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IT’S CONFIRMED: IRELAND has gone mad for bread in the run up to Storm Emma.
Figures compiled by retailing group BWG Foods on sales across its network of over 1,000 convenience stores reveals that Brennan’s sliced pan, two litre milk cartons, six-pack eggs, firelighters, and wine are the top-selling products amongst Irish shoppers during the cold snap.
Earlier this week, social media was awash with posts showing supermarket shelves stripped bare of essentials like bread, milk, fuel, and fresh vegetables and food produce.
Bread suppliers said there has been a significant increase their production to meet the “dramatic increase in sales being experienced”.
Even Sean Hogan, chair of National Emergency Coordination Group gave a nod to the breadsteria at a press conference on the weather situation today, when he said with a smile:
Hopefully everybody has enough bread.
He followed this with a serious statement that he did not believe that people were overreacting because this weather hitting Ireland is unprecedented.
Stocking-up
The storm resulted in some apocalyptic scenes in supermarkets around the country today as shoppers panic-bought ahead of the 4pm curfew.
BWG Foods, which distributes to Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL branches around the country, estimates that more than one million transactions will have been completed by the end of today as shoppers stocked up on essentials ahead of the country’s lock down.
Commenting on the last-minute shopping surge sweeping the nation, Leo Crawford, Group CEO said their retailers experienced unprecedented levels of customer traffic in their stores today “as people stock up on essential food, heating fuel, and more indulgent purchases such as wine”.
Crawford said their nationwide store delivery service was operating at maximum capacity from 2am on Thursday morning to ensure that shelves nationwide were well stocked, with volume up 20% over the past number of days.
“As family run businesses, our retailers see an important responsibility in serving the needs of their local communities during times like this and particularly those most vulnerable to challenging weather conditions by maintaining service where possible,” he said.
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Says it all! Really. Why have so many if they can’t be bothered.
What ever about the opposition ,not being there at least the government should show up,to at least listen to each other waffling on and pretending they give a damn.
Seriously Paul stop. They’re all as bad as each other.
We’ll have a few less in March but still too many!
Why so many is right.
155 TDs in a country of 4.6 million.
Scotland – 59 MPs in a country of 5.2 million.
Yorkshire – 51 MPs in a county of 5.3 million.
Trebles all round!
Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe struggled to get sufficient numbers into the chamber to start, and TDs and Ministers having breakfast in the Leinster House canteen were called in to make up the numbers.
Under the standing orders or rules of the House, there must be a minimum of 20 TDs in the Dáil chamber before the business of the day can commence.
And the obligation is on the Government side to ensure the 20 TDs are present.
And they want us to put them back in there for another 5 year doss…? They’re putting two fingers up to their employers and the don’t give a s**t what we think..
in fairness, they are in the process of applying for new jobs
Littleone, that’s passing the buck. Surely the opposition have questions to ask the minister. Littleone I notice from previous comments that you have double standards.
What is your agenda? Are you running for election?
You do realise that apart from the majority of people that comment on the journal most Irish people are hard working decent people that can see through the looney lefts tripe.
Tom , you best get on to the Irish times for passing the buck. I read it there. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/d%C3%A1il-starts-late-because-not-enough-tds-in-the-chamber-1.2512116 tom I noticed from your comments yesterday , your a bit crazy. As I said yesterday there are a lot of crazies on the internet especially ones like your self with fake Facebook accounts.
Littleone, double standards again? I like your Twitter account.
Oh at least I use my real name.
Is littleone your real name? or is a nickname? If it’s a nickname I do wonder what it could be referring to?
Tom, you seem to be a disturbed individual.
Is it not better for them to actually be working than sitting in a chamber arguing the toss..listening to each other waffle
Too busy out looking for brown envelops
They where in the Dail, just not the chamber. It would have been helpful to understand why if the journal had give us details of the agenda item to be discussed. It was probably some procedural nonsense by one of the minority groups.
And they’ll get paid for this ? Nothing changes .
And they died to put those seats under their Arses, nothing changes..
I have no problem with this, What happens in the chamber is just theater. I would rather they were in their offices doing some work than sitting around for no good reason listening to each other waffle. Dail debates are another waste of time, everyone of them knows how they are going to vote before they go in and then wast days grandstanding for the cameras
Imagine trying to run a business and regularly the majority of your staff don’t show up. How on earth design anyone expect this country to progress
John B, that’s not a proper comparison.
95% of TD’s work is outside the chamber of the Dail.
Committees, constituency work, etc.
A better comparison would be employees not turning up for the monthly department meeting.
Something I haven’t turned up to in about 2 years, but my employer wouldn’t say I haven’t been turning up for work.
Danny, not quite, it would be like the board of your company not showing up for the board meeting, especially when the primary function of the board is to make decisions how to run the company, AT THE BOARD MEETING.
Except because of the strong whip system, precisely zero decisions get made in the actual Dáil chamber. The best way to influence decisions is committee work, letter writing, meeting with people etc.
But Danny you are showing up where your company expects you to be surely?
Correct. Most of work done is not in the actual chamber. People have no idea what goes on in the Dail and as part of our government, opposition and the work TDs do
Agree Danny. Most of their work is done outside that room!
More concerned with their election campaigns than the running of the country. Useless shower.
complete wasters the lot of them
“begin the business of the day by reading aloud the procedural prayer.”
Ugh
My response exactly. Sums it up in one sentence. I despair of this country I really do
Exactly
“Oh lord, protect this trough and the snouts that are in it, amen.”
@LesBehan. Les, seldom has a comment been so apposite. If that isn’t the text of the actual prayer, it should be. Utter disgrace. The promised reform consists of two or three fewer little piggies instead of a halving of their number, as a bare minimum.
@Carl Nolan: Did Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews have anything to do with this farce?
Total lack of respect to the Dail and the people that voted for them.
They need longer holidays sure, obviously….
Technological universities bill meant to go through this week.
Not that they care. Points go up, local colleges got rid of.
They are all outside my door!!
They’d drive you mad.
They have just wiped their feet on the Irish People!! Why can we not get the government desolved now!? Has the president No power to protect us from , what I call Treason.!
Bit dramatic
“Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe struggled to get sufficient numbers into the chamber to start, and TDs and Ministers having breakfast in the Leinster House canteen were called in to make up the numbers.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/d%C3%A1il-starts-late-because-not-enough-tds-in-the-chamber-1.2512116
The obligation is on the Government side to ensure the 20 TDs are present.
N they’ll still get paid their handsome pensions when they hang up their taxpayers paid suits after the election what a joke
Plus their travel expenses as they were in the building having their subsidised breakfast, they have no respect for the people of Ireland
They are like kids in primary school in the week before the summer holidays. A total joke.
If the Dail is in session and they are not in their seat they should have to state where they where and why theirs eat is empty. This information should be of public record.
If they are asking us to re-elect them we should at least be able to see how they actually spend their time and our money.
But Minister of State Ann Phelan can pass legislation on her own?
must of being first orders in the dail bar
They’ve probably all got urgent funerals to attend.
I will remind the deputy..
I will remind the deputy..
I will remind the deputy..
I will remind the deputy..
I will remind the deputy..
That he may not under any circumstances stand while the dail is moving..
Show that much courtesy..
Their ONLY ‘Order of Business’ is getting re-elected to the ‘Trough” so they can live the high life at our expense for the next five years.
#Disgrace #Embarrasing
If they can’t be bothered to show up to their job they should not be paid SIMPLES
There job isn’t to sit for eight hours watching stuff that they’re not involved in that could easily be monitored on the TV in their office as while doing actual work.
The Frau Furher must have given ‘em the day off. Heil Merkel!!!
Maybe they should be paid by the hour and not salary based! See how many hours they really do… or even better per minute billing..
This way of running a country,where a huge bunch of people sit around talking absolute crap,costing an absolute fortune,should be consigned to the past.A dozen people with the use of the internet would be able to do the job of running Ireland.
Lazy overpaid shower of good for nothings.
Gotta be payed extortionate amounts of money though.. My God Ireland, wake up..
they’re all over i John Dellaney’s office getting their free Euro 16 tickets #anngelamerkelthinkswe’reatwork.
Hopefully they’ve all found something more useful to do with their morning than sit listening to their peers shouting at each other.
Yep, Stuffing their faces with a subsidised breakfast courtesy of the taxpayer – how many here in the comments section, get to go to work, free parking, and are fed breakfast before they start??
then a few subsidised pints at the end of your 3 hour working day?
Most people in large city offices have access to canteen breakfasts and parking if they want it, but whatever.
I honestly don’t know why you’re getting downvoted Neal! Are we supposed to begrudge them parking spots?
If you have no input into the matter at hand then why bother turn up when you could spend time on other important matters. Christ knows they have plenty more work they could be doing!
(and not just canvassing, that remark has been made plenty already)
Isn’t it time the constitution was re written to reflect our country where we are now?..with a halving of the numbers of TDs,senators,term limits to do away with career politicians..wages and pensions revisited..power to recall etc..take the best of the systems used worldwide and use them in an Irish context..
Kieran, these are the kind of measures any reasonable person would want. I’m sick of the legions of “what’s in it for me” merchants prating on about their desire for “public service” and the HUGE opportunities they turn down in order to serve this country. The reality is, it’s a very nice little earner indeed – they are allowed to double job – and make valuable contacts to enhance their ‘non-political’ activities and profits. We could do with a dose of honesty every now and then. For instance, ask yourself how two School Teachers – in the ordinary course – could become immensely wealthy, were it not for their “sacrifices” for us the ungrateful public?
Strip the useless good for nothing vermin off all pay give the money hungry the social welfare €188.30
And if they need anything ask for it let them ask them people of Ireland can they have wat they want
They need to know who’s in control them or us
Obviously all preoccupied with the forthcoming election.
Says it all. They just dont give a F__K
Sure it was raining
Procedural prayer? I actually had to look this up to believe it, can we not get things done without channelling the mystical sky wizard first?
wonder how many signed in to collect daily expenses
I’ve a feeling i’m going to get red thumbed to all hell but if they don’t have input into the item being discussed and are only going to sit there to make up the numbers, then surely their time would be better spent elsewhere?
You won’t get very far peddling your reasonable explanations around here.
Because in order for the Dáil to sit, they need a minimum of 20 TD’s in the chamber……it’s actually the Governments responsibility to see that their members are there to make the Dáil ‘function’.
“GSOC phone monitoring controversy.”
Means nothing to them
Ridiculous, so how did the one go ahead a few weeks ago when just one was there reading out to herself, I think it was change in laws,does this make it illegal as there was no one there,even at the beginning.
In other news at least when they retire they will all get pensions in excess of 100k a year, so they have that going for them, which is nice.
Most are at home doing up CV’s and looking at indeed for new jobs…
Procedural Prayer? FFS they spend little enough time in the Dail without wasting it on silly superstitions.
Which god do they pray to? Flying Spaghetti Monster I suppose?
This is not news. There is often a call for Quorum in the Dáil. When a member is sitting in the chamber, they cannot do their actual job of looking after the needs of their constituents and so most of them spend as little time as possible in the Chamber. You cannot use your phone, you cannot send emails, you cannot try chase up peoples medical card applications, or Visa requests, or passport problems, or any of the other myriad of issues that people bring to their TDs attention.
So I am glad that the chamber is never full, if it was it would mean that there is nothing being done.
And both sides of the house are the same on this by the way, government and opposition.
They should be forced to go in all the time, unless they are sick or have legitimate reasons. Like the rest of us. They have such a handy number. I wonder how many turn up without fail. They get long holidays as it is. MAkes no fcuking sense.
May they be smitten by their poxy god!
Who were the 8 that actually turned up?
If they handed out the brown envelopes in the Dail attendance would be much higher
Hmmm…..so only eight were present ? That’s EIGHT more than we need.
have your say