Sky: "Protesters Storm Irish Parliament"

Anonymous1987

Nijmegen wrote: »

The issue is not paying back our debt. We need harsh cuts, I think. But we also need to take our political class to account, for many things.

We can't get elections in three constituencies that miss a TD. "Not for the government to decide," we're told. Frankly, a lie. The house voted under the whip along government party lines.

We've poured questionable billions into areas like Anglo that perhaps could have been left out of our otherwise nessecary bailouts - all the while, Anglo executives, our politicians and our regulators were in cosy cabaal. Bank chiefs meeting our leader mere days before their organizations came to him to ask for billions of your, my money... What a cosy relationship between them all, and where are they now? Off with their foreign assets, or collecting their generous state pensions, or still in the Dail, lying.

Paying our debt is not the issue. Dealing with our morally corrupt upper echelons is.

Fair enough but we have a (admittedly slow) democratic process to deal with the above. While on the one side it would be great for even to have a say on the bailouts like a referendum maybe on the other side it would be painful and ultimately poor approach. It would introduce a large amount of uncertainty about the economy before the referendum and it would likely be an appalling display of propaganda and misinformation from both sides (remember Lisbon) and not to mention the complex details of the situation could hardly be communicated with any degree of clarity to the public. Nevertheless it would be good for democracy to remove Fianna Fail in the next election if for no better reason than to punish them and remove their cosy positions of power that they have enjoyed for so long even if a new government broadly follows the same policies.

Euro_Kraut

Absurdum wrote: »

I for one welcome our new lefty hippy overlords!

These guys are no hippy. Anarchists with republican link most likely. I saw few pictures that showed Eirigí banners. These guys have a bit of a history when it comes to violent protests.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Sandvich

Rojomcdojo wrote: »

I don't know which is worse. That these morons "stormed" the Dail or that there's morons on here that think it's great :rolleyes:

Yeah man jesus christ! Everyone knows utter complacencey is the one thing keeping us afloat!!!!!

MORANS.

Sandvich

Anonymous1987 wrote: »

Shame on us for trying to pay back our debt :rolleyes:. Exactly what does any of this achieve besides venting frustration, its no different than calling into Joe Duffy except it gives global markets the impression we cant hold things together which effectively means higher higher debt repayments.

This is a horrible way of thinking.

The reason the debt is so high to begin with is mostly down to our inept government - do you not think to solve this issue we need to put the pressure on for some kind of reform?

Protest is a good thing. Of course, since a lot of conservative types can write off any and all protesting as immature behaviour, it can be difficult to make a serious point.

Anonymous1987

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

No better champaign socialist for it.

SB-08

Just watching it unfold on Vincent Browne on TV3 - loads trying to get past Gardai - pretty shocking stuff for Ireland,:eek:

Can't believe RTE breezed passed this on the news. It shouldve been the lead story.:rolleyes:

eoinbn

I guess closing the head shops was the last straw!

steelcityblues

I'm with the far left when it comes to opposing and hating nearly everything about this government, but they have no right (no pun intended) to hijack the anti-government momentum!

people like Fintan O'Toole may only turn off a lot of people from demonstrating.

Lockstep

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Ah the SWP would appear at the drop of a hat.

You could be having a birthday party and the SWP would come along with their banners. Doesn't mean it's run by them or anything.

hinault

I was at the demonstration.

I did not see the attempted storming of the Dail.

The demonstration was good natured for the most part.

mike65

Are People Before Profit there? Indymedia must be!

zootroid

The woman interviewed on VB saying Gardai hit her for no reason

She was part of a group trying to get into the Dail, what did she expect to happen?

I'm no fan of this government, but those protesters are idiots

Valmont

I know that the Youth Against Dole Cuts organisation was there so I have absolutely no support for any of them. Chancers.

"Don't give the money to the banks, give it to us! We need more xbox games!"

Lockstep

Valmont wrote: »

I know that the Youth Against Dole Cuts organisation was there so I have absolutely no support for any of them. Chancers.

"Don't give the money to the banks, give it to us! We need more xbox games!"

What a shameful comment.

Anonymous1987

Sandvich wrote: »

This is a horrible way of thinking.

The reason the debt is so high to begin with is mostly down to our inept government - do you not think to solve this issue we need to put the pressure on for some kind of reform?

Protest is a good thing. Of course, since a lot of conservative types can write off any and all protesting as immature behaviour, it can be difficult to make a serious point.

I'm not against protest in general but in this instance the lack of large scale protest in the form of strikes is paying off. See here. It probably is good to have some protest to keep the government in check if its just to vent frustration before resigning our selves to living within our means but storming the Dail is truly ridiculous and sends all the wrong signals to the rest of the world.

bijapos

Report from TV3 here. Seems to be about 40 people involved. Vast majority of people were peaceful.


http://www.tv3.ie/videos.php?date_mode=0&locID=1.2.141&showspanel=&newspanel=1

TheApophis

The following smileys sum up the following rant: :eek::mad::eek::(:mad

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Am I the only person to have watched the Sky News bulletin at 8:56 which read out to my horror that “the Irish house of parliament has been stormed by angry protestors” and been left wondering whether it was some belated April Fools? Here's what was happening in world between 9 and 10 last night. In hindsight it seems a little melodramatic but at the time it was pretty shocking.

I couldn’t believe it. 8:57pm – so I waited those long three minute watching adverts on RTE 1 anticipating what I would hear from trusty RTE News regarding what on earth was happening in our Capital.

9:00pm – phew the news is starting – they’ll fill us in. Wait, what’s this… To my greater astonishment I was presented with the, by then old, news that David Cameron was PM in Britain. Oh, said I to myself, they’ll have it as Breaking News once the other headlines have been shown and the music stops.

More seconds pass as the by now tense atmosphere in the room grew.

Nothing. A News Black Out. What? Why?

It had to be a mistake on behalf of Sky – but still flicking the channel back to Sky – they now had it scrolled along the bottom in that oh so familiar BreakingNewsYellow - so it had to be true.

Next course of action - On to Twitter and Google live updates – desperate to get even a hint of what was really going on in Dublin. I know I wasn’t the only one anxious for a bit of enlightenment - Ryan Tubridy among others also puzzled by what was falling out.

I couldn’t believe when I saw British forums well advanced discussing what was happening when at home according to our News – Nothing actually had happened yet!

9:35pm One retweet read “@gavinsblog: 600+ protestors were outside Dail. 24 tried to pass barrier. Gardai pulled batons. 'Storming' is pushing it”
Yes; Sky over hype things from time to time but still - rather that than nothing at all from RTE.

Then at near 9:40pm I look at RTE News Aertel and on - not pg 103; not pg 104; but page 107 – People injured – Batons used – 100 push threw Gardai – Well if that wasn’t worthy of the 9 O’Clock News I don’t know what is.

~~~~~

I read on an online forum that the Gardai rang RTE and other press not to announce what was happening until it was brought under control. They obviously didn’t anticipate it would travel across the waters and back again to the people of Ireland via Sky News creating a sort of cyber-hysteria in its wake.

Perhaps it will transpire not to have been a major occurance but still - questions need to be asked as to whether - within the media - it could have been dealt with more effectively.

At least now we know what news channel NOT to tune into in the event of a national crisis.

Absurdum

mike65 wrote: »

Are People Before Profit there? Indymedia must be!

Yes. I am somehow on their mailing list, they've been drumming up support for a while now for this thing.

Bren Jacob

Apparently there will be protests every tuesday, if so I get the feeling that next tuesdays could be bigger.
Maybe a significant section of the Irish people are finally starting to get stirred in to action?

Butch Cassidy

Papa Smut wrote: »

What was the protest about?

The people of Ireland having to take on private debt into the hands of the soverign people, cuts in public services and all that...

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

There were Socialist Worker flags, there were "Irish Traveller Movement" flags, there were Sinn Fein flags, there were Unite flags and a whole raft of other flags at the protest.

Get your facts straight before you misrepresent the truth to suit your own position.

SB-08 wrote: »

Just watching it unfold on Vincent Browne on TV3 - loads trying to get past Gardai - pretty shocking stuff for Ireland,:eek:

Can't believe RTE breezed passed this on the news. It shouldve been the lead story.:rolleyes:

steelcityblues wrote: »

I'm with the far left when it comes to opposing and hating nearly everything about this government, but they have no right (no pun intended) to hijack the anti-government momentum!

people like Fintan O'Toole may only turn off a lot of people from demonstrating.

zootroid wrote: »

The woman interviewed on VB saying Gardai hit her for no reason

She was part of a group trying to get into the Dail, what did she expect to happen?

I'm no fan of this government, but those protesters are idiots

A couple of things:

• Fintan O'Toole was merely an invited speaker at this. He made many intelligent true statements at that.
• The "storming of the Dail" was mainly by people of the 32 County Solidarity Movement who were identified by their black tracksuit tops with their label on them. There were a handful of people with SWP flags outside the Dail waving them about, some were waving them in the direction of the Dail. These 32CSM people pushed forward thus creating the "storming".
• People were innocently assaulted by the Gardai. There were at least a half dozen people with head injuries from batton charges from the Gardai who completely overreacted. Yeah protect the precious house of parliament but by assaulting innocent people partaking in a peaceful protest? Sickening....

hinault

Bren Jacob wrote: »

Apparently there will be protests every tuesday, if so I get the feeling that next tuesdays could be bigger.
Maybe a significant section of the Irish people are finally starting to get stirred in to action?

Hopefully people will demonstrate and become more radicalised.

It is important that people demonstrate to register their opposition to the policies which brought us to our current difficults and to protest against this govts proposed to solution (NAMA, bank recapitalisations) to their mistakes.

who_ru

Anonymous1987 wrote: »

Shame on us for trying to pay back our debt :rolleyes:. .

**cough**
***splutter***

what has this got to do with anything?

loldog

Rupert Murdoch is against the Euro.

Sky are trying to provoke Greek style disorder in Ireland to try and sink the Euro currency.

.

ynotdu

Why would people want to storm our Dail

Last place they would find a TD to Lynch!;)

duckysauce

c9nts are all in bed

DeVore

Irish far left..... :rolleyes:


RTE ...*facepalm*


DeV.

dlofnep

Valmont wrote: »

I know that the Youth Against Dole Cuts organisation was there so I have absolutely no support for any of them. Chancers.

"Don't give the money to the banks, give it to us! We need more xbox games!"

That comment is pretty disingenuous. 25% of Irish youth are unemployed, with severe shortage of jobs. They have every right to state support as any other adult in this country. To label them all like you've just done - is pretty shameful. Some of them are barely scraping by to make ends meet, while our tax is thrown to the people responsible for systematically destroying our economy.

Now while our resident conservatives might give such a post a high-five, the truth of the matter is - these people have every right to protest. The only reason our Government has got away with their continuous bullshit, and behind-the-door deals - is because we've let them.

Sully

kickoutthejams wrote: »

Ah the SWP would appear at the drop of a hat.

You could be having a birthday party and the SWP would come along with their banners. Doesn't mean it's run by them or anything.

Bit like Sinn Fein so

Valmont

dlofnep wrote: »

That comment is pretty disingenuous 25% of Irish youth are unemployed, with severe shortage of jobs. They have every right to state support as any other adult in this country. To label them all like you've just done - is pretty shameful. Some of them are barely scraping by to make ends meet, while our tax is thrown to the people responsible for systematically destroying our economy.

Now while our resident conservatives might give such a post a high-five, the truth of the matter is - these people have every right to protest. The only reason our Government has got away with their continuous bullshit, and behind-the-door deals - is because we've let them.

Unemployment benefit for someone aged 18-24 is extortionately high. Compare it to the UK and then tell me again that they 'need it to barely get by'. I currently work five days a week on the minimum wage and if I switched to the dole I would only earn around 60 euro less. Can you not see the incentives young people have to stay at home and not look for jobs?

Have a look at this advocacy group: Youth Against Dole Cuts, who are trying to keep their hand-outs at celtic tiger levels and if you think that is bad enough, they have sponsored the live4less card which is the ugliest, most abominable embodiment of the welfare state:

"We at Live4Less understand that your life has changed dramatically recently. Fun nights out are at an all time low, money worries are taking over and treating yourself to something new is a thing of the past. AND, we bet you have more free time than ever before."

I don't know how you can actually support a group that is campaigning to keep ridiculously high unemployment benefits so that young people can have nights out on the town, join up at curves gym, eat at Captain Americas, and buy suits at Cuff's formal wear, all at the taxpayer's expense. Don't fool yourself, unemployment benefits long ceased their basic functions of helping people barely scrape by, they are now blatantly, openly, and unashamedly about maintaining unearned lifestyles and luxuries with money taken from those who actually get up in the morning to go to work.

Now, please defend them again, with a straight face.