GRA Presidents Speech

The GRA is not the Gardai and has no connection with the State. It is a private association that some Gardai are members off. The President of the GRA is a civilian post - he is not an active member of the force.

Well either way, he would want to be careful, causing disaffection in the Gardai is a criminal offence.
 
The distinction is quite clear. The State is not the same entity as the Government. The Government is an administrative/representative body that serves the State.
The government is elected by the people to run the state.

From time to time the President/Council of State vetos Bills passed by the Dail. These are examples of the Government proposing to do things that are contrary to the interests of the State. The President/Council of State is part of the system of checks and balances that prevents them from acting contrary to the interests of the State.
The President/Council of State is there to ensure that legislation passed by the government is not breaching the constitution. That’s it. They have no duty or function to ensure that the government is not acting “contrary to the interests of the State”.

Theoretically speaking (do not have current government in mind), it is possible that a Government may abuse its powers. This happens from time to time around the world - we've all seen Governments assume powers that they shouldnt have e.g. refusing to hold elections when their term is up or assuming dictatorial type powers. In such cases, theoretically speaking, a police force could be doing battle with a government to protect the interests of the State.
The supreme court is the guardian of the constitution. The police force should never act against the government off it’s own bat.
 
The President/Council of State is there to ensure that legislation passed by the government is not breaching the constitution. That’s it. They have no duty or function to ensure that the government is not acting “contrary to the interests of the State”.

Anything that breaches the Constitution is officially speaking "contrary to the interests of the State".
 
The country is borrowing 7million an hour and if these people are unhappy with their terms and conditions - can't they use their skills else ehere.

They have a shocking sense of entitlement.
 
The country is borrowing 7million an hour and if these people are unhappy with their terms and conditions - can't they use their skills else ehere.

They have a shocking sense of entitlement.

Don't you know that there are no lazy gardai, nurses, teachers, doctors, firemen (and women) or any other "front line staff", indeed, they deserve all they get and more, you couldn't pay them enough!, whereas all clerical and/or non "front line" staff are lazy and overpaid. :rolleyes:
 
I don’t get what the fuzz is about.

A person uses his right of free speech to make highly critical comments and has the decency to attempt to do that in front of one of the pack he is attacking. That person than does not show up, so the remarks are not made but someone they are still leaked.

What do I care that the person is the president (or ex) the GRA? He is not an active member of the force and most certainly entitled to his opinion.
If the government does not like what he has to say they can pursue him via libel action in the courts but I guess it’s going to be hard to disproof what he said.

There is national sabotage going on in this country on all sides of the isle, be it from unions stopping bringing in extra staff to deal with passport backlogs or government using underhand interference to accomplish their goals.

The government is indeed corrupted by years of power, not that might not be criminal corruption but most certainly it’s political corruption, just look at the amount of tribunals we have where legislated powers of the government has been used for illegitimate private gain.

As to the government is to protect economic traitors, it’s a hard word but why is out government protection foreign bond holders of banks rather than making them pay for the mess their greed contributed to? The government is constantly helping organisations that betrayed the trust of Irish customers.

And as to the government being democratic elected, well I disagree on 2 points. Number one in this country while we have a choice of candidates for local TD that make up the Dail, we really vote for who we want as Taoiseach. And we did not vote for Mr. Cowen. Number two a large chunk of our taxes are paid by “non-nationals” who have no say whatsoever what is happing to their contributions. Ignoring large parts of the country that are adding extremely to any recovery is hardly democratic.

Now if he would have told the GRA folks to withhold their services than sure, that is an offence and it should be investigated, but to make a fuzz out of someone finally saying what others are thinking like this is a joke.

Maybe we should pay members of the force a fair salary and give them tools to deal with 21st century crime.

Yes, the force should be political neutral but that does not mean that they are not allowed to have an opinion, last time I checked they are still allowed to vote!
 
It is laughable that Minister Ahern has now called on the GRA to apologise, but yet we have had no apology to the people for the huge disaster brought onto the State by the current government. Sheer hypocracy...
 
It is laughable that Minister Ahern has now called on the GRA to apologise, but yet we have had no apology to the people for the huge disaster brought onto the State by the current government. Sheer hypocracy...

We can't excuse inappropriate behaviour simply because the government made a balls of things
 
The last 3 posts added a lot!

We're talking about a speech which was never given.
Are the guards meant to just take everything without reply?

How far should their pay be cut before they can comment?
 
The last 3 posts added a lot!

We're talking about a speech which was never given.
Are the guards meant to just take everything without reply?

How far should their pay be cut before they can comment?

That can comment but they can't attack the government.
 
That can comment but they can't attack the government.

While I usually find myself in the position to agree with purple, on this occasion I disagree.

Why should the president of the GRA not be allowed to attack the government if that government is failing to support his members and is endangering the profession he represents?

That would be a difference if members of the force would stand in their out-dated uniform in front of government buildings and throwing rotten tomatoes at ministers. That would be wrong (not to mention illegal) but someone trying to use his right of free speech (but than not doing it because the minister is not there) is not wrong.

In fact the minister is a coward for pulling out when he got wind that some harsh words are going to be thrown in his direction.

I’m not really a fan of unions in general but they are as much part of this failed experiment as the government his Royal Highness Berti the great forced upon us.

Free speech is important and again if the government does not agree let them start legal proceeding against the person that said them. That is why we have libel laws that only recently were modified so that more people can curtail free speech.

To ask for an apology to the country because someone said what a lot of people are thinking is a joke and shows how much in a bubble our ministers live.
 
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