02.08.07
Privates
I was reading about the Sinnott case the other day over on Cearta and then tuned in to (again, again, I know, I know) Joe Duffy earlier in the week where some poor eejit was in trouble for streaking at Croke Park. He claimed it was a bet or something in aid of a Cystic Fibrosis charity and they were, ahem, not amused and he got into terrible trouble with the cops.
My reaction to both is: what on earth is all the fuss about?
Is there anything more ridiculous and less threatening looking that a flacid penis shrivelled by our harsh winter winds?
Surely the sight of it is an opportunity for mirth and sympathy rather than horror and offence?
Update: This gets funnier. In McGarr’s blog (terribly formal but revealing 
nevertheless) he says
“Apparently the Plaintiff was photographed while playing gaelic football and his genitals were visible in the photograph, which the newspaper published. The Plaintiff had also pleaded defamation but abandoned that claim in the Circuit court.”
Defamation? That’s hilarious! Why was it defamation? Surely only if it was deformed or something? And in that case, you’d think the less said the better. Someone must have a copy of this photo….
Daithà said,
February 8, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Even if it was, um, you know (whatever deformity…), for a libel claim to succeed you also have to prove (or in Ireland, at least maintain that) the statement is ‘false’. Now if they had written something accusing him of being a GAA exhibitionist and a danger to children, I could understand. Even allowing for a certain role of innuendo-leading-to-falsity (which can convince a court), it’s a fairly difficult case to make. You can understand why it was jettisoned at an early stage!
I looked for the photo in the TCD library. We don’t have it. Whoever finds it should blog it. Anonymously, on an American server
Mol said,
February 8, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Two things
Firstly this guys mother also phoned up the Joe Duffy show and ate the head of him live on air. It was most ammusing, she went through him, informing him that under no circumstances what so ever was he ever to pull a stunt like this again. The guy couldn’t get a word in edgeways.
Secondly, if streakers can get on to pitches and golf courses so easily, what is preventing some nutter with a knife doing the same? I am only asking.
Moll
ben said,
February 8, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Come on, Moll, where would a streaker hide the knife?
Twenty Major (of course) put it well: “they all pretty much look the same. So if his balls were on display so were my balls and every other man in the country’s balls.”
cearta.ie » Blog Archive » Privacy law in the UK said,
February 8, 2007 at 10:44 pm
[...] to exercise the blogosphere – see Media Forum, and much robust common sense from Sarah Carey on GUBU). As the English cases have used the ECHR to mould breach of confidence, so we could use both it [...]
Dan Sullivan said,
February 10, 2007 at 2:06 am
Regarding the plantiff playing football, surely he has an obligation to wear some proper kaks and not some loosy goose french knickers arrangement that allows his bits to dangle about the place for photographers to snap.