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MICHAEL HEALY-RAE has said that a “soft approach” cannot be taken when dealing with thieves.
The independent TD said that many people in rural areas are left more exposed to criminals due to the closure of Garda stations.
It has lead to a rise in crime and nobody can tell me that the statistics are right and that crime in on the decrease: that’s rubbish. Ask any rural person living in Ireland – criminals are roaming around the countryside now, looking for easy targets.
Healy-Rae said that proposed changes to firearm licensing show the Government is “going after legally held guns” rather than illegally held weapons.
The Kerry South TD, a gun owner himself, said that many “highly respected” people he knows own guns for various sporting and hunting reasons.
To own a rifle or a handgun or a shotgun, you have to be a responsible person. You have to be vetted by gardaí.
Healy-Rae said that while nobody is advocating shooting thieves, homeowners are allowed to exert “reasonable force” when a burglar enters their property.
He said a serious message needs to be sent to criminals, adding that he “wouldn’t be sorry” if a criminal went “home in a box”:
Video: Michelle Hennessy/TheJournal.ie
Healy-Rae said the Fine Gael Labour coalition is “one of the most anti-rural Governments since the foundation of the State”.
The TD said the Government is facilitating the “demise of rural Ireland” in many ways, particularly by closing post offices.
They’re doing nothing to protect the rural post offices and this is like the elephant in the room. We’ve over 1,000 post offices, and we could lose 500 of those.
“Could we not wake up as a Government and look at what happened over in England? They lost thousands and thousands of post offices. Now they’re sorry, but they can’t go back. You can’t get back what you lose.”
We’ll have more from our interview with Michael Healy-Rae in the coming days.
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Last year when I was in sixth year I used to check thejournal.ie.
Who cares ?
Can any of you guys say without doubt you’ve never checked social media while at work ?
I just did
No breakdown of where they check online, could be in between classes or on break?
It doesn’t matter whether it’s during class or on their break they should be away from them altogether during school hours .
Joan is a Nun
Why?
Get with the times Joan :P
I agree that phones should be off during class time, but I see no issue with students looking at social media during their break times. It’s not all that different than students who might read a music or sport magazine and send texts during their break as I remember many did in my early secondary school days (around 2006, just before smart phones).
Dave , a nun ? You’re gas ! Lol
Confiscate the student’s mobile for 24 hrs if they are caught using them during class…
It would be worse than loosing a family member for most of them…
Joan Murphy – they ARE banned in schools! Doesn’t stop them bringing them in though. I confiscated 11 recently and of those involved, 4 were viewing porn. And that was just 1st & 2nd years! It’s sad as a teacher to see this unlimited access to the internet. The school’s internet is blocked to the kids but they all have 3G etc.
Ban them altogether in school . zero tolerance approach is needed . kids need to go back to communicating with each other face to face cause the art of conversation is dying out big time !
It’s evolution, Joan. Get on board or get left behind.
Philip, it’s nothing to do with that , there’s a time and a place that’s all and school isn’t one of them .
So what if kids want to use it in between classes or on breaks. What is the big deal? And don’t say conversation is dying, because that is rubbish. Old fogies said the same thing when texting became popular
Phillip , do you not think they need a break away from social media every now and again ? What’s wrong with just hanging out with your school friends and just chatting ?
So are you suggesting that they are on their phones 24/7? Believe it or not, they all have conversations and just hang out in real life as as use social media. Anyways, who are you to dictate how these kids should live their lives?
Phillip , who’s dictating ? It’s just my opinion buddy that’s all but your reaction is interesting though !
I’m getting a smell of someone that rhymes with 10
Soon there will be no need for heavy bags full of books and stationary as it will all be on tablets built into desks. Teachers will be holograms or will teach through live feeds from home. Hand writing will be a thing of the past, and kids will be going on holidays to Mars supplied by a company called Recall.
May sound crazy but its realistic, except for Mars holidays :)
Definitely! Phone blockers for their own good I say. When else can they catch up on their sleep if they’re being kept awake by their phones during school hours???
Phone blockers. Only way to go
Phone blockers wouldn’t work , sure the school still needs to operate. .
Phillip Hogan, you haven’t a clue. They use them at break alright, some sending nasty messages to others or posting mean, hurtful comments online, even if they haven’t met that person that day. They take pics over toilet doors of other pupils & threaten to post online, they snap the staff during lunch duty and threaten same. There’s no such thing as “they’re just checking out their status” etc. To even compare this to reading a magazine etc. is ridiculous. Who is vulnerable up against a magazine/comic?!
all mobiles should be blocked in schools….i never has any mobile while i was in school.
i have an ipad and it’s so addictive…i’m sure it is just as bad with kids in school. too much of a distraction
4 out of 5 checking social media sites during school hours and then posting comments to the journal, score daily edge etc ….
Shocking.
Joan Murphy – they ARE banned in schools but that doesn’t stop pupils taking them in. I confiscated 11 recently and of those involved, 4 were viewing porn. And they were just 1st & 2nd years. It’s very sad to see this unlimited access to the internet. The school’s internet is blocked to the kids but many of them have 3G etc..
Mr Magoo thanks for that , I reckon you feel sometimes like you are fighting a losing battle sometimes but what you say kinda proves a point , how are they meant to concentrate in school if that’s what they are doing on their phones .
I’m surprised it isn’t 9 out of 10. Seriously though, surely there is news in the Mid East or the US mid terms. This story is really playing fast and loose with the definition of news.
Should invent a signal jammer and install around the school.
To be honest in my school the teachers use their phones more than the students!
have your say