Topic: The Irish Politics Thread.

[Sarge]

Irish politics is a bit silly at the moment. All up in a heap about a fucking festival and a 15k job.

Nice to take the focus off the real issues.

[DangerScouse]

Well in President Higgins. The correct stance as far as I'm concerned.

[Macphisto80]

Well in President Higgins. The correct stance as far as I'm concerned.

Yep.

[DangerScouse]

https://twitter.com/julianoneill/status/1450198343523651588?t=rmW0OIafMusOMczeUiXCzg&s=19

[MBL?]

I noticed there were no masks or social distancing among his supporters so he probably got it from them. Was never going to be convicted so it’s a small win that he died in Ireland.

[Macphisto80]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/QJDdEI5VgVg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/QJDdEI5VgVg</a>

Haha!

[TSC]

Well in President Higgins. The correct stance as far as I'm concerned.

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/uknews/queen-cancels-trip-to-northern-ireland-for-centenary-mass/ar-AAPKkMd

[Macphisto80]

Medical advice my arse.

[Crosby Nick]

Medical advice my arse.

How long have you got?

[Ray K]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

[didi shamone]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

I'm doing my best to ignore it. I'd rather see Eoin Mclove.

[SouthDerryLaggo]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

you didnt get tickets then nah? 

[Ray K]

you didnt get tickets then nah? 

I'm thinking of getting a 40 foot container full of cowboy hats and Wrangler jeans, and an articulated lorry filled with cans of Bulmers cider for it. I'm going to be a millionaire after night 5.

[djahern]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

Lots of loss of sense of taste in Ireland at the moment with the rising infection levels

[Red-Soldier]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

Haven't got a clue who you are talking about??

[Ray K]

Haven't got a clue who you are talking about??

This fucking tosspot. 400,000 tickets sold today.

[Crosby Nick]

Why do your lot live the country music so much Raymond?

[SouthDerryLaggo]

Why do your lot live the country music so much Raymond?

I blame it all on my roots

[Ray K]

I blame it all on my roots

[Macphisto80]

It's not politics at all, but that 150,000 people are in a Ticketmaster queue to see a no-mark country & western singer who hasn't been relevant in 25 years (and I argue strongly that he's never been relevant) is a sign that this country has absolutely lost it's fucking mind.


I'd rather see Garth Crooks perform his unbelievably shite punditry in a stadium for 2 hours than that guy. 5 nights in Croke Park. Jesus fucking wept.

.

It is. It's fucking mental. I remember one time I was in Newcastle in Down and I saw a big gathering of kids and mostly 20 somethings all with their cars and thought it was like something from Fast and the Furious. Then it got weird when one of the cars belted out country and western music and they all got out and started line dancing in the middle of the road.

[BarryCrocker]

Lots of loss of sense of taste in Ireland at the moment with the rising infection levels

 

Happened well before covid.

[MBL?]

Why do your lot live the country music so much Raymond?

Its a bogger thing. Us dubs get a lot of stick and rightly so for the most part but this one is on them. I’ve never understood how American country music is so popular here. I’ve been in situations like Macphisto mentions above and it’s incredible. No idea how I’m from the same little island as these headers.

Is country popular in Britain in the same way? I just assumed it was.

[Crosby Nick]

Its a bogger thing. Us dubs get a lot of stick and rightly so for the most part but this one is on them. I’ve never understood how American country music is so popular here. I’ve been in situations like Macphisto mentions above and it’s incredible. No idea how I’m from the same little island as these headers.

Is country popular in Britain in the same way? I just assumed it was.

I can’t say I know anyone with a penchant for country music. Actually I did know someone who used to go to a sell out concert/festival at the O2 so there’s obviously enough of a crowd to be considered a danger. She was Irish though now I think about it.

There probably is a country music sub culture here but it’s small enough to be drowned out by other stuff, mostly equally as crap.

[SouthDerryLaggo]

More restrictions. I am depressed

[goalrushatgoodison]

More restrictions. I am depressed

I wouldn't fret. Good chance they will be lifted by the time Mr Brooks arrives 

[Sarge]

Family Ice-skang outing on the 17th may be stopped, sad times kids where looking forward to it, may still happen by the time its on byt i am not so sure, 43 of us going, ages 18 months to 73 years old.

[SouthDerryLaggo]

I wouldn't fret. Good chance they will be lifted by the time Mr Brooks arrives 

more worried that the north follows suit and causes me a headache getting the whole family over for Leeds on Boxing Day. Its also a ball ache for work sometimes being from the north and working in the south

[Billy The Kid]

Can't help but feel sorry for publicans, restauranteurs and nightclub owners yet again. It's a bit bazaar that NPHET insist on hammering that sector, especially when it accounts for such a tiny proportion of community transmissions. Why not close Penny's for a change? And let them take a hit for once? Why keep punishing the innocent?

Imagine being a restaurant owner, barely clinging on to a family business that you've broken your bollox to run for 20/30 years, and being told in your most desperate hour of need, that you can only fill it to half capacity, while every scruff on the Island can walk freely into Penny's and blow half their dole cheque on cotton knickers from Taiwan

For the record, I'm pro vaccination, pro mask wearing, pro social distancing and pro precautions. I have no problem whatsoever with the Government putting restrictions in place to protect the vulnerable and to ease the strain on our health services. The bit I've a problem with is the governments insistence on forcing those who are least responsible for transmission to repeatedly endure the hardest repercussions

I was in a restaurant just outside Loughrea in Galway last week. They couldn't have been more diligent in terms of precaution. When we arrived our certs were checked, our ID's were checked, our temperatures were checked, our table was distanced, the floors were spotless, the bathrooms were constantly being checked and cleaned, hand dispensers were everywhere, staff were fully masked up, clean masks were provided to those leaving while their tables were scrubbed down. They literally were following every single measure you can think of to the absolute letter

2 hours later on my way home I pull in to get diesel just outside Gort. The forecourt was full of about 8 Ford Transit vans with yellow UK reg's. Their occupants walking feely in and out of the shop without a mask in sight. Not a care in the world. Obviously home for the Christmas to visit their travelling cousins - which they're fully entitled to do. I suppose the point I'm making is that if community transmission is the problem here, then lets tackle the real causes of it, instead of pussy footing the fuck around it 

[SouthDerryLaggo]

Can't help but feel sorry for publicans, restauranteurs and nightclub owners yet again. It's a bit bazaar that NPHET insist on hammering that sector, especially when it accounts for such a tiny proportion of community transmissions. Why not close Penny's for a change? And let them take a hit for once? Why keep punishing the innocent?

Imagine being a restaurant owner, barely clinging on to a family business that you've broken your bollox to run for 20/30 years, and being told in your most desperate hour of need, that you can only fill it to half capacity, while every scruff on the Island can walk freely into Penny's and blow half their dole cheque on cotton knickers from Taiwan

For the record, I'm pro vaccination, pro mask wearing, pro social distancing and pro precautions. I have no problem whatsoever with the Government putting restrictions in place to protect the vulnerable and to ease the strain on our health services. The bit I've a problem with is the governments insistence on forcing those who are least responsible for transmission to repeatedly endure the hardest repercussions

I was in a restaurant just outside Loughrea in Galway last week. They couldn't have been more diligent in terms of precaution. When we arrived our certs were checked, our ID's were checked, our temperatures were checked, our table was distanced, the floors were spotless, the bathrooms were constantly being checked and cleaned, hand dispensers were everywhere, staff were fully masked up, clean masks were provided to those leaving while their tables were scrubbed down. They literally were following every single measure you can think of to the absolute letter

2 hours later on my way home I pull in to get diesel just outside Gort. The forecourt was full of about 8 Ford Transit vans with yellow UK reg's. Their occupants walking feely in and out of the shop without a mask in sight. Not a care in the world. Obviously home for the Christmas to visit their travelling cousins - which they're fully entitled to do. I suppose the point I'm making is that if community transmission is the problem here, then lets tackle the real causes of it, instead of pussy footing the fuck around it

I honestly wouldn't mind restrictions if they all made sense. Rapid antigen testing before entering venues makes more sense than just flashing a covid cert which doesn't show if you actually have covid or not. I'm also a tad disillusioned in my own line of work where they are pushing us to do travel antigen tests in the community setting where you are just given a blue surgical mask, no gloves, no ppe or fuck all to deal with a growing number of non compliant c*nts coming in with coughs and colds "but i don't have the covid or anything like that" How the fuck do you know you don't?
Sorry rant over

[didi shamone]

So an Everton style lockdown without locking down proposed by Nphet amid much backlash. May as well close hospitality as close at 5pm. Seems draconian when hospitalizations are down 40% due to the booster campaign.

Im seeing more and more people questioning why they should even get a booster at all now now.  Seems to send out a message that health officials don't trust the vaccines. Personally I felt the current restrictions and mass booster campaign was enough.

Will the Government go for it?  They're obviously terrified of losing face like last year. But we weren't one of the most vaccinated countries in the world then.

[kennedy81]

Just get up at 3am instead. So when 5pm rolls round, it'll be like midnight.

Seriously though, the problem the government and NPHET have is that they don't know what a surge in omicron cases will look like in terms of hospitalizations. I have some sympathy for them here.
If they don't bring in restrictions now, they'll get pelters if the health services come under serious strain. And if they do, they'll get pelters anyway.

The Uk being a couple of weeks ahead should give us an indicator though. All eyes are on them right now. France and Germany are talking about an omicron surge starting around new years.

[naka]

So an Everton style lockdown without locking down proposed by Nphet amid much backlash. May as well close hospitality as close at 5pm. Seems draconian when hospitalizations are down 40% due to the booster campaign.

Im seeing more and more people questioning why they should even get a booster at all now now.  Seems to send out a message that health officials don't trust the vaccines. Personally I felt the current restrictions and mass booster campaign was enough.

Will the Government go for it?  They're obviously terrified of losing face like last year. But we weren't one of the most vaccinated countries in the world then.

thinks its bullox
most people have been double vaxed and everyone i know is getting teh booster, the question to ask is why if tehy are clsoing down again.
was in dublin yesterday, couldnt believe how hard the guys in bars/restaurants etc were working to keep people safe
this might just be the  last straw

[kennedy81]

thinks its bullox
most people have been double vaxed and everyone i know is getting teh booster, the question to ask is why if tehy are clsoing down again.
was in dublin yesterday, couldnt believe how hard the guys in bars/restaurants etc were working to keep people safe
this might just be the  last straw

The new restrictions are because it's still unclear how severe this strain is. We know cases are going to sky rocket, but what that means in terms of hospitalizations and deaths is unknown.
So what are they supposed to do? Just let it rip and hope for the best? After what happened last christmas? Whatever they do, they can't win.

[DangerScouse]

Half arsed hospitality measures certainly aren't the answer.

[fowlermagic]

Schools still open makes no sense as even by the end of November there was 6000 cases plus just in primary schools a week occurring. God knows what it is now.  Likewise with travel restrictions or the lack of as surely anybody coming home for the holidays should have a PCR test prior to arrival and again within 3 days of getting home. Instead all you will get asked coming through Dublin Airport is do you have cigs or alcohol. The hospitality sector has taken the brunt of the restrictions since Day 1 and if I was a betting man there has been twice more infections happening in a hospital/care home than a pub nevermind a school.

[DangerScouse]

I strongly believe the schools were closed during the recent storm because of the government's failure to properly ventilate schools but they were never going to cons out and say that.

[DangerScouse]

Very poignant day in Derry. Strength to all the families

50 years and still no justice.

 Bastards.

[slaphead]

Very poignant day in Derry. Strength to all the families

50 years and still no justice.

 Bastards.

Very very emotional day yesterday here. I was out and about Saturday and Sunday, there was an air of anger and sadness you could just feel. Many people visited from different places. Jeremy Corbyn spoke incredibly well. Thousands of us took to the streets and for the first time ever my mother told me how scared she was on that day and how she crawled along the ground to avoid the bullets. There was vile disgusting human beings who thought it was ok to put up Parachute Regiment flags on the outskirts of the city but they didn't get the reaction they wanted. The people of Derry held their dignity as we have always done.
50 years. Where is the justice

[Daniel Cabbaggio]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0208/1278408-psni-ruc-collusive-behaviour-report/

Tip of the Iceberg, beyond me how the British don't get more flak for that

[stockdam]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0208/1278408-psni-ruc-collusive-behaviour-report/

Tip of the Iceberg, beyond me how the British don't get more flak for that

The problem is then you have to address the full picture like claims like this from past IRA members.

“Irish police colluded with IRA during Troubles, says former IRA member”.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/03/irish-police-colluded-ira-troubles-book-kieran-conway

To be fair and balanced you then also have to investigate collusion between the IRA and the Irish Police. However this could go on and on and on. I don’t hear Sinn Féin complaining about this.

The USA were also involved:

“For two hundred years the United States has been a safe haven for Irish political prisoners seeking refuge.”

https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/law/docs/mcelrath00.htm

Should we call for an investigation on how the US were involved?

There are loads of people who will never know the truth (I’m one of them) and we have to accept it’s best to move on and look to the future rather than living in the past. We all know fine well that governments were involved on both sides and we also know that the past wrongs cannot be undone nor the innocent lives taken by terrorists can be justified.