What are we so afraid of?

Ruudi_Mentari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgkAOt0BREw

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Dostoevsky wrote: »

So, how would the handful of members of Éirigí or ULA hyjack a protest made by hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens?

I never fail to be astounded by the excuses Irish people invent in order not to make a stand. I just do not understand the mentality. Mass demonstrations work. It is delusional to claim otherwise. In fact, even the threat of a moderately large protest by OAPs in this state worked. A peaceful mass demonstration by hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens on a consistent basis for accountability, prosecutions and radical reform of the Irish political system would have revolutionary consequences, and inspire the rest of Europe. Irish people could then hold their heads up high.

I am old enough to remember the peaceful mass protests aginst high taxes in the 1980,s, 100,000 people marching through Dublin.
They had zero effect!

Gummy Panda

Black bears

enda1

Why are you attempting to undermine the democratically elected people who were put into power under a mandate to improve public finances and attempt to bring us out of recession?

Property tax is no surprise and was an inevitable consequence of the path the electorate took. Express your views in the ballot box unless the parliament are acting grossly outside their remit.

.jacksparrow.

One simple reason, employed and unemployed people know they have it easy in this country.

Lucena

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Have you any recent examples of street protests in France and Germany changing government policy? The most recent ones in France that I can recall were the anti same-sex marriage protests but the government didn't back down on that.

The government didn't back down because popular sentiment was in favour of bringing in same sex marriage.

When the demonstrations express popular sentiment, the French government is more likely to react, even if Jean-Pierre Raffarin, ex French Prime Minister did say "La rue doit s'exprimer, mais ce n'est pas la rue qui gouverne" (The street must express itself, but the street doesn't govern)

Femme_Fatale

jay92 wrote: »

I was listening to Niall Boylan and he had 'Tony' on air, he is on hunger strike to get the attention of the government outside the four courts. He made the point that If they would listen if we all went out and protested.

In countries like France and Germany for example if the government does something that the population arent in favour of then they will go out and protest and not just a few hundred but thousands upon thousand and they manage to get their way in the end.

So what are afraid of? We are weak minded.

Why cant we get off our ****ing arses and do something? Calling into a radiostation and complaining is all we are capable of.

Yes, why can't "you" get off your ****ing arse and do something.

jay92 wrote: »

Personally nothing, because I would be more than happy to see this country fall off the map.

Well why are you expecting other people to do something so?

Hagar the Nice.

We are all brainwashed over here,we accept any crap which is thrown at us and just walk away with our tail between our legs.

caff

People do protest here. When there is a clear message they want to send to the government to enact legaslation that they believe will have a benificial impact on their lives.
pro choice marches in the past few months since the Savita case.
Pride marches over the past few years which will result in a referendum next year.
OAPs marching for medical cards.

All cases where people agreed that they would benifit from the government enacting legaslation for them.
People are not marching against the property tax as many believe that despite the cost there will be a benifit to them from paying extra taxes. Whether you agree of not this is what the majority seem to think.
To change their minds on this issue requires a clear alternative that they can stand behind and march up Kildare street to protest about and get the alternative enacted. The problem at the moment is that people do not see an alternative that they agree to get behind and push the government to enact.
The evidence would suggest that people in Ireland march behind clearly outlined proposals but vote in protest.

Wacker The Attacker

f**k yiz all.

i'm going to the pub to drink my mickey money

Wacker The Attacker

Hagar the Nice. wrote: »

We are all brainwashed over here,we accept any crap which is thrown at us and just walk away with our tail between our legs.

It would be far more enjoyable if it was between somebody else' legs

Nemeses

I am afraid of spiders... That is all.

Dostoevsky

Am Chile wrote: »

Good post- you are right about france they are very different from the irish when they arent happy about something they will do more then ring in a joe duffy show to complain-take the retirement age being raised in ireland from 65 to 68 and the retirement age being raised in france from 60 to 62- while the retirement age was raised here there wasnt any big protest in opposition to it- compared to huge protests taking place in france over the retirement being rasied by just 2 years- BTW the retirement age was lower back to 60 at after the last french election- while the retirement age is still 68 in ireland because people didnt protest.

Very, very interesting. There should be an EU-wide retirement age - Romanian women can retire at 59 whereas German men and women retire at 65, for instance - and I see no reason why women should be able to retire earlier than men. In Britain, for instance, men retire at 65 but women can retire at 60. Our retirement age "is currently 66, and is due to rise to 67 by 2021 and to 68 by 2028."

I can see retirement age being at least 70 by the time most of us retire. With us living so much longer, I don't see 65 as a standard retirement age being realistic anymore.

Nemeses

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Very, very interesting. There should be an EU-wide retirement age - Romanian women can retire at 59 whereas German men and women retire at 65, for instance - and I see no reason why women should be able to retire earlier than men. In Britain, for instance, men retire at 65 but women can retire at 60. Our retirement age "is currently 66, and is due to rise to 67 by 2021 and to 68 by 2028."

I can see retirement age being at least 70 by the time most of us retire. With us living so much longer, I don't see 65 as a standard retirement age being realistic anymore.

I don't think I'm gonna last 'til I'm 40...let alone 65!

castletownman

Because the people of this country don't have their priorities straight.

Take today as an example. There has been a massive public outcry over Brian O'Driscoll's omission from the Lions final test. (no matter how much they try to build it up as a massive occasion, it remains no more than an best of three exhibition match in the grand scheme of things)

If there was half the outrage towards Anglo, outdated government policies and other things that screwed the country over, then there would be legitimate reason to believe that we would take to the streets in protest.

Dostoevsky

Dean0088 wrote: »

I have three problems with these calls for 'protest'. First, they normally vaguely refer to attacking gardaí, private business etc... all in the name of 'protesting'.

Evidence?

jay92

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Yes, why can't "you" get off your ****ing arse and do something.


Well why are you expecting other people to do something so?

women :rolleyes:

jay92

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I don't think it's that we're afraid of anything.

It's just that in truth the country really is not in as bad a position as we would like to think, it is not about to collapse.

Oh ffs get a grip and look around you.

Indie18

Wasps, little bastards.

jay92

Dean0088 wrote: »

I have three problems with these calls for 'protest'.

First, they normally vaguely refer to attacking gardaí, private business etc... all in the name of 'protesting'. This isn't Egypt.

You mean this isnt England? Thats obviously a better example. English scum.

Anyway, where is your evidence for this???

Dr Drastico

Any chance we could organise a protest about the billions of euros we spend on keeping up the cost of running the country?

jay92

Dr Drastico wrote: »

Any chance we could organise a protest about the billions of euros we spend on keeping up the cost of running the country?

Yeah lets do it