Protest truck blocking Dáil access

Amhran Nua

Apparently someone has rammed the gates of the Dáil with a truck.

http://www.newstalk.ie/news/dail-rammed-by-truck/

Looks like the same one that was in Galway for a while there. I hope this has nothing to do with the protest, it would be an even more ridiculous stunt than the SWP sock puppets are used to pulling.

Jokesetal

Looks like they put the frame and a canvas cover around it to make it look like a rigid truck (and avoid being pulled over by the boys in blue) and then whipped it off once parked! Foward planning..... now where did we hear that before?

20Cent

Good work fella.
Hope they can't move it before the protest.

Poly

20Cent wrote: »

Good work fella.
Hope they can't move it before the protest.

It doesn't appear as if he rammed anything, just pulled up and abandoned it, maybe he disabled the gearbox or something.

Fair play to him.

dan_d

It is a little bit silly, but it'll give those guards at the gate something to think about for a few hours!!

reallyrose

According to the Irish Times

Gardaí are attempting to remove the truck from the gates, but it is believed the truck has been immobolised.
Recovery crews attempted to reverse it but it wouldn't move. It is understood brake lines and electric cables have been cut.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0929/breaking10.html


(roffle)

Poly

reallyrose wrote: »

According to the Irish Times



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0929/breaking10.html


(roffle)

"Recovery crews attempted to reverse it but it wouldn't move. It is understood brake lines and electric cables have been cut."

Have they tried "going forward"?

ei.sdraob

dan_d wrote: »

It is a little bit silly, but it'll give those guards at the gate something to think about for a few hours!!

You think they might get the hint

Happyman42

As pointless and stupid as a chocolate teapot, divas in cement trucks.

wellieboot

At least, it'll keep joe public safe from drunk TDs. Aren't they back today???

ei.sdraob

^^^ pretty please ^^^

seamus

The guy can't exactly be in the depths of despair if he has the money to kit out and damage a cement truck.

What a complete moron, what did he think he was going to accomplish.

bcirl03

Let the revolution begin - about time someone made a bold statement against the government.

Fair play to him I say.

FreudianSlippers

bcirl03 wrote: »

Let the revolution begin - about time someone made a bold statement against the government.

Fair play to him I say.

Double parking is hardly revolutionary

reallyrose

What time do the TDs come in at? Don't they drive in the other side, from Merrion St?
If the point is to have the government walk past the truck on their way to work, I'm not sure if it was successful.

I wonder if anyone got the 'ramming' on camera phone, I'd love to see how it was done / what the Garda on duty were doing while someone was driving a truck at the government buildings!

Poly

seamus wrote: »

The guy can't exactly be in the depths of despair if he has the money to kit out and damage a cement truck.

What a complete moron, what did he think he was going to accomplish.

He drew attention to the fact that for some unexplained reason the govt. are protecting the Anglo golden circle at all costs, even if the cost will destroy our childrens future in this country.
Give it a rest, it's not exactly 9-11

FreudianSlippers

Poly wrote: »

He drew attention to the fact that for some unexplained reason the govt. are protecting the Anglo golden circle at all costs, even if the cost will destroy our childrens future in this country.
Give it a rest, it's not exactly 9-11

It sounds like a Garda may have been injured.

round tower huntsman

well done to the trucker. i salute him and i hope this is the start of some real direct action against the scum in leinster house that have destroyed our country to bail out a golden circle of chancers,their mates.
i hope this gets coverage world wide, jay leno could get a few more laughs:D

gurramok

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Apparently someone has rammed the gates of the Dáil with a truck.

http://www.newstalk.ie/news/dail-rammed-by-truck/

Looks like the same one that was in Galway for a while there. I hope this has nothing to do with the protest, it would be an even more ridiculous stunt than the SWP sock puppets are used to pulling.

No SWP this time. The radio(Today FM) this morning said it was a Galway developer who was angry at Anglo that rammed the truck.

OisinT wrote: »

It sounds like a Garda may have been injured.

Nobody injured according to RTE, they say a Garda jumped out of the way.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0929/politics.html

monkeypants

reallyrose wrote: »

what the Garda on duty were doing while someone was driving a truck at the government buildings!

Like taking photographs for tourists.

Why go to all the trouble of driving a cement truck there if all you're going to do is paint it? At least fill it up with dynamite first.

gurramok wrote: »

they say a Garda jumped out of the way.

Did he say "Stad" first?

seamus

Poly wrote: »

He drew attention to the fact that for some unexplained reason the govt. are protecting the Anglo golden circle at all costs, even if the cost will destroy our childrens future in this country.

Oh that's right, we almost forgot about it, it's not like the media have been going on about it, day in and day out for the last 18 months. :rolleyes:

"Destroy our children's future" is of course hysteria. Our children's future is 10/20 years away. 20 years ago, this country was in far worse shape and I'm sure in the 1980's the same complaints were being made about "mortgaging our children's futures", which turned out to be...eh...short sighted.

I'm not saying that what they've done with Anglo is correct. But the sequence of events has been done. We're more-or-less stuck with this POS bank and it's too late to let it collapse.

So I don't know what this guy thinks this will have accomplished? We all know that FF have fncked up royally and will be crucified at the next election. We all know that the former board of Anglo have questions to be answered and a Garda investigation is ongoing. What else?

The media have a lot of blame in whipping up this hysteria. I've lost count of the number of times that broadcasters have used the words "another 20 billion into Anglo" over the last 18 months. The media would have you believe that we've put hundreds of billions into Anglo, when in fact the figure is...23 billion. Not a small amount by a long shot, but it's not "mortgaging our children's future" either.

caseyann

OisinT wrote: »

It sounds like a Garda may have been injured.

No one was injured.I wouldnt imagine he had any intention of injuring anyone.But the media are making it out like he is some kind murderer and could have hurt someone.
Here comes the Chinese whispers to make him look like a terrorist of some sort.

I cant make out in the picture it doesnt look rammed merely parked.

Poly

OisinT wrote: »

It sounds like a Garda may have been injured.

Where does it sound like that?
Rte reporting very little damage done, only scratched the gate

seamus

caseyann wrote: »

Here comes the Chinese whispers to make him look like a terrorist of some sort.

Although I'm no fan of the terrorism hysteria, terrorism is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.". I would class ramming a vehicle into the gates of a building as "violence".

round tower huntsman

i hear the trucker's been released by the cops......the had no concrete evidence to charge him:D

beanhead

Certainly the establishment wont be content to allow the driver of the truck to get away with a reasonably peaceful protest.

I would imagine there will be a guard in court who says he/she had to jump out of the way in fear of their life.

This will change the charge from a traffic violation to one of assault with a deadly weapon

sgthighway

seamus wrote: »

Although I'm no fan of the terrorism hysteria, terrorism is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.". I would class ramming a vehicle into the gates of a building as "violence".

He did not ram the vechicle. He stopped short of hitting the gates.

caseyann

seamus wrote: »

Although I'm no fan of the terrorism hysteria, terrorism is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.". I would class ramming a vehicle into the gates of a building as "violence".

Wouldnt in all honesty that truck have took those gates right off if it was full throttle ramming?

Poly

seamus wrote: »

Although I'm no fan of the terrorism hysteria, terrorism is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.".

So would you consider jailing people for inability to pay small fines, Tv licence, utility bills as state sponsored terrorism?

Dr Bob

So he takes the cement truck , paints it and disguises it as a trailer , drives it into the dail , immobilizes it , steps out and gets arrested .
It's like the most sedate GTA mission ever.

round tower huntsman

the mans a hero imo.

seamus

sgthighway wrote: »

He did not ram the vechicle. He stopped short of hitting the gates.

Ah, the reports have changed since I heard it this morning.

Poly wrote: »

So would you consider jailing people for inability to pay small fines, Tv licence, utility bills as state sponsored terrorism?

No, would you? Go look up the definition of terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism would be supplying the IRA with guns, for example.

mikemac

Poly wrote: »

So would you consider jailing people for inability to pay small fines, Tv licence, utility bills as state sponsored terrorism?

Nobody gets jailed for failing to pay these.
They are jailed for ignoring court orders or failing to show up to court over these issues.

Babooshka

seamus wrote: »

Although I'm no fan of the terrorism hysteria, terrorism is defined as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.". I would class ramming a vehicle into the gates of a building as "violence".

On reading your comments I find them unblanced. On the one hand you're willing to compeltely exaggerate what was a protest where no one got hurt. Protests will cause disruption which is another thing, they are meant to. People have a right to be angry and people have a right to remind on a daily basis what the powers that be have gotten away with. I am not sure that twenty years ago things were this bad to be honest, that's all to play for yet and no one knows if it is worse or better yet.

And yet you can downplay the crimes that key leaders in this government, and the legacy of the two governments before them and all of their cronies have bestowed on this country.

What is up with people and why do they think it's not a good thing that people are finally standing up for what they believe in here, it's about time we all grew a spine and stood up to a gang of thieves who've been holding us to ransom. No one died or got maimed or hurt, so contrary to your statement above, your earlier reaction sounds bordering on the hysterical to a peaceful protest. Is it because having heard for the last 18 months the crimes of the so called figureheads of Irish society that you are numb to what they have committed - but a man who parks a truck outside where they sleaze all over the country outrages your sense of...what? I am just trying to make sense of it.

EDIT: I see you thought he rammed the truck earlier which is maybe why you reacted as strongly as you did...

jmayo

Poly wrote: »

"Recovery crews attempted to reverse it but it wouldn't move. It is understood brake lines and electric cables have been cut."

Have they tried "going forward"?

Don't you know they couldn't "go forward" as mary scary is in the states press ganging young Americans into coming to college here.

seamus wrote: »

The guy can't exactly be in the depths of despair if he has the money to kit out and damage a cement truck.

What a complete moron, what did he think he was going to accomplish.

Why is he a moron ?
Is it because he actually gets off his ar** and highlights a huge scandal that the government are covering up and making us all pay the clean up costs ?

Hopefully he accomplishes one thing and that is he might scare them a little and anything that does that is damm good.
Today it is a guy with empty readymix truck trying to go through the gates of Leinster House.
Tomorrow it might be full one barrelling into their constituency clinic.
It's about time these people in ff and the ff lite realised that not all of us are going to take the sh**.

AFAIK the only ones so far that scared them a little were the farmers, well over a year ago now, who charged their cosy get together at Hodson Bay hotel and picketed brendan smith's constituency office in Cavan.
Sadly they apepar to have been placated and so are no longer hounding the useless sh**s.
Apart from that they have been given a free ride and everytime someone comes out to ridicule anyone that does protest you are IMHO just helping them stay in power.

seamus

Babooshka wrote: »

People have a right to be angry and people have a right to remind on a daily basis what the powers that be have gotten away with. I am not sure that twenty years ago things were this bad to be honest, that's all to play for yet and no one knows if it is worse or better yet.

Agreed. I have a problem when people protest for things which are going to do *more* damage than has already been done. Think of the Greek protest against austerity measures - something had to be done, the greek people were protesting about something being done. What did they hope to achieve? "No, let the country collapse, screw it"?
A protest should aim to bring about change - the protesters should have a solution. Protest that the government haven't held two by-elections, protest that they take 12 weeks' holidays when the country needs intensive care, but protesting "just because" is wasting your breath.

And yet you can downplay the crimes that key leaders in this government, and the legacy of the two governments before them and all of their cronies have bestowed on this country.

If you think that crimes have been committed, you're free to make a complaint to the Gardai. Making poor decisions isn't the same thing as committing a crime.

What is up with people and why do they think it's not a good thing that people are finally standing up for what they believe in here, it's about time we all grew a spine and stood up to a gang of thieves who've been holding us to ransom.

Yes it is, it's called voting. This isn't a dictatorship, we put them into power. Like I say above, protest to bring about change, but if you're unhappy, a letter to your TD, followed by voting for the other guy, is more effective than standing outside the Dail saying, "I'm unhappy, but I don't have any specific solutions. I just thought you needed to know".

Is it because he actually gets off his ar** and highlights a huge scandal that the government are covering up and making us all pay the clean up costs ?

"Covering up"? Seriously, WTF people? Am I the only person who can't turn on a radio or read a paper without seeing every single detail of this splashed everywhere? It doesn't need further highlighting.

oncevotedff

seamus wrote: »

Our children's future is 10/20 years away. .

Our children's future is today. Health and education cuts are affecting our children now.

Happyman42

jmayo wrote: »

Don't you know they couldn't "go forward" as mary scary is in the states press ganging young Americans into coming to college here.



Why is he a moron ?
Is it because he actually gets off his ar** and highlights a huge scandal that the government are covering up and making us all pay the clean up costs ?

Hopefully he accomplishes one thing and that is he might scare them a little and anything that does that is damm good.
Today it is a guy with empty readymix truck trying to go through the gates of Leinster House.
Tomorrow it might be full one barrelling into their constituency clinic.
It's about time these people in ff and the ff lite realised that not all of us are going to take the sh**.

AFAIK the only ones so far that scared them a little were the farmers, well over a year ago now, who charged their cosy get together at Hodson Bay hotel and picketed brendan smith's constituency office in Cavan.
Sadly they apepar to have been placated and so are no longer hounding the useless sh**s.
Apart from that they have been given a free ride and everytime someone comes out to ridicule anyone that does protest you are IMHO just helping them stay in power.

So you propose adding Anarchy to Chaos .....that'll help.:rolleyes:

gurramok

feelingstressed wrote: »

Nobody gets jailed for failing to pay these.
They are jailed for ignoring court orders or failing to show up to court over these issues.

Are you for real?

3,366 people have been jailed for non-payment for fines in this country last year.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1231/1224261476554.html

seamus

oncevotedff wrote: »

Our children's future is today. Health and education cuts are affecting our children now.

Agreed. But that's entirely separate to Anglo. The money into Anglo isn't affecting the money we're spending on public services.
Or to put it another way - even if the Anglo problem didn't exist, health and education would still be suffering massive cuts.

So go protest against that, tell the government how to better spend its money on health and education. Don't go dragging Anglo into it and confusing the situation.

BrianD

This is not a protest against the government it is an attack on democracy and an insult to the people in Ireland.

In other countries the driver would probably be leaving in a bodybag as any security protocol would view this as a potential truckbomb attack on a national parliament. Bear in mind that the Dail is guarded by armed Military Police overnight. he's lucky that we seem to have an easygoing approach to security issues.

I can understand the fustration that led to this, it is a stupid protest and the guy deserves to have the book thrown at him. No doubt he'll be pulled up on a load of driving offences.

Amhran Nua

seamus wrote: »

What did they hope to achieve?

They did manage to successfully burn a pregnant woman to death. Its the same shower organising the protests here, the dregs of the SWP trying to "raise the consciousness of the proletariat", seeing this as their golden opportunity to cast off the shackles of capitalism and get everyone to sign over the deeds to them. Funny how most socialist paradises usually don't manage to get to the redistribution part of the plan though.

Their entryism has stopped a lot of budding and well meaning organisations in their tracks, I've had a couple of run ins with them myself, and their presence at protests is stopping the majority of people from being active at these protests. In one sense its ironic that they are doing more to keep active protest contained than any amount of government press releases.

seamus wrote: »

A protest should aim to bring about change - the protesters should have a solution.

Well said, but having been out talking to people for the last year and a half, I'm here to tell you that unless you've been fixing the potholes and getting our Michael off the parking ticket for the last decade, people don't want to know about possible solutions to the national issues.

Its not so much the Irish mentality as the STV electoral system, but until the real pain, tax hikes, service cuts, and forced retirements are felt, the best ideas in the world will fall on the barren soil of "have you done your time yet".

Poly

seamus wrote: »

Agreed. But that's entirely separate to Anglo. The money into Anglo isn't affecting the money we're spending on public services.
Or to put it another way - even if the Anglo problem didn't exist, health and education would still be suffering massive cuts.

So go protest against that, tell the government how to better spend its money on health and education. Don't go dragging Anglo into it and confusing the situation.

Anglo is impacting on our ability to borrow money to pay for these services.

NickDrake

Legend. Well done to him. With all that is going on, nobody is out protesting. If this was France there would be weekly protests.

Typical Irish attitude - fianna fail can do no wrong.

seamus

Poly wrote: »

Anglo is impacting on our ability to borrow money to pay for these services.

That's a problem, not a solution. We can't ditch Anglo (see how much that would affect our ability to borrow) so what we need to do is stabilise Anglo and that in turn will prevent Anglo from becoming such a millstone around our neck, right? Isn't that what's happening at present?

Babooshka

seamus wrote: »

Agreed. I have a problem when people protest for things which are going to do *more* damage than has already been done. Think of the Greek protest against austerity measures - something had to be done, the greek people were protesting about something being done. What did they hope to achieve? "No, let the country collapse, screw it"?
A protest should aim to bring about change - the protesters should have a solution. Protest that the government haven't held two by-elections, protest that they take 12 weeks' holidays when the country needs intensive care, but protesting "just because" is wasting your breath.
If you think that crimes have been committed, you're free to make a complaint to the Gardai. Making poor decisions isn't the same thing as committing a crime.
Yes it is, it's called voting. This isn't a dictatorship, we put them into power. Like I say above, protest to bring about change, but if you're unhappy, a letter to your TD, followed by voting for the other guy, is more effective than standing outside the Dail saying, "I'm unhappy, but I don't have any specific solutions. I just thought you needed to know".
"Covering up"? Seriously, WTF people? Am I the only person who can't turn on a radio or read a paper without seeing every single detail of this splashed everywhere? It doesn't need further highlighting.

Well that's all very rational. My thinking comes more along the lines..oh screw that...thought and rationale has gone out the window. My feeling comes more form a blood boiling anger akin to the storming of the Bastille. Naughty French people, for not having a solution other than beheading those who they felt betrayed by eh

I just don't share your logic because there is no logic to what has happened here. What happened after all of the tribunals when it was found out that bribes were taken, lies were told to banks who knew that they were lies and those who part took were not jailed, they were hailed and voted for again.Not by me. By those whose pockets were lined and they are many. These are cases that cannot be re-opened so where would letter writing get me? Thanks for the soultions you offered but I don't find any of them of any use. It's ok to be angry without having a solution. The government, at the least are supposed to govern and act within the boundaries of a countries laws so I suppose the only solution I could offer would be to have the laws enforced from now on, not just for someone who doesn't pay a parking fine - but also for a corrupt and bribe taking member of the Dail. Is it too much to ask for?

Anyway I respect your stance and your right to keep your cool and argue it all out logically. I have just lost my logic and I am feeling more than thinking, but I don't think anger or a unified show of anger is a bad thing. The time for letter writing is gone but i'll agree to disagree with you I just don't understand why more people aren't ready to take up arms.

screamer

Finally, someone in Ireland got down off the neutral fence and made a stand. Poor fella has probably lost everything he owns, but I guess no one thinks of the human side of things. The country is screwed, nothing can save us now, we are going to be made pay every penny that we owe to Europe, who will eventually run us anyways, and to think of the men of 1916 who gave their lives for this.... less than 100 years since then and look at the cock-up that we as the voters and the government that we democratically elected has made of it.

DHYNZY

A bit ludicrous. But an awful lot is ludicrous these days. Not sure what this 'protest' will achieve, or what it was hoping to achieve. But hey, its something to laugh about.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

DHYNZY

screamer wrote: »

The country is screwed, nothing can save us now, we are going to be made pay every penny that we owe to Europe, who will eventually run us anyways, and to think of the men of 1916 who gave their lives for this.... less than 100 years since then and look at the cock-up that we as the voters and the government that we democratically elected has made of it.

We'll be fine. Calm down.

screamer

Go tell that to the people contemplating suicide every day cause there is no way out of their debt, to people who have lost everything, who have been kicked out on the street with their kids...... and the thousands more that will follow. I am fed up of the Irish mentality that everything is "grand" when it isn't..... what is wrong with people? get off your ass and protest, and stop moaning and whinging about things behind tea cups, and doing SFA to change it.