Kerry CC support permit system which allows rural people drink and drive

Laneyh · 23-01-2013 12:55pm

summerskin wrote: »

Either way, I'll be fûcked if I'm going to walk home in the rain or freezing cold when I've only had about 5-7 pints. It's fine in summer but bollocks to it in winter!

No one is suggesting you walk home

Alright if my taxes don't pay for emergency services to come and pick you out of the ditch should the need arise ?

Going Forward · 23-01-2013 1:10pm

summerskin wrote: »

Either way, I'll be fûcked if I'm going to walk home in the rain or freezing cold when I've only had about 5-7 pints. It's fine in summer but bollocks to it in winter!

Could we interest you in our patronizing local scheme?
We're oganising weekly transport to the pub for all the auld fellas, they'll be encouraged to indulge in group hugs and discover how to "find themselves" on their journey.

Grant aid will be available for various courses showing them how to "connect" on facebook, to deal with isolation, old age and loneliness, and this will all look very well on someone's cv at least.

Look, this idea is a non runner, the generation Healy Rea is talking about is nearly gone now, the characters, the old men in the dark suits, their type will never be seen again. Let them have their last few years in relative peace.

JustinDee · 23-01-2013 1:55pm

summerskin wrote: »

Either way, I'll be fûcked if I'm going to walk home in the rain or freezing cold when I've only had about 5-7 pints. It's fine in summer but bollocks to it in winter!

Classy. Real classy. "Only 5-7 pints".

Laneyh · 23-01-2013 3:00pm

Going Forward wrote: »

Could we interest you in our patronizing local scheme?
We're oganising weekly transport to the pub for all the auld fellas, they'll be encouraged to indulge in group hugs and discover how to "find themselves" on their journey.

Grant aid will be available for various courses showing them how to "connect" on facebook, to deal with isolation, old age and loneliness, and this will all look very well on someone's cv at least.

Look, this idea is a non runner, the generation Healy Rea is talking about is nearly gone now, the characters, the old men in the dark suits, their type will never be seen again. Let them have their last few years in relative peace.

How is it patronising?
If people were suggesting a temperance campaign it might be patronising
Providing transport is just enabling people to stay within the law
Like providing a smoking area in the pub

If the esteemed councillor had enough brain cells to rub together he could request a tax break for a rural transport scheme.
They could offer some kind of tax incentive to rural pubs who set up a transport scheme.

Ned still gets to go to the pub , meet his friends, save on petrol and shoe leather and not risk losing his license / livelihood by breaking the law.

It would appear that our obsession with alcohol has stunted any kind of creative or rational thinking.

It really wouldn't be difficult to implement.

If instead we say , let the old fellas to it and when they die the tradition dies
doesn't it clear the path for lots of other groups to lobby for special treatment ?

I think pretty much everyone was in agreement that sulky races should not be occuring on the roads of this country. However, are sulky races not part of traveller culture and something they've always done? Therefore should they not be exempt from the law and allowed to race their sulkys where and when they please ? To stop them is to contribute to killing off a way of life.
Let's say they only meet their friends and family at these races, are marginalised/ depressed/ lonely and that's their only social outlet.
Should they adapt or should we ?

Even if rural drunk drivers present no actual threat to anyone including themselves they are still breaking the law.
The basis of society is that we all abide by the same laws. If we start exempting people for reasons of geography, class, status or otherwise the whole thing will fall apart.

summerskin · 23-01-2013 3:18pm

Laneyh wrote: »

No one is suggesting you walk home

Alright if my taxes don't pay for emergency services to come and pick you out of the ditch should the need arise ?

I never said I drove home, either.

Laneyh · 23-01-2013 3:24pm

summerskin wrote: »

I never said I drove home, either.

Fair enough you're free to travel or not travel however you wish provided you're not breaking the law.

23-01-2013 3:25pm

The problem with the suggestion of a mini bus or something like that is that especially with auld lads they come and go and all different times. I see it in my local there is a constant stream of people coming in for a few and leaving from about 6 until closing, then of course some who come in for the night too. Some come in for 2 or 3 every evening when they are in for the paper or whatever and for them to get a taxi in and out every night would be both impossible and cost a fortune and also a full time job for the bar if they were to be collecting and dropping home loads of lads one at time at from about 6 o'clock to closing.

I think the pub owner operating a bus home at closing on a Friday and Saturday night is a great idea it only covers the late drinkers, not all the early evening drinkers.

Its a tricky one to try accommodate everyone.

Going Forward · 23-01-2013 3:38pm

Laneyh wrote: »

How is it patronising?
If people were suggesting a temperance campaign it might be patronising
Providing transport is just enabling people to stay within the law
Like providing a smoking area in the pub

If the esteemed councillor had enough brain cells to rub together he could request a tax break for a rural transport scheme.
They could offer some kind of tax incentive to rural pubs who set up a transport scheme.

Ned still gets to go to the pub , meet his friends, save on petrol and shoe leather and not risk losing his license / livelihood by breaking the law.

It would appear that our obsession with alcohol has stunted any kind of creative or rational thinking.

It really wouldn't be difficult to implement.

If instead we say , let the old fellas to it and when they die the tradition dies
doesn't it clear the path for lots of other groups to lobby for special treatment ?

I think pretty much everyone was in agreement that sulky races should not be occuring on the roads of this country. However, are sulky races not part of traveller culture and something they've always done? Therefore should they not be exempt from the law and allowed to race their sulkys where and when they please ? To stop them is to contribute to killing off a way of life.
Let's say they only meet their friends and family at these races, are marginalised/ depressed/ lonely and that's their only social outlet.
Should they adapt or should we ?

Even if rural drunk drivers present no actual threat to anyone including themselves they are still breaking the law.
The basis of society is that we all abide by the same laws. If we start exempting people for reasons of geography, class, status or otherwise the whole thing will fall apart.

Hornets nest alert, its far easier to "do" Ned for his couple of pints than virtually any other "crime". How has it come to this, where he'll get no free legal aid whereas his contemporary with 30 previous convictions will have the full suite of judicial tools at his disposal?

Ned's own circumstances wont count for much either, so I am sorry to say I dont buy the line that society is bound by the one set of laws- it should be, but its not.

Exceptions are made all the time by way of special treatment of certain groups' backgrounds etc.

BTW, Ned is a bit odd. He mightnt like being herded along like a 4 year old into school.
He likes his last bit of independence and the ability to make a few decisions ill informed as they may be.

Laneyh · 23-01-2013 4:04pm

I get what you're saying but if these guys are currently staying at home rather than run the risk of arrest
surely they would be amenible to a compromise solution.

Granted they wouldn't be happy about it but I imagine they would begrudgingly accept it.

Most people are resistant to change.

Many restrictions and changes in law have occured in their lifetime. Sorry to say but they do just have to live with it.

Either that or form a lobby group themselves and campaign all the way to the Dail.

The thing is I've only seen and heard Healy-Rae' being interviewed in relation to this.

I've not seen a transcript of the proposal and I've not heard from or about any of the people whose rights / quality of life has been impacted.

Rather than highlighting the plight of rural Ireland, Healy-Rae has managed to promote himself and his pub.

If there are people living on their own who are not seeing anyone else from one end of the week to the next this needs to be addressed on a number of levels.

There has been an increase of misfortunates dying at home and not being discovered for days. That is terribly sad.
This could happen because literally everyone they know or were related to are already dead but it is truly awful.

Sure enough an elderly farmer may not be too keen on a befriending scheme where somebody calls out to their house for tea and biscuits. If the pub is their only social outlet so be it but at least have some activities on offer in the pub.

Ceili, card nights , food doesn't really matter. Some of them may be staying away because they can drink and smoke at home unabated and its considerably cheaper. They're not neccessarily all living in mortal fear of the law.

Of course the bus option isn't going to appeal to everyone and it would be difficult to co-ordinate or have people break their habits and routines. However, it offers them an option. If they choose not to use the option- fine.
Its not like the publican will tip off the cops.

What about the times when these guys injure themselves or their car isn't working ?- currently they'd either need a friend to give them a lift or they would have to stay home.

If there was a bus service in place they could even knock into him en route to dropping people home / drop off messages - act as a community service.

Healy-Rae is claiming that fellas don't know when their neighbours are dead anymore because they are not in the pub every week to hear the local news
First off if someone is dead and buried and you don't know about it chances are they weren't really your friend.
Secondly, if the person has no means of getting to the pub other than on their own steam they are quite cut off
Thirdly if the guys are bussed to and from the pub their car is parked outside their house which may act as a slight deterrent to would be thieves.

There has been an increase in violent robberies of OAPs but I'm assuming even the most hardened criminal will pick the house where they think no one is in over the one they think is occupied.

The case for these permits seems flawed to me and I would certainly object were it to be introduced.

TwoShedsJackson · 23-01-2013 5:14pm

sock puppet wrote: »

What on earth are you talking about? Road fatalities have been falling for decades.

If 'decades' now means '5 years', then yes, road fatalities have been falling for decades.

CruelCoin · 23-01-2013 5:24pm

JustinDee wrote: »

Classy. Real classy. "Only 5-7 pints".

Its a country pub, not this:

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJpJuGNJuctFtJ0kMmAMQHIvA7V5CG8VXGVltaDPD8ypXIgmNRZld2hlNO

robinph · 24-01-2013 2:09pm

They just had him on the BBC R2 Jeremy Vine phone in show thing, along with the mayor of Tralee to be the voice of a sensible person. I think the mayor got his understanding of why this has got worldwide media attention wrong though, he claimed that international media was interested in the issue of rural isolation.

Nope, the international media is laughing at Kerry CC for making a tit of themselves in coming up with this idea and voting it through.

Doc Ruby · 24-01-2013 2:59pm

robinph wrote: »

Nope, the international media is laughing at Kerry CC for making a tit of themselves in coming up with this idea and voting it through.

Yup, it was a facepalm moment when I saw it on the BBC alright. Disgraceful really.

Can the oul fellas not chip in and pay a single designated driver between them, and the pub too since they're happy to take the money for the pints. For a hundred euros a night plus petrol money I'm sure they can find someone to do the job.

Lollipops23 · 24-01-2013 3:27pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Can the oul fellas not chip in and pay a single designated driver between them, and the pub too since they're happy to take the money for the pints. For a hundred euros a night plus petrol money I'm sure they can find someone to do the job.

It's been suggested numerous times over the years (and on this thread). I for one think it's a brilliant idea- I understand how lonely it must get in rural Ireland (especially for older bachelors etc) and getting to the pub alleviates that.

It's the mortification of this making international news that's bothering me- short of South Kerry, nobody in Ireland really takes the Healy-Rays seriously. But they're elected officials, so to the rest of the world it probably looks like they speak for all of us

BlatentCheek · 24-01-2013 3:34pm

It's never going to happen:
county-councils aren't empowered to issue certificates to break the law which is what these would be
None of the cert holders would get insurance

It's just another cynical exercise engineered by the Healy-Raes to keep their power in Kerry through the aggressive rural-chauvinism that's become their trade mark.

However the only reason they can get support for their proposal in Kerry is because our drink driving limits are too strict, and an increasing number of people are realising it.
When we lowered the blood alcohol limit from 80 to 50 mg I recall the main argument being that most other countries in the EU have done so and we'd look like backward gob****es not to follow suit, I can't recall any statistics linking people with 50-80mg in their blood to fatal accidents being advanced by the RSA (and if anyone has them I'll happily stand corrected). It was the same rationale that saw us tear up our train and tram network decades ago and nearly destroy Georgian Dublin in a fit of Urban redevelopment back in the 60's and 70's - "everyone else is doing it so lets copy them slavishly, that's called progress". The result has definitely been a deterioration in rural social life and has led to many rural pubs, employers and social hubs in their areas closing down, no clear link to reduced road fatalities can be proven; although there is correlation there are a number of other possible factors. People increasingly seem to drink more, at home, with less social contact; which can hardly be called progress and almost certainly contributes to our suicide rate.

JustinDee · 24-01-2013 3:37pm

CruelCoin wrote: »

Its a country pub, not this:

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJpJuGNJuctFtJ0kMmAMQHIvA7V5CG8VXGVltaDPD8ypXIgmNRZld2hlNO

Like I said, real classy. Must be proud.
'Thick Paddies' reputation is here to stay.

crockholm · 24-01-2013 3:54pm

JustinDee wrote: »

Like I said, real classy. Must be proud.
'Thick Paddies' reputation is here to stay.

Whoa there....did you actually read what was being proposed and compare it to what was being said in huff post,toronto star et al. I disagree what the motion proposes but,what the press is regurgitating is pure hyperbole.
the publican in question wanted it so his patrons could have 2-3 pints, the press say it's drunk-driving permits, complete with nuggets like "where else but Ireland"
"Thick Paddies" never went away you know, it's always been there and always will

robinph · 24-01-2013 3:54pm

BlatentCheek wrote: »

It's never going to happen:
county-councils aren't empowered to issue certificates to break the law which is what these would be
None of the cert holders would get insurance

It's just another cynical exercise engineered by the Healy-Raes to keep their power in Kerry through the aggressive rural-chauvinism that's become their trade mark.

There must be something that can be done to stop them being able to keep blathering on about this stupid idea in the international media though. Disconnect the Healy-Raes phone lines, stop them from being allowed to travel outside of their corner of Kerry or talk to people until this blows over.

He is doing the brand of "Ireland" damage and helping to confirm the stereotype of Ireland being a nation of drunken idiots that the international media is happy to repeat. Doesn't matter that the daft idea will never happen, because he is talking about it people will get the idea that it has happened.

Sofiztikated · 24-01-2013 4:13pm

robinph wrote: »

There must be something that can be done to stop them being able to keep blathering on about this stupid idea in the international media though. Disconnect the Healy-Raes phone lines, stop them from being allowed to travel outside of their corner of Kerry or talk to people until this blows over.

He is doing the brand of "Ireland" damage and helping to confirm the stereotype of Ireland being a nation of drunken idiots that the international media is happy to repeat. Doesn't matter that the daft idea will never happen, because he is talking about it people will get the idea that it has happened.

This. Besides taking the spotlight of rural isolation, and how to actually fix it, this fool is doing major damage to Ireland. The world is looking. Aren't we actively promoting "The Gathering 2013." The rest of the world will take nuggets of stuff like this.

The rest of the world already thinks we're small. Stupid comments like his makes it seem like all of Ireland wants this to happen. Couple that with the trouble over a flag in NI, it's embarrassing.

Think of it like this, if Ireland was a company, he would be disciplined, possibly removed from his position, and the PR would be on damage control, distancing the brand from this persons opinion.

BlatentCheek · 24-01-2013 4:14pm

robinph wrote: »

There must be something that can be done to stop them being able to keep blathering on about this stupid idea in the international media though. Disconnect the Healy-Raes phone lines, stop them from being allowed to travel outside of their corner of Kerry or talk to people until this blows over.

He is doing the brand of "Ireland" damage and helping to confirm the stereotype of Ireland being a nation of drunken idiots that the international media is happy to repeat. Doesn't matter that the daft idea will never happen, because he is talking about it people will get the idea that it has happened.

So what would you do?
Infringe peoples rights in case they let us down in front of foreigners.

I've never really subscribed to the idea that we all have to stoke the positive brand of "Ireland Inc"; a lot of our tourism industry is based on offensive stereotypes that are nonetheless quite profitable.
Being the nice guys of Europe only got us worse conditions than any other recipients of EU bail-outs.
Silly-season out of context nonsense in Gawker or the Huffington Post doesn't affect important peoples decisions regarding Ireland; statistics like an insanely high debt to GDP ratio or high emigration rates do.
If we stopped dancing for foreigners and got on with building a country that worked we'd really get their respect

sfwcork · 24-01-2013 4:26pm

The Healy Raes are a prme example of whats wrong with Irish Politics.He blabs on about looking after the rural folk but when it comes down to it his only looking after his own family,just because everyone knows his a backward as fook that we wave it away

did he hand back his expences yet? Doubt it

his only looking after one geezer and that Me Fein

Doc Ruby · 24-01-2013 4:45pm

crockholm wrote: »

"Thick Paddies" never went away you know, it's always been there and always will

It's been stamped out in most places, but there are a couple of nasty little bogholes where it still persists; some parts of the UK, the North, and areas in Australia. We'll get them all eventually.

This clown isn't helping one bit however, how the hell did the international media pick up on a county council's pronouncement.

MagicSean · 24-01-2013 4:48pm

crockholm wrote: »

Whoa there....did you actually read what was being proposed and compare it to what was being said in huff post,toronto star et al. I disagree what the motion proposes but,what the press is regurgitating is pure hyperbole.
the publican in question wanted it so his patrons could have 2-3 pints, the press say it's drunk-driving permits, complete with nuggets like "where else but Ireland"
"Thick Paddies" never went away you know, it's always been there and always will

Driving with 2 to 3 pints is drunk driving.

crockholm · 24-01-2013 5:04pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

It's been stamped out in most places, but there are a couple of nasty little bogholes where it still persists; some parts of the UK, the North, and areas in Australia. We'll get them all eventually.

This clown isn't helping one bit however, how the hell did the international media pick up on a county council's pronouncement.

That, I feel, is the crux. Anyone who looked into this knew it would get no further,local politican says something stupid, ok, why does this one get traction? Lazy hacks can write some begorrah begosh type stuff they wouldn't try with other races/religions.What 2 kerry politicians were doing debating on the beeb,I don't know,that's well outside the county boundary.People here thinking this affects our standing internationally, I don't agree, as much as it hurts, nobody really cares about this non-runner of a story, just like you see a news snippet from some obscure part of the globe,quickly forgotten.As for DHR,people should give him more time to concentrate on his pub patrons and problems after the next election

admiralofthefleet · 24-01-2013 5:13pm

hats off to ray darcy yesterday morning, said what the whole country thinks, including the majority of people in kerry

Lumbo · 24-01-2013 5:52pm

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

hats off to ray darcy yesterday morning, said what the whole country thinks, including the majority of people in kerry

Did Ray admit to being a dickhead?

:pac:

JustinDee · 24-01-2013 6:38pm

crockholm wrote: »

That, I feel, is the crux. Anyone who looked into this knew it would get no further,local politican says something stupid, ok, why does this one get traction? Lazy hacks can write some begorrah begosh type stuff they wouldn't try with other races/religions.What 2 kerry politicians were doing debating on the beeb,I don't know,that's well outside the county boundary.People here thinking this affects our standing internationally, I don't agree, as much as it hurts, nobody really cares about this non-runner of a story, just like you see a news snippet from some obscure part of the globe,quickly forgotten.As for DHR,people should give him more time to concentrate on his pub patrons and problems after the next election

It isn't a non-story. It is a valid story of an elected representitive obtaining a majority vote in relevant council in an attempt to undo every road safety measure taken against idiots who drink before driving ("2-3 pints" is drink driving). That is why it gets traction in Ireland. It gets traction across the ditch because the Irish can indeed proven to be as thick as one.

Cienciano · 24-01-2013 6:48pm

I'd love a breathalizer to see how many pints really put me over the limit. I know a mate who drank a bottle of wine fairly quickly, he said himself he was fairly drunk and he was well under the limit. I read about people who had 6 pints that were under the limit.

mikeym · 24-01-2013 6:55pm

Its a publicity stunt for the Healy-Rae family simple as.

MagicSean · 24-01-2013 7:13pm

Cienciano wrote: »

I'd love a breathalizer to see how many pints really put me over the limit. I know a mate who drank a bottle of wine fairly quickly, he said himself he was fairly drunk and he was well under the limit. I read about people who had 6 pints that were under the limit.

Well under what limit? Even a zero alcohol limit is not "well under" the legal limit because the legal limit is so low. Your friends are not being completely honest I think.

Cienciano · 24-01-2013 7:28pm

MagicSean wrote: »

Well under what limit? Even a zero alcohol limit is not "well under" the legal limit because the legal limit is so low. Your friends are not being completely honest I think.

What limit do you think? The legal limit of alcohol! He was around half the limit of .05

Chancer3001 · 24-01-2013 7:34pm

When the guards breathalyse you they take 20% off your reading. So if youre borderline, you end up a nice bit under the limit

michael999999 · 24-01-2013 8:14pm

Front page of the Kerrys Eye today.

'Death threats' after drink drive motion. Is the headline.

The ****ing hypocrisy of those gombeens the healy raes know no bounds. They have no problem in filling people full of drink and letting them possibly kill a member of the public while driving home.

But make a complaint to the guards when someone threatens them!

Well here is a suggestion for them, for every drunk driver that is allowed to drive home, should be accompanied in the car by a member of the healy rae family!

It wasn't me! · 24-01-2013 8:16pm

michael999999 wrote: »

for every drunk driver that is allowed to drive home, should be accompanied in the car by a member of the healy rae family!

Chained to the front bumper!

michael999999 · 24-01-2013 8:16pm

Front page of the Kerrys Eye today.

'Death threats' after drink drive motion. Is the headline.

The ****ing hypocrisy of those gombeens the healy raes know no bounds. They have no problem in filling people full of drink and letting them possibly kill a member of the public while driving home.

But make a complaint to the guards when someone threatens them!

Well here is a suggestion for them, for every drunk driver that is allowed to drive home, should be accompanied in the car by a member of the healy rae family!

crockholm · 24-01-2013 9:30pm

JustinDee wrote: »

It isn't a non-story. It is a valid story of an elected representitive obtaining a majority vote in relevant council in an attempt to undo every road safety measure taken against idiots who drink before driving ("2-3 pints" is drink driving). That is why it gets traction in Ireland. It gets traction across the ditch because the Irish can indeed proven to be as thick as one.

Non runner of a story,not a non-story, is what I said, only 3 years ago it would have been legal to have 2-3 pints, so fado-fado it aint. IN case you misinterpret, I am in favour of the current measures. Please show me the scientific proof that the Irish are "thick"I have heard of the self-hating jew stereotype, should we be glad that we now have an Irish version of this malaise

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 24-01-2013 9:47pm

michael999999 wrote: »

Front page of the Kerrys Eye today.

'Death threats' after drink drive motion. Is the headline.

The ****ing hypocrisy of those gombeens the healy raes know no bounds. They have no problem in filling people full of drink and letting them possibly kill a member of the public while driving home.

But make a complaint to the guards when someone threatens them!

Well here is a suggestion for them, for every drunk driver that is allowed to drive home, should be accompanied in the car by a member of the healy rae family!

And accidents automaticaly allow results in jail time, and a Haely-Rae does half the time inside, hows that?

JustinDee · 24-01-2013 10:29pm

crockholm wrote: »

Non runner of a story,not a non-story, is what I said, only 3 years ago it would have been legal to have 2-3 pints, so fado-fado it aint. IN case you misinterpret, I am in favour of the current measures. Please show me the scientific proof that the Irish are "thick"I have heard of the self-hating jew stereotype, should we be glad that we now have an Irish version of this malaise

"Scientific proof"??
The Irish have a reputation abroad as being stupid and alcoholic dependants, whether you like it or not. Its just a stereotype that mainly stemmed from the 19th century and stuck. Nothing self-loathing about it at all and certainly nothing new about it.

languagenerd · 27-01-2013 4:18pm

Biggins wrote: »

Here’s how the world reacted to the Kerry drink-driving story.

http://www.thejournal.ie/drink-driving-kerry-reaction-765371-Jan2013/

And most of the headlines/articles quoted there make it look like:
(a) Kerry Co. Council have the power to introduce this (they don't)
(b) It's already come into place (it hasn't)
and/or
(c) That it involves the whole country (it doesn't, it doesn't even involve all of Kerry Co. Council)

Annoying, if you were an American/Canadian/Brit who didn't know a lot about Irish counties, etc, you'd think that the above are all true. Awful reporting. Great to see the old stereotypes whipped out again

Czarcasm · 27-01-2013 4:29pm

languagenerd wrote: »

Annoying, if you were an American/Canadian/Brit who didn't know a lot about Irish counties, etc, you'd think that the above are all true. Awful reporting idea in the first place. Great to see the old stereotypes whipped out again

Fixed that for you. It wouldn't be a stereotype if there wasn't a basis for it. In this case it is entirely justified when a publican/politician puts forward a motion that his customers be allowed drive while intoxicated, flying in the face of years of campaigning against drink driving by organisations and society that have seen lives destroyed by drink driving.

languagenerd · 27-01-2013 4:42pm

Czarcasm wrote: »

Fixed that for you. It wouldn't be a stereotype if there wasn't a basis for it. In this case it is entirely justified when a publican/politician puts forward a motion that his customers be allowed drive while intoxicated, flying in the face of years of campaigning against drink driving by organisations and society that have seen lives destroyed by drink driving.

Oh I know it's an awful idea! But the international reporting is terrible too, as it makes it look like an official motion as opposed to a stupid proposal by a gombeen that (hopefully) most of the country are happy to ignore.

Not every Irish person is obsessed with alcohol and I daresay most of us aren't idiots. It's just annoying when the foreign press paint us all like that.

Sofiztikated · 28-01-2013 5:32am

languagenerd wrote: »

Oh I know it's an awful idea! But the international reporting is terrible too, as it makes it look like an official motion as opposed to a stupid proposal by a gombeen that (hopefully) most of the country are happy to ignore.

Not every Irish person is obsessed with alcohol and I daresay most of us aren't idiots. It's just annoying when the foreign press paint us all like that.

But that's the problem. It's a stupid proposal, to table a motion, that was voted on, and passed. True, it's only one council. True, not everyone is obsessed with alcohol. But to the outside world, it's yet another reason for them to think the stereotype is true.

I've had replies from some of the Kerry CC I've contacted. Currently, the replies have ranged from "I wasn't there" to "I was there, and voted against it." Not one of the ones that voted in favour of the motion have replied to me.

Apparently, DHR has tried to pass the blame on this issue to the other councillors that passed the motion.

murraykil · 28-01-2013 6:18am

JustinDee wrote: »

"Scientific proof"??
The Irish have a reputation abroad as being stupid and alcoholic dependants, whether you like it or not. Its just a stereotype that mainly stemmed from the 19th century and stuck. Nothing self-loathing about it at all and certainly nothing new about it.

There are few doing their best to keep this reputation going!

ForeverYoung90 wrote: »

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Who's in??

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World Record: 10 in 4 and a half hours.

Capt'n Midnight · 02-02-2013 3:09am

It's either socialising or getting intoxicated.

If it's for socialising then pubs can sell low alcohol beers. And it should be cheaper because not only has the excise duty on beer not gone in a generation it's actually halved on anything below 2.8%

If it's about getting intoxicated then it's real simple, Ethanol is a depressant.

Kerry CC support permit system which allows rural people drink and drive

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