Leprechaun Economics
Writing in the New York Times Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman coined the phrase ‘Leprechaun economics’ for the way that the Irish tax system deals with multinationals. The Irish ambassador to the US, Daniel Mulhall objected to the expression, describing it as an ‘unacceptable slur.’ Tintean does not feel offended by the phrase, however, based on its opinion of how economists use the word ‘science’ to describe their mumbo jumbo.
Opinion Poll
Taken at 120 different places and with 1200 participants, the opinion poll taken in June showed Sinn Fein with 31%, Fine Gael on 27% and Fianna Fail on 20% (up from 14% the last time). The rating of the leaders is interesting also. Micheal Martin was up seven points to 49, Leo Varadkar up 4 points to 56, and Mary Lou McDonald down 3 to 42.
Football in the Land of Yerra
The only question in Gaelic football is whether anyone can beat Dublin. The main opposition is Kerry, but they are missing one of their midfielders, currently playing in defence with the Geelong Cats. In Ireland, they are hoping for a return of the days when Mick O’Dwyer was coaching/managing. ‘Yerra shure I suppose we have no chance, Dublin are a mighty team altogether’. The refrain was repeated by Paidi O Se in his era, ‘Yerra we haven’t much of a chance against Dublin/Mayo/Donegal but we’ll turn up anyway and give it a lash.‘ And to show that things have not changed, here is current Kerry supremo Peter Keane, after his team had trounced Tyrone 6-15 to 1-14, ‘Yerra if you take the goals out of it ‘twould have been tight enough.’
The Betoota Advocate
Betoota is a ghost town in central-west Queensland. The Betoota Advocate is a satirical magazine and website, based out of Sydney. In a recent post, it bemoaned the problem that Australians have with pronouncing Siobhan.
A recent report by Australian Bureau of Statistics has found that anyone who isn’t directly of Irish heritage should avoid naming their daughter Siobhan, purely because after several hundred years no one is 100% sure on how to pronounce it.
Of the 10,000 Siobhans that were surveyed, 98.1% say that people who read their name aloud in government offices or school rooms, often settle for See-Oh-Ban, or So-Vawn.
West Betoota Primary teacher, Mrs Clare, says nothing makes heer blood boil more than getting a few Siobhans in her class, especially when their parents are visibly not Irish.
…
‘It’s just such a <insert rude word here> around. What about easy names like Barbara or Amrita?
What’s with the wannabe Irish stuff. Maeve is hard as well. So is Sinead’
According to the 2016 Census, there are over 100,000 Siobhans in Australia.
https://www.betootaadvocate.com/headlines/entire-population-of-australia-uncomfortable-with-how-they-pronounce-the-name-siobhan/?goal=0_ac916ebeb2-97793c6043-249613870&mc_cid=97793c6043&mc_eid=9f3c36afe2
Tintean cannot vouch for either the opinions or the figures manufactured here, but recommend the site.
Tinteán 