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Updated 3.30pm
SOCIALIST PARTY TD Joe Higgins is to replace the independent deputy Stephen Donnelly on the banking inquiry, it was confirmed this afternoon.
The Dáil Technical Group of independent and small party TDs voted to nominate Higgins at its weekly meeting in Leinster House just before lunch.
It follows Donnelly’s decision to quit the Oireachtas committee on Sunday citing concerns over the government’s control of the inquiry’s terms of reference and overall agenda.
Speaking outside Leinster House this afternoon, Higgins said he would seek to expand the remit of the inquiry to cover the “blowing up of the property bubble and the speculation and profiteering that accompanied it”.
https://vine.co/v/MIxOM2JUXib
He said that the role of the political authorities, the European Central Bank and the Troika must all be investigated, as should the role of the present government “in continuing the policy of bailout and austerity”.
Higgins, who will retire from the Dáil after his current term ends, is a TD for Dublin West and has previously served as an MEP for the capital.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday, he expressed deep reservations about the government’s control of the investigation.
However he said there would be a “key benefit” in holding public hearings as it would allow people involved in the bank crisis to be questioned and for the public to make up their own minds.
“I think there’s strong merit in that argument,” he said.
https://vine.co/v/MIxeqXEL6OM
Speaking today, Higgins said that he respected Stephen Donnelly’s decision to quit the probe but said it would be a “huge dereliction of my duty not to participate” given he was “one of the only voices in Dáil Eireann who constantly excoriated what was happening”.
He added: “Now that I would not put myself in the position of being able to ask questions on behalf of the majority of the people out there – when I reflected on that, it wasn’t a choice.”
Asked if he was concerned about failing a ‘bias test’ given his criticism of bankers in the past, Higgins responded robustly: “I have convicted the system over and over again that quadrupled the price of a home in ten years at enormous cost to ordinary people.”
Asked if he felt that the two government senators who were added to the inquiry last week should be removed, he said it is “immaterial”.
He added: “They’re all part of the political establishment and that’s my main problem with the inquiry. I would want a committee of inquiry made of citizens.”
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I’m reading this on my Iphone…. says it all really
Congratulations.
@ Pierce2020, all it says really is you follow the crowd and were suckerd into buying a way over priced gadget.
It says *what* all exactly?
How do you know if someone has an iphone?? Dont worry theyll tell you.
What……Iphones have Internet now?????? WOW!!!
Ipgone is 2nd in the market and 2nd richest company. Iphone had to take down adverts as misleading saying full internet when its basic internet. Also bringing everyone to court. Nobody can eat an apple anymore for fear of being sued
Could be the beginning or end for blackberry. Think they need to stick to the business aspect and not the social. They will not compete with Apple and Samsung on that front.
here ye mike.i refuse to buy any apple product out of pure spite
I’ve never had a Blackberry, though friends and family have and they loved them. Blackberry had the business market primarily. Lack of innovation has left them languishing behind the competition, by all accounts the phone is meant to be a good device. Perhaps they should focus on capturing this business market share again, and build from there. Remember Obama famously had a Blackberry in his first presidential run. Has he switched?
Blackberry are deservedly legendary in there device security and build quality.
Having has Iphones and Samsung, I have every intention of going back to bby IF they get some decent apps.
I personally see iPhones fading into the background….i’m sure the fanboys will poop with rage for such blasphemy, but look at Nokia now!
Apple wont be able to design anything without getting sued….and its there own fault.
Android is great but the constant ads and ‘security’ worries are just too much. I don’t trust them!
Blackberry got lazy, and they paid dearly for their complacency. But if your privacy is of any value…..you have 2 option.
1) Blackberry
2) Nokia 6210
On second iPhone since last June! Wifi went on first, now internal speaker is going on this one. Had blackberry for 3 years and if I charged it up I know it’d still be good…bring on the new BB!!!
Obama Famously had a blackberry…are you high man??
Blackberry’s eco system died in 2007 . Its the only smartphone that requires a proprietary application (blackberry enterprise server) to deliver email and management to corporate phones, and the licence for BES is damn expensive too . The phones arent that easy to use, arent that well designed and the software up till now was terrible.
Best of luck to them but im going to say rim will be gone by 2016
Stephen, your loyalty to apple is well documented. Good for you, but iOS didn’t support exchange in the beginning either.
Also, the reason for bes is that its completely secure.
2 points for you.
1) BES is free for small business
2) BB10 WILL support ms exchange
It goes on sale Jan 31st. Early releases look good. There is probably room for a little competition in the two horse smartphone race. BB are banking everything on these new devices guaranteeing app developers $10000 revenues for new apps which proved so popular they had to extend the submission deadline. As for the fruit flavored smartphone; they’ve pretty much reached saturation point esp in European markets. There is only so many time you can sell the same device with minor incremental improvement for an upwards only pricing policy (which Asian markets aren’t taking kindly to) b4 consumers decide to try an alternative for their next device.
Molome is an app for Blackberry that is just like instagram.. and it is free. Can’t wait to see this later today!
Instagram is free.
Apps that are free are rarely truly free. With instagram you’re paying with your private data. If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product!
I love how people hate iPhone users because they can’t afford 1 them selves !
Most socialists don’t like mutinationals. Go figure
pic above looks like a cross between an S3 and an iphone. looks like there could be more copyright battles ahead!
The first photos of the Blackberry 10, showing the above form, were leaked last January (2012) , five, or so months before the launch of the S3 and a good nine or ten months before the launch of the iPhone 5.
Every time apple sue someone, they get patents revoked! I think they’ll keep their heads low for a while.
Rumour has it their going to make a watch and a TV!
Watch out Rolex……..
Shockingly stubborn system , my pets doghouse has Netflix but BlackBerry tablet has not and never will , a Nokia 3210 has more apps , company reminds me of the aul lad in the pub pining for the good aul days .
Does any one at the Journal ever edit these releases or do you just cut and paste?
“have gotten”…. heaven help us.
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