Relaxation of Restrictions, Part X *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

_Kaiser_

walus wrote: »

Couldn’t agree more. I’d even add that social media was also the main reason, a spark, that ignited this ‘lockdown’ strategy of dealing with the outbreak of the virus across the globe. It has been used to manipulate people’s behaviour already and nothing is being done to stop that.

I keep saying it.. While social media has been useful in terms of exposing things that our lazy Governments would rather not be talked about, on the whole its influence is increasingly negative and damaging to society.

This is particularly evident in Ireland where (for whatever reason) many have an instinctive need for approval and validation and so will eagerly jump on board with whatever is trending or "correct" with minimal research or critical analysis of their own.

This was bad enough when it was confined to cyberspace, but the last few years have seen it overflow into the Real World in Ireland with stuff like the BLM movement and outrage over systemic racism in the US (Ireland is not America), identity politics and division, immigration policy, and an increasing polarisation in national debate as this aggressive and adversarial mantra seeps into our own society.

It's increasingly worrying when you look at the focus people like Varadkar, McEntee, Harris, O'Gorman, Donnelly and others in the "new generation" of politicians put on it and the influence it seems to have on them. These are politicians in key positions making far-reaching decisions based on little more than mob rule and soundbites.

Forget about just taxing these big social media companies more. It's strong regulation of the content and the increasing influence they are having on national policies that's needed.

Don't Chute!

I posted this https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=115118482&postcount=5601 back in October before Sweden slid inexorably into a quagmire of death and destruction. Just going to check if anything has changed. Eh? No.

_Kaiser_

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Yep, was just reading about that myself here.

Tony's anti-alcohol crusade - under the guise of public health of course - pays off as more nanny-state laws are enacted by the weakest Government this country has possibly ever seen.

Those with alcohol problems will just pay anyway while sacrificing something else (like food or utility bills or things like motor tax or items for their families).

Maybe slightly off topic but home heating oil is going up as well on May 1st carbon tax. Adds 19 euro on a 900 liter tank.Maybe not something people are thinking about now as we come into summer but it all adds up quickly.

walus

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I keep saying it.. While social media has been useful in terms of exposing things that our lazy Governments would rather not be talked about, on the whole its influence is increasingly negative and damaging to society.

This is particularly evident in Ireland where (for whatever reason) many have an instinctive need for approval and validation and so will eagerly jump on board with whatever is trending or "correct" with minimal research or critical analysis of their own.

This was bad enough when it was confined to cyberspace, but the last few years have seen it overflow into the Real World in Ireland with stuff like the BLM movement and outrage over systemic racism in the US (Ireland is not America), identity politics and division, immigration policy, and an increasing polarisation in national debate as this aggressive and adversarial mantra seeps into our own society.

It's increasingly worrying when you look at the focus people like Varadkar, McEntee, Harris, O'Gorman, Donnelly and others in the "new generation" of politicians put on it and the influence it seems to have on them. These are politicians in key positions making far-reaching decisions based on little more than mob rule and soundbites.

Forget about just taxing these big social media companies more. It's strong regulation of the content and the increasing influence they are having on national policies that's needed.

I’ve seen research whereby a selected community was targeted on one of social media platforms and fed with news. The content was prepared to create various scenarios ranging from strong polarity to consensus. Individuals and their behaviour and opinions were monitored throughout. One interesting thing, among many really, was that even the most radical individuals were likely to change their views if fed with right content. The study was done on a community in Boston. Nothing to do with Cambridge Analytica.

Absolutely scary stuff. No need for an atomic bomb, when you can use social media.

Natterjack from Kerry

LessOutragePlz wrote: »

https://twitter.com/IrlagainstFash/status/1386035255728091144?s=20

Great to see people out enjoying themselves in Salthill today.

No prizes for guess which community these people are all members of.

walus

As this pandemic started the first thing that many governments did was to **** their pants. Only later they managed to clean themselves up, change pants and start thinking.

Irish government never managed that. They are still holding it firm, worst of all they seem to be quite happy with that. The smell however is unbearable at this stage. Soon Europe will notice.

walus

walus wrote: »

I’ve seen research whereby a selected community was targeted on one of social media platforms and fed with news. The content was prepared to create various scenarios ranging from strong polarity to consensus. Individuals and their behaviour and opinions were monitored throughout. One interesting thing, among many really, was that even the most radical individuals were likely to change their views if fed with right content. The study was done on a community in Boston. Nothing to do with Cambridge Analytica.

Absolutely scary stuff. No need for an atomic bomb, when you can use social media.

Social media is a minefield, fake news, real news, fact checkers etc.

FintanMcluskey

Natterjack from Kerry wrote: »

No prizes for guess which community these people are all members of.

The Irish community

Some are determined to destroy it though

FintanMcluskey

Don't Chute! wrote: »

I posted this https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=115118482&postcount=5601 back in October before Sweden slid inexorably into a quagmire of death and destruction. Just going to check if anything has changed. Eh? No.

Christ on a bicycle

It’s been a long Winter living in Ireland

And it’s not ending anytime soon

Eric Cartman

Natterjack from Kerry wrote: »

No prizes for guess which community these people are all members of.

Its mad which page shared it though. Aparantly not being criplingy introverted is ‘fascism’ now

dalyboy

Natterjack from Kerry wrote: »

No prizes for guess which community these people are all members of.

It was post by “Ireland against fascism”. Hilarious stuff.

Do the posters not see the irony of their opinion in regard to people regaining their freedoms in the face of a year of oppression?

Ps , it’s great to read the comments on that thread.
Most giving them the finger and explaining the realities of vaccine effectiveness

the kelt

niallo27 wrote: »

You not see ul a few weeks back, guess what, no spike in limerick.

Yes but we cannot look for the ul spike until we find the spike from paddy’s day and the one from Easter and the one from Mother’s Day!

Do keep up please!

suicide_circus

dalyboy wrote: »

It was post by “Ireland against fascism”. Hilarious stuff.

Parody level stuff. You can just imagine the absolute gimp running that twitter account.

Penfailed

Batattackrat wrote: »

Its summer, everything outdoor should be open

Summer is in April now?

km79

Penfailed wrote: »

Summer is in April now?

It’s in august and September according to some reports about reopening of hospitality and indoor dining .......

Galwayguy35

Natterjack from Kerry wrote: »

No prizes for guess which community these people are all members of.

I was one of the people there in Salthill, the only community there was people enjoying the sunshine and having a bit of fun.

Although after having a look at twitter this morning it seems like we are just a level below Charles Manson going by some of the tweets.

walus

gansi wrote: »

Social media is a minefield, fake news, real news, fact checkers etc.

The sad truth is though that the mainstream media have been almost as bad.
I’ll find it really difficult to pay TV licence next time it’s due.

normanoffside

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I was one of the people there in Salthill, the only community there was people enjoying the sunshine and having a bit of fun.

Although after having a look at twitter this morning it seems like we are just a level below Charles Manson going by some of the tweets.

Fair play to you. I hope you enjoyed yourself.

charlie14

RGS wrote: »

Do you know anything about the shift patterns of Irish nurses. Its 12/13 hour shift both night and day shifts. This has been the pattern for years.

It never ceases to amaze me why people feel the need to reply to a post and totally ignore the substantive issue in favour of a minor procedural matter.

If I was a cynic I would probably be inclined to believe it was due to a determination to avoid an uncomfortable truth that doesn`t suit.

AlekSmart

Akesh wrote: »

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/24/lockdown-proponents-cant-escape-blame-biggest-public-health/

Lockdown enthusiasts in shambles. Interesting to see Aoife McLysaght was rolled out to spout more nonsense in the Independent today. Another ISAG nut who is not qualified to comment on a pandemic.

Why are the media obsessed with unqualified ISAG nuts? Why not just ask the binman, postal worker or a solicitor for their opinion?

Aoife McLysaght, Tomas Ryan and co are no more qualified to talk about restrictions and the pandemic than my dog is. We are out of our depth, drowning in nonsense and hysteria.

The media have played a pivotal role in whipping up hysteria and fearmongering. If the media did their job, they would tell you none of these people are experts and let's not pretend that they are.

RTE, Newstalk, Info, IT etc. should all hang their heads in shame. Embarrassing giving these people a platform to spread lies in the public domain.

Be very aware that "The Media" are doing their job,and very well indeed.

The end product we hear on the radio,view onscreen or read on paper is no longer the unscreended output of an individual Journalist.

Instead,it will be the nuanced,carefully filtered result of a pre-broadcast Editorial Committee meeting,which will have carefully screened the Journalists copy before approving it for broadcast.

This screening will have,of itself,been overseen and directed by Governmental advice from the responsible agencies,none of which are concerned about high principles,such as Freedom of Expression,Movement,or even Thought.

Very little of this oversight level will leave a Paper Trail,but instead will be conducted at the highest Managerial Level in whichever organization is deemed worthy of attention that day.

This High-Level suggestiveness is perhaps best seen in how this gent manages to be come a go-to figure in World Policy formulation...

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-bill-gates-hopeful-world-completely-back-to-normal-by-end-of-2022-and-vaccine-sharing-to-ramp-up-12285840

COVID-19: Bill Gates hopeful world 'completely back to normal' by end of 2022 - and vaccine sharing to ramp up

The philanthropist and entrepreneur also criticises the UK government for cutting the foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5%.

There ye have it....The "Official" new timetable for end of Covid is Q4 2022 and the UK Government needs to get spreading the Sterling pretty quickly or else.....

How we have reached this scenario,in which some very wealthy entrepreneurial types now effectively dictate Universal policies on how other peoples limited wealth is to be distributed is worth pursuing,but I very much doubt that The Irish media will have ANY desire or ability to ask any questions or make observations apart from what is approved by our domestic Crisis Managers.

Davos 2021 and Bilderberg's ongoing consultations will make for fascinating reading.......:cool:

walus

AlekSmart wrote: »

...


There ye have it....The "Official" new timetable for end of Covid is Q4 2022 and the UK Government needs to get spreading the Sterling pretty quickly or else.....

How we have reached this scenario,in which some very wealthy entrepreneurial types now effectively dictate Universal policies on how other peoples limited wealth is to be distributed is worth pursuing,but I very much doubt that The Irish media will have ANY desire or ability to ask any questions or make observations apart from what is approved by our domestic Crisis Managers.

Davos 2021 and Bilderberg's ongoing consultations will make for fascinating reading.......:cool:

Now wait for the “conspiracy theory” brush to come out.

First nphet, now entrepreneurial technocrats?
Everybody knows, it is the governments who make decisions! (Not)

AlekSmart

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Reading some of the contributions here is more annoying than Level 4.7 restrictions.

Just grow up, we are near the finish line and a bit of maturity and patience wouldn't go amiss. Too much sacrifice has gone into getting us this far and that shouldn't be jeopardised. Good news on the vaccine front too, I have to hand it to the organisers. Once the supplies arrived it is all systems go.

A lot to look forward to and I feel the most positive I have felt in over a year now, plus the weather today was ace, which helps. Let the negativity go FGS and look forward to better times in a very short while now.

Great to hear of your positivity.

However to dismissively brush aside the dissenters as all being immature or impatient,is to me indicative of intolerance in itself.

Nice to see a period of good weather,for sure,but one can be reasonably certain this will soon pass,and the cloud will return.

Today's headlines from the National Broadcaster,in fact manages to take your sunny outlook and swiftly slap it down...

https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/0425/1211942-coronavirus-ireland/

Dr Cliona Ní Cheallaigh said it is about harm reduction going forward and "if you are going to have a group together, a beach or garden is not a bad place [to do it]."

Speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor programme, she said the key to outdoor dining and gathering is that people are sensible and continue to wear masks if using toilets or to go home rather than indoors if it starts to rain.

While you invoke the Deity to get other people to "let the negativity go",I personally see little negative about questioning the "accepted" line in much of this,which TBTG I remain free to still do.

AlekSmart

walus wrote: »

Now wait for the “conspiracy theory” brush to come out.

First nphet, now entrepreneurial technocrats?
Everybody knows, it is the governments who make decisions! (Not)

OOOOP's....my apologies I totally forgot ....

CONSPIRACY THEORY

I don't want to force other posters to do my formatting,when they might have other,more important crusades to undertake ?

On a side note,it could be argued that few of NPHET's members have struck out and made their fortunes on the front lines of commerciality ?

AlekSmart

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

:pac: By whose accounts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aBRWO39vg0&ab_channel=FoxNews

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2021/mar/20/scuffles-erupt-at-anti-lockdown-protest-in-london-video

All Trump supporters,Lefties/Righties or Climate Change deniers..not an ordinary person in the entire demonstration...Not ONE !!!! OK ?

AlekSmart

pjohnson wrote: »

And some that had nothing to do with restrictions to boost your numbers

Debenhams got TOO popular and the Gardaí had to do something about it,after all those screaming people could have infected others with Covid...could'nt they ?

The cheek of 'em !

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/protesters-lock-themselves-inside-debenhams-loading-bay-1.4545536

Jinglejangle69

Tony has said no indoor dining in May or June.

km79

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Tony has said no indoor dining in May or June.

What will that mean for hotels .........we all know that it wont happen in July or possibly august either ......and then sure then we are nearly hitting winter again under the govts reinterpretation of the seasons

KrustyUCC

Good luck to the government trying to get people to go on staycations with no indoor dining available

AlekSmart

LessOutragePlz wrote: »

https://twitter.com/IrlagainstFash/status/1386035255728091144?s=20

Great to see people out enjoying themselves in Salthill today.

The poster is still scaremongering even when everyone knows that being outdoors is one of the safest places that you can be.

I suppose it is open to that person to take their activism to the streets as their response to this populist self-enjoyment nonsense...

https://www.weblearneng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sandwich-man_205782.jpg

The front of the Anti Facist poster could read...."Almost Apoplectic with Rage "

The back of the Anti-Facist board could read..."YIZZR ALL DOOMED FACISTS !"

Jinglejangle69

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Tony has said no indoor dining in May or June.

Simon Coveney has reinforced this depressing scenario on Radio 1 now: "We are awaiting Tony's position on hospitality by Wednesday, and we will make a decision based on this recommendation".

If you're a traditional pub owner, get ready for another three barren months. Abandoned and neglected by a government elected to "lead", shower of wasters on six figures achieving the square root of f-all.