Gardai and ‘threatening’ water protesters

A standard strategy of blackening the name of an individual or group is to make connections between that individual or group with the illegal or threatening behaviour of others.

Here’s the vice president of the Garda Representative Association Ciaran O’Neill speaking on RTE (5th report) about the relationship between Gardai and water protesters.

People want to see Guards working in their community but when you have a number who are brought off to monitor a protest to ensure that it’s peaceful it does drain other resources and communities are being deprived of policing because of it.

The message here is clear: Those who engage in peaceful, democratic protests are depriving communities of police protection. The clear suggestion is that such protests should stop.

There seems to be a sinister element that are trying to get themselves involved with the protests. It would appear that there is an element that have very nefarious reasons for being there that are anti-establishment, that are trying to cause trouble and are bringing good people whose intentions are just to protest peacefully and are creating violent situations.

Police officers have an obligation to inform citizens, and particularly those involved in the water protests, of who exactly these sinister elements are. What are their motives, their strategies, how exactly are they manipulating peaceful protesters. Throwing out vague references about ‘sinister elements’ without evidence mirrors the political strategy of mainstream political parties.

We have a job to do…but we have people, particularly in respect to the water protests, who are trying to identify members of An Garda Siochana. We’ve had rewards offered to identify where they live and to identify their families and that shouldn’t be happening, that’s not peaceful, that’s not protesting in a proper way, that’s threatening, intimidating.

Threatening a police officer is, to my knowledge, a crime. The Gardai should investigate and bring charges if sufficient evidence is found but it is disturbing to witness a police officer lump in peaceful protesters with a tiny minority who may be breaking the law.

It is reasonable to claim, I believe, that the water protests in Ireland involving hundreds of thousands of citizens are probably the most peaceful, most law abiding protests in recent world history.

Which raises the question – Why is the establishment so determined to blacken the reputation of those involved in such democratic protests?

Political buffoon Cowen still blaming others for his incompetence

I see political buffoon Biffo Cowen is still blaming others for the catastrophe he and his party visited upon Ireland and its people.

The prevailing advice from the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation in Europe, plus most domestic commentary with one or two exceptions was – ‘that this would not end the way it did’.

So there you go, nothing to do with his incompetence or his party’s history of corruption.

On the suffering caused by the economic crisis Cowen said:

It is very difficult, it has caused a lot of problems for people, I am very conscious of it. There is no one more sorry about this than I am.

Somehow, I’d say the thousands of citizens being thrown out of their homes as a result of this buffoon’s incompetence are a tad sorrier particularly when the witness the massive pensions he draws down as they burn.

Fianna Fail and the Nazi’s

Journalist Michael Clifford on Fianna Fail.

Notwithstanding their lead role in wrecking the country, it’s difficult to hold a grudge against this shrunken tribe.

This is like saying of the Nazi’s:

Notwithstanding their lead role in the Holocaust, it’s difficult to hold a grudge against this shrunken tribe.

Lucinda Creighton needs to leave the land of small minds

Lucinda Creighton formed her new party Renua, at least partly, because she realised, rightly, that there was something seriously wrong with the mainstream political system.

Forming a new party to challenge the (corrupt) political status quo takes courage but above all it requires a deep and accurate understanding of what the problem actually is and a very focused strategy to bring radical change.

Creighton cannot bring radical change becasue she has only the vaguest idea of what the actual problem is and therefore is not in a postion to make the necessary reforms.

A quick analysis of her article in last Saturday’s Irish Daily Mail in which she reponds to the Siteserv scandal proves the point.

She says:

What has emerged this week carries echoes of the insider culture that prevailed during the Brian Cowen/Bertie Ahern era.

Note her use of the past tense. The insider culture she speaks of has been abusing Ireland and its people since 1922. In 1979, when the criminal politician Haughey came to power, the culture went toxic eventually resulting in the financial catastrophe of 2008.

That culture is still there, it’s still toxic, it’s still destroying the lives, ambitions and dreams of countless citizens while clueless politicians like Creighton continue to make idiotic and completely meaningless statements like.

We need a thorough and truly independent investigation that leaves no stone unturned.

But her next idea proves beyond a shadow of doubt that this politician floats around in the same fantasy world occupied by most of her gombeen colleagues.

I suggest that perhaps this could be a matter left to the Banking Inquiry.

Policitians like Creighton need to leave the land of small minds if they want to make a real difference.

They need to listen (22nd min) to and act on the advice of commentators like Phillip Blond.

You have an enormous gap between an electorate that is desperate for something new and a political system that is just offering again and again versions of the same thing…The tragedy of Ireland is… this is a population that’s on the edge of insurgency but there are no insurgents…so the Oppositioin has be become insurgents but their too frightened to move..they’re too conventional.

Gleeson’s mealy mouthed apology

Former AIB chairman Dermot Gleeson, predictably, is the latest guilty individual to pass on the blame for the catastrophe visited on Ireland and its people.

The great recession of 2008, the worst the world has seen for eighty years didn’t start in Ireland or in the Irish banks. But there’s no doubt that there were decisions made in AIB which made things worse than they needed to be for citizens, for employees and for shareholders. I wish to express my sincere regret for my part in those events.

So, AIB made some bad decision but it was the global crisis that’s really to blame. Nothing to do with the rampant greed and criminality in the financial and political sectors, criminality that is continuing unchecked as I write.

I include below a full outline of the financial impact Gleeson had to endure for his mealy mouthed apology.

Fianna Fail: Some habits die hard

Let’s be honest, Fianna Fail doesn’t have the best of records when it comes to honesty and integrity in politics.

But….enter Michael Martin and it’s onwards and upwards for the party. A new deal, a new, fresh, clean honest way of doing things to replace the old, eh, dodgy methods.

But wait…what’s this?

Fianna Fail accuse RTE of unfair treatment on ‘Claire Byrne Live’ programme.

Solution:

Fianna Fail’s 3,000 delegates at this weekend’s Ard Fheis will be asked to back a motion to abolish the television licence due to “lack of balance in RTE.”

I guess some habits die hard.

Siteserv and supporting journalists

It’s always interesting to note the language used by establishment journalists when reporting on the questionable activities of those they tend to support.

Here’s some quotes from an article on the Siteserv controversy by John Downing in this morning’s Irish Independent (my emphasis).

Both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin believe that Messrs Kenny and Noonan can be made to look bad as they pick over the details of a reported loss to the taxpayer of €105m.

Opposition party leaders Micheál Martin and Gerry Adams moved with alacrity on Tuesday to capitalise on work done by Kildare North Independent TD Catherine Murphy.

Yesterday was day two of their onslaught. And Martin and Adams pushed for an independent inquiry into the sale by IBRC of the Siteserv company to businessman Denis O’Brien’s Millington for €45m.