Our E-minister

DonegalMan

Article about our E-minister in today's Sunday Business Post

At a British-Irish Council of the Isles meeting in Jersey last month, Mary Hanafin got up to say a few words about her new job. In front of the Taoiseach and Tony Blair, she summed up her mission in a few lines:"The Information Society is not about technology," she said. "It's not about frightening people with gadgets and gizmos and a language that can too often confuse the very people who stand to gain the most."

The First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, then got up and announced that 1,000 internet gizmos -- public internet access points -- would be delivered into Scottish towns and villages by Christmas.

Depressing

Full article is at
http://www.sbpost.ie/story.jsp?story=WCContent;id-50390

Martin Harran

Chaos-Engine

What do you expect? She is a fool. They gave her the job because they don't hold it in any real respect what so ever. Even when Ireland's future economic viability lies mostly in the hands of broad band development....

As for Scotland. Since Devolution the Scotish assembly has turned Scotland into the Envy of the rest of the UK.
-Ending of Means testing for Pensions
-Better Education system
-More Hospitals and staff and beds
-And most importnatly More money for telecoms expanding broadband...

Scotland truly is a great place to live today. Maybe I'll go to UNi in Edinbourgh after all

nahdoic

Very depressing, indeed.

Shows a clear and fundamental lack of vision on behalf of the Irish government IMO.

And most depressingly, a shocking lack of commitment and focus from the government in increasing the competitiveness of the Irish economy through technology.

TomF

Here's a little of Tom McGurk's column from the July 7, 2002 Sunday Business Post. I hope Bertie and Crew read this. All I could think of was Eircom and its pricing:

"An industry insider told me recently that when the British supermarkets moved in here first a few years ago they could not believe the profit margins. Even more extraordinary was that there was simply no price war. It was totally unlike the British supermarket environment.

"Irish consumers had truly sheep-like qualities in that they primarily chose their supermarket for its convenience and seemingly were prepared to pay any price -- uncomplainingly too.

"The native supermarkets seemingly were not interested in price wars. There was simply no contest anywhere on the grocery market horizon. The British couldn't wait to hang a few Irish words on the walls and start charging."
:mad:

BoneCollector

OH MY GAWD!! :eek:
SHE`S an IDIOT!!!!!!?? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
(ROLL ON RESESSION!!)

MDR

I wonder where they are getting all the cash from, given that to improve services in Northern Ireland they are raising rates (money paid yearily on a property, at the can be anything up to £800s a year for a reasonable sized house) and are taking out large bank loans, guaranted by Gordon Brown.

It just seems worrying to me, that if they can't afford to do this type of thing in other parts of the UK. I wonder where the extra cash is from in Scotland, after they only control local taxation which doesn't really amount to a whole lot. I hope this doesn't amount to 1970's style Irish Politics, borrow now, worry later.

ednwireland

never mind our 'E-minister' joke !i live in a county with a cabinet minister and two junior minister none of them even reply to their e-mail (i emailed most of the local candidates looking for answers to various questions on DSL rollout in the BMW region) NOT AN ANSWER from any of themi don't believe any of them can even look at their email never mind be considered competent for a job as e-minister.
thats my €2 worth anyway

MDR

ednwireland,

Did you EMail them over the Election, I got a reply from all of my td's, perhaps Urban Td's are more in touch.

MDR

I think her role is more aptily descibed here

One source described her as the "chief nagger" to cabinet ministers and their departments to implement technology and e-government initiatives.

I think we can forget about Mary Hanafin and concertate bugging Dermot Ahern, as most of our concerns are about the cost of accessing telecoms infrastructure.

"Our focus will be more on Dermot Ahern from a telecoms point of view," said McCabe. "From our point of view, coordinating the Information Society is a weaker portfolio than an e-business one.

BoneCollector

I think we can forget about Mary Hanafin and concertate bugging Dermot Ahern, as most of our concerns are about the cost of accessing telecoms infrastructure.

im still awaiting a reply from his office after sending him a lenghty mail outlining all! issues and disgracefull telecoms mess.

vinnyfitz

Ministers are employed to make judgements - not to be experts - we pay civil servants to provide the expertise.
A few weeks ago Hanifin was Minister for Children, Ahern was Minister for Social Welfare. They both have a lot to mug up on in terms of telecoms and epolicy.

I think they are both quite right not to say too much until they know what they are talking about. They are both entitled to their honeymoon periods (say till 1 September) - we are right to try and get messages through to them now but not to judge them yet!
Give newbies a chance.;)

MDR

im still awaiting a reply from his office after sending him a lenghty mail outlining all! issues and disgracefull telecoms mess.

Time for a followup phone call on the issue (no I am not kidding). Phone them up, refer to your correspondance, dated the XX/XX/2002, tell them you are concerned that you have recieved no reply as of yet, ask what the situation is and when you might expect to hear from them on the very important issues outlined in your correspondance. Kick up as much damn fuss as possible, make them earn their wages.

MDR

vinnyfitz,

Fair enough I agree.

pork99

yes but FF have given us consistent corruption and incompetence and still got re-elected! why should they bother their arse with any of this?

Delphi91

Originally posted by TomF
..."Irish consumers had truly sheep-like qualities in that they primarily chose their supermarket for its convenience and seemingly were prepared to pay any price -- uncomplainingly too....

Interesting point.

Heard something very similar on radio recently: Guy goes on holidays to Spain and leaves his tablets on the plane. He goes to a local pharmacy and gets 30 of them for something like €9. That makes it €18 for 60.

Normally, he pays €54 for 60 here at home. So, bothered by the difference, he asks his local GP. The answer? GP says that the price is market driven - it reflects what the customer is willing to pay!!

So, like all the recent price surveys show, we're complete and utter plonkers when it comes to being fleeced. We grin and bear it 'cos we don't want to rock the boat.

Same thing with services - we put up with crap service and pay exorbitant prices for it.

Mike

Cond0r

Originally posted by Delphi91

So, like all the recent price surveys show, we're complete and utter plonkers when it comes to being fleeced. We grin and bear it 'cos we don't want to rock the boat.
Mike

Sure it's always been like that. Our prices for everything are the highest in europe, all the tourists complain about prices for food etc being sky-high, so why should the telecoms industry be any different?

I heard recently that people went shopping in some expensive place in france I think it was, the prices there were cheaper than in Ireland, and this was a top of the range snobby place, buying normal stuff. It's a disgrace, we need to wise up, and open our eyes to whats going on. We're being fleeced left, right, and centre.

< Cond0r >

Stonemason

Hahahaha

This made me laugh

she said. "It's not about frightening people with gadgets and gizmos and a language that can too often confuse the very people who stand to gain the most."

This from a lady thats making a fair bit out of it herself(wages wise new job unall)and the glaring ommision of two little words that should end the sentence *LIKE ME*.

Anyone know what the current wage of this clued up E-minister is im just curious to see what we are paying her to bone up on Ireland current no existent internet society or should i say how much are we paying to talk to eircom for the real lowdown on connectivity coz they are bound to tell her the truth.


laugh i nearly paid my phone bill

Stone

Huggy Bear

Mary Hanafin is a joke and a disaster for the information society ...

but you have to ask, Has she got too big for her boots, high profile etc. so with this appointment, Bertie sets her up for a BIG fall ...

If this Gov. was interested in Technology, there would be a full ministry, but then again if they didn't want a full but partial ministery, Hanifan would not be the person to run with it ...

Me thinks Bertie is playing politics at the "Technology sectors" expense

MDR

What specfically apart from fish is the Department of Communications roll ... ?

Huggy Bear

The Department's key roles and functions are:
COMMUNICATIONS
Telecommunications market fully liberalised; now moving to position Ireland at the forefront of Internet developments and driving the e-commerce agenda. There is a large-scale programme to roll-out broad band around the country.
Beginning regulatory and market reform, addressing needs of national Post Office network.

Along with respoinsibility to, Broadcasting, Energy and Natural resources

But then you have Enterprise, Trade and Employment :
Mission Statement
To promote the sustainable development of a modern competitive enterprise economy based on quality employment, social inclusion and enhanced working and living standards

In pratical terms our e-minister should be responsible for COMMUNICATIONS & Enterprise or if not a full ministry then a Junior ministry with portfolio on the about two areas ...

There are too many mixing and matching of ministries to allow for poltical "fudging", the way Bertie likes it, and then to add an area like "Information society"

, that a true Bertie "Fudge"

ednwireland

Originally posted by MDR
ednwireland,

Did you EMail them over the Election, I got a reply from all of my td's, perhaps Urban Td's are more in touch.

yep not a reply during the election either i did get a reply from sitting FG TD saying it had been sent to their central policy commitee that was it

mind you seeing the post about scotland i do wonder how they can afford it - i do appreciate ireland is a small country with limited (getting more so fast) resources and we should realise that distributed populations (like where i live) make for V expensive infrastructure that cant be privatised (not economically anyway) and if only the goverment would admit that it would be a start

MDR

To be honest this 1000 internet access point sounds vagely reministant of what facilities alot of our libraries would already have. I suppose a fair argument would be, alot of our libraries don't have these facilities ... nor the resources to put them in.

vinnyfitz

I'm told that there are 1300 free internet access points in Irish libraries
Every main library and almost all branches have at least one the bigger the library the more terminals they have.