The Power of Old Moore’s predictions for May

Old Moore’s Almanac was right in predicting volcanic unrest, and a scandal of sorts involving a female politician, but was wide of the mark about the Clooneys’ marriage

Averil Power left Fianna Fáil. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons

Fri Jun 05 2015 - 11:30

So what has Old Moore's Almanac got for us this month? Under his predictions for Ireland for May, he had this:

‘Female Irish politician scandal’

There sure was a hell of a kerfuffle towards the end of May in Leinster House. Senator Averil Power announced she was leaving Fianna Fáil, because, as she put it so bluntly: “Fianna Fáil lacks vision, courage and leadership. Micheál Martin has become a leader without any followers.”

The habitat of the pink iguanas of the Galápagos Islands was threatened by lava

All was well in the world of the Clooneys. Photographs: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Her announcement came just after the marriage referendum was carried. Power, who was a vocal supporter of a Yes vote, said the party took a “cynical and cowardly” approach to the referendum. She could hardly have been any more excoriating.

As they say in the west of Ireland, she was not behind the door. There was much huffing and puffing from her erstwhile colleagues, who were all falling over themselves to say how offended and let down and disappointed they were. It’s not us, Averil, they tried to collectively say, it’s you.

Despite the spin, it was a PR disaster for Fianna Fáil. Given how few women are represented in Irish politics, such an emphatic departure from the party did not reflect well on them.

‘A magician in the news’

Our neighbours across the water are very fond of a reality show called Britain's Got Talent. It's gearing up for the final, and one of the finalists is a magician called Jamie Raven. The tabloids were all over his semi-final performance, because it looked as if judge Simon Cowell had inadvertently let slip the secret of one of his tricks. It had something to do with a shoe. But despite the spoiler, he still proved to be a shoo-in for the final.

‘Abortion in Ireland in the news again’

With the Yes vote winning the referendum, it was inevitable that there was going to be talk of the need to hold another abortion referendum. The international attention Ireland received coming up to and immediately after the marriage referendum was phenomenal. Many of us braced ourselves for the predictable international observations that we couldn’t really call ourselves all that progressive, inclusive and equal when abortion is still illegal here. Funny enough, many of us had noticed that all by ourselves.

‘Venezuela in the news for economy’

This month, the BBC reported that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro said his country had reached an agreement with Russian oil producer Rosneft to invest $14 billion in Venezuela's oil and gas sector. The South American country is one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world, and a staggering 96 per cent of its economy apparently comes from oil. Despite this huge deal, Venezuela's economy is in near crisis. The Wall Street Journal reported that the country's currency, the bolivar, is in such dire straits that it is on the brink of being replaced by the US dollar, which is already its default currency.

‘Volcanoes awaken’

Yes, they did. On Isabela island in the Galápagos Islands, home to, among many other extraordinary creatures, the world’s only pink iguanas, a volcano erupted for the first time in 33 years. The habitat of the pink iguanas is under threat, lying as it does in the path of the lava flow. Meanwhile, in Japan, the 140 residents on the island of Kuchinoerabu were evacuated when Mount Shindake erupted without any warning.

‘Putin has a tantrum’

Even those with zero interest in football will have noticed that Fifa had a disastrous month in May, as a group of their officials were arrested on corruption charges. My favourite headline of all the many Fifa-related stories was the one that ran in Forbes: "How Vladimir Putin lost his mind over the Fifa corruption indictments." The next World Cup is due to be held in Russia in 2018, and among the many unsavoury allegations flying around is the one that it was bribery what won it for the Russians. Not so, roared Putin, via the Kremlin website, to the amusement of many. "It's not right to mix sports and politics."

‘Racing car crashes into audience’

The Indianapolis 500, or Indy 500 to those in the know, an annual “open wheel” car race in the US, is famous for the crazy speeds the cars reach. This year, it made headlines for the high number of drivers crashing during practice prior to the race, causing the hospitalisation of some, including crew members who got in the way.

‘Roy Keane in the news’

There were mutterings that one of Cork’s most famous sons might be in line for Newcastle’s head coaching job. That’s what they remain to date: unconfirmed mutterings.

‘George and Amal marriage in jeopardy’

We know how obsessed Old Moore is with the marriages of the famous and recently wed. But he’s wrong again. The Clooney’s marriage seems just fine. The couple were seen on the red carpet at Cannes, happy as anything. Amal wore yellow. George wore a suit.

SUMMER FUN: OLD MOORE’S PREDICTIONS FOR JUNE

Ireland