Post ‘Celtic Tiger’ Ireland. Ireland’s construction industry awaits the recovery.

(Originally written for university marking in November 2011)
11/11/2011
Post ‘Celtic Tiger’ Ireland.
Ireland’s construction industry awaits the recovery.
By Michael Muldowney, Dublin.

With peak economic growth rates at an unprecedented level of 11% Ireland was once hailed as the ‘Celtic Tiger’ of economies. But when the global economic downturn impacted in 2008 businesses folded, jobs were lost over night and despite major efforts to repair the shattered economy, three years later Ireland is nowhere close to recovery.

The Republic of Ireland’s sovereign debt crisis became so critical that at one point the country was considered the highest risk of sovereign default in the Eurozone. Extensive measures were implemented to address the crisis but nothing could halt Ireland’s slide. As a result, in November 2011 the Government of Prime Minister Brian Cowen, deciding that all other measures were exhausted called in the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank to ‘bail out’ Ireland to the cost of around €113bn. As part of the payment deal Ireland was inclined to implement a four year austerity action plan which consisted of massive spending reductions, higher taxes, and a lower minimum wage. These measures proved so universally unpopular with the Irish that Cowan’s Fianna Fáil party, which had held a majority since 1987 was routed in the following election.

During Ireland’s economic accent it’s construction industry was one of the primary sectors of industry driving the country forward as it strived to build world class infrastructure.  Heavy funding and subsidising of programmes nationwide were approved in an attempt to showcase Irish ingenuity, especially in the capital city Dublin which benefited from substantial funding in an attempt to build a cosmopolitan metropolis to rival other European cities.

The €752 million Dublin port tunnel was completed in 2006, major expansion of Dublin’s international airport and the building of over a thousand kilometres of motorways were among some of the high intensity projects undertaken.  Many of these infrastructure projects are still incomplete and this week the government was forced to cancel several high profile programmes. The Dublin North metro line, the long awaited Dublin underground network, Western corridor rail link, a new high security prison and the Limerick to Cork motorway are among the programmes that have all been cancelled. However plans to construct a national children’s hospital will be continued, albeit using national lottery grants.

Industry officials look to the future.

The Irish construction industry already badly mauled by the recession now faces further damage with the cancellation of these large projects.  “Both private and public construction investment is severely impacted by the economic and financial crisis here” says Martin Whelan, the director of communication for the Irish Construction Industry Federation (CIF) “The cutbacks in public capital investment have significant implications for the indigenous construction industry. Since the downturn commenced, over 180,000 direct construction jobs have been lost and there is now concern for an additional 25,000 jobs in the sector in 2011 because of the reductions in investment. The construction industry is, in consequence, losing essential productive capacity”

With the loss of such a high number of jobs the future outlook of the industry is bleak. When the global economic downturn eventually ends Ireland will be in a weakened position and unable to call on the skilled workforce it once boasted to re-start projects in the future, which is something Martin Whelan is acutely aware of. “The Irish economy will recover and will require a construction industry, which, although less than half of the peak, will amount to 12-13% of Irish GDP and would represent a very significant sector of the economy… one of the legacies of the past 15 years was the creation of a world-class construction capacity in Ireland, capable of delivering major infrastructure programmes. The ability to deliver this infrastructure did not happen by accident – it was the result of sustained investment in people, plant and systems in response to the growth needs of the Irish economy.

With further cuts to investment and jobs, can Ireland sustain its construction workforce and still hope to emerge with an industry capable of delivering? The CIF Director continues, “Construction activity this year is forecast to be 7% of economic activity and to fall to 5% in 2012.  This is leading to the erosion of essential skills and capacity and undermining the entire fabric of the sector here… It will not be easy to rebuild these skills.  Not only is Ireland losing skilled workers to other economies, it is also losing the skilled workers of tomorrow because apprentices and young professionals are not coming through the educational system”

The Irish government has decided that the country cannot build it’s way out of recession and instead hopes that the multinational sector, which according to a spokeswoman for the Department for Jobs, Innovation and Industry is “in a very healthy state,” can be the foundation for the country’s recovery. The official went on to comment that, “The multinational sector in accounts for 75% of all exports. We have a 14% competitive advantage over three years ago, and while salaries are 8-9% down it works out as a 14% overall gain because in Europe costs have risen.”

Workers sit tight, awaiting a recovery.

West of Dublin, in Country Kildare are thousands of either unfinished or completed but as yet unsold houses which are known as ‘Ghost estates.’ On the finished estates only 20% of the houses are inhabited.  I met Matthew Bracken, a 20 year veteran of the construction industry who has become one of the casualties of the downturn.

“It’s not like it just snuck up on us, we knew the boom had to end at some point, but I expected a lull of maybe 3 or 4 years, nothing quite this catastrophic” Matthew tells me. Like many Irish construction workers he earned high wages during the boom period and then entered the housing market, buying and budgeting on expectation of the good earning they were making.

“At the height of the boom” he continues, “even the apprentice workers on site were taking home perhaps €2000 per month minimum, so that gives you some indication of the kind of money involved in the industry. We were building on every piece of land available but as you can see, most of these houses are uninhabited and essentially worthless.”

I ask Matthew what he plans to do with no end to the depression in sight. “I’m going to have to stick it out and sit tight, eventually it has to get better.”

ENDS
Many thanks to Mr Martin Whelan of the CIF for his input on this article.

Review: Paradise Lost in London and Norwich Live.

Paradise Lost at the Scala London. 29/04/2012

Paradise Lost have been at this for over twenty years now, they’ve played literally thousands of gigs all over the world but they’re not as big as they deserve to be in their home country. On recent tours the band have put on a handful of shows during the UK leg before heading onto the continent. This time round however, Paradise Lost has dedicated thirteen dates to the UK to promote their new album Tragic Idol. I was lucky to catch the last two shows in England, in London at The Scala and in Norwich, at The Waterfront.

The Scala is a big venue, and when I arrived the que was heading right up the street indicating this was going to be a big night but we eventually got in and watched a set by support band Insomnium which was excellent, and a band I recommend readers check out if you already haven’t.

Paradise Lost took to the stage with a much warmed up crowd thanks to Desolate from the Gothic album playing over the PA. Immediately they opened up straight into Honesty in Death from the new album which sounded fantastic live, along with the other tracks from Tragic Idol they played, which were injected into the set list between material spanning their entire career, including two tracks from 1993’s Icon, and a surprise entry with the title track from 2002’s Symbol of Life album, which sounded exceptional with the acoustics of the venue. The main set list ended with the high energy The Enemy. The band came back on stage to play four more tracks after a short interval giving the fans another new track Fear of impending hell.

All in all a great gig by arguably the best metal band this country has.  9.5/10

Standout track: In This We Dwell.

Paradise Lost at the Waterfront, Norwich. 30/04/2012

Still buzzing from the big night at London’s Scala we arrived at the Norwich Waterfront. I’ve never seen a gig in Norwich before and didn’t know what to expect. This was a totally different venue and I couldn’t believe my luck when I got inside to find a venue that was so small you’re pretty much on the stage with the band. Paradise Lost played the same set list as the night before but because of the difference in the venue, instead of being anthemic like in London the music was more explosive. Right out of the blocks it was powerful, and with the band being so close to the stage there was great crowd interaction and some good banter from Nick Holmes. I was standing in the front row directly in front of Steve Edmondson on bass which was a fantastic experience.

Once again the new material from Tragic Idol went down a storm and in the low ceiling venue it was magnificent to experience the heaviness of it as the music slammed off the walls and roof and back down to the crowd. This was honestly one of the best gigs I have ever been too and it was a privilege to be there.

Paradise Lost are a band that really do stand out above others, even after all these years they’re still giving 110% every time. One great observation I made was the age of the crowd, which was mainly under 30, indicating that Paradise Lost are still very relevant and connecting with new fans all the time.

Exceptional gig by an exceptional band. 10/10

Standout track(s): The Enemy/Fear of Impending Hell.

Setlist

Desolate

Honesty in Death

Widow

Erased

Forever Failure

Soul Courageous

In This We Dwell

Praise Lamented Shade

Pity the Sadness

As I Die

Symbol of Life

Tragic Idol

The Enemy

Encore:

One Second

Fear of Impending Hell

Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us

Say Just Words

The new album Tragic Idol is available now at http://www.paradiselost.co.uk/

"A serious misunderstanding"

Diplomatic initiative

The United Kingdom’s involvement in what is now becoming a civil war took an embarrassing turn this week. A “Diplomatic initiative” to make contact with the Libyan opposition went spectacularly wrong when the diplomatic team was ambushed and detained. To make matters worse for the British government, the team was being escorted by a squadron of SAS Special Forces troops. The soldiers were also detained, allegedly by a group of farmhands.

The SAS soldiers and diplomats, who were carrying weapons, explosives and fake passports were first suspected as spies. It was later revealed that the diplomat was actually a high ranking member of the Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6.

William Hague - (Free image, Wiki commons)

Foreign secretary William Hague took to the floor of the House of Commons for questions and accepted full responsibility for the teams’ deployment to Libya. He also announced that all eight members had been released and repatriated by the warship HMS Cumberland.

Hague has now been at the head of two blunders involving Libya and faced calls of “Resign!” from the back benches of the house. The first was earlier in the crisis when he announced and confirmed Colonel Gaddafi has fled Libya. This second incident has left the UK government red faced, the SAS are held in esteem as the country’s finest soldiers and amongst the best in the world.

Military options

While the British government cringes in embarrassment, President Obama is exploring all options. Speaking in Brussels at a NATO meeting the President was quoted as saying,

“We are consulting around a wide range of potential options, including potential military options, in response to the violence that continues to take place inside of Libya.”

Earlier this week the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise transited the Suez Canal to take station close to Libya. Along with her battle group, Enterprise and land based aircraft from France, the UK and Italy is quite capable of establishing air superiority over Libya, a vital prelude to a no fly zone.

USS Enterprise (Free image wiki commons)

Libya possesses a moderate air defence network, most of their equipment is obsolete 1970’s Soviet technology, but these weapons and their support systems, such as radar and command and communications installations would have to neutralise before fighters could patrol.

An attack on these targets could prove politically costly. Colonel Gaddafi would probably move all of his mobile equipment into population centres, thus risking collateral damage and civilian casualties. It could also have the effect of rallying the people against the common “Western enemy."

Exit Strategy?

Whilst military options are being planned there is a chance they will never have to be implemented. On March 8 reports began to emerge in the press that Colonel Gaddafi would be willing to stand down.

Rebel forces fight on

The stipulations for him to make the move would be that he and his family are made immune from prosecution and safe passage out of the country. It is understood that this idea has been rejected by the Libyan opposition.

With Gaddafi seemingly in the corner, the military action has continued with forces loyal to him striking back at the rebels. With fighting now in its third week, the UN reports more than 1,000 people have died and 200,000 have fled the country.

Japan Earthquake coverage

The burning tide (Image published courtesy of STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Japan has been hit by a massive earthquake registering 9.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake produced a ten metre high Tsunami wave which swept inland causing devastation on a massive scale. Five of Japan’s nuclear facilities have declared an emergency.

The earthquake struck 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, a major city on the Japanese island of Honshu.

Japan is regarded as the best country in the world for earthquake preparation. From a young age children practice regular drills, and there are strict building codes enforced that mean most modern buildings are 'Quake proof.'

TSUNAMI

No amount of preparation can prepare a country for a Tsunami wave. The wave, which registered over ten metres high, crashed inland devastating everything in its path. As the sea water moved further in land engulfing agricultural areas it turned to a type of thick sludge.

The Tsunami was caused when the Pacific tectonic plate pushed underneath the Okhotsk plate, a geological process known as subduction. The impact was so powerful that it caused the ocean floor to bounce, thus creating a Tsunami.

Much of Northern Honshiu’s infrastructure has been severely damaged. Four of Japan’s iconic bullet trains remain unaccounted for, many highways, power lines and communication hubs have all been destroyed or critically damaged. Most disturbingly, 9’500 residents of Minamisanriku, a coastal town are unaccounted for.

Earthquake damage near Tokyo (Free Image Wiki commons)

NUCLEAR INCIDENTS

Five nuclear plants along the coast were shut down as a precaution following earthquake warnings. The usual procedure for emergency shutdown is that a reactor uses external power generation to achieve cooling and power control systems. The diesel generators at Fukushima Dai-ichi, one of the effected power plants were affected by the tsunami failed.

Pressure inside the Fukushima I reactor was reported to be 2.1 times the design limit by midnight (JST) on March 12. Because of this, workers at the plant decided to vent steam from the reactor, which caused a swift and minor radioactive release.

Unfortunately by half past three that day pressure had built up again, causing a major steam explosion which vented more radioactive material, and destroyed much of the reactor housing. The Japanese government reports that the actual reactor core is still intact.

Two hundred thousand residents have now been evacuated and there is a 20Km total exclusion zone in operation around Fukushima.

RELIEF EFFORT

Japan’s government has put out a general request for humanitarian aid and relief. Forty five countries have offered rescue teams and equipment. The United Kingdom’s contribution at the time of writing includes 70 specially trained rescue workers, two rescue dogs, a medical support team and over ten tonnes of equipment.

The British Red Cross, in collaboration with the Japanese Red Cross, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have started an emergency appeal for the Japanese Tsunami. The website for donations can be found below.

http://www.redcross.org.uk/japantsunami/?approachcode=68816_googleAD_japantsunami&gclid=CLj50ZK8y6cCFchO4QodEHJYDw

(Please note this page will continue to be updated)

UPDATE: 07:21, 14/03/11

Another explosion has been reported at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Japanese state TV have broadcast images of smoke rising from the number 3 reactor. Japanese officials have reported the explosion was caused by a build up of hydrogen gas.

Operations continue to cool down the nuclear reactors on site with seawater.

UPDATE: 18:55, 14/03/11

Relief operations continue into the fifth day as dawn breaks in Japan. Technicians at the Fukushima nuclear plant are still battling to bring reactors under control. Further aftershocks continue to be felt sparking Tsunami warnings in the North East of Japan.

UPDATE 22:41, 15/03/11

The situation at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has continued to deteriorate in the last 24 hours with further explosions and a fire. The total exclusion zone in the vicinity has been expanded to 30km.

Final Tribute – Changing the guard at St Austell brewery

St Austell Brewery. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

There are not many places you can find equipment 100 years old and still being used on a daily basis, but there are a few. One of them is the St Austell Brewery.

I had initially contacted the Brewery for a photo project and I was invited down to meet head brewer Roger Ryman.

“You’ve contacted us at an exciting time, the brewery is about to undertake a major project. We’ll be decommissioning a lot of old equipment and replacing it with brand new kit.” Roger explained.

I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the brewery complex where I was shown the ‘Grist case’ – a beautifully designed and constructed piece of equipment made from copper. The function of this piece is that the crushed malt - the grist, is stored in a tank and then mixed with water. It is then poured out into one of the ‘Mash tuns’, both of which are several meters wide and constructed with cast Iron.

The malt is then boiled and mixed to extract the goodness, thus converting starches to fermentable sugars before the liquor (liquid) is drained and sent to the next stage of the brewing process. One of the mash tuns was actually constructed in 1893, and has been in continuous operation ever since. The other one was slightly younger, but close to 100 years old.

It shouldn’t be surprising that this equipment is still functioning despite being designed and constructed in the Victorian era. They made things to last. Because they did not have the modern computer technology that we take for granted it meant that designers and engineers could only make a best guess when planning a project, and thus when it came to design they tended to overestimate to be on the safe side.

I returned to the brewery at half past 5 in the morning a couple of days later to witness the last operation of the 1893 mash tun and grist case. It was quite a sombre moment, brewing is as much an art as it is science, and a lot of emotion clearly goes into the process. After it was fully loaded the process of boiling and separating began and lasted for about two hours before the cycle ended

Roger Ryman keeps a close eye on the malt. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

With the final mash finished and drained the enormous mash tun had to be cleared out. Husk is left over, several tonnes of it, and it must all be removed by hand. The head brewer himself decided he would 'shovel out' alone. There was quite a lot of emotion in the room, retiring a piece of equipment that had seen so much history.

I asked St Austell’s engineering and maintenance manager Clive Nichols his thoughts on the decommissioning. “Obviously these are remarkable pieces of equipment to have lasted so long and they could go on in operation for another ten years, but on the other hand, they could break down tomorrow, we just don’t know. If they went down and we were not prepared we could lose a month or more in down time and as a modern 21^st century business that is just not an option, which is why we have decided to retire the kit and replace it now.”

Equipment in operation since the Victorian era. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

The new equipment is purpose built to the brewery’s specifications, looks remarkably similar to the old kit (at request of the brewery), and it was constructed in the UK, in Burton on Trent.

While the technology advances, the process remains the same and the natural instincts of the people who do the brewing will still be the most important asset to the company.

As the shut down on the decommissioned equipment is completed, head brewer Roger Ryman makes a request to his team. “Make sure you give it a good polish before it’s taken out. It’s important we treat this old kit with respect.”

I’d like to say a note of thanks to Mr Roger Ryman and everyone at the St Austell brewery for allowing access to their brewery for coverage of this piece. For more information please visit http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/

The Urban Infiltrators

Urban exploration is not a new concept. The first Infiltrations were performed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students in the 1950’s who performed tunnelling explorations into the catacombs running underneath their campus.

Today Urban Exploration, often abbreviated to 'Urbex' and 'UE' has made the transition from cult hobby to mainstream movement thanks to a drop in the price of digital camera technology and blogging.

The website www.28dayslater.co.uk, named after Danny Boyles’ 2002 post-apocalyptic movie is a main hub for UK urban exploration, and boasts over 7000 active users posting reviews and pictures as well as conversation and networking. Arguably this takes the movement away from its guerrilla roots.

People call modern society a ‘Nanny state' because there are less opportunities to do something truly dangerous, something that really gives people a rush. Urban Exploration is also a chance for people to regress to childhood once again, something that professional photographer and digital artist Ed Brandon was keen to point out when he spoke to Navigator.

“Urbex is a way to regain the childlike wonder that’s missing from so much of adult life. Being somewhere you’re not supposed to be, creeping around in an immense old building, never knowing what you’re going to find."

Ed's website devotes a lot of its space to Urban Exploration and his facebook page has reached over 2000 subscribers since it went live six months ago.

Published courtesy of Ed Brandon (Click to enlarge)

Ed Broke into Urbex in 2007 after coming across it online. “After seeing shots of Cane Hill Asylum on the web I just had to explore something like that for myself, I couldn’t believe that something so mysterious, so immense was hidden just behind a tree line in suburban Britain.”

Buildings such as the Cane Hill Asylum exist all over the UK, Post industrialism and several economic downturns in the 20^th Century led to buildings being abandoned intact and many remain furnished.

A few months later and 200 miles from Cane Hill, Ed found himself on business in Lincoln and decided to take his interest further and mount his first exploration. Finding an abandoned mansion online was the easy part, the next thing was to actually find the location.

“I asked the driver of a cab I was in if he knew the place, he said he’d never heard of it in the 20 years he had been working in the area. In the end we found the gates and I climbed out, jumped the fence and made my way up the over grown pathway towards the hall passing an old lodge which itself was interesting with its intact stove, peeling floral wallpaper and crumbling staircase. A little further on I found the hall, and while there was not much left of it what remained was captivating overgrown with vines, trees growing up through once grand hallways, fireplaces protruding out over non-existent floors, beautiful and amazing.” From that point on Ed was hooked.

There are of course dangers to Urban Exploration, many of the buildings contain chemicals, dust, vermin, and on top of that, many of these buildings are close to collapse.

There is also the question of legality. Trespass is a somewhat minor offence and prosecutions for it are usually rare but a minority of people have, on occasion decided to cause damage to a building, or take something from a site. This has led to the golden rule of UE: - ‘Take only photographs, leave only footprints’.

Published courtesy of Ed Brandon (Click to enlarge)

Documenting what is left is a task Ed is taking on professionally with two upcoming projects. “The golden age for Urban Exploration is already beginning to come to a close” he says. “But I am looking get my first book published (entitled ‘Behind the High Walls’) as well as a history of the old county Asylums, these asylums will be sorely missed. They’re just immense playgrounds of possibility.”

Ed Brandon is based in Peterborough UK and uses a Nikon D700 camera with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Sigma 12-24mm f/3.5 lens. For more information please check his website out at www.anotherstateofmind.zenfolio.com and on Facebook by searching for 'Another state of mind Urban Exploration.'

The Libyan Spring

Disturbing reports of violence are emerging from Libya, the latest in a string of Arab states to see a popular rising of the population. Libya has been ruled by Muammar al-Gaddafi, known commonly in the west as Colonel Gaddafi since he led an overthrow of the Libyan monarchy in 1969.

Gadaffi - Fighting back (Free Image)

The Libyan people's rise against Gaddafi’s 42 year rule comes on the back of popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt - revolutions which have led to the ending of the regimes in both of those countries.

Much of Libya is reported to now be outside the control of the regime, rioting and protests have been reported in the capital.

The protests began on February 15 with a small demonstration in Libya’s second city of Benghazi. The government cracked down severely on the demonstrators. Two days later the Libyan opposition called for a “Day of rage” across the country.

The Day of rage turned into a day of carnage when the regime deployed helicopter gunships, elite troops, sniper teams and allegedly foreign mercenaries against its own people. The use of live ammunition including rocket attacks caused an estimated 150 deaths, a figure reported to be “conservative” by Benghazi residents interviewed by Al Jazeera.

In the following days protests have escalated spreading across the entire country and into the capital, Tripoli. Despite reporting restrictions by the Libyan regime, which are far more excessive than those during the recent Egyptian revolution, reports state that the violence being displayed by the regime have intensified and those loyalists to Gaddafi are essentially waging a war against their own people.

Libya's day of rage (From Dailymail.co.uk)

While The United Kingdom has been swift to condemn the Libyan regime for its use of violence, there is the matter of weapons and equipment supplied by this country possibly being used by Gadaffi's troops.

After Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, an atrocity which claimed the lives of 270 people, former Prime Minister Tony Blair flew to Libya to “reset” relations with the country. In return for a normalisation of diplomatic and trade ties with the West, Gaddafi formally gave up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Dirty money, Blair and Gaddafi(Image from mypetgoat.co.uk)

The economic packages between the UK and Libya, which gave BP oil exploration rights in the country, also included the sale of water cannon, crowd control equipment, helicopter parts, sniper rifles and military computers. In addition to the millions in military sales at least 150 British companies, including British Airways, HSBC and Marks & Spencer, now do business in Libya.

With his country in uproar and the world united in condemnation, Gaddafi appeared on state television on February 21 to quash the rumours that he had fled the country for Venezuela. With his regime seemingly now doomed Gadaffi was quoted as aiming to “fight to the last bullet” and as a result the Libyan revolution looks set to be far bloodier than anything yet seen.