Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie offers a selection of statistics and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed.
2 – The number of pilots who fell asleep in the cockpit while flying a plane for a British-based airline last month. The captain and co-pilot had agreed to alternate sleeping while the plane was on autopilot, until one of them work up to find the other asleep.
5 – The number of days to go before the two referendums on the abolition of the Seanad and the creation of a new Court of Appeal.
6 – The number of votes by which Pat McQuaid was defeated in his bid to extend his eight-year stint as president of the UCI, cycling’s governing body, on Friday. McQuaid lost by 18 votes to 24 to Britain’s Brian Cookson.
7.7 – The magnitude of an earthquake which struck Pakistan this week which left 328 people dead and created a new island just over one kilometre off the country’s south coast.
8 – The number of restaurants in Ireland which now have one Michelin star (with one restaurant – Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin – keeping its two stars) according to the Great Britain and Ireland guide published this week.
Advertisement
21 – The number of hours that Republican Senator Ted Cruz spoke for on the floor of the American senate during the week in a bid to derail a spending bill in a marathon speech that lasted through the night. It didn’t work though.
25 – The percentage of households in rural Ireland which have had someone emigrate since the economic crash began, according to a major new study by researchers in UCC.
32 – The number of migrant workers believed to have died in Qatar while working on World Cup building sites. The tiny kingdom has been the source of controversy since it was selected as the host of the 2022 World Cup.
50 – The percentage decrease in public order incidents on Arthur’s Day this year, according to a senior Garda officer. The Diageo-sponsored day endured a major backlash for the first time in the weeks running up to Thursday’s event, leaving its future in doubt.
356 – The number of days until Government departments and State agencies will stop using cheques. The changeover to electronic payments will happen on 19 September next year on what Minister of State Brian Hayes has called Ireland’s “e-Day”.
388 – The number of complaints that ethics watchdog SIPO received about Michael Lowry’s business dealings in Wigan. The body said this week that it has dropped its investigation into allegations of contraventions of the Ethics Act by the Tipperary TD.
4,000 – The number of €50 notes found in bankrupt developer Tom McFeely’s former home on Dublin’s Ailesbury Road. Gardaí are investigating after €200,000 in cash was discovered in two separate finds.
228,000 – The number of people who attended this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Laois over the course of three days this week – a record number for the event.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
From Winston Churchill to Tony Blair: How British Leaders Destroyed Iraq for over a Century.
By Garikai Chengu
” After seven years, the Chilcot report has delivered a damning verdict on Tony Blair’s role in the war on Iraq, but British Prime Ministers playing a destructive role in Iraq is a centuries old practice.
Britain has used its military might and commercial prowess to subjugate Iraq and control its oil resources for over one hundred years.”
Too late to apologise now, he is dead. So who is the spineless creature now? The U.S. and U.K. declared war on a nation to get its oil and the UN stood back and did NOTHING, is that not spineless as well?
You’re blaming the UK for the actions of the US and Britain? What could they do? They don’t have a military and were powerless to do anything. Blame the guilty.
The UN did nothing? The UN security council probably would’ve authorised an invasion in a few more years if the brutality of Saddam’s regime continued. But you can never tell. Such an inept organisation that has never been fit for purpose.
No word about Dr. Kelly or how he could hold a blade in his hands to cut his wrists when he cut so deep into his wrists that he couldn’t hold the blade with his fingers?
Could have, but even so, you do not f**k with the military industrial complex…the weapons inspector that ended up dead outside London before he was to give his verdict is another case.
Phil is right – Robin Cook’s wife was with him when he had his heart attack and therefore doesn’t see his death as suspicious in any way. Sorry if what actually happened is too mundane for you – I’m sure the conspiracy narrative is much more exciting…
Sorry to break it to you people but there are still plenty of lies going on today that the majority buy into. The propaganda ball keeps rolling and it won’t stop anytime soon.
When I was in my teens I found George Carlin who said (paraphrasing) “I have certain rules I live by. My first rule is that I don’t believe anything the government tells me, and I don’t take seriously the media or the press”. I took that on board. Words from the government and the press (generally the unofficial public relations arm of government) that try to convince you of something are nothing more than the words of a certain group of people trying to get your approval that will enable them to do something for their own benefit, not yours.
Look past the fear, the emotive language, etc. and question everything.
Well the same is happening now, the Chilcot enquiry, and the salivating of the press over it is just a means to press the reset button. To reboot the establishment. And the public is falling for it.
It is an effort to hang all the “evil” on one man Blair and absolve the press, politicians, public and state hierarchy for a war that has become a totem for some reason. It was a war the same as any war.
It is conveniently forgotten that there was overwhelming support for the war on Iraq. After all, Tony Blair was returned to power in 2005 with a majority of 68, a landslide by today’s standards. When and why did Blair become persona non grata?
@Joe, if you’d had a look at the Daily Fail during the week, the Iraq war was just a lefty plot, all the horrible comments about lefty this & lefty that, forgetting that most, if not all of the Tories supported the Iraq war.
@alan, Vidal gore, I’m sure was his name, an American with some very good views on politics and psyche in America, sadly departed but he nailed each and every wayward step America has and explained what they (white house) were up to. Definitely a man ahead of his time.
Those British men who read The Sun are idiots. Haven’t they heard of the libellous edition of The Sun that was published after the Hillsborough disaster?
The Conservative Party was in decline under John Major. Therefore, there was no need for Tony Blair to rely on Murdoch.
Sir Humphrey: The only way to understand the Press is to remember that they pander to their readers’ prejudices.
Jim Hacker: Don’t tell me about the Press. I know *exactly* who reads the papers. The Daily Mirror is read by the people who think they run the country. The Guardian is read by people who think they *ought* to run the country. The Times is read by the people who actually *do* run the country. The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country. The Financial Times is read by people who *own* the country. The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by *another* country. The Daily Telegraph is read by the people who think it is.
Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?
Bernard Woolley: Sun readers don’t care *who* runs the country – as long as she’s got big tits.
The Journal should know better than taking unnecessary pot shots at a fellow news organisation. This place isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue the whole time either.
Reminds me of the Michael Dwyer story In Bolivia, remember him been described as a Walter Mitt character by the newspapers here, wonder what the journalists who wrote this about an innocent man are doing now?, I wonder if any of these journalists have ever apologised to his family for the crap they wrote in order to sell their newspapers. These journalists aim their crap at the sheeple, of which there are many, they know the people, of which there are few, will wait until all the facts come out
conri, sheep don’t like to be compared with people. People have an obligation to use their brains and inform themselves as to the rights and wrongs of matters.
Sheep on the other hand simply follow all government dictats and are herded down whatever road the government wants. The rejoice in their sheepishness, and think anyone who doesn’t agree with them are fools.
‘The purpose of newspapers is not to sell news to readers but to sell readers to advertisers.’ The sun can easily be dismissed as a rag but its influence on society is far too malign to ignore. It panders to peoples base instincts and knows its audiences short memories only too well.
The good people of Liverpool have personal experience of the Sun and it’s lies and they take the appropriate action by not buying the rag.
The Sun has perpetrated their bile against working class people and they’ve castigated ordinary decent people as thugs and spongers etc etc.
Had they been on the ‘remain’ side they’d have had an excuse to go a rant along the same lines against the other side but of course that didn’t happen.
But ANY newspaper who’d employ Kelvin Mckenzie, in any capacity is a only fit to be burnt.
Dublin woman sets off for Papua New Guinea in bid to climb world's highest volcanos
12 mins ago
0
horrible smell
There was an unpleasant smell around Waterford city this week. The EPA has confirmed the source
25 mins ago
846
Shooting Stars
Meteor shower and rare 'double planet' to light up Irish skies tonight - here's how to spot them
Updated
22 hrs ago
55.1k
27
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 220 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage . Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework. The choices you make regarding the purposes and vendors listed in this notice are saved and stored locally on your device for a maximum duration of 1 year.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Social Media Cookies
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 154 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 201 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 163 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 124 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 125 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 52 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 49 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 181 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 79 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 113 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 119 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 52 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 67 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 38 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 126 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 128 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 96 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 69 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 120 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 108 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say