Protests...enough is enough

Protest about what though? Everything?

Is the solution more Shinner/FF rubbish whereby there's no cuts to anything? If all the causes added together yesterday there would be no cuts to anything.

I've no problem with people protesting on Molesworth Street as long as the Garda do their job and restrict them to that area and not impinge on Kildare Street, or enforce the law and arrest people for unauthorised marches which was the case yesterday. Why should people pre-notify the Garda of marches if there are no repurcussions for those that do not?
 
ParkLane said:
Are you serious? We voted in Fine Gael and Labour on their promises made but not kept as soon as they got in to power. Then they get away with all their perks/pensions and high salaries for 5 years. I see that they are already scrambling for their bigger jobs in Europe.
Targeted protests with maximum publicity will work.
Click to expand...

Will work how? Specifically what are they looking for and what are the consequences?
What are the protesters protesting about?
What alternative are they proposing?

If the state was just one house then the last government emptied the bank account, ran up massive debts and threw a massive party in which the house was wrecked.
The present government is saying “we now need to borrow money from our neighbours to eat and they are insisting that we fix up the gaff and stop partying as a condition of loaning us that money".
They are also insisting that we repay previous loans members of their household made to us.
The protesters are saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “tell them to F-off” (F meaning “Flip” ;)).
What the protesters are not offering is an alternative plan to fix up the house and pay for our grub.
I know that the Shinners and People against Logic and other fringe groups made up of wide-eyed nutters and associate members of the human race think that there are some “if only we do THIS” type half-baked solutions that are bereft of detail and don’t stand up to even the most basic scrutiny but I haven’t heard any real alternative from any of the protesters or protest groups.
I forget which economist said it but I always think of the line “Anger isn’t a policy”. What have these guys got to offer other than anger?
 
Purple said:
Will work how? Specifically what are they looking for and what are the consequences?
What are the protesters protesting about?
What alternative are they proposing?
Click to expand...

Based upon the signs at the protest: bankers jailed and Brits Out.

But, I would disagree that all protests have to have a position paper and proposal for change. Sometimes protests are based upon a movement of anger/disagreement and there simply is no other way of showing that. Whatever people's views about the protests yesterday, I think the scale of the protest wasn't helped by the Gardai reaction to the initial small protest, plus I find it less self-serving that middle class students protesting about tuition fees, wealthy OAPs complaining about medical cards or even more disruptive, farmers protesting their right to have everything they do subsidised.

Anyway, for the greater good of preserving the right to protest, I don't mind a bit of inconvinience to my journey.
 
Latrade said:
But, I would disagree that all protests have to have a position paper and proposal for change. Sometimes protests are based upon a movement of anger/disagreement and there simply is no other way of showing that.
Click to expand...

I agree. Just back from a few days in Holland. I was able to purchase a 3 months supply of my Cholesterol tablets there for €22 that cost me €51 here. I crossed over in to Germany and they cost me €19 for a box of 100.

I am peed of with lots of things that could be done to help people in this country but these things are not being done. They are very quick to raise taxes and cut services though.

I think that protests are a good thing.
 
Latrade said:
But, I would disagree that all protests have to have a position paper and proposal for change.
Click to expand...
I never suggested they did. A vague notion would be good though, especially from the leaders who have built a national profile giving out while offering not much more that "They should do something about it" as a solution.
 
purple said:
i know that the shinners and people against logic and other fringe groups made up of wide-eyed nutters and associate members of the human race think that there are some “if only we do this” type half-baked solutions that are bereft of detail and don’t stand up to even the most basic scrutiny but i haven’t heard any real alternative from any of the protesters or protest groups.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Purple said:
I never suggested they did. A vague notion would be good though, especially from the leaders who have built a national profile giving out while offering not much more that "They should do something about it" as a solution.
Click to expand...

I'd agree for those who are putting themselves on a pedestal as being either a spokesperson or a leader. But the nature of this protest was more spontaneous (which resulted in certain bad elements attending too), we have to separate a spontaneous demonstration of anger at the current situation, which I feel is justified, and organised demonstrations hoping to push through a specific agenda.

Despite the presence of some less desirable elements at the protest, the fact that it was largely peaceful shows it wasn't all scumbags and I have more time for people getting up and showing anger at a situation than I do farmers blocking off from Merrion Square to Cavan just because of a specific subsidy that they want to preserve just for themselves and damn everyone else.

It probably wouldn't have escalated or been as disruptive if the Gardai hadn't tried to totally shut down and resrict the initial morning demonstration.
 
Inside the Dail there’s a group of people running the country and there’s not one of them you’d get to run your business.
Outside the Dail there’s a group of people protesting about nobody’s sure what and there’s not one of them you’d sit beside on the bus.

If they could all be scooped up and put someplace far away I think the country would be a better place.
 
Latrade said:
I'd agree for those who are putting themselves on a pedestal as being either a spokesperson or a leader. But the nature of this protest was more spontaneous (which resulted in certain bad elements attending too), we have to separate a spontaneous demonstration of anger at the current situation, which I feel is justified, and organised demonstrations hoping to push through a specific agenda.
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as a spontaneous protest.

Latrade said:
Despite the presence of some less desirable elements at the protest, the fact that it was largely peaceful shows it wasn't all scumbags and I have more time for people getting up and showing anger at a situation than I do farmers blocking off from Merrion Square to Cavan just because of a specific subsidy that they want to preserve just for themselves and damn everyone else.
Click to expand...

If farmers engaged in a "spontaneous" unannounced protest without advance organisation, notice and co-operation with the Gardai and city authorities, their leaders and organisations would find themselves before the courts by nightfall, facing significant sanctions.
 
The 'protest' was well flagged in advance.....it's an annual event at this stage (1st Dail session after the summer), hence the barriers were put up in the days before
 
Purple said:
Inside the Dail there’s a group of people running the country and there’s not one of them you’d get to run your business.
Outside the Dail there’s a group of people protesting about nobody’s sure what and there’s not one of them you’d sit beside on the bus.

If they could all be scooped up and put someplace far away I think the country would be a better place.
Click to expand...
Well said!

Bad enough the way things have turned out without having to listen to showers of imbeciles who, even with the benefit of hindsight, haven't a clue of why we are actually in this mess.
 
I have been informed that Special Branch have photos of all the troublemakers for their files.
 
T McGibney said:
There is no such thing as a spontaneous protest.



If farmers engaged in a "spontaneous" unannounced protest without advance organisation, notice and co-operation with the Gardai and city authorities, their leaders and organisations would find themselves before the courts by nightfall, facing significant sanctions.
Click to expand...

There is protests most weekends in dublin and tralee as far im aware- by tralee says no and dublin says no- to the best of my knowledge the protests are spontaneous to a degree meaning unlike most other protests there is no prearranged route with the gardai they just march- which in my view is a better form of protest instead of a pre arranged route followed by political speeches by people getting ready for elections.
 
wow! so if you feel the right to protest now you are automatically a 'subversive'....best just knuckle under so..
 
Amazed these people still behave like this knowing their pictures are going to be on file. Maybe it's time to step things up though and send out sternly worded letters about future behaviour.
 
or just pass a law that anyone seen protesting can be shot on sight!...that would soon put an end to it..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top