Petition Discussion Thread

[adogwithabone]

so whats the indirect one? Cowen having a shit and someone knocks on his bathroom window. "Heya Brian, sorry for interrupting you but heres a wee petition."

lower me now,
Westside.

There is no quick solution. Ruhama, the media etc. have been building the perception in the mind of the public that escorts=pimps=brothels=trafficking. The reality is that if Ruhama started a petition to criminalise anyone visiting an escort, they would have a reasonable chance of getting this through. If you are going to fight a battle, you must first prepare the ground. You set up a 'working girls wefare society' independent of E-I but funded by a levy on all escorts who advertise. The society would have a 'welfare officer' who would help escorts who are in trouble in any way. I believe that most escorts would not mind paying a small subscription to have someone who they could call on for help with medical, legal, safety issues etc. This 'welfare officer' will become an obvious source for the press for comments on any escort issues and can in time get the message across that something needs to be done to protect the escorts. Then the 'welfare society' can start to canvas for laws to protect girls from pimps, taffickers, violent clients etc.

[sashaeve]

For ones I agreed with Guys here, even if the ideas behind is to protect ladies working together, is all the abuses this system will provoke in the current economic situation.

The newspaper, will pick up all the bad side about escorting, the trafficking behind it, the pimps, and not to forgot the EI story. So we will end being much as bad publicity than the main purpose to help to improve escorts safety

As Karin and others said working together is much nicer, safer, and cheaper to work with another friend than seating by yourself and waiting for Gents to ring you.

But I don’t think at the beginning of 2010 is not the right moment, Ireland still a very Catholic country just you past outside church on Sunday morning I see the big difference between France and Ireland. And not ready yet to embrace such openness about sex.

He will come a time when this country will be ready, but not now they people are fighting for their job, and current economy situation. So escorts problems are the last of their trouble.

And Ireland now is not sure what system to follow the Swedish model or another, so please we dont have to push them by choosing the wrong one.

[Lincoln]

Hey Patricia I will sign your petition (name will be made up however)

Unfortunately Irish Public Opinion's view of "Men Who Visit Escorts" is lower than a snakes belly button, if this petition see's the light of (public) day it will probably only appear in a tabloid with something like "Randy Irish Perverts seek to have free-for-all brothels legalised" being the general thrust of the article.

Interesting the references to Ruhama though, maybe that organisation could be an unlikely ally. Very hard to argue against the girls safety being paramount....

[El Gordo]

I'm afraid I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but surely we're not to give our real names and addresses and email, cant we give an alias?

I am planning to give my real name and work email. I might wait for a bit until the petition has been mentioned somewhere besides E-I, so I have an answer ready if anyone asks "and how did you hear about this petition?" But signing the petition doesn't tell anyone that you see escorts. I would have been willing to sign it five or ten years ago, when I had never seen an escort and didn't ever expect to.

[El Gordo]

i have put the link on a few yahoo groups el gordo so you could say you heard about it there

Could you post which groups, please? I'm probably not the only person here who would like a cover story.

[dark-knight]

I agree with the petition and will sign it, don't think anything will come from it either way. The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.

[Quarterpoundher]

The Northern Irish MPs may have got them already though!

Oh sweet Jesus!!! Patricia you might end up bringing down the power sharing assembly. Picture the scene at the Robinson household. Mr R goes to collect the mail, finds a valentine card and thinks its the boy toy sending it to Mrs R. He flips and goes nuts with an uzi inside Gov buildings. Every Shinner and DUP in there is packing heat and its all goes tits up...

[TheNads]

I'll sign it Pat & please don't interpret my comments as being against your petition.
I am just being a realist & don't believe this will do anything but encourage some slack jawed hack to write some sensationalised expose on the sex industry.
I am fully behind (Ahem ...) the genuine independent escorts & their very reasonable demand that they be allowed work together for security reasons.

[luther]

As far as I am aware, two girls working together is classified as a brothel.

I can find nothing in Irish law or the Irish Statute book that defines a brothel, either as two girls working together, or anything else...........

[adogwithabone]

latest news....latest news.......latest news

"Patrcia Albright, ex-prostitute and now raking in over €50,000 per week promoting prostitution/trafficking in Ireland, has started a campaign to legalise brothels. The police have had considerable success recently in closing down brothels and prosecuting the pimps/traffickers who have been running them. There has been considerable speculation recently on Patricia's own website about her connection with well known pimps.................................................."

This is the spin that the media hacks will put on what you are doing. As I said before, media and politics have nothing to do with the truth, only selling newspapers and buying votes. I am sorry but the reality that you have to face is that you are compromised in trying to put forward your well-intentioned proposals. You are a liabilty and not an asset in the campaign.

I have many escort friends who work alone in order to be legal and I hate the vulnerability that this imposes on them. There is no one on this website who would be more supportive of your aims than I. Unfortunately, having right on your side can be a major disadvantage in this country.
I have been on your case in this thread, not to knock you but to try and persuade you stand back and consider realistically how you can achieve what we all want to see. At the moment all that you are doing is handing ammunition to the enemy that would like to close us all down.

It is clear to me that you need to find some uncompromised ex-wg who is not making as much out of the industry as you are but who can be an articulate advocate for all working girls. If you can find this woman and help set up an organisation to support both current and ex- escorts, while also reaching out to any girls who may be trafficked, you will have laid the foundation from which this war can actually be won.


p.s. I have no doubts, personally, about the integrity of your intentions.