@Peter Jo: id ask him to take the rubish out with him on the way out.

@John Nolan: Considering you’d be delighted to see Shane Ross at 8pm on Christmas Eve I’m wondering who it is needs to get a life here.

@John Nolan: a kick in the horlocks would put and end to his stupidity, think he had a bit too much egg nog ,

@John Nolan: If my local td ever knocked at my door I would be amazed. Its probably because he wears a blue shirt and I have never seen him in my area. Do you hear me Noel?

@John Nolan: the problem is that Ross knows he’s fuhkd & trying to get ppl on his side to get people talking about him he’s an attention seeker. He’s not doing anything right full stop

@Seamus Murphy: Did he get to Midnight Mass?

@Seamus Murphy: thats not what i said. I wouldnt mind my local TD knocking. I am in a different constituency. Terrible to be consumed with so much angst. You my friend need to get a life and a pair of glasses

@Bat Daly: so you are annoyed that people can’t drink and drive………..and prisoners in their own home,go away,you are more likely to be broken into in a city.fact.

@Simon Carroll: Well, it’s worked for generations. People have been driving to pubs in remote areas for decades. You would think there was wholesale slaughter in rural areas. There is no harm in 2-3 pints. End of story and anyone who thinks otherwise is not living in the real world.

@Bat Daly: how many cars do you think were on the roads two generations ago? More or less than today? Were cars 60 years ago as powerful as today? I don’t care if a drunk driver dies but the selfish fcuker is endangering other road users and that is a problem.

@Karen Wellington: Karen, huge generalisations there. You are right, cars were slower then and there was much less cars. But you didn’t mention advances in motoring technology like better brakes, lights, impact zones etc.
What sickens me is a government targeting drink driving pretending they give a care about our lives and our health when there are 3000 kids homeless, dangerously long waiting lists for life saving operations and 900 people on trolleys in this country. Their faux concern is nauseating.
No one goes out to cause and accident.

@Bat Daly: Did you ever get into your car at night unaware one of your headlights bulbs were blown? Or that your tyres were not at the required pressure or that you are under the weather yourself. No one checks themselves or their cars before they get behind the wheel. An accident causing death can happen with any one of these variables.

@Bat Daly: can you specify which part you thought was a generalisation?

Generations ago (4) heroin was given as a cure for colic in infants, fortunately we know better now and don’t have to stand by that terrible decision (made in ignorance of the dangers) for all eternity. Generations ago we didn’t realise how much alcohol affected our responses and judgement, but now we do; the (impartial) scientific evidence is available and easily found. Anyone persisting in the dangerous practice of driving under the influence can’t claim ignorance, they’re just selfish fcukers.

@Karen Wellington: 1. There haven’t been that many advances in car safety in the last generation, most were developed in the pre-war era but were only made compulsory two or three generations back, the focus more recently has been on fuel efficiency. In the 1980s, a powerful sports car might have produced 200 horsepower (150 kW) – 20 years later, average passenger cars had engines that powerful, and some performance models offer three times as much power.

@Karen Wellington: 2. You think people should be allowed to drive under the influence of alcohol because there’s a housing crisis happening? Are you drinking right now?
It’s not a big brother conspiracy to ruin your weekend, it’s internationally accepted best practice;
http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/statistics/summaries/drink-driving-statistics/effects-of-alcohol Australia
https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/road-safety/behaviours/drinking-and-driving/effects-of-alcohol-on-driving/ Canada
3. Driving impaired is a fairly obvious way to cause a devastating collision, but you can’t claim ignorance in this day and age.
4. Driving without your headlights or unsuitable tyres are already offences, I take your point about sick people not being the sharpest but how do you police health?

@Karen Wellington: Firstly, no, I’m not drinking right now and I am not a big drinker. I live on my own in a rural area 5kms from nearest town or bus service.
.I have been driving 42 years accident free averaging 30,000 kms per year in every conceivable road condition and vehicles from motorcycles to commercial vehicles.

@Bat Daly: In terms if driving skill, I am no better than the average driver with the exception of motorcycles where I have Police rider grade certification. The statistics don’t lie but the real world experiences of drivers just don’t add up. It’s a faìt accomplì now because it Law but up to now there have been millions of trips to the pub by Irish drivers and it cannot be just pure luck they didn’t cause an accident. The real reason is that they were perfectly capable of driving home. Please explain that paradox

@Bat Daly: drink driving has been illegal here since the 1960s, breathalysers have been in use for nearly all of that period, and blood and urines test have been in use the entire; I know when I’m doing something I shouldn’t do and there’s a chance I could be caught I’m careful about it so as not to get caught. Blood alcohol limits for driving are a proven effective way of reducing road deaths, and even the worst piece of shit’s (even a drink driver’s) life is worth more to me than being able to enjoy a drink, so I don’t drink and drive. On the occasions I have to be the designated driver I suck it up and take my turn; you don’t have to be drunk or drinking to go to a pub.

@Karen Wellington: he said two or three drinks. I have never seen a person drink after 2 pints. 50-80mg is a load of bollix. It has been proven that a persons driving is not impaired in anyway at 55mg. If you are over the 80mg u are a ducking nob… ross is a wanxxr

@John O Brien: never seen a person DRUNK after two pints..

@Karen Wellington: You raise a lot of points in your argument. All of which glosses over the realities behind this issue. Drink driving was not illegal until now. Being over the limit was illegal. I thought you’d at least get that fact right.
The limit is so low now that it is finally illegal to drive after even a glass of wine with a meal.
In this country, like every other aspect of laws, the crime is being caught. I was thinking of going to my local tonight but didn’t because I cannot even have a cup of coffee there because I had a glass of wine with my meal.

@Bat Daly: With this new law, people will desist from drink driving, not because they think it’s wrong but because it’s the law and that’s why I won’t be doing it. But people like you are fooling themselves if you think we are complying with law because they believe it is a good law. They will comply because it’s the law. That doesn’t make it right.
Finally, must be great for you to be able to have a “designated driver”.
I am not in that position and neither are thousands of people who now feel marooned and let down by the lack of concern for real issues of social isolation in rural Ireland but hey as long as you can sit up on your sanctimonious high horse if morality that’s all that matters eh

@Bat Daly: I used the term drink driving to refer to being over the limit and not to suggest that even 0.001mg blood alcohol level has been illegal since 1961(but I adopt a zero tolerance personally), and I think you knew that. I don’t care why you obey this law just that you do, it lessens the chance of me or mine being hurt or killed by a selfish pr!ck who can’t socialise without a drink in their hand. Out of interest; if you don’t know anybody (literally no one to act as designated driver) why do you want to go to the pub? Surely you can sit amongst strangers anywhere, go to a library or a mcdonalds or something.

@John O Brien: a 70kg woman could be over 80mg bac after drinking 2 pints over a hour and a half.

@Karen Wellington: Your reply reeks of complete dismissiveness of the logistics of socialising when you live on your own in rural Ireland. You actually think I’m that sad Is want to sit in a Library or random places like McDonald’s? I’m sure you’re not trying to be deliberately offensive but well done, you’ve succeeded. A little more empathy and less high handed moral superiority wouldn’t go amiss.
The reason I go the local pub is because that’s where I meet my neighbours and friends. I have plenty of friends but they live up to 10km away.

@Bat Daly: get a group of friends who are in a similar situation together, or ask other friends to join you as favour, organise the group into a rota’d system where one or two of you are the designated driver(s) on a designated night. Everyone takes their turn and if the object of the exercise wasn’t to just get blackout drunk you shouldn’t mind having to stay sober occasionally. And before you start with your “you don’t understand rural Ireland” crap; I’m from rural Ireland (North West) and have lived there most of my life, it’s not a massive inconvenience to drive 20 minutes in the wrong direction to make sure a friend gets home safely.

@Bat Daly: Shane Ross will always be there to point out these problems for you, free service! Well not exactly, 80 Euro fine and 3 penalty points. That will teach you!

@Karen Wellington: Oh FFS, I have never read so much crap in one post. The idea you have is so ridiculous it’s really not worthy of comment but here goes. No one will organise a group of people to have a spontaneous night out. You are suggesting people go to all that trouble for one night a week and for one or two drinks? You want to turn a casual drink into a logistics nightmare to get a group of people to a pub? Some may want to stay for 2 drinks, others will want to stay longer. Once again, your simplistic and slightly dismissive idea of what perople should want is arrogance personified. I hope managing people isn’t your profession because you havnt got a clue.

@Bat Daly: it might be for the best if you just stay in. Like I already said, I don’t care if you don’t like it or even if it makes you deeply unhappy once it keep selfish pr!cks who have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol (an inability to socialise without it it is unhealthy) off the road.

@Karen Wellington: Mask just slipped there completely, Karen. Started to slip when you came up with that unworkable bunkum thinking you can organise sentient adults like sheep. But the real truth is you actually don’t give a toss about people going by snide comments about me staying at home. Thank you for clarifying to anyone reading this how you really feel about the negative social impact on real people . That’s all I have to say to you. Good night.

@Bat Daly: Non-Alcohol beer!