No one is allowed to block a public road, not even when a protest is legal you are to walk the road but not permanently block it. The Police are allowed use whatever level of force they deem needed to faciltate the unblocking of said road when its not a legal protest. When a guard asks you for name you are obligated to give it. That seems to be what got the American arrested in the first place, she was asked for it several times.
This is an excellent point. I am no fan of Gardai but neither do I have anything against them in particular. But nothing would surprise me when it comes to stitching someone up and this particular cause of the Shell pipeline has been very dirty and troublesome all along.
Last edited by Banjo; 05-04-11 at 20:59.
I never once said they were! However if it's the Gardai's job to keep a roadway or field or any area clear, they are entitled to use justifiable force... I'm not a solicitor or a cop or anything to do with them but I was brought up that if a guard told you to move you ran out of sight! If you aren't allowed in an area and the gardai stop you.... WHY SHOULD YOU BE ALLOWED USE FORCE YOUR BREAKING THE LAW
Hmm. I see your point, monster, but generally speaking, what if a law was unjust? Would we have to obey it then?
Justice is only a general thing, general to what the majority of society consider to be acceptable, and it can be split right down the middle. For example, the American Revolution would not have started had tax laws not been passed in Britain pertaining to the colonies - were the colonists obliged to choke down their outrage and pay up? Or maybe the Poll Tax riots in England would be another example, even though the protestors eventually lost that one. The debate about the death penalty in the US is ongoing.
There's no direct parallel I can draw in modern Ireland like that. Apathy is so inbred into Irish people that we as a country just tend to go along with whatever the rest of us are doing.
As for the Gardai thing, that's a different (but related) matter.
deadboysdontlie (05-04-11), nicegirlsarenice (05-04-11)
They didn't do a very good job of keeping the South Link road open yesterday:
A main road... it was shut for hours in the morning, delaying hundreds or thousands of people. Now, maybe there's a chance that both motorists were just unlucky. Maybe some other motorist put them off and they happened to crash, we can invent all these fairytale scenarios. In reality, I've seen the way many gardai drive and it's an absolute disgrace. It's amazing that there aren't more of them killed (and they do routinely get into crashes). It's more like to get home fast that they have flagrant disregard for the safety of them and other motorists.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/four-gardai-suffer-minor-injuries-in-patrol-car-and-van-collision-2608272.html
No no, there's no question over whether it happened or not. Some very early reports might have had "alleged" in them, but it's indisputable that this occurred. They were caught red-handed.Originally Posted by banjo
Last edited by nicegirlsarenice; 05-04-11 at 21:09.
Well lad I think yer views are shockingly naive but you are certainly entitled to them. Assuming the recording is fully authentic and I fully believe it is then it shows some crass and witless banter between a few coppers....
But we will have to get biblical here for a moment and invoke "Let he who is without sin...." EVERYONE has said crass and witless garbage, stuff that was only intended for the ears of whatever eejits we were trying to impress and/or fit in with, it ain't pretty but its how things actually are, y'know it the real world.
Is anyone actually trying to assert some diabolical plan for an orgy of rape and deportation was actually being plotted. C'mon lad get real.
As to the general tone/point of your posting I will merely say this much: If I am getting a hiding on Aston Quay some at 3am some saturday night by a few boozed/coked-up skangers I know I would rather have John Law wading in to give me a helping hand than a few tree-huggin hippies.
Lincoln's Last Word: Idiotic and crass comments notwithstanding (I utterly condemn the reflexive misogyny) I basically support the boys in blue on this one.
Bada Bing!!!
tuam sham (05-04-11)
In reality, I've seen the way many gardai drive and it's an absolute disgrace. It's amazing that there aren't more of them killed (and they do routinely get into crashes).
That is a disgraceful comment I can't recall the last time I heard that a Garda was killed in a traffic collision involving a patrol car! Yeah they do be in crashes so do bus drivers post men carpenters you name it. Your argument is completely ridiculas!