Colr McNally’s comment, made during the course of a debate which called into question the interest rate increase practices of AIB and EBS, succinctly encompasses a great deal of current public disaffection with how our financial institutions are operating.

Banks have never had a particularly favourable popular image, and since the onset of the current economic downturn, the transient positive capital they might have built up before boom turned to bust was wiped away.

The black hat of the bad guy was fastened irremovably on the heads of the banks in the fallout of the fiscal collapse – in most people’s minds, a case of “if the cap fits…” if ever there was one.
While the broad geography of how this country’s economy was plunged into crisis is well established, much of its salient detail has remained clouded.

For this reason a motion put forward by FF councillor Robbie Gallagher and adopted by Monaghan Town Council on Monday night is an important one: it called for an inquiry into the circumstances of what happened, one that fulfils the obligation of accountability due to the people of the country who are being compelled to pay a heavy and long-lasting price for a disaster not of their direct making.

It may well be in the banks’ interest for such an inquiry to take place – a clearer picture of how reckless risk-taking and irresponsible lending practices were allowed to penetrate their culture, and the failings of the regulatory safeguards one would have assumed would have checked these excesses, might mitigate some of the culpability assigned them.

In the early days of the current economic crisis one sustaining thought for the public was the prospect that when the rubble of the disaster was cleared away, what would emerge would be a better banking system – one that was leaner, stripped down administratively, more transparent in its operation and, crucially, more responsive and accountable to the customer.

As the people have had to pay a large share of the bailout that has kept some banks afloat, and have been told that this translates into effective public ownership of some of the more wounded institutions, the expectation was that the institutions in question would now have to be a great deal more customer friendly and attuned to the needs of savers and borrowers.

Incredibly, the reverse seems to be the case in many instances.

Banks have reformed in ways which, very often, are making it much more difficult for people to interact satisfactorily with them.

There are sound reasons for financial institutions to encourage their customers to embrace electronic or direct banking practices – 24/7 accessibility to services, security and convenience are all strong features in its favour, but the management of this transition has been precipitate to say the least.

Serious problems are currently being experienced by businesses who require access to cash and coinage and the gradual withdrawal of the opportunities for direct engagement between customer and staff in bank branches is creating considerable frustration among the public that can be witnessed on a daily basis in the branches of those banks that still retain a physical presence in communities.

The major lending institutions are changing undoubtedly, but in ways that are designed to suit their own internal management and administrative imperatives rather than respond to the practical requirements of the people who have their money in them – and that is not a tolerable state of affairs given the burden being carried by the public for their rescue.

The cavalier attitude some banks adopt to the variable interest rates imposed on mortgage holders, as Colr Matt Carthy stated when moving Monday’s Co Council motion, is difficult to credit when one considers the desperate circumstances many families with mortgage debt are striving to contend with – and the promise that capital would be released for the needs of small and medium enterprises aspiring to create a little employment and much needed growth in local communities has yet to be matched by substantial delivery.

There is little evidence thus far that banks are committed to changing in ways commensurate with the moral obligation they owe the people of the country – where is the payback for the bailout?

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has presumably a role to play in ensuring that the banks make good on this debt of principle. Hopefully he will take close account of both the intent and the sentiments embodied in the motions passed by our local authorities this week and direct the banks towards more meaningful compliance with what are surely grave duties of accountability and responsibility towards their customers.

GROWING YOUR OWN
The rapid take-up of the new community facility developed by the Monaghan Allotment Society with the co-operation of Monaghan Town Council in the Killygoan area is worthy of commendation and comment.

It denotes an encouraging awareness in the Monaghan locality of the many benefits associated with the cultivation of fresh fruit and vegetables that we are confident is replicated in many other areas of our circulation area, creating a need which other local authorities should attune themselves to meeting by way of placing small tracts of available land that might otherwise go unused at the disposal of community groups for this purpose.

There are many health advantages to be gleaned from allotment activity, not all of those deriving from the natural produce that is its outcome.

Modern lifestyles often generate stress and distance us from nature – the sense of wellbeing and satisfaction that can be derived from “growing your own”, the opportunity to commune with the land and its yield, are powerful antidotes to these ills.

The educative benefits for young people to acquaint themselves with how the food on their tables comes into being are self-evident – and the presence of an allotment can enhance the environment of a locality, even a predominantly urbanised one, by creating a green haven and potential wildlife habitat.

We hope the allotment habit is one that can grow and flourish in our county with concerted community and local authority support.

The plant was discovered at a large shed at Drumacon, about three miles from Castleblayney.
A tank with 20,000 litres of fuel was found, along with 68 bags of bleaching earth, ancillary equipment, 5 cars and 1 jeep.

 All the vehicles were seized by the Revenue authorities.

The plant had the capacity to launder 15 million litres of fuel annually.

 A substantial amount of toxic waste was also discovered at the site—-approximately 7 tonnes.
 According to a senior Revenue spokesman, the find had a potential loss of €8 million to the Exchequer.

 Gardai were questioning one man following the swoop. A spokesman said they were hoping to interview some other persons in the area about the operation.

 In recent months, Monaghan and Louth County Councils have been forced to spend more than €3 million clearing sludge from laundered fuel away from roads in the area where it was dumped overnight by racketeers, posing a toxic threat to waterways and farmland.

Mr Fallon said the Market House would hold civil marriage ceremonies, but not receptions.
He pointed out that a ceremony was due to be held there in June.

A DISTRICT COURT hearing that started over three hours after the scheduled time was told by the judge that he was sorry for the delay, but that it had occurred due to circumstances beyond his control.

Judge Sean MacBride was speaking at Monaghan District Court on Monday, where hearings did not begin until 1.50pm. The scheduled starting time is 10.30am.

Judge MacBride told the packed courtroom that the delay was due to circumstances beyond his control. He also explained that …

A report in a recent edition of the Irish Independent by journalist Gordon Deegan which detailed the IDA’s job creation record last year on a county by county basis was cited by Fianna Fáil councillor Pádraig McNally when he moved an urgent business motion at Monday’s Co Council meeting.

The proposal asked the Council to “view with concern” the jobs figure for Co Monaghan and to seek an urgent meeting with the IDA and Minister Bruton to discuss it.

Colr McNally noted that 43 jobs had been created in Co Cavan, which was a low enough figure but significantly greater when compared to Co Monaghan. He thought there were opportunities being provided by new industries coming in from abroad that the IDA should be locating around the country.

Colr McNally believed the IDA’s record was “just not good enough at a time when we are trying to keep people from going abroad.” It represented a dismal showing for Co Monaghan, one the Council couldn’t sit idly by and accept.

The South Monaghan councillor added that …

In a letter which came before Monday night’s meeting of the Council, the event organisers made a formal application to close the public roads leading into and out of The Diamond between the hours of 6 pm and midnight on Thursday 18th, Friday, 19th and …

It’s a big weekend for Monaghan county teams, who have two knock-out championship matches.Hopes are high that the minor footballers can go well this summer after they won the county’s first silverware at this level since 1989 with their Ulster Minor Football League victory. They are up against Antrim in their Ulster championship quarter-final in Newry on Sunday at 7pm.

Monaghan have a set of forwards which is surely as good as any minor team in Ulster, if not further afield, with Ulster Colleges All-Star Fearghal McMahon, goal-poacher Conor McCarthy, the pacy Adam Treanor and the tireless Ryan McAnespie all providing a scoring threat, as does dual star Dónal Meegan, if he has recovered from the punctured lung he suffered while playing for the county minor hurlers last month.

Monaghan have struggled at times around the middle of the field, but if David McAlister in particular can produce his best form, they are capable of winning enough possession to supply the ammunition to their attack.

Team captain Kevin Loughran, despite being more at home further out …

BY COLM SHALVEY

COOTEHILL won their first piece of silverware since entering Monaghan minor hurling competitions when they held off a second-half comeback from Truagh Harps in the Silver Hill Foods MHL Final at Cloghan last Saturday.

Cootehill dominated the first half with the wind at their backs and although they were under the cosh in the second period, the free-taking of Fiachra Hughes maintained their breathing space. It was ultimately their greater threat up front that counted in their favour, with Ryan Rogers, Dermot Connolly, Enda Shalvey, Caoimhín Carney and ace free-taker Hughes all causing Truagh Harps problems at times. Conor Boyle, Ciarán McQuaid, Noel and Matthew Flood and Conor Burns did their best to bring the amalgamated side back into it, but they were too reliant on Boyle for scores.

Cootehill opened …

Over the last few weeks and months the club has expanded in numbers with many people new to running joining the club, after the hard work in training many of these people took part in the very well organized and fun Blackwater 10k last Sunday with fantastic times by all runners but more importantly big smiles at the end, followed by a great night’s entertainment in the Squealing Pig. A big thanks to Raymond Aughey for the wonderful refreshments. Some MTR’s still had enough energy to keep the craic going in the nightclub!

Training continues on a Tuesday and Thursday Evening at 6.45 from the Convent Girls School and new members are always welcome. Check us out on Facebook ‘Monaghan Town Runners’.