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Gardai Investigating Voter-Registration promo

conorh91

Hyper-criticism of the Gardai has descended to an all-new low.

A garda from a Dublin Garda station posed for the media with retired Supreme Court Judge, Catherine McGuinness, to encourage voter registration in the upcoming referenda.

However, because the former Judge is a Yes voter in at least one of the referenda, the Gardai have been accused of political bias because a Garda appeared in a voter-registration promo with a Yes voter

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/yes-equality-denies-politicising-garda%C3%AD-in-photo-shoot-1.2181325

This is not a marriage equality issue. I happen to believe No voters have some legitimate points and are being unfairly vilified.

But smearing the Gardai in this way is ridiculous. How can you accuse the Gardai of politicisation because one garda encouraged voter registration alongside a person who is voting Yes in one of the two referenda?

Is this not conclusive proof that the Garda smear campaign has gotten out of hand?

In my opinion, the Garda are almost as bad for bothering to "investigate" this non-issue.

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ohnonotgmail

shruikan2553 wrote: »

They are often attending water protests. Apolitical my hole!

i didnt realise there is an election around water charges.

Korat

Damned if they do...

Santa Cruz

shruikan2553 wrote: »

They are often attending water protests. Apolitical my hole!

I thought their job included allowing people do their job without being intimidated by a crowd of thugs who use violence and threats against working men

Timberrrrrrrr

shruikan2553 wrote: »

They are often attending water protests. Apolitical my hole!

You mean attending in their official capacity right?

Santa Cruz

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

No they are not allowed to take sides. they are meant to be apolitical. what they do in their private life is up to them. once they put the uniform on then the rules change

I know a few female Gardai who I wouldnt mind them putting on their uniform in private life Ooooooooh yummy yummy

Plazaman

The picture was to promote the fact that you can register to vote at a Garda Station. I'm just wondering was the Guard herself told it was the Yes side doing the photo shoot, more than likely not. Also I'm sure a Guard can't just walk out of a station and get posed photographs without someone else's approval. The No side shot themselves in the foot by launching a complaint as now Yes has gotten even more publicity out of it which may have been their intention.

gandalf

suicide_circus wrote: »

On paper yes but in reality it was organised by the yes campaign which is why the gardai themselves have said it wasnt kosher

The only reason they are saying this is because the no camp are kicking up a stink.

This option is open to the no camp as well. Why aren't they organising events to encourage people to register to vote? Then they could have a Garda sitting beside them

20Cent

No camp mustn't have heard about the Streisand effect.

bjork

20Cent wrote: »

No camp mustn't have heard about the Streisand effect.

Letting everyone know the underhand tactics, used by one side to dupe the Gardai in to unwittingly promoting their campaign?!?

or if there is no issue and the Gardai weren't duped

What side will the force be taking in the Abortion referendum?

gandalf

Plazaman wrote: »

The picture was to promote the fact that you can register to vote at a Garda Station. I'm just wondering was the Guard herself told it was the Yes side doing the photo shoot, more than likely not. Also I'm sure a Guard can't just walk out of a station and get posed photographs without someone else's approval. The No side shot themselves in the foot by launching a complaint as now Yes has gotten even more publicity out of it which may have been their intention.

From listening to Newstalk the other morning the photo shoot was cleared by a senior Garda. At least that means the Garda in the photo shouldn't be censured because of the pathetic "hand wringing" of the no-side.

20Cent

bjork wrote: »

Letting everyone know the underhand tactics, used by one side to dupe the Gardai in to unwittingly promoting their campaign?!?

or if there is no issue and the Gardai weren't duped

What side will the force be taking in the Abortion referendum?

That you need to register and go to a Garda station to sign up. Particularly young people.

What abortion referendum?

evolving_doors

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Do you not think that maybe the guard didn't know who this woman was and what her stance is? Maybe she just thought this was a photo shoot to promote voter registration (a good thing) and therefore posed for the picture. Either way I hope she doesn't get into trouble over this as I think she is probably innocent of any malice.

I agree , however the issue here is whether it was reasonable for her to do it or not.

evolving_doors

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Gardai will have to make a rule now that no guard can have their picture taken in public while wearing their uniform in case the person it's taken with has some affiliation with a political party or agenda.

I think there already is a rule about gardaí engaging with the media off their own bat. Iirc everything has to be cleared by the press office!

evolving_doors

shruikan2553 wrote: »

They are often attending water protests. Apolitical my hole!

Thats crowd control though. Its not as if they are standing beside Paul Murphy with 2 thumbs up endorsing the basic right to water.

shruikan2553

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Thats crowd control though. Its not as if they are standing beside Paul Murphy with 2 thumbs up endorsing the basic right to water.

They were signing forms.

I don't see anything in the picture about how to vote, just with a former judge telling people to register.

If the garda was telling everyone how to vote and waving a big sign saying vote yes then I would agree. But signing these forms is what they do anyway.

She is a community garda, if the community gardai werent getting involved with the community people would complain.

ohnonotgmail

shruikan2553 wrote: »

They were signing forms.

I don't see anything in the picture about how to vote, just with a former judge telling people to register.

If the garda was telling everyone how to vote and waving a big sign saying vote yes then I would agree. But signing these forms is what they do anyway.

She is a community garda, if the community gardai werent getting involved with the community people would complain.

The Garda themselves have already said that she should not have been there. that it was a mistake. why are people still defending this?

evolving_doors

gandalf wrote: »

From listening to Newstalk the other morning the photo shoot was cleared by a senior Garda. At least that means the Garda in the photo shouldn't be censured because of the pathetic "hand wringing" of the no-side.

Did the senior Garda clear it with the Garda press office? I think everything media related has to be cleared by them.

shruikan2553

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

The Garda themselves have already said that she should not have been there. that it was a mistake. why are people still defending this?

So gardai shouldn't have been attending any events where they were signing forms?

I would have thought that this would be something that would have been cleared with the boss.

ohnonotgmail

shruikan2553 wrote: »

So gardai shouldn't have been attending any events where they were signing forms?

I would have thought that this would be something that would have been cleared with the boss.

well apparently it was cleared with her boss. it was her boss who made the mistake.

and i never said she should not have been at an event where she was signing forms. but she should not have been involved in publicity for one side. Or any side for that matter.

SeanW

conorh91 wrote: »

Would anybody be getting worked-up if the Dublin County Returning Officer appeared at a voter-registration event? I'd doubt it.

If they making it blatantly obvious that they were the Dublin County Returning Officer, and acting in this capacity in a campaign organised by one side of the vote, then yes, I would have a very serious problem with that.

evolving_doors

shruikan2553 wrote: »

So gardai shouldn't have been attending any events where they were signing forms?

I would have thought that this would be something that would have been cleared with the boss.

I think thats the Cork thing you are referring to which is a different situation to the photocall with the Yes judge organised by Yes Equality (as per thread title).

But in relation to the Cork signing forms thing, the analogy would still stand. Would you mind if Willie O Dea set up a registration desk on the street with a guard at his side? (Of course ,purely in the interests of civic mindedness etc.)

Hey I know why dont we get the gardai to carry forms with them at all times.

Youve been arrested under section 8 , btw have you registered to vote yet?

SeanW

shruikan2553 wrote: »

So gardai shouldn't have been attending any events where they were signing forms?

They could have run an apolitical event. Simply a stall, with a Garda, the forms etc, but no association or quasi-endorsement of either side.

bjork

20Cent wrote: »

That you need to register and go to a Garda station to sign up. Particularly young people.

What abortion referendum?

Uh oh, I sound too knowledgeable

What's a Garda Station?

Little CuChulainn

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

No they are not allowed to take sides. they are meant to be apolitical. what they do in their private life is up to them. once they put the uniform on then the rules change

There is no requirement on Gardaí to be apolitical, the requirement is not to be affiliated with a political party. When it comes to human rights and equality, there is no law or rule that I am aware of that prevents Gardaí getting involved on either side.

gandalf wrote: »

The only reason they are saying this is because the no camp are kicking up a stink.

This option is open to the no camp as well. Why aren't they organising events to encourage people to register to vote? Then they could have a Garda sitting beside them

They do.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDB41xGW8AENzPF.png

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

The Garda themselves have already said that she should not have been there. that it was a mistake. why are people still defending this?

Because Garda management rarely comes out with anything of substance.

SeanW wrote: »

They could have run an apolitical event. Simply a stall, with a Garda, the forms etc, but no association or quasi-endorsement of either side.

They had those too.

ohnonotgmail

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

There is no requirement on Gardaí to be apolitical, the requirement is not to be affiliated with a political party. When it comes to human rights and equality, there is no law or rule that I am aware of that prevents Gardaí getting involved on either side.

They do.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDB41xGW8AENzPF.png

Because Garda management rarely comes out with anything of substance.

They had those too.

its a waste of time discussing this with you.

Little CuChulainn

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

its a waste of time discussing this with you.

So put me on ignore instead of making grand proclamations without addressing anything I've said.

ohnonotgmail

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

So put me on ignore instead of making grand proclamations without addressing anything I've said.

they have already been addressed. hence the waste of time.

Little CuChulainn

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

they have already been addressed. hence the waste of time.

Do you not know how discussion boards work? It's a back and forward process. Did you expect people to just agree with your weak points and change their minds?

2012paddy2012

mynamejeff wrote: »

what id like to know is who investigates those who investigate themselves ?

the coast guard ?

The organization is called the Garda Siochana ombudsman commission

ohnonotgmail

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

There is no requirement on Gardaí to be apolitical, the requirement is not to be affiliated with a political party. When it comes to human rights and equality, there is no law or rule that I am aware of that prevents Gardaí getting involved on either side.

This is a referendum. by their nature they are political. Whether it is considered a human rights issue by some is irrelevant. the gardai cannot show bias towards either side. the gardai themselves admit this but you seem to know better.

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

Because Garda management rarely comes out with anything of substance.

.

so because you dont like what they say you simply ignore it.