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THE STORY OF how Kerry County Council voted for a plan to allow rural drivers to have ‘two or three drinks’ to combat rural isolation has, understandably, made a lot of headlines today.
But it hasn’t just been in Ireland: the story of the bizarre (and unenforceable) motion passed by the councillors has been picked up by newspapers and news websites around the world.
Predictably, some of the stories have focused on Irish attitudes to alcohol (one US journalist tweeted: “So Ireland is considering legalising drunk driving. Or as the Irish call it, ‘driving’”). A large number of them focused on rural isolation and the argument put forward by Councillor Danny Healy-Rae – who proposed the motion – that the strict rules around drinking and driving are adversely affecting older people and communities in parts of the country.
Here’s a round-up of how the story was covered.
At one stage this afternoon the story was the fourth most-read article on the BBC News website:
Gawker illustrated its article with an atypical image of a drink driver in rural Ireland:
The Huffington Post focused on the argument put forward by Healy-Rae and others that the permit system could help to stop depression among older house-bound people:
The Toronto Star began the article by asking “Where else but in Ireland, where the pub life is woven into the country’s cultural fabric, would this happen?’:
Euronews noted that the “controversial motion” was supported by a number of councillors who are themselves publicans:
As with many of the other reports, ITV News focused on criticism of the idea:
The story spread as far as Australia: News.com.au led with Danny Healy-Rae’s reaction to the government’s dismissal of his idea:
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I have to agree with the boy Shatter on this one. Live by the gun and all that.
agree with you, only the expression is “live by the sword”
Innocent until proven guilty and also they always seem to be replaced by someone worse, more savage, more brutal? They are someone’s son, brother, father etc etc. but I can fully understand why people would not care should they all wipe themselves out and good riddance!
Most of them have been found guilty plenty of times!
All he is saying is, individual thugs will not be babysat around the clock by Gardai. It’s probably in relation to comments asking “where are Gardai when the murders occur?” That usually follow news of arrests resulting from these shootings.
Ironic that this statement saying he will give arraigned every support in the fight against gangland crime comes hours after his government shot down a proposal for laws supporting those very Gardai as well as other frontline services in their work.
Gardai not arraigned *facepalm*
Those who devote there lives to criminality be it Drug dealing / Guns / IRA all do it by avoiding the Gardai and have no respect for the guards or law , They should be given no protection at all … As its been said for years live by the sword die by the sword … Good riddnace to them
And the Gardai (along with their ES colleagues) cannot expect the protection of their employers either, as was proven in today’s defeated motion.
What a joke
Steve , you off the wall with that one The issue yesterday was MANDATORY sentencing , not sentencing. Read up. Lots of people are against the mandatory bit. Let the trial judge decide. The judge can be appealed on sentence.
And Shatter of course been a member of the biggest criminal gang in Ireland
That was the previous gang and they’re still at large!
@Deasun Thats a bit of a throwaway comment now. If you have evidence of Mr Shatter being a member of a criminal gang you should inform the Gardai.
There was me thinking the IRA was the biggest criminal gang in Ireland , Funny what you pick up every day ..
No fan of Shatter, but he’s most certainly not a member of SF/IRA
But perhaps a member of Bilderberg?
On one hand I agree, but on the other the Gardaí job is to up hold the law regardless.
with finite resources. that have to be spent as constructively and wisely as possible at the discretion of senior gardai and the minister for justice.
I think it’s an outrage if any criminal is afforded state protection. A criminal cant expect to live and abide outside the realm of law then expect to be afforded its protection when it suits. The old proverb if you “live by the sword , you die by the sword”
Cholly white collar criminals are operating with impunity in this country ,its rampant in this country and nothing is being done about it WHY.
@Dermot
Probably because they fund the major political parties. Or are members
thin edge of a very thick wedge. the day the gardai pick and choose who to protect is a sad day for democracy.
Very true. What next, less resources devoted to solving a gangland murder?
Also, these thugs don’t live in a vacuum. They have family members and walk among the public.
What is he talking about? This country surrendered to criminality long ago. Just look at the sentences handed down for serious crimes. Murder gets reduced to manslaughter in most cases and results in the perpetrator getting a short sentence. A recent case saw a 6 year sentence handed down for a frenzied attack resulting in the death of one man and leaving another in the ICU fighting for his life. A case like this is not the exception, the DPP likes the easy life and would rather chalk up a lesser conviction.
If you are unfortunate enough to fall foul of the criminal thugs you can forget about any protection even if you are a law abiding citizen. The truth is Mr Shatter, vicious criminals still run around this country with impunity, driving top of the range cars and living the high life. I see them everyday. As for the white collar type, now don’t get me started. Q
One of the biggest criminal syndicates in this country has been the Roman Catholic Church ,rape , torture , abuse of innocent young children and women , human trafficking , enslavement the list goes on. The state has been protecting that criminal gang since the formation of the state. They committed these crimes yet the masses hardly blink an eyelid or demands justice. How many of the founders of some of the criminal gangs suffered physical and sexual abuse abuse through the industrial school system ? I wager there’s quite a lot. I’m not saying this vindicates their criminal acts but it could go a long way to explain the source and early beginnings of criminal activity. it is no surprise that many of these criminals have no respect for society as their contempt and mistrust is learnt during their formative years from within the environments in which they were raised. Why would parents who have had illegal physical violence visited upon them by the very institutions who were supposed to protect them as children. Why would they not teach their offspring to have mistrust and contempt for those institutions/instruments of society.
I say bring all criminals to justice be they church , state or citizen.
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information. In a passive cover-up information is simply not provided; in an active cover-up deception is used.
The expression is usually applied to people in positions of authority who abuse their power to avoid or silence criticism or to deflect guilt of wrongdoing. Those who initiate a cover up (or their allies) may be responsible for a misdeed, a breach of trust or duty or a CRIME !
While the terms are often used interchangeably, cover-up involves withholding incriminatory evidence, while whitewash involves releasing misleading evidence.
Remind you of anybody ?
“Speaking in the Dáil last night Shatter said the government would surrender “no part of this country to any criminal gang of any description,”
Unless of course you’re Seanie Fitzpatrick or Michael Fingleton :
http://www.thejournal.ie/sean-fitzpatrick-under-armed-guard-30981-Oct2010/
your story is 2 years old … anything more up to date to prove this is still happening ???
I will go even further and say they are been protected by more than just the Gardaí.How do I know this ??? Neither man has seen the inside of a prison cell,and probably never will!!!
So your answer is NO ….
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0724/breaking7.html a bit more recent the your story Ru ….
You’re forgetting one important process in the cycle Ru, a court case. Looks like that will happen in the next year or so as Sean Fitzpatrick and a few of his pals have now been charged. Just a shame that the wheels of justice turn so slowly.
@Reg : I wish I had your confidence in the Irish Justice system.
@Gordon : Can you prove that the Gardaí are no longer providing protection for them.Do you even know if they are still in the country ???
Seanie has to sign on once a week so i’d say the a definite Yes he’s in the country ..
You posted 2 things here 1 was 2 years old and the other is in the courts at the minute . Anything else insightful or even Relevant you would like to add !!
“so i’d say the a definite Yes he’s in the country”
Any proof ???
the fact he signs on in the Garda station every Weds as per his bail conditions should be good enough ;) you not going to go down a conspiracy theory route now are you ;) you made the accusation you prove it right ;)
Actually no,the onus would be on you to prove that he is,seen as you said “so i’d say the a definite Yes he’s in the country”.
I never said he was or he wasn’t in the country.I asked a question : “Do you even know if they are still in the country ???”
just rang the garda station he has signed on every weds in person , now anymore childish or idiotic comments to make ..
So because you can’t back up what you are saying,you stifle the conversion by claiming my comments are “childish and idiotic.”
So who is really being childish and idiotic ???
Fitzpatrick flies back from Portugal or Marbella every wednesday on his free aer lingus flights to sign on. He’s under investigation for a serious offence you see.
i agree with you how could you have faith in the judicial system in this country ,if they people only knew the real truth with what is going on in our courts .
A gang is a group of recurrently associating individuals with identifiable leadership and internal organization, identifying with or claiming control over territory in a community, and engaging either individually or collectively in violent or other forms of illegal behavior.
Sounds like the RCC to me!
Moron. Now you’re stripping people’s citizenship rights without even a trial? If you have evidence that these people are criminals then put them in jail! That’s the job of a Minister for Justice, got it?
One of the biggest criminal syndicates in this country has been the Roman Catholic Church rape , torture , abuse of innocent young children and women , human trafficking , the list goes on. The state has been protecting that criminal gang since the formation of the state.
Damn iPhone keeps sending double messages sorry!
I sincerely hope that Minister Alan Shatter is not claiming that if the Gardaí have reason to believe that some Jimmy Gangmember is going to be murdered by a Micky Gangmember, they should not intervene. That would be surrendering the state to the rule of gangs.
More lies from this fella. I wouldn’t believe this guy even in court under oath.
He think this little man has more interest in hair dye than the little people of Aira
So then I assume they won’t be protecting you and your gaggle of economic terrorists any more? Or the oil companies for that matter? Excellent.
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