Aoife
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aoifenf.bsky.social
Aoife
@aoifenf.bsky.social
920 followers 1.4K following 150 posts
Mostly into foreign policy, fantasy, sport, trains, and lamenting Dublin's planning situation.
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aoifenf.bsky.social
Is this not a Spitting Image sketch about Thatcher that's somehow been transmogrofied onto Haughey? 😂
O Fearghaíl added: “What has occurred around the presidential selection and the really appalling campaign is a symptom of how we’ve been doing our business as a political party for some time.” During Wednesday night’s meeting O Fearghaíl told a story about Charlie Haughey at a restaurant where he made the selection for his guests. When asked about the vegetables, Haughey said ‘they’ll have the same as I’m having’. “My point is that for a period of time it would appear that the parliamentary party have been the vegetables. We have been told what to do, what to think, and we haven’t been taken seriously.”
October 9, 2025 at 9:32 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Oh ffs, why? Love this level of scrutiny for Presidential candidates 🙄 #aras25
Gareth Sheridan nominated by Kerry County Council Gareth Sheridan has been nominated by Kerry County Council as a candidate in the Presidential election. Mr Sheridan was approved by the council after being nominated by two Independent councillors. No vote was taken as the council had already decided to approve a nomination. Kerry will nominate a candidate Councillors in Kerry have defeated a proposal not to nominate a candidate, which means that councillors will take a vote on candidates. A candidate is now assured to be nominated by Kerry County Council. The vote was 18 to 14. All Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors voted for the proposal but were defeated by a combined vote of Independents, Sinn Féin and Labour.
September 15, 2025 at 10:35 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Since this conversation inevitably sent me down a rabbit hole - the UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 is pretty good on this (and may have sparked improvement - FT used to be by phone only). EU legislation also on the way through the Digital Fairness Act.
260Arrangements for consumers to exercise right to end contract (1)A trader must make arrangements to enable a consumer to exercise a right to bring a subscription contract to an end— (a)in a way which is straightforward, and (b)without having to take any steps which are not reasonably necessary for bringing the contract to an end. (2)A consumer may, alternatively, exercise a right to bring a subscription contract to an end by notifying the trader in accordance with subsection (6) that the consumer is bringing the contract to an end. (3)A consumer may exercise a right to bring a subscription contract to an end at any time permitted by regulations under section 277(1)(c). (4)In relation to a subscription contract entered into online, arrangements under subsection (1) must— (a)enable a consumer to bring the contract to an end online, and (b)ensure that instructions for doing so are displayed online in a place or places that a consumer seeking to end the contract is likely to find them. (5)Arrangements under this section must comply with any other requirements specified in regulations under section 277(1)(c). (6)A notification under subsection (2) may be given by the consumer making a clear statement setting out their decision to bring the contract to an end.
March 9, 2025 at 10:53 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
I've often been tempted by an FT subscription but been put off by cancellation being harder than subscription. Seems from the below that that's still the case - there's no way to cancel online with a couple of clicks?
2.24. To exercise the above rights to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel the contract by using our online chat feature, calling us on your regional telephone number, or emailling us at help@ft.com with the following: "I/We hereby give notice that I/we cancel my/our subscription". Please then include: the subscriber's full name (person on the billing information if different from the user); the Account email address or Account Number (Customer Reference Number); the billing address and delivery address (Including zip code/postcode); and your contact telephone number.
March 9, 2025 at 9:59 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
The merger between Musk's interests and American national ones underway, it seems.
From the Kyiv Independent: The United States has threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite internet terminals if Kyiv does not reach a deal with the U.S. regarding critical mineral resources, Reuters reported on Feb. 21, citing three sources familiar with the negotiations. U.S. and Ukrainian officials are currently negotiating the terms of a revised minerals deal after President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to sign an initial proposal. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Feb. 21 that the parties are "pretty close" to an agreement. U.S. negotiators have warned that Ukraine would lose access to Starlink terminals, owned by billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX, if Kyiv did not sign the deal, sources told Reuters.
February 22, 2025 at 11:08 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Few photos while I'm at it.
Sigulda castle. View of Latvian countryside near Sigulda. Paddleboards by the Daugava river in Riga. View of the canal in Riga.
February 17, 2025 at 9:18 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Not much left already 😂
Cross section of small remaining pieces of foccacia.
January 1, 2025 at 2:45 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Bob is done!
Baked foccacia with tomatoes, rosemary and sea salt.
January 1, 2025 at 1:24 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Decided this was the season for the 3-day foccacia from Nicola Lamb's "Sift" book. Thanks to my nephew, over its three days, the foccacia has acquired a name ("Bob") and rich inner life, including last night's attempted escape from confinement (gas bubbles blowing lid off). Anyway, it's bake time!
Very small ball of bread dough beside a recipe for 3-day foccacia. Tray of oven-ready foccacia with tomatoes, rosemary and sea-salt sprinkled on it.
January 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Under 30 mins from first thinking "what should I do with that minced beef?"

(Yes, hers look better.)
🍽️
Photo of pomegranate molasses and honey-glazed meatballs. Recipe for the meatballs.
November 18, 2024 at 7:38 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
I bought it alongside another highly pertinent book a couple of weeks ago. It's an incredible book and portrait of a lost world.
Copies of The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig and On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder.
November 11, 2024 at 1:38 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
A small bit of relatively good news: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
The significant emissions reductions in 2023 mark a major step towards the overall 2030 climate target,” the authors wrote. But “an acceleration of efforts will be needed”, they added. The average European has done more than most to clog the atmosphere with planet-heating emissions, but efforts in recent decades to cut pollution have narrowed the gap. The report found the average European emitted 7.26 tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution in 2023, slightly more than the global average of 6.59 tonnes. The biggest drop in pollution last year came from the energy sector, the EEA found, as a result of the rapid rollout of renewable energy, which has accelerated the shift away from fossil fuels. Industrial emissions fell 6%, as some factories grew more efficient and others cut production, while similar progress was observed in the building sector.
November 1, 2024 at 7:53 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Really great article. I think this part struck me the most - it is indeed exactly how Trump speaks about people.
Some people want to see Trump as a champion, a kind of an avatar, who’s out there doing battle for them against all kinds of opponents, or getting them various things. But Trump doesn’t think of anybody else as individuals. He thinks of people in categories. I heard him talk about steel workers, coal miners or auto workers. Or he talks about people as evangelicals, or Jews, or as Blacks or as Hispanics. He puts people into categories. Vladimir Putin and other autocrats do that as well. In political systems in which you have a strong person at the top, everybody else is just a category. You’re not an individual. You have no individual rights.
October 29, 2024 at 9:19 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Not sure what it is about the current climate that prompted these purchases...
Two books on a wooden table: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder and The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig.
October 27, 2024 at 8:04 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Waiting for the storm in Dublin but still #spéirgorm for the moment.

(Not pictured: wind 🌬)
Blue sky above the Grand Canal in Dublin.
October 20, 2024 at 11:42 AM
aoifenf.bsky.social
Well, this is the perfect example of people being the critical weak link in security....

Also, this sounds very much like retaliation against a whistle-blower.
Extract from article noting that whistle-blower was relieved of duty, which Navy claims is unrelated.
September 6, 2024 at 12:54 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
This is spectacular.
April 18, 2024 at 12:47 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
How to name your satellite so everyone knows it's French europeanspaceflight.com/hyprspace-se...
December 12, 2023 at 1:57 PM
aoifenf.bsky.social
What a lede! www.cbsnews.com/news/miss-ni...
Nicaraguan police said Friday they want to arrest the director of the Miss Nicaragua pageant, accusing her of intentionally rigging contests so that anti-government beauty queens would win the pageants as part of a plot to overthrow the government.
December 2, 2023 at 10:57 PM