I'd be surprised if anyone disagreed that tonight Prime Time was excellent, even if some of the politicans interviewed were a bit dubious.
Unfortunatley, it was not discussed on Questions and Answers, particularly when crime and poverty, which are interlinked, are two of the centrally biggest problems in Ireland today.
Are ASBO's the way to go though? FF, FG, and the PD's say they are but some say that they will make the situation worse in some areas. Is a uniform response needed?
ASBOs are just another layer of legislation, so that the government can claim to be tough on crime. Like the Penalty Points system, they are useless unless you have the structures in place to enforce them and ensure their effectiveness. This is quite apart from the question of whether they're the best way forward or not. At a basic level it needs to be asked why our society is apparently (the tabloids tend to exaggerate it) producing so many anti-social, nihilistic individuals. Unless the root causes of social disorder are tackled, ASBOs will be at best like trying to put out a forest fire by peeing on it.
"Partout où la liberté règne elle est incessamment attaquée et très souvent en péril” – Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Yea, zero tolerance, tough on crime tough on the causes of crime...
Yes, and while we have that debate for 10 years - commission loads of studies, etc. - we relegate those people who are affected by this trauma now to wait in fear.Originally Posted by agora
I particularly liked the fact that the show went to Glanmire. A bit of a kick in the balls for those who harp on and emphasise the link between poverty and anti-social behaviour.
I was amazed that the show didn't come to my adopted city Limerick. Perhaps the Irish media have tired of beating the city with a big bloody stick.
Seems a cultural change is in order. Parents definitely a problem. Segregation a possible solution. Welfare reform needed. Bastards to be taken care of. Tactical Nuclear Bombardment perhaps...
Ireland interests are best secured within a more dynamic EU. Vote YES to Lisbon.
That was considered as an option in the 80s to deal with high unemployment, but was pointed out as unconstitutional by the Attorney General. So, not an option unfortunately.
This is a disgraceful situation and can't continue, WE NEED TOUGH NEW LAWS!!!!!!!!!
we must give citizens the right to shoot people that look at them funny....
Call me cynical, but ......
We have a Government with the deepest pockets in the history of the State.
We have a Health Service crying out for Doctors and Nurses, but there is no money to pay for them - never mind train them.
We have at least one person dying on our roads every day, but we can't figure out how to clamp down on drunk drivers (+/-40% of fatal accidents).
We have a demoralised police force; under manned, under resourced, operating under ridiculous constraints and conditions, not to mention standing orders to ignore breaches of certain laws, and to hype up "successes" in certain other cases.
On the flip side we have Callelly (say no more), and the stupidity of Ministerial PR budgets - how much property does Glenda own as a result of Ministerial vanity?
All we ever hear from this Government is the need for new Laws.
How about we try enforcing some of the ones we already have on the statutebooks?
The first prosecution for Due Care & Attention as a result of using a mobile phone while driving occured in Waterford in 1990.
Yet we still hear our elected Reps calling for a Law to deal with this.
A much better idea would be to hire enough Gardai to enforce the Law - but that would mean less money for Martin's eVoting machines, Willy's helicopters/APCs/guns, Bertie's Bowl, Mary's PPP Scam, Eamon's road signs and Michael's prison complex.
The cheap and nasty "Traffic Corps" stickers recently attached to certain Garda vehicles and uniforms do have a certain 1970s chic though!
</rant>
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Mark Twain
“When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation, since the hand that gives is above the hand that takes. Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain.” Napoléon Bonaparte
That was considered as an option in the 80s to deal with high unemployment, but was pointed out as unconstitutional by the Attorney General. So, not an option unfortunately.
Get a different AG I say! *wonders what the whole Law thing is all about*
Ireland interests are best secured within a more dynamic EU. Vote YES to Lisbon.
I never said we should simply sit back and "study" the issues of crime, there needs to be action both to tackle crime that is happening now and to try and turn people away from it in the future. Failure to recognise this is short-termism of the worst kind. The fundamental issues at play here are that firstly, the Gardai do not have adequate resources or structures in place and secondly, that rightly or wrongly, a minority of people in Ireland feel that they owe society nothing and are free to be as nasty and irresponsible as they like. I can't think why that philosophy has become so popular.Yes, and while we have that debate for 10 years - commission loads of studies, etc. - we relegate those people who are affected by this trauma now to wait in fear.
I particularly liked the fact that the show went to Glanmire. A bit of a kick in the balls for those who harp on and emphasise the link between poverty and anti-social behaviour.
I was amazed that the show didn't come to my adopted city Limerick. Perhaps the Irish media have tired of beating the city with a big bloody stick.
"Partout où la liberté règne elle est incessamment attaquée et très souvent en péril” – Jean Jacques Rousseau.
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