Work & Life - Issue No 20

THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS

ISSUE 20 • SPRING 2013

SAVE OUR FORESTS Why access to our countryside is at risk

PREVENTING SUICIDE UNION BENEFITS SHOP ETHICAL LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP ANOTHER HEALTH SERVICE RESHUFFLE

ALSO INSIDE CROKE PARK LATEST. IMPACT PEOPLE. ELIZABETH PRICE. SPRING FASHION. BEN AFFLECK REVIVAL. MAGICAL MADRID. BAKING. GARDENS. IT’S RAINING MUSIC. ROMANCE IN THE AIR. BOOKS. COMPETITIONS. ALL THE NEWS.

www.impact.ie

In this issue

work& & life – Spring 2013 WORK

2.

6.

STRANGE WORLD Getting it wrong.

SAVE OUR FORESTS

4.

22.

24.

26.

Why access to our countryside is in peril.

9.

13.

14.

17.

19.

21.

HEALTH RESHUFFLE Health structures to change again.

FAIR SHOP New campaign aims to help shop workers.

43.

LIFE

28.

30.

32.

IMPACT PEOPLE The write stuff.

44.

FOOD Bake off.

Caught in a Trap.

GARDENS Lifting the spirits.

NEWS

TRAVEL Magical Madrid.

39.

39.

40.

40.

40.

41.

41.

41.

42.

HEALTH A fine romance.

MOVIES

YOUR CAREER Climbing the leadership ladder.

CROKE PARK Talks intensify.

Work & Life is produced by IMPACT trade union's Communications Unit and edited by Bernard Harbor.

Front cover: Photo by Dreamstime.com.

Story page 6.

Contact IMPACT at: Nerney's Court, Dublin 1.

Phone: 01-817-1500.

Email: rnolan@impact.ie

36.

AUSTERITY BUDGET PROBATION PROBLEM LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHANGES WATER JOBS ASSURED VOLUNTARY REDUNDANCIES GERMAN PAY SURPRISE ALLOWANCES RETIRED MEMBERS HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN

PRIZES

Ben Afflick’s revival.

34.

SPORT

FASHION Spring cleaning your wardrobe.

PUBLIC SERVICE Helping those at risk of suicide.

UNION BENEFIT Why union members are safer.

YOUR MONEY Get your finances in shape for the New Year.

36.

46.

47.

MUSIC Wet behind the ears.

BOOKS First book at 70.

Win a copy of Tyringham Park.

Win €50 in our prize quiz.

Rate Work & Life and win €100.

Work & Life magazine is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. In addition to defending the freedom of the press, this scheme offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie

Designed by: N. O'Brien Design & Print Management Ltd. Phone: 01-864-1920 Email: nikiobrien@eircom.net Printed by Boylan Print Group.

Advertising sales: Niki O’Brien.

Phone: 01-864-1920.

Unless otherwise stated, the views contained in Work & LIfe do not necessarily reflect the policy of IMPACT trade union.

Work & Life is printed on environmentally friendly paper, certified by the European Eco Label. This magazine is 100% recyclable.

All suppliers to Work & Life recognize ICTU-affiliated trade unions.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 1

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Save our forests

Photo: Niall Shanahan

“WE PLANTED those forests for the next generation, the next one after that and beyond. To brutally go out and fell those trees? I don’t believe anyone has a mandate to do that. I believe that if the Irish people understand what’s at risk, they’ll stand up and be counted.”

Retired forester George Hipwell speaks with genuine passion about the threat to Ireland’s forests. A member of the Society George Hipwell of Irish Foresters and Tír Na Mona, the community council for Kildare’s greater Donadea area, he was at the recent launch of a campaign to stop the Government selling the rights to cut and sell timber from State-owned Coillte forests.

Karl Boyle, chief executive officer of Mountaineering Ireland, is another who fears the policy will damage rural economies and severely restrict public access to our forests. “Eighteen 6

SPRING 2013

million people visited Coillte lands in the last 12 months. From families having a day out or a picnic, to children learning to ride their bikes or being introduced to nature,” he says.

At the end of 2011, the Government announced plans to sell the rights to harvest Coillte forests for up to 80 years.

IMPACT’s Coillte branch says this will destroy the character and quality of Irish forests and limit countryside access for walkers, cyclists, school groups and the general public.

The branch’s new report, Save Our Forests: The social, economic and environmental case against selling Coillte assets says the plan could also damage tourism and jeopardise up to 12,000 jobs in the Irish forest products sector – currently worth €2.2 billion a year, including €286 million in exports.

The launch of the document was supported by a range of forestry, sporting, environmental and rural groups including the Tree Council of Ireland, the Society of Irish Foresters, Mountaineering Ireland, the Irish Ramblers Club, the Dublin Mountaineering Initiative, the Woodland League, and the Donadea Forest Group.

Government plans to sell Coillte assets are putting public access to the countryside at risk.

NIALL SHANAHAN reports on a growing campaign to stop them.

Exploitation Save Our Forests says private buyers of Coillte wood will focus on the commercial exploitation of timber. That means they’ll be unlikely to maintain “safe and optimum” access to forests.

This would severely restrict countryside access in Ireland, which has no public ‘rights of way’ over private land. It could also have a major impact on the tourism sector and the availability of quality timber for Ireland’s successful wood products sector.

Drawing on the limited privatisation experience of New Zealand, the publication says: “Commercially-driven owners or concessionaires could not be relied on to interpret access

liberally, or to undertake the expenditure necessary to maintain forest land for safe and optimum recreational use. It is impossible to imagine how the State could maintain public access to Coillte lands after harvesting rights were sold to private companies.”

Karl Boyle of Mountaineering Ireland agrees. He’s unimpressed by Government reassurances that certain parks and recreational areas will be preserved. “We see the entire Coillte estate as having a huge importance. The open access policy of Coillte, which has been in place for 50 years or more, provides routes onto the hills and uplands that our members use. There is no other right of access to any private or public land on the island of Ireland,” he says. ‰

Photo: Niall Shanahan

Other groups that share our concerns include the Irish Mountain Running Association, the Irish Orienteering Association, and Mountain Views. Trade union groups like SIPTU, ICTU and the Irish National Teachers Organisation, whose members are concerned at the potential impact on school projects and events, have also rowed in.

Karl Boyle

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 7

Save our forests But time is of the essence. “There’s a really naive message being sent out. The minister and others have said the land is not being sold. But whoever owns the crop will control the land to some degree and the open access policy will no longer exist. No matter how you spin it, those who own the crop will control the access to land,” says Karl.

Rural jobs Visitors to Coillte properties also bring tangible economic benefits to local economies, particularly small businesses. “People spend their money in the local areas. Maintaining access to rural areas and outdoor tourism means avoiding job losses in local shops, pubs, hotels and B&Bs. That has other benefits like sustaining communities and keeping teachers in schools,” says Karl.

“If the Irish people understand what’s at risk, they’ll stand up and be counted. If we are properly organised, and if Irish people are told the truth, they won’t allow it to happen.”

Pádraig McEvoy, chair of the Friends of Donadea group, highlights the ecological imperative for protecting Irish forestry.

“Without the contribution of new forests, Ireland’s climate change targets will be very difficult to achieve. Renewable biomass will be needed in greatly increased amounts in the future. To sustain supply and climate change benefits, increased afforestation over the next two decades is a must,” he says.

Pádraig also highlights the significant economic opportunities that exist if Coillte forests are retained and expanded. For instance, EU rules for carbon trading could bring additional investment in Irish forests, which are restoring biodiversity to the countryside and playing an important role in water quality.

Forestry investment can also provide green goods and services with benefits to employment, the economy and society.

Pamela Doran

Campaign Speaking at the launch of the IMPACT report, Coillte branch chair Colm O’Dwyer said there had been no consultation with stakeholders about the proposals. “We believe the people of Ireland have a right to know what the Government’s plans are before irrevocable decisions are taken. We believe that the people should have a proper opportunity to let the Government know their views on the matter,” he said.

Colm also made the point that assets developed over generations were being put at risk for a relatively small short-term financial gain. “In current market conditions, the social, economic and environmental consequences are entirely disproportionate to the relatively small sums of money the Government could hope to raise from a sale,” he said.

Meanwhile, George Hipwell remembers training as a forester over 50 years ago. “I love forestry.

It was my vocation and the old foresters taught me how to plan, looking at the lifespan of conifers over 30, 40, 50 years. We were planning several generations of forest at any given time.”

George is keen to mobilise the Irish public to defend their forests. “When the UK Government was trying to privatise the British Forestry Commission in the 1980s, MPs got more calls from the public than they did about the poll tax. They tried again a few years ago and it died a death again. I think if we are properly organised, and if Irish people are told the truth, they won’t allow it to happen,” he says.

Join the campaign to save our forests. Download the Save Our Forests report and subscribe to the campaign at www.saveourforests.ie l

8

SPRING 2013

Photo: Niall Shanahan

One small business developed from Coillte tourism is the coffee shop at Donadea forest park, which is run by Pamela Doran of Tír Na Mona. “We have several thousand visitors a year. One survey shows that we get about half from the immediate locality. The other half travel more than 30 kilometers to spend time here,” she says.

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Your career

Learning to lead Have you ever pulled back from applying for the perfect job because you lack the required leadership skills?

ISOBEL BUTLER says you can learn and earn the qualities you need.

POSSESSING LEADERSHIP skills can be essential to take the next step on your career path. But it’s a challenge, particularly if you’ve been working in an entry-level job. So, can you develop leadership skills? Or are they something that just comes naturally?

Warren Bennis, a world renowned expert on leadership development, is famous for his claim that leaders are made, not born. He says the idea that leadership qualities like charisma are inherent is a dangerous myth.

What do good leaders do? Looking at the qualities of good leaders we can see that they have common attributes. Leaders are passionate and enthusiastic about the task and the team or organisation they work with. They know their team and are able to inspire and motivate them to get tasks done.

They don’t micromanage. Instead they delegate to those they know are able to undertake the job and let them do the task, providing guidance when asked and taking responsibility if things go wrong.

Priorities and praise Leaders recognise their team’s efforts and support and encourage them. Organisational skills are core to effective leadership. Another famous expert in the field, Stephen Covey, said: “The key to this is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Excellent communication is central to modern leadership.

Good leaders listen to seek understanding rather than simply listening to respond. This also demonstrates that they are paying attention and value what is being said, which inspires people and builds trust. Leaders also cultivate trust by having a positive attitude, responding constructively, empowering, and accepting responsibility.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

John F. Kennedy.

A final point worth mentioning in these recessionary times is the need for leaders to be able to manage conflict constructively and, in doing so, deal with the issue or solve the problem without destroying the trust of their team or followers.

Gaining the skills The first step to developing your leadership skills is to become self-aware. Reflect on yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. Do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis and create your own development plan.

Take heart if you are not currently in a management role because being a manager is not necessarily the best way to develop your leadership skills. Managers don’t automatically become leaders. ‰ WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 17

Your career

7 Steps to LEADERSHIP l

Be passionate

l

Lead by example

l

Take on the hard tasks yourself

l

Listen and weigh up opinions and ideas. (You don’t have to know everything. You do have to sift through information and choose the correct path)

l

Trust your team and they will trust you.

l

Reflect and learn from your experiences. Repeat successes and don’t repeat mistakes

l

Thank people for their efforts and recognise their contribution.

Having a position of authority does increase the likelihood that you can influence someone, but leadership requires that you influence in a manner that doesn’t simply arise from the authority of your role or position. Influence can be wielded in other ways.

People are influenced or led when they see that another person has desirable abilities or personal traits that can be shared or copied, or when they see that the other person knows their job or has expert knowledge relevant to the job or problem in hand. They will be influenced if you are honest and open, share your knowledge, and demonstrate its usefulness.

Learn how to lead by seeking out role models. Watch how other people influence, especially those who are able to influence their fellow team mates without depending on the authority of a senior position. Watch managers who stand out from the crowd for the way that they manage, those managers who inspire their teams and departments to follow them and where staff go the extra mile because of their trust in their leader.

Good leaders lead through example. Model the behaviour that you believe is necessary and work with people. John Adair described leadership as being about focusing group efforts towards a common goal and enabling people to work together as a team.

"Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."

Stephen R Covey.

Be a team player. Listen to the people you are working with and don’t be daunted when problems arise. Spell out clearly and honestly your vision of how to solve the problem and move things forward. But don’t simply tell and expect people to do. Get in there and solve the problem with them.

Encouragement Warren Bennis has described how good leaders make people feel they are at the heart of things. So encourage people as you are working towards your goal.

Provide support and guidance for those who need it, recognise the efforts of those around you, listen to their suggestions and seek the views of those too shy to speak out. Teach those who have few skills.

Seek feedback from your manager and your fellow team mates and be prepared to listen and accept what they say in order to learn and become more selfaware.

Start your leadership development today by acting like a leader and cultivating both the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of good leaders – listening, enabling, encouraging those around you, and inspiring a shared vision. Most of all, modeling or demonstrating the way forward.

Once people are following your lead, then you know you’re demonstrating leadership l

Isobel Butler is an independent organisational psychologist who works with people on a wide range of workplace issues including conflict management, dealing with change and solving problems. If there are specific issues you’d like her to tackle in these articles send them in via the editor, Work & Life magazine, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1 or info@impact.ie.

18

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Public service jobs and pay

IMPACT’s branches gave the go-ahead for talks at the union’s conference last year.

Croke Park talks intensify Talks on an extension to the Croke Park agreement are underway. BERNARD HARBOR reports.

NEGOTIATIONS ON an extension to the Croke Park agreement will intensify in the early part of this year. IMPACT and other public service unions had preliminary meetings with public service management at the end of 2012, after the Government issued an invitation to talks.

No specific proposals to achieve the Government’s aim of saving an additional €1 billion from the public service pay bill between 2013 and 2015 had been put to unions as Work & Life went to press in late December. But Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said that Croke Park protections on pay and job security can remain in place if new cost-saving measures are agreed in the talks.

Last November, officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform gave unions a detailed analysis of the county’s budgetary situation. This confirmed that the Croke Park agreement was on course to deliver €3.3 billion in payroll savings by 2015 – but that lack of growth in the economy meant that the Government now had to find more if it was to meet troika deficit targets.

“Any measures will have to be fair, which means they can’t fall disproportionately on any group of staff, particularly those on low and middle incomes.”

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody, who also chairs the ICTU public services committee, told management that unions were willing to try to reach an agreement, but that it would have to meet three criteria to succeed.

Firstly, management would have to prove that its proposals would make genuine savings. Secondly, any measures would have to be fair, which meant they could not fall disproportionately on any group of staff, particularly those on low and middle incomes. Thirdly, the outcome would have to pass the tests of ballots in IMPACT and other unions.

Shay also said members would be influenced by events in Europe, particularly the issue of Ireland’s payment of bank debt.

IMPACT’s 2012 conference passed a number of motions, which gave the go-ahead for the union to enter negotiations at the appropriate time. The Government hopes to reach an agreement early in the New Year with the target of putting proposals to national ballots of union members in the first few months of 2013.

It is expected that the Labour Relations Commission will facilitate the talks, as it did in the original Croke Park negotiations in 2010.

In a recent letter to IMPACT branches, Shay Cody said members would benefit from an extension of the Croke Park protections – which guard against compulsory redundancies and further pay cuts – in light of the very difficult economic and budgetary forecasts for 2013 and 2014.

“We are in talks with the objective of protecting members’ pay and pensions against further cuts, and preventing any imposition of compulsory redundancies.

Achieving success will mean agreeing to measures that cut the public service pay bill in other ways,” he said.

In its first two years, the Croke Park deal has already delivered recurring Shay Cody annual savings of €1.5 billion without recourse to compulsory redundancies or further pay cuts. This has required substantial changes in work practices including changes to sick leave and holiday entitlements, additional working time in local authorities, roster changes for many health workers, and the redeployment of thousands of public servants.

If the negotiators are able to negotiate a package, the outcome will be put to a national ballot of the members concerned.

Keep an eye on www.impact.ie for updates l WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 21

Looking good

Spring clean your TRISH O’MAHONY says it’s time to be ruthless, but not ridiculous, as you declutter your wardrobe.

SPRING IS the time to do some Feng Shui on your wardrobe. Decluttering serves more than one purpose, creating space for the spring-summer 2013 temptations while working with your previous purchases.

Some trends are so practical you’re probably already wearing them. For confirmation see Moschino, Cheap and Chic Catwalk collection. Wear neon brights by Nike Air or statement-making wedge styles.

Be ruthless, but not ridiculous. Get rid of items that don’t fit, items that are irreparable and those pieces that you loved, but owe you nothing. Repair what’s worth repairing. Recycle the rest.

According to the fashion bible Vogue, Ladurée colours are the colours this season. Ladurée, you might ask? Apparently it means pastel colours like spearmint, fondant pink, violet lemon and baby blue.

Hold onto items worth hoarding including staple pieces like jeans and dresses, timeless classics and your favourite gear that makes you feel good. Very few can afford to throw out everything, much as we might want to. So buy wisely and make every purchase earn its place in your space.

Colour clashing is still on trend, as is neon. Choose between pretty pastels or brilliantly bright like hot pink, grass green, orange and cobalt blue. If white is your go-to colour each spring and summer then you’ll be happy this season because Simone Rocha and Missoni have teamed every colour with white.

Savvy

For high street versions shop in Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Hold on to any silver or gold pieces you’ve bought recently as they are strong transition colours from winter into spring.

Every season sees multitudes of trends emerging.

Naturally that’s ideal for designers and fashion houses. They just want you to spend. But be savvy about what you buy. Choose trends that suit you, your pocket, your lifestyle and your current wardrobe.

There was a definite easing up at New York Fashion Week, and more of a sense of having fun with fashion. In fact, the laid back look is coming through on international catwalks. It probably has something to do with worldwide recession and people being unable to afford to take fashion as seriously as when we thought we were rich.

Shiny Yellow lace dress, Hobbs.

I think of it as dressing down to dress up. To achieve the look, wear a bomber jacket over a pretty dress or a pencil skirt.

Finish with flat shoes or sneakers. Practically every designer went for this look.

Some form of embellishment on your bomber jacket will give it a feminine look. A great look too with skinny jeans and slouchy pants.

Sporty The sporty theme was around last season and it’s continuing into 2013. It’s more relaxed and versatile than full-on sporty, you don’t have to don the entire tracksuit. Buy pieces that can be dressed up or down.

At some point in the week this is a look everyone dips into, whether it’s in the evening after work, going to the supermarket or going for a walk in the woods at the weekend.

Look out for Anjhe Mules label which is as popular with athletes and celebrities as it is with the fashion conscious.

22

SPRING 2013

Some trends just keep on giving and monochrome is one of them. That’s why it’s important not to discard anything from your wardrobe too hastily. If you’re not a lover of all-white, go for black and white graphics, monochrome stripes, squares and checkerboard prints.

If you are a lover of all-white. the look is oversized plain white buttoned-up shirts and shirt dresses.

Wear all white, including footwear, to say goodbye to the winter woollies. If that sounds a little too pure, finish with a neon bag, belt or scarf.

That same neon is popping up in all kind of places like neon yellow zips on indigo denim jeans. It’s a good way to incorporate the neon trend while avoiding overkill.

Trending fabrics include shiny, glossy satin, porous spongy materials that create a shape (like wetsuits) and wet look fabrics that cling. See-through material, like clear plastic, is incorporated into other fabrics. Just make sure you’re happy with its bodily location. White leather is popular and River Island has a selection in dresses and tunic tops.

You’re also going to see influences from eighties icons like Michael Jackson in the form of powerful shoulders – and from the sixties with boxy shapes and Mary Quant-style mini dresses. Flower power is big too, as are oriental influences. If you don’t believe me, look at Prada’s spring-summer ready-towear collection.

The moral of the story is that there’s something for everyone’s tastes. Anything goes, so long as you’re having fun l

wardrobe

“If white is your go-to colour each spring and summer then you’ll be happy this season because Simone Rocha and Missoni have teamed every colour with white.”

White lace top, River Island. White geometric top, River Island. Print jeans, Next. Camonda skinny jeans, M&S. Orange trousers, Debenhams. Millie Derby shoes, Hobbs.

Egocentric slip shoes, Office. Green shoes, Office.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 23

In the kitchen

magic

It’s a kind of MARGARET HANNIGAN dons her apron and gets down to some baking.

I LOVE baking. I love the comfort of it and the fact that it’s the closest thing to magic you can experience in a kitchen. By putting a few very ordinary ingredients together and giving them the good love of a hot oven, you can completely transform them into something so much more than the sum of its parts.

When you take flour, raw eggs, sugar, butter, baking powder, and make a Madeira sponge, you can’t actually taste any of the ingredients. They have all become simply and indisputably the taste of sponge.

You look at the packet of flour (basically, wheat dust), butter (a block of fat, albeit very yummy fat), raw eggs (alien slime) and sugar (the pretty one of the bunch) and it’s really hard to believe they can produce something that tastes like a hug feels. But, reader dear, they can.

It’s the opposite with yeastbased doughs, where you are obliged to pummel, stretch and pinch the life out of it because you want that same gluten to get very active indeed. The water you add to a yeast mix should be warm. And it likes to rise in a warm place, free from draughts.

Baking, like all the DIY skills that foster independence and self-reliance, is super-cool right now. In the grey fog of recession, it’s a glimmer of sugar-iced frivolity and fun.

Forget the rain, the bills, the 200 impossible things that have to be done by bedtime, and break out the apron. There are few things as therapeutic and satisfying as some weighing, measuring and mixing, and then tucking in to the resulting goodies.

The smell of baking is one of the all time magnificent smells of life. It smells of cake with base notes of clean sheets and fresh pyjamas, baths and reading by the fire, hugs, and someone to put a fresh plaster on your knee when you fall. It’s free aromatherapy.

When you touch plastic keyboards all day, or deal with hordes of people and their problems, the feel of chilled pastry dough under your hands is exhilarating. And, as you smooth and stretch the dough with the rolling pin and trim the edges of an apple tart, the kinks and tangles in your thoughts seem to unwind as well.

There are some rules you need to keep in mind. Baking is an exact science so follow the recipe, and measure your ingredients carefully. Pastry needs cold ingredients and little handling. Too much kneading will activate the gluten in the flour and make the pastry tough. You need to let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, so that the gluten will relax! If the pastry splits, the mix may be a little dry, but you can’t fix it. Just patch as you go and it will still taste great.

24

SPRING 2013

Sponge-based cakes need to have everything, including eggs, at room temperature, with soft butter and fine caster sugar.

Beat the ingredients together in sequence to form a soft mix and don’t leave it hanging around as the rising agent will start to interact with the wet ingredients very soon after they’re added.

The mix may become a little curdled with the addition of the eggs, but this is not serious at all. It will still rise and taste divine. If the cake sinks in the middle it may be that the mix was too slack – overly wet ingredients – or the tin you cooked it in was too big. If it’s dry and tough, or doesn’t rise, the mix may not have been liquid enough.

Check the recipe again – it’s a learn-by-doing skill l

Heavenly pud Pear and almond pudding pie.

This recipe is family favourite, from Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Family Cookbook.

To serve 6 l

150g soft butter

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125g caster sugar

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2 eggs

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Almond essence, 1 tsp (optional)

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75g ground almonds

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75g self-raising flour

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3 Pears, firm but not rock hard (Conference pears are good) or apples.

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25g butter

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1 tbsp sugar

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Cake tin, about 20cm in diameter. Loose-bottomed is best.

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line the tin with baking paper.

Peel the pears, and quarter them, slicing out the stringy core. In a wide saucepan or non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add the 25g butter. When it sizzles, add the sugar, and stir to make a bubbly sauce. Add the pears and fry for a few minutes until they start to pick up a few brown flecks. Leave aside to cool.

Now make the sponge base. Beat together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between.

Don’t worry if it looks too eggy. Add the almonds, and sieve in the flour, then fold them in gently to the mix with a metal spoon or spatula. Turn the mix over on itself gently, until they’re incorporated.

Put the mix into the tin, and gently spread it out. Arrange the pear (or apple) slices on top. Scatter some flaked almonds over the pears. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 45 minutes.

The cake is done when a skewer or cocktail stick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot with cream or cold on its own.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 25

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Page title Travel and trips

The magic of TRISH O’MAHONY finds it easy to relax in Europe’s greenest capital.

IMAGINE HAVING to go to Madrid. That’s the reality for me now that the city is home to my daughter for the next two years. Virtually everyone I know who’s been to the Spanish capital falls for its relaxed charms.

Madrid doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s there to be enjoyed by all types of traveller. Whether you want to see museums, sit in the park or dine al fresco, it’s a majestic city steeped in history and politics. But it’s relaxed about it.

There’s the cultural old town, Las Letras, literally around the corner from the busy, action-packed Sol centre. Here you’ll find creative Madrid at play. It’s like stepping back in time with pretty old balconied buildings and quirky shops, curios, art galleries, florists and boutiques.

Virtually traffic free, go for a leisurely stroll around the market on Saturday or Sunday morning for bric-a-brac, plants and antique jewellery. By night enjoy great restaurants, wine bars and jazz clubs. Sol is the vibrant part of the city and Plaza de Santa Ana is especially lively by night, crammed with open air bars and restaurants.

Madrid is officially Europe’s greenest capital city, with its numerous parks and tree-lined avenues. The Casa de Campo lies on the edge of the city. At almost 3,000 acres it’s one of Europe’s largest urban open spaces and is home to Madrid’s zoo and fun fair. Retiro park is less than ten minutes walk from Peurto del Sol and well worth a visit.

Safe The Madrilenos are proud of their city and naturally welcoming to tourists. Unlike Barcelona, Madrid is one of the safest cities in Europe and crime is quite low by comparison.

The climate helps too, especially appealing in April, May and September. But be warned, it gets intensely hot in the summer months and cold in the winter.

Rain in Madrid is rare, but it got its annual quota the day we arrived. What better place to head for but the Prado museum, Madrid’s top cultural sight and one of the world’s greatest art galleries. We availed of free entry on Friday from five-seven. It usually costs €12.

As a special treat we went to the Bernabeau stadium to watch Real Madrid play Deportivo La Coruna. The classy soccer was the treat for some. Others settled for a glimpse of the mighty Mourinho.

Photos: dreamstime.com

Plaza de Santa Ana

‰ 28

SPRING 2013

Madrid Bars Madrid has an abundance of Irish bars. See it as an advantage if you want to watch a GAA match, rugby or any major sporting event. The James Joyce Bar on Calle de Alcala, Salamanca was my favourite. Positioned on one of the oldest streets in Madrid, in full view of Puerta de Alcala – a neoclassical monument built in 1599 – it serves reasonably priced food, has a great atmosphere and offers live music at weekends. En route to the James Joyce Bar you can enjoy some of the best architectural views of Madrid. Leaving might be a different story.

As a special treat we went to the Bernabeau stadium to watch Real Madrid play Deportivo La Coruna.

The classy soccer was the treat for some. Others settled for a glimpse of the mighty Mourinho.

A lot of cities are overpriced but Madrid isn’t. You can eat, sleep, travel around and sight-see more economically than in most European cities. We stayed in an apartment in Las Letras where a five-minute walk will take you into Sol Central or – going in the other direction – to the Prado. NH Paseo del Prado hotel is perfectly positioned opposite the Neptune fountain and Retiro park l

Where to eat Spanish cuisine wouldn’t be anything to write home about unless paella and tortillas are counted in. I would recommend El Baril in the old town for delicious, reasonably priced cuisine in a very tastefully furnished room. Near it is La Mucca, also well worth mentioning. Ginos is a chain frequented by students; my verdict was cheap, cheerful and reliable.

Where to shop Goya is the main district for exclusive designers.

Calle Jose Ortega y Gasse and the narrower side street Calle Claudio Coello has the likes of Miu Miu and Cop Copine. Cristina Castaner, one of Spain’s top shoe designers, is here too.

As Manolo Blahnik is Spanish, pay a visit to his store at Serrano 58. It doesn’t cost to look and you never know who you might ‘celebrity’ spot. For high street go to Gran Via. For less known, quirky boutiques go to Calle Fuencarral.

Getting around Madrid is compact and you can cover a lot on foot.

Buy a ten-pass ticket for €12.50 for use on buses and Metro. Use metro or shuttle bus to and from the airport. Aerocity is a specialised taxi service, reserve in advance. Aer Lingus flies to Madrid Barajas Airport. If you book well in advance you’ll get flights well below €100 all in.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 29

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At the movies

The Affleck revival Once a figure of fun, Ben Affleck’s behind-the-camera moves are putting him back in the frame. MORGAN O’BRIEN reports.

THE RECENT release of Argo marks the continuing revival of its director Ben Affleck. By the early 2000s, Affleck had become a figure of fun whose once promising career was on the downward slide. A series of bad performances in even worse films seemed to be ushering in the Affleck twilight. But in recent years the once maligned actor has turned director and proved himself a credible presence behind the camera.

Affleck first came to attention in the early 1990s with small yet notable supporting roles in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993) and Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995). The latter subsequently gave the actor a lead in the follow-up, Chasing (1997), which seemed to confirm Affleck’s potential in undemanding comedic fare.

However, it was the surprise success of Good Will Hunting (1997) that propelled Affleck to superstardom.

Along with his co-star Matt Damon, Affleck earned a screenplay Oscar for the film. However, while Damon plotted a more interesting acting path, Affleck

drifted through various underwhelming films such as Armageddon (1998), Forces of Nature (1999) and Reindeer Games (2000).

Looks could kill Affleck was sundered by his own good looks and continually employed in roles requiring little more than handsome vacuity. None more so than in Michael Bay’s interminable and illjudged Pearl Harbor (2001), where Affleck wandered inertly around the screen.

The actor became more noted for his personal life than for films that were either forgettable (The Sum of All Fears) or memorable only inasmuch as we wanted to forget them (Daredevil).

Affleck’s nadir was reached through an ill-starred professional and personal association with Jennifer Lopez, which yielded the disastrous Gigli (2003).

The tumult in Affleck’s life saw him do a stint in rehab, and there seemed little indication that his career would find

any focus. But in 2006 he featured in Hollywoodland, a murder mystery with a solid cast featuring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins. Affleck played George Reeves, star of the 1950s Superman TV series, who was tormented by his failed career. The role seemed apposite, and drew from the actor a performance that earned a Golden Globe nomination.

Affleck suddenly seemed renewed and turned to direct Gone Baby Gone (2007) an adaptation of the Denis Lehane novel of the same name. The Boston-set drama about two private detectives investigating a missing child was a commercial and critical success.

The direction was assured, with Affleck navigating the story’s morally ambiguous terrain with a deftness that belied his inexperience.

Character While he continued to perform onscreen, Affleck took on smaller character roles such as a sound supporting performance in State of ‰

The New Year promises some interesting cinema releases, with notable Oscar contenders to the fore.

Les Miserables (11th January)

Cusack). Nicole Kidman channels the malicious qualities last seen in Gus van Sant’s To Die For.

rescue his wife from a cruel plantation owner (Leonardo Di Caprio).

Gangster Squad (11th January) This stylish noir period piece, set in the 1940s, features Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling as LAPD detectives going up against Sean Penn’s east coast mobster.

Broken City (25th January)

Django Unchained Tom Hooper (The Damned United, The King’s Speech) directs Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in an adaptation of the successful stage musical.

The Paperboy (11th January) Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron investigate a murder to exonerate a man on death row (John 32

SPRING 2013

(18th January) Inspired by Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 spaghetti western Django, Quentin Tarantino’s latest outing features Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who travels with a bounty hunter (Christophe Waltz) to

The Hughes brothers direct this crime drama about a New York cop (Mark Wahlberg) who uncovers a scandal that implicates the Mayor and his wife (Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones).

In Hollywoodland, Affleck played the star of the 1950s Superman TV series, who was tormented by his failed career.

The role seemed apposite.

Play (2009). His second feature as director, The Town (2010), was a solid crime-movie where Affleck starred as part of an ensemble cast with Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner.

This year he directed Argo, about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, which works

like a caper movie wrapped in a political drama. The film adroitly balances tense drama and black humour, feeling like a movie of an earlier time with clear stylistic parallels to 1970s conspiracy thrillers like Three Days of the Condor.

The future for Affleck now appears to

Lincoln (25th January) Perennial Oscar-botherers Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis are director and star in the story of the eponymous 16th president’s attempts to abolish slavery.

A Late Quartet (1st February) This drama about competing egos in a string quartet features a strong cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener.

Flight (1st February) Denzel Washington stars as a pilot with substance abuse issues. The impressive support cast features John Goodman, Don Cheadle, and Melissa Leo.

show more promise behind the camera. As a director he’s displayed a steady restraint and lack of pretension reminiscent of Clint Eastwood’s recent work on films like Mystic River and Gran Turino, which should make his next steps as a director of fascinating interest l

Hitchcock (8th February) The first of two films about the filmmaker stars Anthony Hopkins and focuses on his relationship with his wife Alma (Helen Mirren) during the making of Psycho.

This Is 40 (15th February) Reprising their supporting roles from Knocked Up, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann star as a bickering married couple sliding into mid-life.

A Good Day to Die Hard (15th February) Bruce Willis returns as the luckless John McClane who, in a seeming nod to Taken, travels to Moscow and gets embroiled in a terrorist plot.

Cloud Atlas (22nd February) Based on David Mitchell’s celebrated and complex novel, this charts six interrelated stories across different times. Directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski’s, it features Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 33

Play it loud

Raining them in Musicians are obsessed with the weather, just like the rest of us, says RAYMOND CONNOLLY.

WE GET a lot of weather at this time of year and there’s no escaping the fact that the Irish people are world leaders in discussing the elements. If you discount Bono, who talks rubbish about every other subject imaginable.

In his book Isn’t It Well For Ye: The Book Of Irish Mammies, Colm O’Regan sums up our weather situation beautifully. “In geographical terms Ireland is an island with a temperate climate that is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic drift and a prevailing wind from the South West. In more practical terms, Ireland is sitting in an awful draught,” he writes.

No wonder the weather provides the perfect lubricant to any random conversation – a genuine rival to southern England’s obsession with queuing. But we aren’t the only ones banging on about climate variables. Musicians do it too. And it’s clear to me that opinion on heavy precipitation is clearly divided.

Take the Ann Peebles classic I Can’t Stand The Rain. An admirably clear and unambiguous position. And she had many supporters if the number of acts who covered the song are taken as a yardstick: Humble Pie, Ronnie Wood, Graham Central Station, Missy Elliott, Tina Turner (aarggh!), Bad Manners (oi!), and Michael Bolton (STOP!) to name but a few.

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Modern times I’VE HEARD a suggestion in some quarters that this column over-eggs the nostalgia pudding, particularly the 1970s model. Naturally I reject this mad claim out of hand.

Mind you, if you heard the last singles from Bruno Mars and Lykke Li, a thought should occur. Bruno, prior to delivering Locked Out Of Heaven had definitely been swaying along to The Police in the late 1970s.

St. Etienne

Equally, Lykke Li’s excellent I Follow Rivers has St. Etienne (this column can do 1990s revisionism too) all over it. Incidentally St. Etienne is a superb English pop-dance band and a French football team which shot to prominence in the, er, 1970s.

Now I’m off on a campaign to bring rosettes back to football grounds.

While in the depths of economic depression, Cliff Edwards was so happy he was Singing in the Rain in the early MGM musical The Hollywood Revue of 1929, the happiness was only ‰

and everywhere Crowded House went they took the weather with them.

As for the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince, now Prince. His rain was purple! Try explaining that to your kids. Can we talk about anything other than the weather? l The Doors

5 SUNNY DELIGHTS Sunrise by The Who (1967) “You take away the breath I’ve been keeping ‘til sunrise.”

Early poignant Who classic.

Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks (1966) “Taxman’s taken all my dough.”

Times haven’t changed.

The Sun Always Shines On TV by A-Ha (1986) You’d be “hunting high and low” to match this pearler.

The Kinks

There’s Always The Sun by The Stranglers (1986) Always, always, always. Another 1986 gem. Not that the sun shone that year.

Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top (1980) “She was as sweet as molasses but what really knocked me out were her cheap sunglasses.” For lyrical content alone...

ZZ Top

firmly lodged in the public mindset when Gene Kelly splashed his way through several artificial puddles (according to my dad, “that doesn’t be real rain”) in the 1952 musical of the same name.

5 DAMP SQUIBS Why Does It Always Rain On Me? By Travis (1999) As long as a wet week in Scotland.

Gene would have no problem filling the away end at Portsmouth with rain-heads either. John Martyn, The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Sammy Davis Jr, Jamie Cullum (ah here, leave it out) and Eric & Ernie all recorded the song.

(Join Me Dancing) Naked In The Rain by Blue Pearl (1990) Nobody’s imagination should be allowed to stretch that far.

Personally I support Ms Peeble’s disposition. As a young lad rain ruined so many weekends. There once was a newspaper called the Evening Herald. It seemed that every Friday’s back page carried a late notice saying “All Dublin Corporation pitches except Saint Anne’s No.32 are unplayable for the weekend.” That meant another Saturday morning on the hoovering.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

by BJ Thomas (1969) Dylan turned this one down. Raindrops weren’t hard core enough. He preferred hurricanes.

Bob Dylan must have had it bad though. He upgraded from Hard Rain to Hurricane in just a few short years. The Doors were highly concerned about the welfare of jockeys in a storm

Spring 2013 solutions (From page 46.)

2 1 6 5 7 9 3 8 4

4 5 8 1 3 2 9 6 7

3 7 9 4 8 6 5 1 2

9 3 2 6 5 1 4 7 8

5 4 7 8 2 3 1 9 6

8 6 1 7 9 4 2 3 5

6 8 3 9 4 5 7 2 1

7 9 4 2 1 8 6 5 3

Soduko easy solution

1 2 5 3 6 7 8 4 9

7 5 3 8 4 1 2 9 6

8 2 1 9 3 6 5 4 7

9 6 4 2 5 7 3 8 1

1 4 5 3 7 2 8 6 9

3 9 6 1 8 5 7 2 4

2 8 7 4 6 9 1 5 3

4 1 2 5 9 3 6 7 8

5 7 8 6 1 4 9 3 2

6 3 9 7 2 8 4 1 5

Soduko difficult solution

The Wind Of Change by Robert Wyatt (1984) No, not Robert Watt.

Robert Wyatt

It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls (1982) Female revenge for the entire Carry On series. Amen

Winter 2012 Crossword Solutions See page 46 for the competition winners from Issue 19.

ACROSS: 1. Greys Anatomy 5. Diced 8. Gabby 9. Blimp 10 Alder 11. Insipid 14. Yield 17.

Spree 20 & 23. Nothing to declare 21. Bree 22 & 31D. Fair City 23. Nothing to declare 24 Ceded 27. Stand 30. Outcast 32. Array 33. Adder 34. Lactary 35. Genie 36. Susan. DOWN: 1. Gabby 2. Exile 3. Sapid 4. ETSI 5. Dyads 6. Cedar 7. Dirge 12. Such Heart 13. Paint Lisa 15. Intrude 16. Lynette 18. Perfect 19. Epsilon 24 & 26. Craig Doyle 25 & 29. Duran Duran 26. Craig Doyle 27. Stays 28. Aide 29. Craig Doyle 31. Fair City WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 35

From the author Eight-year-old Charlotte Blackshaw has to struggle alone with her loss, with no support from her hostile mother and menacing nanny, when her little sister Victoria goes missing from the estate. She finds comfort in the kindness of servants and later reaches out for happiness.

But the mystery of Victoria’s disappearance continues to cast a long shadow over Tyringham Park – a mystery that has the power to destroy its world and the worlds of those connected to it.

The book’s impressive author describes herself as a late starter. “I loved rearing my two children, but I wasted a lot of time. Imagine all the other paintings I could have painted and the books I could have written,” she says.

Born in the Australian outback, Rosemary’s adventurous spirit led her to Ireland when she was in her twenties. “I had Irish ties that went back three generations. I fell in love with this country right from the beginning. People said I’d get sick of it after a while, but I never did,” she says.

She also fell in love with her future husband while working in Dublin’s Powers hotel. Marriage and two children followed. “I feel very satisfied. I have fulfilled my destiny. I loved raising my children. The painting and the writing has capped it. It’s wonderful to finish life like this,” she tells me.

Rosemary says she loves making up characters and stories that have causes and effects. “I love opera and the grand themes of love, passion, jealousy and betrayal, which I bring into my books. I love having characters in moral dilemmas; getting good people doing bad things for good reasons.

“I try to make the historical details accurate, but it’s really about the characters and what happens to them. Often against their wishes, which happens a lot in real life,” she says.

You’re never too old ROSEMARY McLOUGHLIN started her successful painting career in her fifties and has published her first novel in her seventies. Tyringham Park spent several weeks on the bestseller’s list.

MOST OF the many people who’ve enjoyed Rosemary McLoughlin’s bestseller Tyringham Park are probably unaware that its first-time author was over 70 years of age when the novel was published. Not bad for a woman who also started a successful painting career – in her fifties!

A magnificent country house in the south of Ireland, Tyringham Park is a haven of wealth and privilege until its peace is shattered by a devastating event which revealed the chaos of jealousy and deceit beneath its surface.

36

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Rosemary urges struggling authors to start with their own family history. “Don’t be daunted by the pressure of writing a book. We often don’t ask the questions about family, and the relationships they had with people, until it’s too late. When I talk to my siblings, instead of talking about the weather, we talk about our parents, what they thought about other people and what they did. It’s marvellous,” she says.

Rosemary’s not one for resting on her laurels. She’s currently finishing her second book, Twelve Thousand Miles and has five paintings to complete in time for a show. No pressure then, as she puts it. “It’s a moment of desperation. I have to finish the books before I get too old.”

Interview by Martina O’Leary.

Win a copy Poolbeg Press has given us three copies of Tyringham Park to give away. To be in with a chance to win, answer the question below and send your entry to Roisin Nolan, Rosemary Competition, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. Entries must reach us by Friday 8th March 2013.

Where was author Rosemary McLoughlin born?

Book reviews

A city in turmoil: Dublin 1919-1921 Pádraig Yeates (Gill & Macmillan, £14.99 in the UK) GPO ruins

Photo: Dublin City Council – digital collections

THIS HANDSOME and generously priced volume follows Yeates’ previous histories of Dublin in the 1913 Lockout and Dublin in Wartime: 1914-1918. In the previous volumes, Yeates analysed the history of Dublin city as the cockpit of the new Ireland; enduring the class confrontations of the 1913 lockout, the devastation of the Easter 1916 rising, and now, in this volume, the terror of the war of independence.

Dublin city was the seat of a crumbling British civil administration in Dublin Castle confronted by a rival underground administration in Dáil Éireann. It was the headquarters of the DMP G-Division, the ill-disciplined Black and Tans and the more disciplined and formidable Auxiliaries.

The forces of the British state were confronted by the guerrilla army of the Republic and Collins ‘squad’ of assassins on the streets of the city.

The history of the war of independence in the city is masterful. The account of the events of bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920 is tautly written, showing a masterly command of various sources but always judicious in evaluating them.

As an account of one of the most written about events of the war of independence it is hardly to be bettered. It utilises the

“IMPACT members will find the activities of Harry Nicholls and the Municipal Officers Trade Union of special interest as he and the union he founded are the rootstock of local and public service trade unionism in Ireland.” recently released witness statements of the Bureau of Military History to great effect in revealing the inner turmoil of the IRA activists and the often ad hoc way in which the war was fought on the city streets.

However this history is much more than a narrative of the military campaign. The role of Dublin City Corporation, the ancestor of the present City Council, is another central theme.

The January 1920 local elections gave Sinn Féin a powerful grip on the government of the city. But Yeates shows that the former unionists and some nationalists, reconstructed as Municipal Reform Association candidates, could pose a significant defence of the status quo disguised as ‘value for the ratepayer’ politics.

The initial bewilderment, and then fury, of protestant Dublin as it realised that Ulster exclusion was not a spoiling tactic but actually the final goal of the Ulster Unionists is carefully treated. The records and minute books of the Corporation are used to great effect to reveal the city fathers as sympathetic

to the Dáil but still proud of their own traditions and jealous of their status. They were determined to ensure that the governance of the city by the elected Corporation would endure.

A further significant element within the history is the labour movement and its struggle to secure its place in the new Ireland being shaped on the streets of Dublin. IMPACT members will find the activities of Harry Nicholls and the Municipal Officers (Ireland) Trade Union of special interest as he and the union he founded are the rootstock of local and public service trade unionism in Ireland. The role of the labour movement in resisting British government repression and in sustaining the revolutionary administration, usually neglected in histories of the war of independence, gets a full treatment here.

However the enduring voice that emerges, for this reader at least, is that of the mass of ordinary Dublin citizens. The struggle to survive, always difficult in the wretched conditions of the slums, acquired the additional terror of sudden gunfights and explosions. Yeates captures the panic of Dublin citizens when a shopping street suddenly became a battlefield, and how often they were the unlucky random victims.

The book is therefore a social, rather than military, history of the war of independence in the city of Dublin. The abrupt end of the book with the truce of July 1921 signals that a final volume on Dublin in the civil war is on the way. I look forward to its publication. A City in Turmoil is a landmark in the history of the city and of the emerging new independent state. Get it for a friend, but get a copy for yourself!

MARTIN MAGUIRE. (Dr Martin Maguire is the author of the histories of the Local Government and Public Service Trade Union and of the Union of Professional and Technical Civil Servants, published by the IPA and available at IMPACT headquarters). more reviews on page 38 ‰ WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 37

More book reviews

But is she happy?

HAPPILY EVER AFTER Harriet Evans (Harper, £6.99 in the UK) SPOILER ALERT! In the title!! Happily Ever After – like Hello? Is she trying some kind of hipster double-bluff there, loaded with irony and sarcasm?

Or is it just blatant advertising?

We who follow the Tao of The ChickLit know the rules. The heroine must be plucky, and a little sad/mad/dying to be bad. Or all three. There has to be a bad guy before there’s a good guy, a friend to be a foil, heartbreak, sex and, increasingly, everyone has to be brilliant at their jobs as well.

It helps if there’s some sadness. Nothing so horrendously tragic it would put you into a depression for a month, or make an episode of Love/Hate look like a day at the races. No, we don’t want to be appalled. Just full of empathy and the desire to hug, in a safe cosy place where there’s lots of tea and chocolate.

So, here we have Eleanor Bee, a shy, book-loving girl who wants to work in publishing. And be glamorous, successful, sexy and partnered up with a guy so fabulous everyone would hate her if they didn’t already love her so much, because she’s just so amazing!

She’s also naive and a little too dim to pick up on the clues that are just screaming at the discerning reader.

But we don’t mind. We’ll be there to pick up the pieces when it all falls apart which, of course, is a big part of why we bought the book in the first place. No matter how many woes befall our heroine, we know she’ll keep going.

Oh, and about the book? Well, Eleanor’s mum is a bit of a handful and her Dad’s a bit distant, what with the new family and all, and her brother’s a bit of a pain at times. You won’t need me to put you wise about Rory, though there are one or two others you might miss. She does shuffle up the career ladder (ah, but is she happy?) but the book doesn’t make you feel like you’ve been anywhere, except inside Ellie’s head. Apart from that, it’s well-written, engaging, and instantly forgettable.

Margaret Hannigan

The plots thicken BLOOD LOSS Alex Barclay (Harper, £6.99 in the UK) WHEN THE Whaley family arrives in Breckenridge, Colorado for an exciting family weekend of skiing, little do they know that disaster lies ahead. For Mark this is an extra special weekend because he’s been allowed overnight access with his 11-year-old daughter, Laurie, for the first time since the acrimonious marriage break-up.

Mark and his current wife Erica, book a hotel baby-sitter for Laurie and three-year-old Leo. When they arrive back from dinner, Laurie and the 16-year-old babysitter are missing.

38

SPRING 2013

Suspicions are aroused once it becomes clear that Mark spent 40 minutes supposedly checking on the children earlier. Meanwhile FBI agent Ren Bryce, who’s been investigating the rape and assault of a teenage girl in a derelict asylum, is called in to help.

It would spoil the enjoyment of the book to give any more of the plot away, but there are plenty of twists and surprises and nothing is as simple as it first appears. There’s also the subplot of the assault in the asylum and another involving an ex-agent, now working as a private detective, to add further intrigue.

There are dark themes in the book and the underside of teenage life is quite disturbing. This is a well-written and satisfying thriller, with believable characters and snappy, humorous dialogue that will keep you turning the pages.

Kathryn Smith

Posthumous paper?

PAPER: AN ELEGY Ian Sansom (4th Estate, £14.99 in the UK) THIS IS a lament for the passing of the age of paper, an obituary to its magnificence, and a gently undulating dissertation on its history, origins, and multifarious uses. But, despite the melancholic premise, Sansom thinks paper is here to stay.

Yes, swathes of newspapers, books and magazines are falling to advancing armies of Kindles and iPads. But takeaway coffee sits in a paper cup, nappies remain largely disposable, and boarding passes, tickets and money continue to be made of paper. Online news media and the rise of blogging may have made the print media virtually redundant, but Sansom argues that we’ve simply changed the order of things. We used to print information and then distribute it, now we distribute it electronically, and print as necessary.

Sansom says paper is the most important man-made material ever invented. This may appear to overstate the case, but the invention of paper in China 2000 years ago made the widespread dissemination of information possible. And, with the arrival of the printing press in the 15th century, it took education and art out of the hands of the privileged elite.

A few centuries later, paper made currency easily transferrable and facilitated the creation of the great Industrial societies of Europe and America. Without paper, Shakespeare, the Bible, Dickens and Karl Marx would be the preserve of cults and elites, and we would fight over nuggets of gold.

There’s no doubt that Sansom has done his research and marshals his arguments well. But it’s hard to think who his readers will be. Not quite a text book, and not quite quirky enough to be a breakout book, like Lynn Truss’s Eats Shoots and Leaves, I think it will be a case of love’s labours lost, as some poet I googled on my smartphone put it.

Margaret Hannigan

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Going global

Bahrain rights abuses stir Irish unions SIOBHÁN CURRAN IRISH TRADE unionists recently heard harrowing first-hand accounts of the suffering of the people of Bahrain. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Damian McCormack and Caoimhe Butterly, a human rights activist representing BRAVO – the Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organisation – told ICTU’s Global Solidarity Committee about human rights abuses and asked the Irish trade union movement for help.

Since the February 2011 ‘Arab spring’, state repression and a crackdown on peaceful protests have left hundreds dead and many more in prison. Despite concern from respected inter national bodies like the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bahraini authorities continue to repress all freedom of expression, while communication with the wider world remains difficult.

Despite major restrictions on public gatherings and demonstrations, thousands continue to gather on the streets demanding political and social reform.

“Medical staff who tended to wounded citizens after the Government crackdown on protests were taken from their homes and hospitals into detention and torture.

They received sentences of between five and 15 years.”

Constitutional guarantees which recognise the right to strike and the right to join a trade union were first introduced in 2002. But last year’s annual survey of workplace rights violations, published by the International Trade Union Confederation, said Bahrain was flouting its own laws as the Government attempted to systematically quash trade unions in reprisal for their role in political protests.

42

SPRING 2013

An independent inquiry, set up by the King of Bahrain, confirmed that beatings, torture, arbitrary arrests and almost 4,000 dismissals were among a range of serious rights violations aimed specifically at the country’s trade unions.

Bahrain’s half a million migrant workers are excluded from key protections and many continue to suffer major violations of human and trade union rights.

Public service Public servants have been singled out for punishment. Last March 85 medical staff, including surgeons who tended to wounded citizens after the Government crackdown on protests, were taken from their homes and hospitals into detention and torture. Eventually tried on spurious charges, they received sentences of between five and 15 years. Most have since been freed or got reduced sentences on appeal to civilian courts.

But some medics who remain in prison started a hunger strike last October to support their demand for charges to be dropped. Many of them had originally been trained by Dr McCormack in Dublin. They got news of their plight to their former tutor and mentor and, fearing they may be killed, he found himself trying to highlight the situation to Irish authorities.

Some individual members of the Oireachtas have supported their cause, but more is needed. Many Irish companies continue to have strategic and commercial interests in Bahrain and this needs to be reviewed in light of the sheer scale of the abuse of their citizens. IMPACT is supporting BRAVO’s work and is campaigning on this issue along with colleagues in other trade unions.

Get more information from www.bravo-bahrain.org l

Your money

Get your finances in trim Feeling the pinch after Christmas? IVAN AHERN has some savvy money saving tips to help shape up your New Year finances.

BUILD YOUR budget and stick to it. Devising a clear budget at the start of the month will ensure you keep stress and moneyrelated anxiety at bay.

Save on petrol You can’t control the price at the pumps, but you can cut down on petrol or diesel bills just the same. Don’t leave heavy items like golf clubs in the boot or car roof rack. They increase the cost of your fuel.

There’s a handy budget planner on the National Consumer Agency’s website (www.nca.ie) to help get you started. You’ll need to record your monthly expenses including mortgage, utility bills, food, family expenses, mobile phone and energy bills, socialising and other living expenses like toiletries and clothes.

Be aware of how you drive. The harder you accelerate and brake, the more fuel you burn. Driving at a slower speed can dramatically cut costs.

For example, cutting your speed from 110kph to around 80kph, will burn about 25% less petrol.

Keep your monthly budget in a place where you can easily refer to it, like your wallet or purse. This will help you stay on track.

Box clever Withdraw enough money to cover your weekly costs at the beginning of each week. Try not to use your laser card or an ATM during the week. This will reduce the risk of overspending and minimise any bank charges to your account.

AIB and Bank of Ireland now charge 2028 cents per transaction for use of your debit card, ATM, standing order, direct debit, cheque and other transactions including phone and internet.

Keeping fit

Capitalise on coupons

You should also consider off-peak membership or deals that don’t tie you to a 12-month contract. That way you can save money over the summer months by exercising outdoors.

Groupon, Pigsback, and Living Social offer daily deals with up to 70% off almost everything from hotels, spa breaks, meals, dental, beauty and even jewellery. And now you can view all the deals available on the market through one website, www.mydealpage.ie.

Review your policies Competition in the general insurance market is fierce at the moment so there may be a better deal out there, with more benefits at a cheaper price. For example you could save from €720 to €895* on your health insurance alone when you switch one individual from VHI Health Plus Extra to either an Aviva Corporate Plan or the GloHealth Better Plan l

Ivan Ahern is a director of Cornmarket. *Savings based on price comparisons from the Health Insurance Authority effective from 01/12/12. We cannot be held responsible for the content contained on the websites listed in this article. This information is intended only as a general guide and has no legal standing. Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. A member of the Irish Life Group Ltd. Telephone calls may be recorded for quality control and training purposes.

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 43

Image: dreamstime.com

These offers are great for gift-buying or weekend breaks. They regularly run hotel deals like a two-night stay for two people in a four-star hotel with dinner included for €120. Terms, conditions and expiration dates apply so ensure you read them in full before purchasing.

If your New Year’s resolution is to join a gym, make sure you try before you buy. Shop around and ask for a free trial. And negotiate: Always ask for a better price and, where possible, a couple or group discount deal.

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HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the digits 1–9.

There is no maths involved. You solve it with reasoning and logic.

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Prize quiz Just answer five easy questions and you could win €50.

YOU COULD add €50 to your wallet or purse by answering five easy questions and sending your entry, name and address to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life prize quiz, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. Send your entry by Friday 8th March 2013. We’ll send €50 to the first completed entry pulled from the hat.* You’ll find the answers in this issue of Work & Life.

David Gunning plays for: A Dundee United B The Republic of Ireland C Ballymun Kickhams.

The HSE was created in: A The mind of a small child B 2005 C 1805.

Singing in the Rain was first brought to the screen by: A Gene Kelly B Crowded House C Cliff Edwards.

Mandate’s new ethical consumer campaign is called: A Fair Shop B Fair Cop C Fair Dues.

The small print* You must be a paid-up IMPACT member to win.

Only one entry per person (multiple entries will not be considered). Entries must reach us by Friday 8th March 2013. The editor’s decision is final.

That’s it!

46 46

SPRING 2013

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Céilí dancers might like to know (5) DOWN 1. Has this English race course more downs than ups? (5) 2. Make a way or path by removing objects (5) 3. He/she is unable to speak (5) 4. Highest male singing voice (4) 5. Weird, awesome (5) 6. Could a Caledonian have names this Berkshire race course village? (5) 7. Dreary, as the poet would have it (5) 12. Walter Scott extolled this Scottish border hero (9)

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The Irish forestry products industry is worth: A A bird in the bush B A flutter on Coillte privatisation C €2.2 billion a year.

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13. correspondence from this delightful kingdom (5,4) 15. Large two-toed bird of African and Arabian origin (7) 16. Where air flights commence and end (7) 18. Did this Welsh music composer like to gather lilacs? (7) 19. Enlarges, swells (7) 24. Seat (5) 25. Up to the time of (5) 26. Long loose-plumed heron (5) 27. Tennyson invited her into the garden (4) 28. Was this hooded hero something of a red bird?

(5) 29. See 36 across (5) 31. You will find it in your eye (4)

Win €50 by completing the crossword and sending your entry, name and address to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life crossword, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1, by Friday 8th March 2013.

We’ll send €50 to the first correct entry pulled from a hat.

Winners!

The winners from competitions in the autumn/winter issue were:

Quiz: Fiona O’Brien, Dublin City. Survey: Teddy Foley, Kerry.

Book competition: Anne Tyna, Laois and Stella Curran, Kildare.

Lots more competitions to enter in this issue!

Your view

n i w100 €

How do you like Work & Life?

WE HOPE you enjoyed this issue of Work & Life, the magazine for IMPACT members. We want to hear your views, and we’re offering a €100 prize to one lucky winner who completes this questionnaire.

Simply complete this short survey and send it to Roisin Nolan, Work & Life survey, IMPACT, Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1. You can also send your views by email to rnolan@impact.ie.

We’ll send €100 to the first completed entry pulled from a hat.*

The survey

4. What were your least favourite articles?

1 __________________________________________________ 2 __________________________________________________

1. What did you think of the articles in the spring 2013 issue of Work & Life?

3 __________________________________________________ 5. What subjects would you like to see in future issues of Work & Life?

Excellent

o

Good

o

1 __________________________________________________

Okay

o

2 __________________________________________________

Bad

o

3 __________________________________________________

Awful

o

Comments ________________________________________

6. What did you think of the balance between union news and other articles?

__________________________________________________

The balance is about right

o

__________________________________________________

I want more union news

o

I want less union news

o

2. What did you think of the layout, style and pictures in the spring 2013 issue of Work & Life?

Excellent

o

Good

o

Okay

o

Bad

o

Awful

o

7. Any other comments? ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Comments ________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

3. What were your favourite three articles?

__________________________________________________

1 __________________________________________________

Email ________________________________________________

2 __________________________________________________

Phone ________________________________________________

3 __________________________________________________

IMPACT branch ______________________________________

The small print* You must be a paid-up IMPACT member to win. Only one entry per person (multiple entries will not be considered).

Entries must reach us by Friday 8th March 2013. The editor’s decision is final. That’s it!

WORK & LIFE: THE MAGAZINE FOR IMPACT MEMBERS 47

Commercial membership services MPACT has facilitated the provision of a number of national membership services and discount schemes on behalf of its members. These include Additional Voluntary Contribution Schemes (Pensions), Life Assurance, Salary Protection in the case of illness and Car, House and Travel Insurance Schemes. A number of local discount schemes are also negotiated by local branches.

I

The Union uses the size and composition of its membership base and, where possible, competition between the various service providers, to seek the best possible deals for the widest possible sections of our membership. It is probable that the majority of members will get better value from these schemes than if they sought the same service individually. However, this will not be true in all cases and there will be occasions where individual members may, because of their specific circumstances, be able to get better value elsewhere. It is not possible always to ensure that all schemes will be accessible equally to all members and the scheme underwriters will not depart totally from their normal actuarial or risk assessment procedures and rules.

IMPACT does not make any claims as to the quality or reliability of any of these products/services and while advising members of the availability of the National Membership Services and Discount Schemes does not endorse or recommend any particular product or service. IMPACT's role is that of facilitator to ensure that such schemes are available to its members. All contracts are directly between the product/service provider and the individual member. IMPACT is not in any way a party to these contracts and will not accept any responsibility or liability arising from any act or omission on the part of the product or service provider. Neither IMPACT nor any member of its staff receives any fees or commissions or other rewards from these product or service providers arising from such schemes.

While IMPACT does occasionally provide such product/service providers with limited information regarding IMPACT branch and/or workplace representatives for the purpose of advertising such schemes, the Union does not make any personal data relating to individual Union members available to them for any purpose.

The Union requires that product/service providers agree to ensure that all such schemes comply with all lawful requirements including the Equal Status Act 2000.

Advertisements for agreed membership services will have an

FACILITATED

logo on them.

Some of the companies providing agreed membership services may offer other products or services (that are not as a result of any agreement or arrangement with IMPACT) directly to IMPACT members.

The Union has no role whatsoever in relation to such products or services. Likewise, other product or service providers may make offers directly to IMPACT members through advertisements in the Union newspaper or otherwise. These do not arise as a result of agreements or arrangements with IMPACT and the Union does not ask members to consider availing of such products/services and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any such offers.

The product/service providers with which IMPACT has agreed the provision of membership services and/or discount schemes are as follows: Brassington & Co. Ltd.

Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd.

Travel Insurance – all Divisions.

Car Insurance – all Divisions.

Salary Protection and Life Assurance –

Local Government and Health Divisions only.

Group Insurance Services (GIS)

Marsh Financial Services Ltd.

Car Insurance – all Divisions.

AVC Schemes – all Divisions excluding Municipal Employees.

House Insurance – all Divisions.

Salary Protection and Life Assurance – Civil Service and Services & Enterprises Divisions only.

December 2004

DISCLAIMER (Approved by CEC 10th December 2004) 48

SPRING 2013