02.26.06
Dublin Riots
Mad, wasn’t it? Felt very sorry for the cops who got stuck in it, but hello? As Ronan Mullins said on The Wide Angle on Newstalk this morning ” Sure, my mother knew there was going to be trouble and told me to stay out of the city”. And everyone’s laughing at Charlie Bird. I did too. I mean, you felt sorry for him, but when he was being interviewed, “And then they shouted at me, “Charlie you orange bastard, and then they just went for me”, one was torn between sympathy for the obviously shaken man and pissing yourself laughing.
Anyway, this kind of thing bugs me:
“The Dublin business community today hit out at the rioting in the capital’s centre yesterday with saying it cost retailers €10 million in lost trade.”
€10m – I mean how do you make up a figure like that? I am sure they just made it up…
I must officially recognised the Sunday Times reporting. The other papers were already printed so just got stuff on the front page. The ST had 4 or 5 pages of loads of details and analysis.
My colleague Dearbhail McDonald had an hilarious angle also told on Newstalk this morning. Loads of kids joined in the riot. When it moved from O’Connell St down to Jervis St, they stopped off to buy sweets on the way! How I laughed.
Mullins went on to observe that of the people arrested NO ONE was arrested on Nassau St where the hard core violence took place and of course none of the people arrested were the organisers. They were the opportunistic gurriers looting in the wake of the riot.
Personally I think opposition spokespeople should be calling for McDowell’s resgination. Could you IMAGINE if Nora Owen was minister? As my mother has been screeching all day.
EWI said,
February 27, 2006 at 1:00 am
€10m – I mean how do you make up a figure like that? I am sure they just made it up…
Insurance scam? Businesses? Say it ain’t so…
Gumboots said,
February 27, 2006 at 9:33 am
No, maybe the opposition should refrain from calling for McDowell’s resignation (just for the next fortnight anyway), it would be like handing out gold medals to the rioters and their elk (he mightn’t be in the photos but that moose caused some damage).
Leon said,
February 27, 2006 at 10:17 am
Nora Owen was the worst minister for justice that this country has ever had.
If not personally corrupt, her decision to allow ESAT to place masts on police stations was political influence trading of the most pathetic sort.
Though (and this is fairly rare for a female politician) she is normal looking as a human being … She disgusts me.
Sarah said,
February 27, 2006 at 11:13 am
sigh. I shouldn’t rise to it but for the record.. the garda “deal” was worked out at operational level with the Gardai and then brought to the minister. The cops wanted it because in the process of putting up their own antennae Digifone would be rebuilding the entire Garda internal network. They also gave them huge rent and loadsa free mobile phones. It was a great deal for the Exchequer. The cabinet absolutely freaked when they saw the deal cos they knew they get murdered on it.
I was called in when it was clear that the cabinet was going to veto the deal even though the gardai wanted it. So there was the huge clash between the lobbying by protestors in every fecking parish in Ireland (hysterical over getting cancer when there isn’t the slightest bit of evidence) and the cops and Digifone. Anyway, the Esat lobby in the end saw the deal approved only on the basis that Eircom could use the Gardai masts too, so that one private company wouldn’t benefit from national infrastructure. The government said, well if one can have the network then everyone has to have it. You have to remember as well that it was government policy that there be decent mobile phone networks. How could they legitimately prevent the companies from building networks when it was their own policy to have good networks?
Why is it negative political influence that companies awarded licences ask the government not to veto deals that would allow the company fulfil the terms of its licence? But it’s positive influence that the hysterics (with mobile phones) against mobile phone masts get their flat-earth beliefs endorsed by a fearful government?
The government allowed the deal to go through because it was the right thing to do. Government by ignorant mobs is not right (yet distressingly they win out too often).
Fiona said,
February 27, 2006 at 12:16 pm
I love the way we’re talking about calling for McD’s resignation because a crowd of people went yobbish and businesses lost money. Not because of blatantly racist referendum he pushed on the Irish people or because of abusing Dail privilege. It kind of shows where priorities are. In fairness he’s not going to resign over any of those things, nor is he going to be forced to. I’m looking forward to seeing how much more loudly people call for it now than they did before.
Where’s Maire Geoghan Quinn when we need her, eh?
Sarah said,
February 27, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Fiona I’m with you on the referendum. I guess there is an element of schadenfreude with the riots. He is so Mr. Law and Order and yet let this one slip. And you know damn well what FF would be saying in opposition. I think if I was actually in opposition I’d be calling on the Commissioner to resign. Tiptoing around the cops is bullshit. They got it wrong. End of story. And actually, I don’t think the ordinary cops would be annoyed by going for the Commissioner. I doubt the boys left to deal with the mess on Saturday were feeling warm about their superiors…
Declan said,
February 27, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I was on O’Connell Bridge behind the line of Gardai and every one of them deserves a medal just for standing their ground never mind managing to push the mob back. There was just a handful of riot police with shields and they were setup like a line of skirmishers, five or six feet between each one. Behind them was a slightly more solid line but most of those didnt even have helmets or battons. Behind them were four or five Gardai keeping the crowd of observers back. Someone should be fired for the danger those men and women were put in. Not just McDowell, but Gardai management as well.
Niall said,
February 27, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Great riot. But they are more craic up north, trust me. Schuh being liberated was fantastic. 40 knackers with handfulls of trainers.
John of Dublin said,
February 27, 2006 at 5:05 pm
Interesting blog Sarah, and comments. I’ve been thinking a lot of the event in recent days, it annoys me that violence broke out. As someone with family connections to NI I tried to make a compact overall analysis if anyone cares to read or comment at http://earthanduniverse.blogspot.com
lola said,
February 27, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Ahh Nora Owen where is she these days I’m in a legal battle because of her days in Justice days which have now become my worse nightmare where is she Nora oh Nora wher art thou I’d like a word…………….