needed. We still haven’t realised the new Dublin that is out there, the different Dublins that people have. We still haven’t tapped the potential of this place.

Opportunity in new parking levy

The government today announced that the new parking levy on employers (€200 per parking space in the city centre) will come in to effect this summer.

Effectively this is an indirect congestion charge from central government, but one that presents a great incentive for the City Council to get moving on bringing car clubs in to the City.

Car clubs would run in a similar manner to the existing and successful Dublinbikes scheme and would allow members to share the use of publicly available cars in a convenient manner without taking on many of the burdens/costs/waste associated with car ownership, including car parking charges and levies.

A motion I previously had on the introduction of electric car club schemes was debated by the Council earlier this month. It was agreed that the issue would be sent to the Traffic and Transport Strategic Policy Committee for report. This may end up in unnecessary delays though.

But why wait? What greater incentive do we need? We should take advantage of this new congestion charge and move to introduce car clubs now. I’ve already been contacted by a number of organisations that want to move on this but we’re standing in the way.

We know that tens of thousands of people drive in to work every day, in both the private and the public sector. For big organisations such as Dublin City Council who are based in the very centre of the city, this new levy is going to be another financial burden we cannot afford – we can’t even afford to keep public swimming pools open, things are that difficult.

Bringing in car clubs on to the city’s streets however, even on a pilot basis in certain areas, could save the Council a lot of money. With the use of publicly available cars, Council staff who need access to cars as part of their daily work would no longer need to bring their own cars in to the City.

Think then if these savings could be spread across the City, to every government department and to private businesses – the potential savings for the taxpayer are huge, as well as the benefits to the environment and in decreasing congestion problems.

part-time job

Not a great start to the day. It’s only just gone 10am and already I am one meeting and one job behind. Think it’s going to be an expensive day on the Dublinbikes (relatively speaking) given that I have one currently parked in my office.

In 20 minutes I have to go in to the Mansion House for a meeting on human trafficking.

That will run until just after 12.30 when I intend to go in to Civic Offices to follow up on a query – what I was meant to be doing instead of typing this. Because of the Union work to rule, parking enforcement won’t answer my calls or emails so let’s hope they’ll talk to me in person.

That should get me through until 2pm when I have a meeting with ESB to talk about electric car clubs. They requested it so I’m hoping they have some good news.

Then it’s back to the office for an appointment at 3.30pm.

That shouldn’t take longer than an hour, leaving me with an hour and a half or so of correspondence before I have to go canvassing at 6pm.

When that finishes I have to cycle to Rathgar for a Fine Gael meeting at 8pm-ish.

And when that finishes I have an appointment with someone in town to get a bit of advice and see if they’re interested in helping out from time to time (which would be great).

It’s a bit of a joke really. I finished after 10pm last night and it will be even later again today. Being a Councillor is meant to be a part time job. I’m meant to have another job on top of this (and another salary). Who are they kidding?!

And we wonder why there is such a dearth of talent in Irish politics. We’re not structuring our systems correctly; we’re spreading our resources too thinly.

Launching the press

Today Fine Gael launched its campaign to promote its jobs plan for the country. I went along as I thought it was a public meeting. Turned out it was a press conference/press launch. I’d never actually been to one so I stuck around as it was quite interesting.

The venue was the Morrison Hotel in town and I had grabbed a Dublinbike and peddled in. Arrived in to the room out of breath. The room itself was set up with Enda Kenny, Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar at the top table, with two flat screens behind them and a podium to their left facing the room. From there the FG press guy directed the proceedings, introducing Enda & co to speak and then fielding the Q&A from the press.

There were banners up and other FG paraphernalia in the room, and a number of advisors were floating around the back watching on, nodding, smiling, taking mental notes. The three doing the talking certainly knew their stuff and the accompanying literature and video were very professional. I watched the journos and pol corrs to see how they were taking it in. Cameramen flashed around the room, looking for that one angle.

It wasn’t quite The West Wing – I mean this wasn’t the launch of a General Election campaign or a press conference arranged in response to some crisis say, so it lacked a buzz or an energy perhaps that you would expect on such occasion. And yet the team seemed fired up and ready to get in to it. There might even have been some frustration there behind it all. A team looking to do battle but with no one willing to face them? Maybe.

The Q&A was tough enough, as it should be, but Enda et al. handled it very well. It was interesting to see the different relationship that each had with the press, the way they spoke to them, how they handled themselves.

What came across, to me, is that these three people are on top of their briefs. Which is of course how it should be, but which I would say is all too rare in Irish politics. And perhaps even somewhat exceptional for an opposition party in a modern democracy, lacking as it does the civil service expertise, infrastructure and back-up to do the heavy lifting for them.

 It finished and people then mingled around the room, some journos following up on their questions directly in one-on-ones, then a few team shots for the papers. I caught up with a couple of FG staff I hadn’t seen in awhile and then took off, wondering how I would perform in such a situation, with a gaggle of press lobbing grenades at me, putting me to the test. It’s not easy. And you have to respect these guys for doing it every day.

Slow motion

So my electric car clubs motion didn’t get the support I hoped for this evening. Instead it’s to go to the traffic and transport strategic policy committee (which I sit on) for a report and further discussion.

Now this is the part where I go off on a rant about all the things that weren’t my fault to do with the motion not being passed and how everyone else is to blame but me.

But while that is of course the case, in truth I was too complacent about it. I thought the benefits were so obvious, the idea so good, that I didn’t really need to sell it. And so I didn’t, obviously, because the motion wasn’t supported outright. And I didn’t consider enough the potential objections; and when people don’t understand a point you are making more often than not the fault lies with the person doing the communicating. That old cliché: if you’re explaining, you’re losing (is that right?).

I know this is a good idea, and the support is there. The officials want to see it and there are quite a few parties interested in bringing this in. It’s just going to take a bit more time and more skilful politicking on my part to get it to that point where it’s a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.

The good fight continues.

running in circles

So it finally came on Saturday, the Calcutta 10k in Phoenix Park. I signed my self up for this month’s ago, around the same time that Dublin took over as European Capital of Sport. Training began, eventually, and was tough going to be honest because it had been so long since I had done anything.

But I kept it up and when Saturday came I was able to compete and complete the race. A tough course, great turnout and we had the weather so it all made for a good day. “Team Murphy” had 3 participants, all coming in in good times. Happy out.

The Docklands fun-run (8k) awaits tomorrow but participation is doubtful. Coming soon: Dublin to Paris cycle. Going to be a tough year – looking forward to the end of this Capital of Sport lark…

***

Sunday saw another team meeting in the office. We got off to a late start because a group of us were out flyer dropping for the new ideas campaign in the morning.

This meeting saw an expanded group and it was very interesting to get the new input and to see the ideas and opinions bouncing around the room. There was consensus that the office needs to be cleaned up, but apart from that there was good disagreement and exploration of the many aspects that need to be considered. And there are many. We kept on slipping in to more general political talk – polls, the political climate, the UK elections – which was interesting too because obviously we’re a political bunch, though not anoraks or zealots (well, not all of us). It was all pretty free flowing and we covered the same ground a couple of times but no harm in that.

It went on for a good bit and I was tired at the end of it, a long day, but it was very worthwhile. Though the more we talk about what we need to do the more we discover what actually needs to be done, if that makes sense. I guess that’s the way it goes?

campaign coming together

Busy, busy, busy trying to get this campaign up and running. You will see from the front page of the website and some of the side bars what it’s all about, I won’t go in to it here only to say that it’s taking a lot of time. Website is acting up and can’t get the comments facility working so have to outsource (= money). Have the flyers in and they look great, really catch your attention. Some media has picked it up but we are hoping for more to come. But we’re also about a week behind where we should be in terms of boots on the ground. That’s not such a bad thing as you can just extend it a week out the other side, but still. Stress levels for the team are out the door a bit.

on the microphone

Yesterday I was invited in to DublinSouth FM to do a bit of radio. They had asked me to come in and speak a bit about myself and some stories in the newspaper during their 11am current affairs show. I was nervous about this but with all the other distractions this week I didn’t have a huge amount of time to think about it. Which was a good thing.

I arrived in to the studio having diligently read the morning’s paper (IT and Indo). A first, I normally read the paper in the evening. A lot of topical issues and I was curious as to how the whole thing would work. Would we go over beforehand what stories we wanted to discuss or would it just be sprung upon me and I would have to respond (and what if I didn’t know the issue?!).

When I got there I was told that I would be on for the entire 1 hour slot. A lot longer than the ten minutes I thought they wanted me for. It was very much going to be a case of here goes nothing. In studio was myself, the presenter and another pundit – actually a guy I had seen on stage with the Ranelagh Players, which was kind of cool. 11am came and we kicked off.

We began with a bit about me and how I came in to politics and then got talking about international arms control, which was great. No one has asked me about it in years so it was fun to discuss it again. Though I have to say I’m not up to speed on the current stuff and my recall wasn’t as sharp as it should be.

We then moved in to issues of the day and it was really interesting actually. Three people having a chat about what’s going on. It’s a funny dynamic in studio and on the radio because it’s not the same as just having a conversation. You have to be aware that the listeners can’t see your body language. You also have to speak in complete sentences, which is very much at odds with how we normally converse (well, at least for me). There is no possibility of intimation.

But I very much enjoyed it. My nerves calmed quickly enough and the time flew. Good experience and good practice.

Taoiseach campaign

What would you do if you were Taoiseach?

This is the question I am asking people as part of a campaign to get people thinking about the choices and the opportunities that face the country, as well as the people making the big decisions on our behalf. Over four weeks, I’m going to be combining an on line and on the ground campaign in an attempt to generate discussion and debate.

Though I have my own ideas, this isn’t necessarily about what I would do. No one individual has all the answers and there is no silver bullet. This is more about getting people thinking about the important questions, looking for the opportunities in the choices that confront us, and getting as many ideas in to the public domain as possible. But it’s also a little bit more than that.

The decisions we make today will shape this country for decades to come. So I think it’s important that people ask themselves ‘what would I do if it was up to me?’ Because in a very real way it is. I know people love to blame politicians for all our problems, but in a democracy we chose the people that make the big decisions on our behalf. And so as well as thinking about the big picture questions, we also need to think about who we’re electing in to public office to represent us.

It’s a very important question, particularly now, because the next general election, whenever it comes, will be the most important in a generation. I know all this talk of electoral and political reform is popular at the moment but there’s no point in changing the way we elect people if we’re still going to elect the same kinds of people. So we really need to think about who it is we want in Dail Eireann acting on our behalf – who should the 166 people be that decide our future.

As part of the campaign, I’m sharing some of my own ideas with the public, from abolishing the Leaving Certificate and forcing people to vote, to recreating Dublin as the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Europe, investing in the high-tech creative technology sector as a way of driving future growth and providing new avenues of employment.

They’re simply ideas. Though each has considerable merit in my own opinion, I’m not married to them. The point is to try and stimulate a discussion on what we want to be as a country in 20 years time, because that’s actually what our leaders are in the process of deciding at this moment in our history. And maybe we’re not really a part of that debate  – the public – but the next general election will certainly give us an opportunity to be. So we should be getting ready for that, getting ready with our ideas, thinking about who we want to represent us and making sure we’re registered to vote so that our ideas count.

DublinCars – (electric) car clubs

Ok. So primarily this is about convenience for the user, as well as cost-savings. Most people living in or near the City only need their cars for less regular activities or one-off events – the weekly food shop, visiting the parents, or picking up a friend from the airport. Joining a club that gives you access to a car nearby only when you need it will save people a lot of money and relieve a lot of the hassle associated with car ownership – parking, maintenance, tax etc.

 But it will also be a very positive step for the City towards decreasing congestion on our roads, increasing use of other forms of transport, as well as reducing local pollution. And if it catches the public’s imagination like the bikes have it will also go some way to freeing up much needed car spaces. Car parking spaces are still very much at a premium, particularly in high-density residential areas in the inner-suburbs.

The scheme currently operates in parts of London. Members pay an hourly rate (£5) on top of a small monthly or annual fee. Bays of 2-4 cars are located within circa 400m of each other. Cars are booked on-line and members swipe their membership card across the front screen to gain access to the car and keys. There is also a petrol card to fill up the card as needs be (for free). (I’ve since found out that a pilot scheme is running in Cork – google GoCar).

 We can go further in Dublin and be innovators – take something that is already proven, but make it better. So I’m calling on the Council to approach the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and commit to providing free electricity ‘juice’ points at parking bays that would be designated for the car club scheme. This would be a great incentive for anyone thinking of introducing the idea to Dublin and would significantly reduce operational costs for all involved.

I have put the following motion to the Council for debate: 

This Council calls on the Manager to use his good offices to facilitate the establishment of a “car club” scheme in the City, similar to the one in London and based on the principle of the Dublinbikes scheme. Whereby people would be able to participate in a car sharing arrangement, without the burden of car ownership and its associated costs/problems but with all the benefits that access to a car when necessary can bring.

Discussions should be held with relevant government departments to amend the necessary legislation to allow for the creation of car club parking bays on our City streets, and car club operators in the UK should be approached to find out more about the operation of such a scheme and to ascertain potential interest in the Dublin market.

Furthermore, discussions should be held with the Department of Communications, Energy and Resources to incentivise the use of electric cars in any such scheme through the provision of free/reduced energy via power points located at the designated car club parking bays.