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TDS HELD A video conference with Scottish counterparts about EU membership today with Labour deputy Eric Byrne telling them that “European friends came to the help” of Ireland during the financial crisis.
The discussion was held between the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs and the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee which is looking into proposals for an independent Scotland and its potential membership of the EU.
Byrne told the listening Scottish parliamentarians that “it wasn’t Europe who sabotaged” the Irish economy and that it was the EU who helped Ireland as part of the bailout programme.
Overall, the four Irish TDs who took part in the discussion – Seán Crowe, Dara Murphy, Eric Byrne and Timmy Dooley – extolled the advantages of EU membership with social progress being among the most repeated benefit.
“Membership has contributed to many of our labour laws. Legislation about equal pay for men and women, much has come from EU directives,” said Fianna Fáil’s Dooley.
Byrne agreed, saying that in 1973, “Europe’s social agenda was very much advanced” and that membership “liberated many Irish women who were trapped”.
In Murphy’s opening statement, the TD said that the EU has “given Ireland a place at the top table in Europe” and has “enhanced rather than diminished sovereignty”.
Adding that, “where the commission is sidelined smaller states tended to suffer”.
Sinn Fein’s Seán Crowe echoed comments about the positive social impact of membership but cautioned that “we have ceded some of our sovereignty”.
“There are a succession of treaties in which we ceded sovereignty from Irish Governments to Europe,” he said.
But Byrne later countered Crowe’s comments by saying that “every treaty change has to go by the way of a referendum”.
“They (the Irish people) have voluntarily ceded any form of sovereignty that the Sinn Féin member is worried about,” he said.
The Euro
One of the primary issues in the referendum debate has bee been about what currency an independent Scotland would use.
Conservative deputy Jamie McGrigor asked the Irish TDs if the inflexibility of the Euro ‘was a major part of Irish crisis?’
Murphy definitively answered “No”, before adding that it “would be overly simplistic to say that the Euro was part of the problem”.
Crowe also said that it would be “fantasy stuff” to say that the crisis would have been completely averted if Ireland was not a member of the Euro.
Dara Murphy was reluctant to answer if Ireland would hope to continue the free movement of goods and people with an independent Scotland.
“It’s a matter for you in the ongoing negotiations you would have, it’s not for us to comment, that’s part of your own internal debate, he said.
TDs were also asked about the potential pullout of the UK from the EU, something the TDs felt would be detrimental to Ireland’s interests.
“Ireland and UK share common views on many issue in Europe”, said Murphy. Adding that “the UK is good for EU and the EU is good for UK”.
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Best news. No more overpriced tickets. Hopefully the government pushes the rule through as quickly as possible.
This is great news.
A simple solution would be to link all tickets purchased to a name, via a form of identification (drivers license, passport etc.). If you then can’t make the gig or event, you inform the original seller, Ticketmaster in this case, who purchase the ticket back off you, less your booking fee, and resell the ticket at face value.
@David:
That’s a very smart idea
@Nick Allen: I have my moments.
@David: What happens when you want to buy tickets for your niece?
@Paraic McDonagh: agree Paraic heard this link ticket to ID of person who bought the ticket before but every year I buy tickets for other people including family and friends as gifts.
Glastonbury Festival does something similar – your photo is printed on the ticket
Again, put her name on the ticket.
@David: and what if said niece or daughter doesn’t have a passport or driving license?
@David: tough crowd today. Great to see ideas being challenged so the best solution is reached.
@David: yep. This is how it’s done for Glastonbury. Photo is on the ticket too, can’t make it, there’s a resale portal.
@David: I’m just being the devil’s advocate. I proposed the same thing on a previous article about touting and it was quickly pointed out that there are issues with ID linking. For example if I wanted to gift my niece 2 tickets so she could bring a friend of her choice, there would have to be loopholes, which would allow the touts a chink. The main issue though is that it’s the ticket sellers themselves that are the biggest touts, so they are not going to voluntarily implement such a system. So I welcome this legislation.
@TonyD2469: most people of concert going age would, or at least should, have some form of identification. If you’re under 16 you’re not supposed to be unsupervised at a gig.
@Paraic McDonagh: I appreciate that, I made my comment from the jacks, aka my quiet time. Opens up a bit of a debate if nothing else. May stop underage kids gaining access to events unsupervised. Two birds, one stone.
@David: I agree, I think the technology already exists to limit the ability of touts. But greater regulation is needed, because Ticketmaster does not care enough about the consumer. It also has a monopoly, which should be countered.
@David: my 17 year old daughter doesn’t have a passport and I am sure she is not the only one without a valid form of ID and for the proposal to link tickets to ID requires everyone who wants to go to a gig have a valid form of ID. I just don’t see how it can work.
@TonyD2469:
At 17, she really should have some sort of official ID. A passport is the simplest & most acceptable at that age. My 6 year old hasn’t travelled abroad in a couple of years but we still keep the passport active for official ID use.
@TonyD2469: at 17 she should have a passport, or driving licence, and can get one if she wishes to. It’s a simple fix, no id, no entry. Every night club in the country operates this policy. Most gigs are over 18, unless accompanied by a guardian anyway… this would help enforce that.
@OU812: I think Tony is a tout, seeing a problem in a very easy solution, which covers unsupervised underage access, above cost reselling. His business enterprise going up in smoke…
I was at the Iron Maiden concert at the point last Saturday night,
They had a ticketless system where you brought your confirmation email and your payment card that you used to purchase the tickets with you,
Your card was swiped at the door to confirm your identity,
100% success to eliminate touting,
Great gig by the way.
@Niall Power: as I asked above what if the ticket is a gift?
@TonyD2469: you need the credit or debit card that purchased the ticket with you,
Two of the teenagers in our party had parents cards with them to gain access,
It’s a little inconvenient but it works 100%
@Niall Power: having to carryl someone elses credit card is problematic. Thats a bad policy
@Niall Power: So if I buy my 16 year old daughter or neice tickets for Justin Beiber I have to give them my credit card to bring along to the gig?
@TonyD2469: I’m beginning to think you’re a tout Tony…
@David: All legislation can be criticized some way – what about 40km speed limit if I can do faster on my bike – do I get a ticket? Doesn’t mean speed limit is bad.
@cortisola: you should, you’re breaking the speed limit
@TonyD2469: IT should work the same way as buying flights for someone as a gift, They can only use them in both cases.
Ticketmaster- the lady doth protest too much methinks.
This makes perfect sense. Ticketmaster and seatwave is a conflict of interest
Ticketmaster should never have been allowed to buy Seatwave as huge conflict and guarantee they pass tix directly through system for higher price and profit……ID system is the way to go…. @lavbeer:
Delighted to hear this.
Great News , now please get on with it. Good work all
I hope ticketmaster are fined as well. They’re criminal in their activity. They should have their licence revoked for ruling consumers off.
@6ljJQRRU:
what current law did they break? Probably took advantage off a lack of law, but they didn’t break any law as far as i can tell.
Fair play to Peter Aiken promotions in supporting this.
@Johnny O’Connor: Considering he’s fairly involved with Ticketmaster, I’d say his support of it is for publicity reasons only.
It’s impossible to get a ticket for a major event or artist(s) without using Ticketmaster.
MCD staying quiet, hmmm
Company who resell tickets for extortionate profits are against proposed legislation to make said activity illegal, there’s a shock. Ticketmaster/seatwave are s#um, delighted with this piece of legislation and hope it pushes forward.
#### them
It’s about time something was done about this. I was charged €150 each by Viagogo for tickets to Bruno Mars with a face value of €92 plus €40 service charge per ticket that had the service charge as €6.85 on them. They’re nothing but touts.
@Cindy Crawford: By the way i went through the Ticketmaster website & was diverted to Viagogo.
Reading the Ticketmaster submission (staunchly opposed to new legislation and regulation) it’s clear where their interests lie. Also they claim less than 1% of tickets were resold overall which is misleading. Not the case for high demand events. They should be forced to give examples e.g. U2
No more gouging for “resale” touts? Hah, good enough for them! They’ve a handy little scam going and its about time their overcharging wings were clipped!
At point of sale it will control cost but how do you police it supply and demand will always suit the kerbside touts no control unless fines are massive
At least now the touts selling tickets outside the 3 arena will have a legitimate business!
10% profit?
Or will they bother?
Like everything else we “nearly” get it right.
Why not just make it illegal to sell any ticket for anything above its face value and stop ticket profiteering altogether.
Finally something is moving. But would it be so hard to put a name on the tickets and apply name-change procedures similar to the plane ticket ones?
Ticketmaster should be Investigated for unfair competition practice
Call me cynical , but I can’t accept that any business which can legally transfer its products to a sister company and sell it for 10 times its original price, will not, in some form , take advantage of this .
Also, maybe a tad patronising there Ticketmaster – anybody there in the public confused about ticket touting ?
This needs to happen ,
Tickets have become near impossible to buy for gigs the last few years .
Now let’s do the same with nama properties
In other news, Irish people very unhappy at rainy forecast for the weekend……….obviously
Brilliant, This is badly needed. Well done Sin Feinn
First world problems or what? This is not what we need government for, add this to standing in the dail for prayer, blasphemy laws, helmets for cyclists etc. Here’s a simple solution: don’t want to spend loads of money to see some poxy band/team/event? Don’t.
@Sean O’Keefe: Yes we do need the government for this matter. People are being ripped off by the companies selling tickets & they won’t stop until they are forced to. This is a problem affecting the public which the government represent. You stay at home in your poxy house if you want to.
@Seán O’Keeffe: I think it’s more about Ticketmaster deliberately reserving tickets to sell on seatwave for a fortune and up their overall profits. If they weren’t doing this, I would be surprised.
Hurray!
Ahhh god love them ! Sad face! Not!!!
Both companies are See you next Tuesday’s
This is really funny. The problem with ticket touting or overpriced tickets can be solved fairly quickly without government involved.
Don’t be stupid and don’t buy them.
It would be very interesting to only sell event tickets via an open auction, with every ticket class sold at the final bid price
Great News , about time something was done to stop this. Good work all
Hmm sure let’s listen to the company who profit off ticket resales.
have your say