Hawthorn Tree wrote: » This story is perfect in showing ALL the wrongs in our political environment.
Hawthorn Tree wrote: » Wow that's naive. The question is how many times politicians get stopped for road traffic offences and get waved on. No warning, no nothing. "Tis yourself minister..." They nearly killed McCabe when he revealed Gardai were quashing penalty points for the elite. Shatter, the justice minister, essentially refused to give a breath test, said 'do you know who I am?', and drove off. Gardai were afraid to take on a person with political influence. For obvious reasons.
ec18 wrote: » Clearly have no idea about the commission or what it does but that don't let that bother you with the conspiracy theories. The commission isn't a democracy it's a representative body where each member states government selects a commissioner. The parliament is separate. The need for a commission in an institution like the EU where there are so many diverse countries/cultures and political changes. The commission is essential to remove the noise and be able to be productive. The commissions work isn't secretive, it's viewable through the EU records and documents on the web site. Put the tinfoil hat back on and leave us in peace please
mick087 wrote: I do like the way you say "at the moment"
Deleted User wrote: » really ? :D:D ignored a significant weather warning?? That's not an offence. I do that all the time especially as most of these weather warnings are no more than ordinary weather events and are blown totally out of proportion. Everything folks is driven by media ..... these things always happened ....except now we need a nanny state to tell us to stay indoors. I think the outrage needs to be turned down, its hysterical and been going on 6 days now. I really cannot stand Phil Hogan. He is an arrogant fool and most people would love to see him fall on his sword. But this is almost childish now in its revenge. People need to step back. I dont need to be told again how much we all sacrificed and how much we suffered, I did too. However if I was EU Commissioner and lived in Brussels and had "lived the life" for years, out of touch with the nitty gritty of day to day Irish life, I would probably take the chances he took too. He lives alone in his fabulous apartment in the K Club which lets face it is very exclusive and private, hardly a danger. He wasn't popping into the local Centra or Tesco . Yes I would probably head off to a golf dinner in Clifden especially if all my friends were and a current Government Minister. I would also probably use my phone...... as one of the highest officials in the EU he would feel quite immune to the rules the plebs live by and has a lot of immunity regarding travel too. I would hazard a guess that most politicians are never off their phones in their cars, they just aren't caught. In fact how many of us do NOT use phones when driving? Mine is always on speaker but sometimes I take it off the bluetooth car system as its too poor and just put it on its own speaker on my car seat or my lap. My point is that so many of us would do the very things Phil Hogan has done, especially if we were in his shoes! I am not outraged or hysterical about this. I am very angry and dislike Phil Hogan even more.... but TBH I don't even think Dara Calleary should have resigned. Huge issues for farming right now due to the appalling Summer, flooding everywhere, crops being wiped out, harvest ruined in the South, and we have no Minister for Agriculture...... is that really a good result? Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot! Irish people are great for that. We fired the best CEO of Failte Ireland 2 weeks ago when we have never needed one as much as now! Crazy! We are living in a cancel culture because we are all great at thinking how perfect and brilliant we are and how bad others are. Heads on plates, baying for blood, mass screaming hysteria, anger, anger, anger............none of this is good for one's personal health. Deep breaths and let this go, or let the hysteria go. Let Ursula sort this out with Phil Hogan and lets all move on in peace. yesterday a woman buried her husband and 2 children in Donegal. That has had far more of an impact on me than this Golfgate saga. Real stuff, real life going under the radar because people are obsessed and hysterical about Phil Hogan.
Bambi wrote: Why dont we vote for county councillors and then have them appoint a governement? thats a representative democracy according to you
Jackman25 wrote: Go on.
First Up wrote: » It would be a convoluted form of representative democracy but not a very good one, which is why we don't do it.
First Up wrote: » Crowes/ Mary Macs/Paddy Cullens in Ballsbridge and Martin B Slatterys on Shelbourne Rd.
Jackman25 wrote: You must have Phil Hogan like multi-tasking abilities if able to judge that all of them were over-crowded and breaking restrictions just by driving past.
Bambi wrote: And yet its grand for a supranational commission
caveat emptor wrote: » We have a situation which exposes the lack of oversight perfectly. National politicians have had to resign positions based on their behaviour. The unelected commissioner who undermined his office by flouting local laws and restrictions is unanswerable to the people who elected their representatives who in turn nominated him to his supranational position. If you can't see the issue with that then it's cognitive dissonance or wilful ignorance.
lawrencesummers wrote: » It’s not naive, I’ve been stopped and given a warning in the past on two occasions from something that could have been a ticket. So has my OH. Your taking a far more serious issues and applying it to this scenario, shatter and McCabe are a completely different story. I don’t have an issue with one person getting a warning from Gardai about phone use. As I said it should be looked into if Phil Hogan has received anymore than one warning, or if politicians regularly get warnings over and above what a regular pleb gets. And there is phone use and phone use. Someone checking their screen at a red light is different to driving dangerously for 20 minutes as you chat away. A warning is fine for the first and a ticket for the second. The alternative to Gardai having discretion is Far worse when they are obliged to ticket everything all the time.
First Up wrote: » You are the one advocating we change.
lawrencesummers wrote: » If people dying needlessly In tragic circumstances has so much of an effect on you Does it really need to be explained to you the correlation between flouting the restrictions and people dying?????Care to hazard a guess how many unnecessary deaths would occur if everyone behaved like this group of politicians?
Tij da feen wrote: » A lot of people would agree that for Mobile phone use (like drink driving) there should be a zero tolerance policy for breaking the laws. It's an inherently dangerous practice that leads to accidents and loss of life. Fair enough that discretion is involved with some offences, but being real here, most Gardai would not give out warning for mobile phone use, even if it was stopped at the lights.
Jackman25 wrote: » You must have Phil Hogan like multi-tasking abilities if able to judge that all of them were over-crowded and breaking restrictions just by driving past.
mick087 wrote: » I would be one of those who would like to see Mobile phone use when driving be treated like drink driving. I was a witness to an accident a few years ago because someone was using a mobile when driving. Thankfully no one died but it made me think. I know its not popular but it should be treated very serious manner.
ec18 wrote: » or a basic understanding that a body like the EU needs different institutions and way or working to be able to run any way effectively.....
Deleted User wrote: » People have been behaving like this group of politicians all Summer!!! House parties, drunken groups in closed pubs, beach parties, BBQs, travelling abroad on holidays and yet our death rates are lower than ever!! To be honest I am sick to death of the Phil Hogan show, the media kill these things to death so it almost has the reverse effect. Let it go. I know all the stats, the figures, the "chances" of getting Covid, it could happen anywhere to any of us and we might never know how we got it. I lost a child to cancer, there are no guarantees in this life to anything. Nobody right now is dying of Covid........nursing home cases were what gave us such a high death rate.
Deleted User wrote: » yes you're right, its a huge distraction. I use mine on speaker or bluetooth and even that sometimes is distracting. It only takes a second and those TV ads really have a powerful effect, we all need to be reminded of this regularly.
mick087 wrote: » Change will come.
Gerry Hatrick wrote: » Normal decent people haven't been doing the things you mention, they've been abiding by the health guidelines because they are decent people. Scumbags have been doing the things you mention because that's what they are, scumbags. If you are sick to death of it just turn off the radio/TV/Social media and get on with your life.
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