If you could change one law...

flogen

What would it be and why? There's plenty wrong with this country so given the chance what would you fix?

For the purpose of avoiding the obvious crap, the decriminalisation or legalisation of drugs isn't an option, so what else?

You can also include changes in legislation, for example if you'd like larger minimum sentences for murderers or something.

hardCopy

Give people the right to defend themselves/family/property by force

Tobias Greeshman

Yeah Id like the longer minimum sentences for criminals, I mean look at the US, rob a newsaggents and your put away for a serious long stint, almost comparable to manslaughter sentences here. The law is way too lenient in this country, with criminals getting out on good behavour after a few years. Well thats what I'd like to see changed anyway.

xzanti

Stamp duty on second hand houses... More of a government greed thing than a law but there ya go...

toiletduck

much, much longer sentences for criminals

Le Rack

the age at which the cops can do something about junior scumbags - i was nearly killed yesterday cuz a thirteen year old threw a rock at the back of my head! the cops cant do anything cuz he's so young!

toiletduck

Le Rack wrote:

the age at which the cops can do something about junior scumbags - i was nearly killed yesterday cuz a thirteen year old threw a rock at the back of my head! the cops cant do anything cuz he's so young!

you should pay a fourteen year old to beat him up!

Saruman

xzanti wrote:

Stamp duty on second hand houses... More of a government greed thing than a law but there ya go...

Umm your too late.. thats gone.. well up to a point... expensive houses are still liable but first time buyers can buy without paying.. i know i am taking advantage of that right now!

Anyway i would change the law about alcohol licencing.
You know the way only licenced pubs/hotels etc can serve alcohol and its very hard to get a licence.
In europe you can go into any cafe and have a drink.. hell you can even get wine and beer off street vendors.

Why? Not to make our drinking culture full of more alcoholics.. In fact I believe the opposite is true. If people could drink in almost any cafe etc then there would not be hundreds of people going to pubs and getting pissed and then at closing fall around the streets causing trouble. It would be more relaxed the way it is in Europe.

Le Rack

Im under 18 I'll do it myself! the little sh!t was even threatening mine and my mams life!

Dublin8

Give permanent residence status to all the Forign students studying here

fullfilling they have

>clear character
>they are educated
>they have been working and have been benifical to state
>who can be a benifit to this country
>plan to settle here
>have irish friends

coz i fullfill all these requirement and dont have the residency to live here permanently :mad:

Elfish

That whatever a cop says goes. Maybe that it takes more than just one guard's word - i.e. that spoken word alone is not enough, if a guard's word or opinion is the sole evidence, then it shouldn't be accepted without corroboration. Some guardai abuse the power that they are given, and are full of it. In matters that are more serious than just giving someone on the street a smack.

So I'd change the way a single guard's word is taken as fact. In the hands of the wrong people, too much power is not a good thing.

stagolee

everyone is saying longer sentences for criminals, but id be a bit more specific. any politician or member of the justice system found by a specialy commissioned and independant body to be corrupt, to be abusing their position of power or to be criminaly negligable or incompetant should face a mandatory jail term.
it would be a way to rid our government of the fat bastards that sit there handing each other brown envelopes safe in the knowledge that the absolute worst that can happen to them is that they will be shunted from the trough and have to go and find a real job.

EDIT:and id tack on a by law to the effect of what saruman said, he's right you know

windowgazer

4... I'm being greedy:

1. I'd remove marriage laws that prevent same sex couples marrying as I believe all couples who love each other should have the same rights.

2. I'd change licencing laws so that alcohol can be available like all other consumer products; if people are treated more like adults they'll be have more like adults.

3. I'd change the law that people on provisionals can't drive outside lessons (after a revamp of the testing system of course). It's dangerous for other people on the road and drives insurance premiums up.

4. I'd make a law so that parents and teachers who hit children are prosecuted; violence only breeds violence.

Garibaldi

End the holiday home prison (granted, it's not somewhere I'd like to holiday, but ye know what I mean) situation. Get the prisoners to do a little forced labour such as road maintenance, cleaning the streets (including national primary routes, scenic routes and motorways), getting rid of graffiti. In fact, get them to do some of the basic labour involved in road construction too. Basically, get them to actually contribute something to society.
Oh, and no, no, no to increased alcohol availability. No-one in this bloody country, between the ages of (at least) 16 and 30, can control themselves with drink as it is. These things work in Europe because they don't see being pissed all the time as a sign of manhood.

jor el

If someone attacks you then you should be able to attack back. Currently, the law allows for self defence, which doesn't give you the right to go on the offensive. As far as I'm concerned, if someone decides to attack you then they give up their right to be protected by the law and as such you should be allowed to fight back as much as you feel like.

jamieh

I'd change the level of Vechicle Registration Tax. The difference in price between cars in Ireland and cars everywhere else is unreal, this is mainly because the government have slapped on a huge level of VRT on cars! I think Denmark is the only other country in the EU that does the same thing!!

Glipmac

It should be legal to kill someone NOBODY likes you know who i mean that one guy/girl that is just there and wont go away

trust me on this one if you haven't met them you will...

p.s you cant kill me for i am Immortal

jezza

Le Rack wrote:

Im under 18 I'll do it myself! the little sh!t was even threatening mine and my mams life!

i got split with a rock once, in 2nd year.
lets just say she never hit me again.

Le Rack

yeah well I'm a girl and this was a young lad. I tell ya his balls wont be getting a chance to drop!

jezza

Le Rack wrote:

yeah well I'm a girl and this was a young lad. I tell ya his balls wont be getting a chance to drop!

seriously dont let the little nacker get away with it!

Nimrod's Son

Introduce capital punishment! Perhaps the setting up of some sort of Ironic Punishment Division. That would make good TV viewing.

BossArky

I would turn it on and off like the way you could do in Quake... so then you could jump and fly around abit... save a bit of enery and shoe leather... and then turn it back on again when you are sick of floating around. :cool:

Scarinae

I'd make sentences way stricter for rapists and paedophiles. I'd do my best to get rid of all the little technicalities that let people off - I'm thinking of Judge Curtin and Liam Keane here. I'd also allow same-sex marriages to be state-recognised - I wouldn't try forcing it on the churches, since it is against their beliefs, but I would give same-sex married couples the same rights as heterosexual married couples

cil_aine

more leniancy on abortions. im not talking abortions for all of course, and it may sound harsh i know, but we're so backward in ireland. the x-case was a disgrace it should never happen again. also, same-sex marriges to be recognised by the state. theres so many fúcked up laws in this country its hard to know where to begin. oh and not forgetting tougher sentences on rapists and paedophiles. Generallly a tougher stance on petty and nuisnce crime like the girl earlier said, people shouldnt have to have the fear of walking down the street without having a brick thrown at your head. The right to defend your home and family (although not US style)

b3t4

Saruman wrote:

Anyway i would change the law about alcohol licencing.
You know the way only licenced pubs/hotels etc can serve alcohol and its very hard to get a licence.
In europe you can go into any cafe and have a drink.. hell you can even get wine and beer off street vendors.

I thought this had been implemented recently. As in the serving of alcohol in cafes is to be allowed.

A.

Kappar

This is a good question.

1. Codify all our laws. Perhaps even change over to a civil law system
2. Repeal the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994
3. Make a much better mechanism for Police complaints.
4. Incorporate the European Convention of Human Rights into the Constitution as opposed to legislation.
5. Overhaul the crime of conspiracy (you can be convinced of conspiracy to commit an unlawful act not necessarily a crime)
6. And a lot lot more….

Kappar

"I'd do my best to get rid of all the little technicalities that let people off - I'm thinking of Judge Curtin "

In fairness as much as we all are sick with it in his particular case I am glad that this "little technicalitie" exists.

smileygal

Hard labour and toilet cleaning for all the u-18 gurriers getting away Scot-free from petty to horrific crime.

A nice bit of rock breaking in the cold and rain to the tune of the Crazy Frog ad to start with

funk-you

Introduce a 'reason' law....eg:when a law is passed a small caption should be placed underneath as a guide to why the law is in place in the first place. could stop technicallities getting in the way and also stop you being arrested for a ridiculous reason.

rugbug86

1) Alcohol Licensing - change it to the european system/english system where ya can drink beer when you're 16.
2) Abortion - pro choice, women should have the option (after suitable assessment, can't just do it on a lunch break)
3) Car lessons a mandatory class in school. Yes, I said car, not just driving. Learn how to drive AND take care of the car. Might lower insurance.
4) Mandatory community service to be given to everyone who is given jail time, should be reflected by the time they'll have to spend in jail.
5) Make all building contracts so that the contracters get paid €X for doing the road no matter how long it takes, even if it finishes 2 years early, they still get the same amount of money. Just an incentive to finish earlier.

I do have more, will post them as I remember!

Saruman

Garibaldi wrote:

Oh, and no, no, no to increased alcohol availability. No-one in this bloody country, between the ages of (at least) 16 and 30, can control themselves with drink as it is. These things work in Europe because they don't see being pissed all the time as a sign of manhood.

Excuse me?? No-One you say??? thats a mighty big claim! Its also utter crap.

Fact is like i said we are so restricted into where we get our alcohol from that we have to condense our drinking into a short space of time. This is what causes "SOME" people note i say Some because most people can control themselves. I know i can. I know plenty of people who can, i know people who dont even drink. I was one of them for a long time.

So this IS a good idea and im not the only one to agree it seems.

Although i dont think it should be reduced to 16. 18 is good enough i think. Although maybe it should be legal for someone to drink that young with parental supervision only. But not on their own. That one will work in other EU countries because there is usually more for them to do than drink.

@rugbug86
All good points except the first one.

Tar.Aldarion

introduce a battle royale system or an unreal tournament system! for like the bad guys.
also i would like to see knackers getting zero leniancy

Nala

Introduce legislation on how people keep their animals.
Puppy farming is huge in this country, dogs are bred over and over again in dreadful conditions, but there is nothing that can be done to stop it because there are no laws against it.

I'd also tighten up the Dangerous Dogs Act, since my cat was savaged by someone else's dog.

CerebralCortex

I would increase the drinking age limit from 18 to 21. It wouldn't happen though people would whinge about it and so much money would be lost. At the same time I believe SOME people are still kids at 18 I know I was.

I also think kids should be allowed drink wine with their parents so they can learn to drink more responsibly.

Tar.Aldarion

of course they should

CerebralCortex

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

introduce a battle royale system or an unreal tournament system! for like the bad guys.
also i would like to see knackers getting zero leniancy

I concur with the Honourable delegate Tar.Aldarion.

Tar.Aldarion

i would just like to say one monumental thing,honourable like a fox

nlgbbbblth

put any young offenders above the age of 12 into prison as opposed to detention centres etc.

Newspapers should be allowed print their names when reporting crimes.

rsynnott

silas wrote:

Yeah Id like the longer minimum sentences for criminals, I mean look at the US, rob a newsaggents and your put away for a serious long stint, almost comparable to manslaughter sentences here. The law is way too lenient in this country, with criminals getting out on good behavour after a few years. Well thats what I'd like to see changed anyway.

And yet they have one of the highest crime rates in the developed world, and more people in prison than anyone since WW2-era Germany. Lovely.

I'd change the libel laws, which favour the libelled person to a ridiculous extent, far more than in most countries.

gaui3d0pnbz86o

id change a couple of things:

firstly, hard laber work for petty crimes -eg building roads! maybe then they would get built!- and longer prison sentences, non of this out for good behaviour BS, you do a crime, do the time. also let minors be jailed, im sick of scumbags thinking they are above the law

second, i get rid of this rediculus(sp) claim culture we seem to be developing,everyone is sueing everyone, over pointless things these days. eg councils have stopped you carrying a coffin in certain council graveyards as people were hurting their backs and sueing

third, alcohol is a major problem today, from crime to clogging up A&E to underage scumbags drinking, so my law would be simple, prohabition, ban it all i say! the best way to fix a problem is to get rid of the cause!

and before you ask im not a teatotaller, i do enjoy an odd pint but i do know i do not need alcohol, and would gladly give it up if it and fully support prohabition as i belive it would fix some aspects to our socity

Sangre

jor el wrote:

If someone attacks you then you should be able to attack back. Currently, the law allows for self defence, which doesn't give you the right to go on the offensive. As far as I'm concerned, if someone decides to attack you then they give up their right to be protected by the law and as such you should be allowed to fight back as much as you feel like.

Yes you can pre-emptly defend yourself.

You can also defend your family/property and the property of another if he asks you to.

Learn the law people!

For the person you wants marriage for everyone who loves eachother, what about incest (brother/sister) or polygamy (4 wives)?

rsynnott

Sangre wrote:

For the person you wants marriage for everyone who loves eachother, what about incest (brother/sister) or polygamy (4 wives)?

I think they probably mean recognition of LEGAL relationships. And I've never been convinced that there's a problem with polygamous marraige, as long as everyone involved wants to do it, besides the horrible legal complications.

And yes, absolutely, gay marriage should be brought in.

And paedophiles should NOT be allowed to continue being judges just because the evidence in their trial was ****ed up.

MrScruff

2. I'd change licencing laws so that alcohol can be available like all other consumer products; if people are treated more like adults they'll be have more like adults.

Like other consumer products? Bread and milk? Remove age restrictions? Can be
"bought" with some form of legal tender?
I don't believe availability is the issue Ireland has with alcohol, do you?

4. I'd make a law so that parents and teachers who hit children are prosecuted; violence only breeds violence.

Ya! We could call it assault, or GBH or some catchy name like Child Abuse.

Saruman

Braxton Damp Maroon wrote:

id change a couple of things:

third, alcohol is a major problem today, from crime to clogging up A&E to underage scumbags drinking, so my law would be simple, prohabition, ban it all i say! the best way to fix a problem is to get rid of the cause!

Jaysus i must sound like a big pro alcohol person but this is a silly statement and can never work. Its been tried before in other countries.. namely the US where Alcohol consumption did not go away, it simply became illegal to drink and so it came under the control of criminals.. remember Al capone???
Not to mention all the thousands of jobs that would be lost as a result!!!

No stupid idea.. however the other 2 are spot on!!! Less people in Jail for stupid things, get them to do community service. Hey lets be like LA, attach trackers to them.. if they take it off instant jail.. Could also have a 3 strikes law.. 3 arrests in any given period and instant jail.

pretty-in-pink

so many problems to change.....Yes tighter control on scumbags....no more favoring them because of background (either by having daddy pay off the court or becasue they "dont know better" as they are scum), and harsher punishments for all(I to believe in the three strikes rule), I'd also legalise gay marriage, but since its only one law we can change, and all of these have been tackled, I'd have to say:

Leagilise prostitutuon- you know somewhere clean and safe to go, set wage, government would get their precious tax(another area that needs work), perhaps some licence system...STD checks on the girls- get an std and you lose your licence till its gone. Contraception is a must, and crack whores(the wacked out ones who are just in it to get a fix) don't get a licence. You can practise it so long as

a) you're looking for a better job
b) you're practising safe sex
c) you're not having sex with a minor
d) you're clean - stds and drugs wise

It's a very dangerous area to be, and if you put legislation there to protect the girls, a lot of the sex-slave, rape and murder cases would drop (having read an auto-biography of a woman who worked a few places in dublin, and a book written on prostituation mainly in dublin, by a journalist (the times I think), it appears this is an area that needs a lot of help.

cil_aine

i agree, having it illegal only makes things worse.

chillywilly

naughty_girl wrote:

so many problems to change.....Yes tighter control on scumbags....no more favoring them because of background (either by having daddy pay off the court or becasue they "dont know better" as they are scum),

i know where you are coming from, these people should be dealt with accordingly but how about tighter control on their problems?

"no more favoring them because of background"
i do believe in this. Everyone treated the same. A wealthy criminal is as big a piece of s**t as a poor one.

how about more schemes to solve the socio economic problems have. :cool:

Saruman

Actually i think parents should be able to smack their kids... As long as the law protects the children from abuse but if a kid is being a shít then he should get a spanking... Kids these days since that law was passed are running wild and getting worse.

Romo

Fishie wrote:

I'd make sentences way stricter for rapists and paedophiles. I'd do my best to get rid of all the little technicalities that let people off - I'm thinking of Judge Curtin and Liam Keane here.

Judge Curtain-serving a search warrant on a sitting Judge would have most Guard's hair standing on end. Every i would be dotted and every t crossed. Yet they manage to use an out of date search warrant. Yeah right. And didn't some of the ****wad Guards who ****ed up get a promotion afterwards.

You want to know why I think he got off. He's aware of the identity of numerous pederasts within the judicial and political elites.

Something very similar is rumoured to have occurred in Britain. Allegedly, the F.B.I found the credit card details of numerous members of the Blair government and the British Judiciary on these sites but the whole thing was suppressed as it was in the run up to the Iraq war and the moral credibility of the British government would have been destroyed.

Makes you sick.

rubadub

flogen wrote:

For the purpose of avoiding the obvious crap, the decriminalisation or legalisation of drugs isn't an option, so what else?

If thats the case I would like to see alcohol, caffeine and nictoine made illegal put in the same class as all the other illegal recreational drugs, so the self-righteous holier than-thou kunt-fuks will be in the same class as those they now view as scumbag junkies. I would love to see my local policitian or the local "ned flanders" down an alley, in the pissing rain, waiting for his dealer to arrive with a bottle of poitin and a pack o' 20 in absolute fear of being caught. Then forking out a wad of cash only to get home and find he has been sold a bottle of water and his smokes are full of plastic.

Otherwise I would like to see the drinking age increased to 21 and pub hours to be abolished, which I frimly believe would reduce alcohol consumption and street crime. Politicians seem blind to the "last orders" culture of countries with early closing hours.

rsynnott

Romo wrote:

You want to know why I think he got off. He's aware of the identity of numerous pederasts within the judicial and political elites.

Pederast is the wrong term; it refers exclusively someone who sexually abuses young boys.

But yep, I doubt the investigation was ****ed up entirely by accident... And it is RIDICULOUS not to be able to use iron-clad evidence improperly obtained.