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LAST NIGHT, TV3 aired the last People’s Debate with Vincent Browne in Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s constituency of Mayo.
The debate was the largest held so far, with over 1,100 people attending the Mayo Convention Centre at the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar.
Last night’s show was the 40th and final show in the series and is a real testament to public service broadcasting, holding politicians to account in front of their constituents, with no air-brushing.
Perhaps this ‘warts and all’ style of broadcasting, where politicians cannot avoid the difficult questions from the people, resulted in many politicians refusing to attend the debates.
Despite being interviewed by the veteran journalist in the past when they were in opposition, politicians that have avoided the show include Enda Kenny, Joan Burton, Gerry Adams and Leo Varadkar.
Fine Gael was represented at last night’s debate by local TD Michelle Mulherin. Neither of the other constituency’s TDs – Enda Kenny or Michael Ring – attended.
‘Deserving of an applause’
Vincent said Mulherin was deserving of an applause from the audience for being the only government representative to turn up to the show.
Senator Mary Louise O’Donnell, who was nominated to the Seanad by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2011, defended his record at the live debate. However, it did not go down well with some.
The shows has had some interesting moments over the last few months.
Last September, filming was interrupted when gardaí were called to deal with jeering audience members.
Forty shows around the country
The pre-recorded Dublin Bay North People’s Debate programme was cut off after a woman claimed she had been threatened by a male audience member for applauding equality minister Áodhan Ó Riordáin, according to witnesses.
A video posted online by anti-austerity group Dublin Says No shows insults being hurled by several audience members.
Or who could forget the moment when Vincent compared two TDs to Podge and Rodge.
There were also many inspirational speakers throughout the 40 shows, such as Jackie Crowe, a 49-year-old mother of two from Tralee, Co Kerry, who was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETS), a rare form of cancer, just five months after falling behind on both her mortgage and her life assurance policy.
She opened up to TV3 in an effort to warn others of the seriousness of falling into arrears on your life assurance policy. The total arrears that saw her policy void amounted to just €244.
There was a lot support for Vincent for not shying away from the key issues and questions.
Daithi O'Laoghaire / Twitter
Daithi O'Laoghaire / Twitter / Twitter
Lucinda Creighton / Twitter
Lucinda Creighton / Twitter / Twitter
Vincent closed the show by thanking all the staff who helped bring the show to fruition over the last few months, including the make-up artist, who he says does a great job of making him look presentable every week.
In a tribute the Vincent Browne completing the mammoth task of travelling around the country for the 40 shows, TV3 has put together this tribute to the man who asks the tough questions.
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Great news for Candy Crushers everywhere…..
Not so good news. How long before we have the first crash due to electronic interference. With the powerful radiation signals emitted by the processors in mobiles and computers today, it is only a matter of time. The mechanical systems were safer.
Elaine do you work for the European Aviation Safety Agency?? Thought not… I’ll take their findings over your ideologies if you don’t mind, but thanks for thinking of us all… Sound!
Elaine…
It shows that you are using your mobile too much.
All that radiation…more dangerous than flying.
Half of the passengers were using their phones anyway and it was proved long ago that devices don’t have any impact on any of the equipment on planes!
ElaineFogarty You do live in a bubble you know this? I bet your the type of person who wraps your self in bubble wrap every time you walk out the door.
1 Processors do not emit radiation.
2 Mechanical systems are not safer.
3 electronic interference like a EMP charge is the only thing that would cause a crash there is no evidence to back up the claim that mobile phones interfere with the electronics of a aircraft and a lot of people have there phones on when flying so think if you believe what you state you would not fly again.
And to quote what Kevin says Do you work for the European Aviation Safety Agency?
And them chemtrails. Don’t forget the chemtrails
Ah Elaine,
Please be a pet and leave the comments to the grown ups. Research on this issue has been going on for years and believe it or not the bug bad radiation you speak of does not effect the navigational or operational systems required during flight. Private planes have been flying for over a decade with the passengers all using mobiles, laptaps etc
You ok Elaine?
Elaine.what you say is rubbish. What are you basing it on.
Its about time electronics can be used at these stages.
Elaine, a little mobile phone that emits milliwatts of radio frequency is nothing compared to what a plane flies through constantly, firstly the radar that guides it to the ground sprays megawatts of RF, TV and radio is also transmitting all around the runway at much higher powers than the phones or MP3 players could. If a passenger plane was so susceptible to rf would you not think the examples above would have caused a crash by now?
Maybe you should try educate yourself before you start an uninformed rant.
Elaine I am with you on this one! What will people be exiting next? Some other needy vice for there over complexed, consumer filled, resource wasting pathetic, one up man ship lives. I am with you Elaine barefoot and no toys when in the air, you people make me sick!
If you think that ElaineFogarty is irrational about avionics interference, you should read her madcap theories on racial difference.
This person, likely not female, has somewhat eccentric views, unrestricted by science, reason or rational thinking.
Elaine has hit the nail on the head. Here is a video which better explains her point of view http://youtu.be/JYAq-7sOzXQ
George, correct in all respects. But you already knew that. Well said. Would love to know who Elaine flies with that uses aircraft with mechanical systems………….RAF pre-1950, perhaps ? Or does she have a mechanical mobile ‘phone ? Certainly talks rubbish.
On a flight back from Portugal last week I realised when we landed that my phone had been on (not on aeroplane mode) for the whole flight. And we didn’t all die in a fiery crash. Clearly, if phones could interfere with the safety of flights we wouldn’t be allowed to take them on at all…
How do you know you didn’t die and you’re in some “Ghost” style alternate?? If you think people are ignoring you all evening it’s just because you’re already dead!
A lot of the reason devices weren’t allowed was because people wouldn’t pay attention to the safety info at the start of the flight. They’ve clearly realised no one bothers any more anyway.
Obviously in general the systems are built that devices cannot affect them. That is not the point. The point is, there is an off-chance that they can, and this is true. You were not on an off-chance plane. The more planes fly however with this restriction lifted, the more the off-chance, will become the one time, and another time, that it does cause a crash.
Elaine you should really tell the safety experts because they clearly didn’t think of this at all during any of their research into this decision. As always the readers of TheJournal.ie have proved conclusively that they know more than any expert in any field!
Live your life on off chances and you wouldn’t leave your house. Aircraft are shielded against lightning strikes I don’t think a little bit of interference from your phone is going to effect it too much.
I’d say on the off chance that a bunch of pilots landing on the off chance at the same airport while attempting to post mundane comments on the journal then on the off chance… Otherwise, nah.
Elaine…… Something tells me you you probably think Snakes on a plane is based on a true story and that Samuel L Jackson was playing St. Patrick!!! Cuckoooo cuckooooooooo
Haha are we in a season of lost?
LOST Docet :)
Yes but did the plane land at the right airport!!
Come on Elaine, cop on and take the bucket off your head. There is an off chance that a huge meteorite could destroy the earth. Did you think the film Armageddon was based on FACT
Joe, did the ‘plane land or is now in some 8th dimension holding pattern ?
They walk among us and they breed. Scary.
Just turn the darn thing off and read a book or look out the window.
Or talk to your companions
Gud man Roger .sense at last
What if all your books and magazines etc are on your iPad? This is good news and saves me bringing on sh*te like the metro to read before I can switch on my iPad again.
Rodger 5 for President
Talk to someone on a plane? Hell no, what are you, crazy?!
Couldn’t agree more Roger. I’m afraid of flying and always try to distract myself with my phone or music etc but I end up just being distracted with how mesmerizing the view is… What a world we live in! The beauty takes the fear away
Turn on your GPS its interesting to watch your land speed at 800mph flying over Paris etc
800 mph ?? ,were you on a F16
GPS calculatons at based on ground level of earth. If flying thousands of feet up it makes a different calculaton.
May of been Kms can’t remember.
Jesus can people not live without their phone for a few hours… dread the day when they will allow you to make calls & everyone will be roaring in to their phones all the way….
I hear you. Those dreaded people who will be screaming “I’m ringing you from the plane, its amaaaazing isn’t it?” and all that shite…. although headphones will block out those fools
Would you really want to make a phonecall with everyone else around.. They wouldn’t be able to avoid listening in.
I thought that’s why most users made calls? :-)
*aeroplane — we’re not American.
Nothing changes for me so.
A certain dj from cork will be very happy..
For Gods sake if people can’t do without their gadgets for literally a couple of minutes during takeoff and landing then there’s no hope for them !
I use it anyways. Yeah I know. Im a badass living life on the edge!
Flight mode #RIP
No u stillness eyed airplane mode. The new guidelines just merely state u can have the device switched once in airplane mode during taxi etc where as upto now it needs to be completely powered down..
I am not an electronics engineer but although I have queried airlines, aeronautical navigation experts and regulayory bodies no one has been able to identify the mechanism whereby a GSM ohone or a laptop or other electronic device can interfere with onboard aurcraft navigation systems or interfere with fky by wire systems.
Has any empirical survey been carried out? Are just talking about an unproven hypothesis or is there any indicative evidence?
The only persuasive answer I got was ” it just does”.
A NASA publication details the fifty most recent reports to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) regarding “avionics problems that may result from the influence of passenger electronic devices.” The nature of these reports varies widely. Some merely describe passengers’ interactions with flight crews when asked to stop using an electronic device. Other reports amount to crews reporting an anomaly experienced at the same time a passenger was witnessed using a mobile phone. A few reports state that interference to aircraft systems was observed to appear and disappear as that particular suspect device was turned on and off. Another study describes a clear link where a passenger’s DVD player induced a 30 degree error in the display of the aircraft’s heading, each time the player was switched on.
A 2003 study involved three months of testing with RF spectrum analyzers and other instruments aboard regular commercial flights, and one passage reads:
…our research has found that these items can interrupt the normal operation of key cockpit instruments, especially Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, which are increasingly vital to safe landings. Two different studies by NASA further support the idea that passengers’ electronic devices dangerously produce interference in a way that reduces the safety margins for critical avionics systems.
But how? What is the method by which this interference with avionics occurs?
Let’s assume that they can interfere, how do they interfere and why can they not be adequately shielded against interference?
How many crashes or incidents have occurred? How many suspected incidents?
If it is a material problem, why is there not more efforts to check that such devices are switched off or in airplane mode?
I am trying to get an explanation of the interference mechanism.
Narrowband electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference is what screws with the avionics
Thanks Joe, that is getting closer. How does the electromagnetic interference impact?. What strength, signal and proximity factors operate here?
On the radio interference, how does a laptop, DVD player, personal electronic organiser or game consoles emit radio interference? What elements emit radio signals, what is the transmission distance and how does the avionics receive these signals?
I have Goggled this and Binged this and can’t find an answer.
We seem to be in the area of speculation.
Wow. An aviation based story, 46 comments so far and no idiots taking a swipe at Ryanair !
I would consider it dangerous travelling with a bunch of self righteous asses like ye, give elaine a break ye pseudo scientists
I would rather see the poxy rule on liquids lifted first. I can manage without my phone for half an hour.
Hey guys, I have my doubts about this, take it from me I’ve worked in aviation for 10+ years and over the course of time, we have had some mysterious things happen onboard our flights, such as:
1. Auto pilot disconnecting
2. Aircraft making un-commanded turns
3. Aircraft going off course
4. Electrical interferences
5. Navigation screens going blank
Those are just a few of the main events that have happened. And the feedback we received from Boeing is that these events may all of happened due to interference of the systems by portable electronic devises. Such as mobile phones and other gadgets.
Fair enough if all passengers complied with all the rules and regulations in place we wouldn’t have any issues, but when cabin crew secure the passenger cabin for take-off or landing phases, they have reported that not all passengers comply with current safety regulations, i.e, having your device switched over to flight mode or airplane mode.
People just need to be careful and give aviation safety the respect it deserves. Many of you would probably have flown lots of times in the past and without accident or incidents occurring on your flights, but hey there is always that chance that something might happen, you never know, therefore it’s better to be safe than sorry. As long as everyone follows the rules I’d be happy (makes or jobs easier) but unfortunately for us all, not all passengers comply with the rules.
Please read the below article.
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_10/interfere_textonly.html
The regulations allow a device to be on but it clearly states that it must be put away for the duration of the safety demonstration and flight safe mode must be selected for taxi, take off, approach and Landing!
So no phone calls or txt messages I’m afraid. However candy crushers should be pleased!
Following the US FAA? How surprising.
I’d suspect a *LOT* of mobiles and other devices are accidentally (or deliberately) left on anyway.
A lot of laptops, tablets and e-readers also have WiFi active even if it’s not connected.
I’d suspect the airlines adopted a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach when mobiles first arrived and just never moved on from it. If RF interference from mobiles, laptops, tablets etc were a serious issue, they’d be asking to see that every device was fully shut off and probably making you go through a security check and stow them in the hold.
Just asking people to kindly switch them off is hardly going to ensure that they actually do it. So, I doubt it was ever a huge risk in the first place.
Anyway, it’s not really that new. Ryanair had in-flight mobile phone service for a while a few years ago and other European airlines still have it.
Will you lot of know alls leave Elaine alone she is entitled to her opinion just like ye are. this is bully tactics.
Such a pity, sometimes we all need a break!
Does that include vibrators
Phones work fine on planes, but in the event of a crash the phone companies and airlines are worried about the cost of the lawsuit that will happen after it if a phone somehow turns out to be blamed for the accident. The airlines and the phone makers and network owners all have to sign deals between each other saying that they authorise the use of phones on planes.
have your say