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Reflection on the pandemic: questions about the authorities' response.

political analyst

Stephen Donnelly's response to Fergus O'Dowd's question about whether a commission of inquiry into Covid deaths in nursing homes was being considered is on the following page.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2022-05-26/116/

Indeed there are several questions about the Irish authorities' response to the pandemic:

In the last weeks before Christmas 2020, why didn't the government simply keep the ban on sit-down dining in restaurants and cafés while letting barber shops and hair and beauty salons re-open? If that had been done, the lockdown early in 2021 would have been much shorter.

Why didn't the government keep the ban on sporting events for all of 2020? It was largely because of some local GAA matches that there was a lockdown in November 2020. We could have done without sport for one year.

Did Tony Holohan give any thought to the effects of lockdown on mental health?

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odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939881#Comment_119939881

I think the individual 'official' contact tracing got overwhelmed.

I meant it more re: the general spread of cases in circulation. Also, for individuals and their close contacts, I think it was important to be able to tell them whether they had it or not.

Spudman_20000

Considering the generally low uptake of the latest boosters, isn't the term "antivaxxer" a bit redundant now?

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119933583#Comment_119933583

Didn't realise it was still so many. For a disease that is killing 50 people a week even now, I still don't know anyone who died from it. And I know plenty of people who have died of all sorts of other illnesses. Considering that the road death fatality level is about 150 A YEAR and I know people who have died in road accidents. Is it largely very elderly and infirm people in long time care? Am i just extremely lucky that the thousands of people I know among extended friends and a huge number of relatives have somehow avoided it?

This isn't some sort of anti vax or COVID denying statement BTW, I'm just surprised.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939829#Comment_119939829

Our government doesn't do the sort of thing that the Chinese Communist Party does, e.g. Tiananmen 1989.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940161#Comment_119940161

And there is the Great Firewall of China, strict control of information flow... in Ireland there is freedom of the press, and we have unfettered access to global news outlets.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940175#Comment_119940175

It sure seems like it.

Then again - when was the last time you tried to view Russia Today?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940525#Comment_119940525

When was the last time there was any truthful balanced reporting on it?

News stations broadcasting have to adhere to certain standards as a licensing condition. RT does not adhere to those standards.

When was the last time there were articles or investigations in Irish news critical of the government? They are everywhere.

When was the last time there was such on RT?

See the difference?

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940569#Comment_119940569

The Shell to Sea protesters were obstructing lawful work. In London, armed police mistook Menezes for an attempted suicide-bomber. Those incidents are not relevant to the pandemic.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940566#Comment_119940566

All websites have an agenda, and while most carry propaganda of some sort, the majority of stories on any serious website are true, or based on the truth so that the fake news can pass most people's filters. Try listening with a critical ear to the BBC World Service, or similar officially-sanctioned US media. They all paint a picture which doesn't usually stand up to scrutiny when you get too close to the bone.

Suggesting that there isn't "any truth" on RT is a bit like saying there isn't any on RTÉ either, which contains lots of official propaganda - and is frequently the last to report on stuff that might be embarassing for our elite.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940598#Comment_119940598

Thank you for being so clear in your approval for murdering Menezes. Let's hope you are never in his situation.

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939829#Comment_119939829

There was a study that compared the official number of deaths in Wuhan with deliveries of cremation urns. It estimated the official figures were understated by at least six-fold.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940598#Comment_119940598

I see.

And as you brought it up, just how is Tienanmen relevant to the pandemic?

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939816#Comment_119939816

Back in early-2021 I was seeing a lot of stores being gutted in and around the Henry and Parnell Street area. It was clear businesses had started to throw in the towel.

Agree that xmas was a respite and had there not been one an even larger portion of sales would have shifted online and once that happens they are gone for good.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940628#Comment_119940628

That story certainly was reported. I even accept it was true.

How does that relate to our government's truthfulness?

A lot of people (when we think of it which wouldn't be an every day occurrence) are still angry about the Clifden dinner, and the way it was swept under the carpet. The lack of accountability says little for the quality of our democracy. Or of our judiciary.

Neither does leaking government documents to your mates.

Beasty

deidremf threadbanned

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940682#Comment_119940682

I think the way hospitality was strung on, many actually spending a packet on things like partitions, was nothing short of dishonest. The National Framework on Covid was an utter joke.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940080#Comment_119940080

Considering the deluge of stats we've had in the last 3 years it's not credible that you are unaware of the demographics of those stats.

Or that those stats would be all represented in everyone's experiences.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940175#Comment_119940175

Information HAS and still IS being strictly controlled by media outlets and on many websites, so there is no freedom of speech. Information that is not following the official line is classified as misinformation, conspiracy theories etc, and is often silenced. We live in very dangerous times, Twitter as an example has recently relaxed its censorship rules, but they still exist on many other platforms.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940941#Comment_119940941

You are just demonstrating you don't understand the concept of freedom of speech.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941024#Comment_119941024

Having worked for several government agencies during the cold war, I can assure you that I know all the tricks used in the projection of the "right information" and many of the techniques used to smear those who don't follow the agenda.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941041#Comment_119941041

Anonymously posts unverifiable claim to boost their 'authority' and expects to be taken seriously... all I can say is from what you have posted to the thread I see zero evidence you have any special claim to decipher misinformation. The opposite in fact given how many thoroughly discredited anti vax canards you disseminate.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940641#Comment_119940641

I was going to reply to that post but it doesn't matter now because, as stated by a moderator, that person has been banned from this thread.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119940941#Comment_119940941

So who told you to say that.

Mullaghteelin

Even today there is an article in The Guardian warning about the dangers of Covid misinformation on Twitter in light of Musks's changes. However, it was worded as if from some sort of official government source, which raised my curiosity as to who wrote it.

There was no name attached to the article, just a vague "Associated Press".

We are still being manipulated intimidated and coerced.

Don't Chute!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939019#Comment_119939019

What an amazingly devil may care attitude you have to OTHER people’s freedoms.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941565#Comment_119941565

Despite your vague insinuation, you are just demonstrating your basic ignorance of the facts.

The Associated Press was founded in 1846.

Once upon a time people would see a name they dont recognise and would educate themselves about it. But nope, easier to not think and retreat into your shell with defelections about manipulation. I tbink the only people who manipulated you are those who fed you a diet of such nonsense.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941565#Comment_119941565

That's not what that article is saying. It's reporting that the EU is saying Twitter has to comply with the EU new regulations, only one element of which is disinformation of all kinds.

It's written by guardian reporters/editors who looking at their bio's seem to focus on tech and Europe in particular. Which make sense since that exactly the subject matter.

That quite the projection to go from that to COVID manipulation.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941107#Comment_119941107

Would you know if you were reading misinformation? do you know the difference between professionally produced propaganda and something from a user's blog. Would you be able to determine when you're not hearing the full story, where critical pieces of information are either hidden near the end of the story or simply omitted. would you be able to decide that the information you're receiving is leading you away from the inconvenient facts. Would you know when false and misleading information is being fed into news feeds to be demolished like strawmen to make the "official" news look more real.

Then we have the "fact checkers" who are using a list of "approved" sources to verify claims so the fact checkers are being led on a predetermined course to endure that they check against the "correct" data sources, when all else fails you then have the censorship and exclusion of people who refuse to be silenced.

I see that Twitter has now removed the muzzle from many thousands of users who were banned for speaking up against the way things were being managed by the authorities. https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1130/1339106-twitter-covid-19/

The only time I can say the reporting was honest was between December 2019 and late January 2020, this was the time the story was still emerging and the reporters reported what they were seeing on the ground and editors simply allowed the reports without changes to be published or broadcasted.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119941315#Comment_119941315

So who asked you to ask that question?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119942141#Comment_119942141

Again, unable to directly respond to the factual debunking of the misinformation you posted to the thread - which was false and utterly without foundation.

You now resort to full blown CT dog whistling about "dont trust the media". Predictable tactics and impossible to reason with someone who has gone down this road.