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OPINION PIECE.
The first thing to state is Ireland is not a hateful society. I think we need to remind ourselves of this obvious point, regularly. Especially, as increasing numbers of Irish people seem to have trouble recalling what Ireland was like twenty-four hours ago, never mind twenty four years ago.
In fact, the only aspect of modern Ireland that’s shot up quicker and faster than our economic GDP figures, over the last twenty years, is our tolerance levels. If we cast a glance back to the very outset of our addiction to globalism - over thirty years ago - one might reasonably say that Ireland was actually in need of societal tolerance improvement. Across a number of areas and in relation to our attitude to certain categories of people. Overtime, by and large, we have exceeded expectations. Exceeded them too much, perhaps.
Massive, concentrated economic good fortune and over-abundant tolerance levels, though, have made us soft and ripe for the picking as a people. Most of the scary tough guys are only pretend tough guys in the 2020s, at best. However, over the last ten years, as a nation, we’ve started a very destructive habit. We’ve begun to tolerate ideas, laws, organisations and people that are very unhealthy for the short, medium and long-term future of Ireland.
Tolerance now risks our future and softness prevents us from raising a finger in protest. Which brings me to the still not dead Hate Speech bill and the function of the Examiner columnist Mick Clifford and journalists like him, I believe. Too old to be fully wokeified and apply for a cushy job guiding the inter-galactic future of Simon Harris. But, too soft to stand firm against the global oppression that blows into the country along with each and every status yellow alert on the RTE weather news.
Early this morning - too early ( which is any-time before noon ) - someone sent me a screenshot of Clifford’s latest opinion piece. It was, of course, on the subject of the government’s proposed “ cut off your own tongue “ bill. Not surprisingly, Mick Clifford was out promoting a Yes vote with a few minor amendments. Without ever specifying what minor amendments he is proposing. Furthermore, and laughably, he described the Bill as follows:
“ The bill has gone from being hugely popular to being shunned “
Let me apply a little auto-correct to that sentence. The bill has gone from being hugely unknown by the general public to being a little known by them. With the small knowledge gained, the public generally speaking dislike the idea of these new laws and any lunatics preaching them from a media altar.
So, what of Clifford and his ilk then. Why do they still preach?
Well, as far as I can ascertain, the Mick Clifford role in Irish journalistic society is to speak directly to soft, over-tolerant and over-compliant Ireland. To encourage them to lay down another piece of freedom in return for another spoon of medicine from the bottle marked “ unhealthy tolerance “ and remind them Global Inc. will have a 3.5% pay-rise ready and waiting for them come the end of the year.
That’s their role.
The maddening aspect to the article above is Clifford uses a 2011 attack on Travellers to make his point. The one cohort in Irish society where tolerance levels have not risen on the same dramatic up curve as say: a single, south Dublin young fella identifying as a non-binary middle eastern muslim dude with four wives and a cock serving as ornamental decoration for a fireless fireplace somewhere on the outskirts of Dundrum shopping centre.
No, you see, Travellers are only promoted by state and media when they serve a purpose in the promotion of something else. In this case Hate speech laws. However, and unfortunately for most Irish governments since the foundation of the state, the genius of the traveller community is they understand state tactics better than Bobby Fischer understood chess. In short, they fully comprehend the state will kill them and apparent “ kindness” is but one of the tools they utilize from their sizeable arsenal.
“It was a direct attack against a group in society,” he said. Despite that, Judge James O’Connor ruled that while the material was “revolting and insulting”, it could not be deemed incitement to hatred. He dismissed the case.
That occurred in 2011, and was one of a very small number of prosecutions taken under the 1989 act. The ineffectual nature of that law prompted a whole range of people, from Gardaí to prosecuting authorities to various groups representing minorities, to the belief that it required updating.
The result was the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022. This is now known as the hate speech bill”
full Examiner article here
It takes a leap of monumental proportions to believe the people still pushing and pushing the current Hate Speech legislation give a damn about Travellers. But Mick manages to make a jump of 8 years from the isolated Facebook incident highlighted in the article to an end result which is the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill.
Or so we are supposed to believe.
To re-iterate, the Clifford function is to hush the rising fears of soft Ireland, an unease which is threatening to gush forth like hot lava from a bubbling volcano since the NO-NO vote on March 8th. Soft Ireland is displaying a worrying characteristic. Soft Ireland might be hardening a little. Opinion pieces like Mick Clifford’s are designed to halt these people digging a little deeper on the Hate Speech subject and other topics besides. To look away from the bar-bell and back towards another smokey-bacon burger.
On Tuesday, I spent a good ninety minutes chatting with the barrister and senior counsel Una McGurk. She spent most of our conversation dissecting the potential tyrannies and ramifications of the proposed Hate Speech bill, section by section, in fine detail. Her conclusions weren’t suggestive of a bill in need of minor repair. The total opposite in fact. Of the 130 comments on the video, none of them says:
“ Ah Jaysus, these new laws sound like a great idea! “
Afterwards, I went out for a spin in the car, as I often do. A thought struck me, one which I didn’t think to ask Una when we chatted.
Is this legislation not perfect for social media mobs intent on shutting down new and dissenting voices?
The Garda Siochana will be required to investigate each and every incidence of a reported hate crime.
Given the limited resources of our police force what incidents will they prioritise?
Well, imagine a scenario where an organised group of social media addicted thugs co-ordinate themselves around a particular voice or person. Imagine further, that this group instigate 20, 30 or 100 simultaneous complaints against the same individual. I don’t think it would be illogical to assume that Garda resources will be targeted around complaints similar to the one above. More bang for their buck so to speak and more supportive hooraying from the cheap seats in the mainstream media pointing out how great these laws turned out to be. The hate speech laws will in effect give legal tools to social media and NGO backed mis-fits. Mis-fits of all shapes and sizes.
The Mick Clifford brigade will be protected. Well, protected until they fall out of the ever shrinking box.
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Hi Gerry, thank you for this article ,it gets more raw by the day but we have to follow these rats down into their sewer and expose them.As children we irish were told not to lie by our parents teachers ,church and peers,and we still believe that people in positions of responsibility would not lie but they do all the time by witholding information,bias reporting or worse not reporting at all,.It makes me wonder where are the tusla children.
It is time for me to dig that bit deeper and start speaking out even louder to everyone and anyone I can meet whether that's when paying for diesel or in dunnes stores or on the street or with customers or family or on line . Regardless of the consequences we all need to speak louder and I personally need to learn to speak with better clarity , improve my communication skills and approach and keep speaking . Words are magic in my opinion so let us create a magic spell that breaks the black spell that has been put on this country.