Your News Updates and Photos Here Please ! - johnfas, Ard-Taoiseach and Hermes report from the Dail

Anyone out there near Westmoreland Row Church ? Any pictures of the Galway pinsters in action ? Taking your zimmerframe to the Dail tomorrow ?

Machine Nation would like to host members photos and of these and any other events on the site.

All contributions appreciated and a prize for the best photo before Xmas.

Fantastic - a photography competition .

I just took some photographs of my bedroom which is half painted because the girlfriend wants an update on my progress... but that's hardly newsworthy .

johnfás wrote:

Fantastic - a photography competition .

I just took some photographs of my bedroom which is half painted because the girlfriend wants an update on my progress... but that's hardly newsworthy .

It could go in the gossip - celeb corner?

Any chance of covering Kildare Street tomorrow ?

Now there is a thought. Give me the time of the protest etc and I shall endeavour to do my best to be there with a camera.

johnfás wrote:

Now there is a thought. Give me the time of the protest etc and I shall endeavour to do my best to be there with a camera.

Its on the shout box on the Latest Discussions Page - I think its 12.30 at Kildare Street.

Whoops

johnfás wrote:

Whoops

I'd say he was pushed

I suggest it was Mrs White, in the ballroom, with the dagger.

johnfás wrote:

I suggest it was Mrs White, in the ballroom, with the dagger.

Will I open the envelope?........are ye sure it was de dagger.......you've only got one go at it?

That man would do anything for a poll bounce. Really....

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

That man would do anything for a poll bounce. Really....

Sounds like he didn't bounce

At cactus' suggestion I took my camera with me when I was in town anyway this afternoon and took a few snaps of the protest that was going on. I was passing by around 12 though so wasn't there for the main part of their protest.

Nice one johnfás. Super pics.

My brother was down there earlier - sent me this message:

Quote :

Was in at the protest. RTE are saying 15,000 – Looked like half of Croke Park to me. Unbelievable!
30 or 40 thousand people chanting Fianna Fail OUT OUT OUT – Should be recorded and sold. Number 1 for Christmas.

Well done johnfás, thanks for those. Brilliant stuff.

I was at the student's protest immediately after the senior citizens' march but, unfortunately, I lost my phone on the bus going into Town so I couldn't take any photos but I can tell you the atmosphere was something else.
I'm doing a course in Trinity so we all walked up O'Connoll St halfway to meet all the other colleges coming down from the Garden of Remembrance(the longest walk was for UCD who had to go over the Liffey and back again).

Labour, Fine Gael, the Socialist Party, 32 County Sovereignty Movement, Sinn Féin and too many other parties to mention were all together in one big melange. There were loads of people from the senior citizens' march still around and they cheered us on our way.

Speaking at the platform were Brian Hayes, Ivana Bacik, Pearse Doherty, Ruairí Quinn, Richard Boyd Barrett and Shane Kelly, president of the USI. They certainly gave good speeches and Boyd Barrett was pretty hoarse by the sound of it.

Hopefully there'll be a deal on the table and the fees will not be re-introduced from next year. The Government caved on medical cards and income levies, they can cave on this.

NO TO FEES!!!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

I was at the student's protest immediately after the senior citizens' march but, unfortunately, I lost my phone on the bus going into Town so I couldn't take any photos but I can tell you the atmosphere was something else.
I'm doing a course in Trinity so we all walked up O'Connoll St halfway to meet all the other colleges coming down from the Garden of Remembrance(the longest walk was for UCD who had to go over the Liffey and back again).

Labour, Fine Gael, the Socialist Party, 32 County Sovereignty Movement, Sinn Féin and too many other parties to mention were all together in one big melange. There were loads of people from the senior citizens' march still around and they cheered us on our way.

Speaking at the platform were Brian Hayes, Ivana Bacik, Pearse Doherty, Ruairí Quinn, Richard Boyd Barrett and Shane Kelly, president of the USI. They certainly gave good speeches and Boyd Barrett was pretty hoarse by the sound of it.

Hopefully there'll be a deal on the table and the fees will not be re-introduced from next year. The Government caved on medical cards and income levies, they can cave on this.

NO TO FEES!!!

You did good, Ard Taoiseach

UCD put on buses, which is a good way to get a crowd . I got the text - must still be on the SU text list even though I am finished.

A nice selection of photos. The one about "they hope we're dead before the next election" had actually sprung to my cynical mind before today.

And a student rally to boot.

Nice to see various sections of society voice their concerns publically and in a dignified manner. Long may it continue.

The threatened use of a vote in the future may be more powerful than the electoral vote itself it seems, if my drift is coming across correctly.

cactus flower wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

I was at the student's protest immediately after the senior citizens' march but, unfortunately, I lost my phone on the bus going into Town so I couldn't take any photos but I can tell you the atmosphere was something else.
I'm doing a course in Trinity so we all walked up O'Connoll St halfway to meet all the other colleges coming down from the Garden of Remembrance(the longest walk was for UCD who had to go over the Liffey and back again).

Labour, Fine Gael, the Socialist Party, 32 County Sovereignty Movement, Sinn Féin and too many other parties to mention were all together in one big melange. There were loads of people from the senior citizens' march still around and they cheered us on our way.

Speaking at the platform were Brian Hayes, Ivana Bacik, Pearse Doherty, Ruairí Quinn, Richard Boyd Barrett and Shane Kelly, president of the USI. They certainly gave good speeches and Boyd Barrett was pretty hoarse by the sound of it.

Hopefully there'll be a deal on the table and the fees will not be re-introduced from next year. The Government caved on medical cards and income levies, they can cave on this.

NO TO FEES!!!

You did good, Ard Taoiseach

Thanks very much cactus. We students are being bilked enough with the €600 increase in the registration fee. The grants won't cover it and it won't be tax-deductible if fees are re-introduced. Education is not a cost, it's an investment. It's an investment in the future.

Great photos johnfás - really evoked the rally. Was the whole thing not a big too thronged for the old people though ?

So that's it - all the various groups will get what they want and then everything will go quiet and people will be thankful for what they got and THE END ?

rockyracoon wrote:

A nice selection of photos. The one about "they hope we're dead before the next election" had actually sprung to my cynical mind before today.

And a student rally to boot.

Nice to see various sections of society voice their concerns publically and in a dignified manner. Long may it continue.

The threatened use of a vote in the future may be more powerful than the electoral vote itself it seems, if my drift is coming across correctly.

Your last point is the one - people need to keep up this sort of pressure; things have to change - it's shite as it is. They won't give us all the information we need to know you know - we want to know for instance why there is 2 million spent on office machinery in the Dept. of the Taoiseach but you have to pay for that info. And it won't be fifteen euro either. I suppose if I organised a rally to demand knowledge of details of the machinery expenditure I'd be the only one wandering around Dublin with a banner ?

johnfás wrote:

UCD put on buses, which is a good way to get a crowd . I got the text - must still be on the SU text list even though I am finished.

There was a big cheer from the UCD people when Boyd Barrett mentioned his UCD education.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

NO TO FEES!!!

Why?
Are the people who pay for a third level students education and thereby increased lifelong earning potential not entitled to some relief from their costs, I’m thinking in particular of workers who can’t afford to put their own children through third level but nonetheless contribute through their taxes to the benefit of all third level students.

tonys wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

NO TO FEES!!!

Why?
Are the people who pay for a third level students education and thereby increased lifelong earning potential not entitled to some relief from their costs, I’m thinking in particular of workers who can’t afford to put their own children through third level but nonetheless contribute through their taxes to the benefit of all third level students.

Third level students pay for university education through the taxes they pay on the part time jobs they have to get because of the exorbitant costs of rent, food, transport, books and writing materials. Many students are barely subsisting and to add several thousand euros' worth of expense onto each and every academic year would condemn many to penury and force many to leave the third level sector altogether as it would be unaffordable.

Free Fees = More Graduates

More Graduates = More Educated

More Educated = More Attractive Work Force

More Attractive Work Force = More Attractive to Investors

More Attractive to Investors = More Jobs

More Jobs = Better Economy



There is the 6 point plan in a nutshell.