@Justice Mickey: yeah SF had a good election so why the persecution complex? I don’t have to suck anything up, I voted Social Democrat and Greens, both had a good election. I respect the democratic process and unlike some , I always have done. No sour grapes here, I just dont get this SF persecution complex you all seem to share.

@James Delaney: absolutely!

@Connoroconner: well said

@Connoroconner: Folks ConnorOConnor..is a troll…with a false profile

@CJ Stewart: There is a slight difference between a politician making a crude comment on the character of a fellow politician and a politician publically expressing support for a paramilitary oganisation that has killed people in the past. I would expect a bit more criticism for the latter.

@CJ Stewart: absolutely not true. I’ve explained several times why, thanks to abusive people like yourself , I had to change my profile recently. Scroll down. Meanwhile, you are using a facebook account with no friends and no posts and all you do on here is abuse people who don’t agree with you. Kettle, pot , black. I try on here not to make it personal, not to be abusive towards people even we might disagree fundamentally with each other. You might want to learn that lesson.

@Connoroconner: Do you watch R.T.E.News programmes .

@Conall: and what about F.G. and F.F. in the 1920 s or does that notatter because it was a long time ago .

@Connoroconner: Connor..or whatever your name is..if you understand security settings and had a bit about Facebook, you would understand why Joe Blogs just can’t go into your facebook page..You fella are FALSE..FALSE FALSE..and I intend saying it at every opportunity.. Furthermore ‘Trolls’ like you must had some sad sad remit…you haven’t got the the B**** to identify yourself, yet you go around casting your political diarrhea in every direction on every post , the bottom line is that you are FALSE !…….end off

@CJ Stewart: you didn’t read my post. I never mentioned my Facebook, I used my personal twitter to log in and I had someone trawl through it & put up my workplace here on the journal. That’s all provable and it happened. I blocked them off my twitter but the harm had been done. Re posts, how about you just refute my them with facts, instead of just lashing out? Can you show me a post where I lied or was personally abusive. I can’t find any reply of yours to posts I made that attempt to discuss or counter argue, instead its straight into the name calling. It’s what you do to everyone who disagrees with you. That’s far more troll-like than what I do. There are hundreds of posters here who dont use their real names, it’s not breaking any rules in fact most SF supporters here do the same.

@CJ Stewart:
Totally agree, he/she/it is allowed to insult with total impunity by The Journal.
It’s accounts like this that flaunt the “ball not the player” rule.
Grossly unfair that accounts like this is allowed to troll.

@Conall: that’s too subtle a difference for CJ to understand I’m afraid.

@Justice Mickey: when did I ever insult anyone? I ALWAYS play the ball not the player

@CJ Stewart: You think calling a fella a sc**bag equates with openly celebrating the IRA? Wow.

@James Delaney: speak for yourself. Hate speech has no place in society.

@Liam Higgins: Sick to my eye teeth of the whinging SF crowd. They just had a good result. Clearly a cranky bunch by nature.

@Eugene Comaskey: How in God’s name did he close down rural Ireland? Are we such slaves to the drink that we become house bound when we can’t have it?
Do we lack any kind of imagination that we aren’t able to conceive of any kind of social life without drinking alcohol.
It’s a bit pathetic to blame strict drink driving laws for the issues facing rural Ireland. A lazy cop out!

@Will: I do not like Shane Ross, but can people seriously not learn how to socialise without alcohol every once in a while (not a high horse thing. I drink) or you know take turns driving to the pub?

@Eugene Comaskey: “Closed down rural Ireland”? Can people not share a lift? Can pubs not run pick up’s? Can people not take turns being a designated driver? Can people not drink alcohol-free beer occasionally?

Many comments here from people who clearly have no concept of living in real rural Ireland is really like. Shared lifts. Pub runs. Seriously? Rural isolation is a fact of living there and for most there isn’t an option to live elsewhere – family farm or can’t afford to sell/buy in a town. Ross was an example of “none so pure…”.

@Will: u wont find 2 many to condone drink driving, but if a person goes out and drinks a gud few pints get a taxi home, next day ul get bagged, bulsh!t

@Oisin Loftus: The isolation is voluntary if it’s because of alcohol – people seem to be fairly capable of socialising over a cup of tea.

@Oisin Loftus: so that means it’s ok for them to drink and drive? Look at the statistics showing the number of people who died on the roads that had taken alcohol.

@Oisin Loftus: rubbish. I have lived in rural Ireland. I walked or got lifts.

@Derek Lyster: sure, it would be boring if we all agreed. Group think is neither good nor healthy.

@Connoroconner: in fairness, the journal comments section has always been like that. Its not new politics at all, just a comment section on all the rawest topics that can stir the strongest feelings without a single emotional cue. You can say something as innocent as you like and you can bet somebody is gona jump and have a pop. I enjoy some of the conversations but cant stay on it for lengthy periods