Elected Councillors in Ireland can fire the County Manager

Heard there was a great turn out in Swords Fingal, North County Dublin, Saturday last for a big, noisy, march to try and convince Fingal Council that a Monster Sewage Plant in the heartland of Fingal is a no no.

I wish the marchers well, but in my view the march was on the wrong building: County Hall.  A more appropriate venue would have been the Department of the Environment building.

Phil Hogan is the big boss of all Council Managers. That’s the man the marchers need to convince that a big nasty, smelly, sewage plant, based in one scenic area, is not required in this day and age.

It's time for another decentralisation plan, this time for sewage treatment systems.

I would imagine three or four smaller well operated and designed plants would serve the population of the Greater Dublin Region very well. Cheaper to build and operate too - and friendlier to the environment and human health when operated to proper International standards.

I will end as Con H. does when ending one or other of his interesting pieces: with some "Information".

Fogra: 

By the way did anyone know that the elected councillors can fire the County Manager. I Didn't, but I do now.

County or City Managers in Ireland are recruited through a competitive recruitment process organised by the Public Appointments Service: a Government body set up in 2004.
Once appointed, the County or City Manager will remain in office for a term of 7 years (although this can also be extended by an additional three years). The retirement age for County or City Managers is 65.

If a Council wishes to suspend or remove a County or City Manager, a resolution must be passed by the Council. At least two-thirds of the Councillors must vote for the resolution after 7 days notice. The Minister then sanctions the removal of the County or City Manager.

Well well that bates Banagher!

Irelands Blue Flag Beaches turned to Brown Flag Beaches.

We Irish are a crowd of Clowns when it come to environmental safety and health. We are! Honest.

Today the “Twelve Angry Men in One”, Phil Hogan, in a Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Club, saluted areas on the east coast that were awarded Blue Flags on this the 25Th Anniversary of the inception of the Blue Flag Awards.

But the same Mr. Minister, for the Environment, is proposing to also shortly unveil plans for a Massive Sewage Half-Treatment Plant that will discharge sewage water out into the sea off the east coast beaches, that will then quickly turn our Blue Flag Beaches into Brown Flag Beaches.

You would want some joined up thinking here Aire. Scrap the plan for Fingal County Council to bring sewage from Wicklow, Kildare and Meath and pump it into a great big septic tank in the vegetable heartland of Ireland where 60% of all the Irish Produce comes from - and then send it on a two-week return-trip holiday into Dublin bay.

Bet you didn't tell the attendance today that you were also planning to charge us for water supplies because it was becoming a valuable chargeable scarce necessity for living, while at the same time trying to pump a seven months supply of Dublins precious fresh water daily into Fingal to cover the sewage in the tanks there with 325,851 gallons of water, to cover each acre of sewage to try and hide the smell.

A million gallons of water a day pumped in and out of a €2.3 Billion big smelly Brown Elephant.

Well soon the reservoirs will be at minimum level, the land and vegetable in Fingal will be under leaking sewage and the beaches will be scattered with Poo, Paper and worse.

Where will the Blue Flags be then?

I know: with the other Fine Gael Blue Flags probably dumped in an EU Protected Bog Hole in Mayo.

You can't slow down this Bank Holiday Weekend

Over the Bank Holiday Weekend you will see the signs: "Slow Down This Bank Holiday Weekend".

Well in the past I tried, and tried, underneath such a sign: concentrating deeply, jumping up and down, on one leg - then the other,  then crouching in deep thought, muttering "Slow down, bloody slow down".

 I tried, and tried, hard, very hard to slow down the bank holiday weekend, but it still "Tick Tocked" its way to Tuesday.