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FINE GAEL TD Jim Daly has said that comments by former MEP Kathy Sinnott in relation to the children’s referendum are disingenuous and has accused her of engaging in “hysterical hyperbole”.
He was speaking following claims by Sinnott that if the referendum is passed in November it will “lock in” the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to the Irish Constitution.
However, Sinnott stood by this claim saying that it is “absolutely true” and accused Daly of having not “done his homework” on the proposed amendment which proposes to enshrine the rights of the child in the Constitution.
“He is absolutely wrong,” she told TheJournal.ie.
In a statement yesterday the Cork South West deputy said that there is “absolutely no reference either implicit or explicit” to the UNCRC in the wording of the proposed amendment to the Constitution.
He said: “I have challenged Ms Sinnott to engage in a more honest debate on the upcoming referendum without resorting to hysterical hyperbole which is unrelated to the substance of this debate.
“Kathy Sinnott is introducing false and misleading arguments which are clearly not involved in this referendum. The public deserve to have the facts of the matter presented to them in the debate over the Children’s Referendum.
“What this Referendum will do is recognise children’s rights individually and provide them with certain protections from the State,” he insisted.
But Sinnott, who is advocating a No vote on 10 November, said that passing the amendment would ratify the UNCRC and with it would mean that unelected officials at the EU and the UN would be allowed to rewrite Irish law.
“The lead principle of it (the UNCRC) is the best interests of the child be determined by the State,” she said. “In the natural order, the parents decide the best interests of the child”.
Sinnott also said that there were a “huge amount of people waking up” to the dangers of the proposed amendment.
“People who are are aware (of its repercussions) are very worried. I am getting phone calls all the time now,” she said. ”Most people don’t know what it’s about. If they did, they would be very concerned.”
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Sadly I believe the general perception of our garda is of a largely inefficient and disinterested force, which is sadly true IMHO.
@Nick: The perception of gardai has little to do with reality. There has been a political will to undermine the gardai for almost two decades now. That manifests itself in the mainstream press on an almost daily basis.
My experience of dealing with gardai has been largely positive as has that of most of the people I know. Though unlike some I don’t walk into a garda station expecting miracles. Certainly rank and file gardai Atleast deserve a lot more respect than they currently get from some in Irish society though there are usually agendas at play when gardai are being criticised.
Every organisation has bad eggs. The average person in ireland probably thinks many gardai are under investigation right now because of the amount of press they get. In reality very few are and they are usually cleared not because of a corrupt system but because they’ve done nothing wrong. If every other organisation was subject to the same scrutiny I would think similar issues and perhaps even greater (or far greater) numbers of problems would arise.
People also need to remember that the gardai are investigated by and accountable to a number of politically appointed bodies who receive high volumes of press every time they do or say anything negative about the gardai and usually before anything is past the allegation stage let alone proven.
People need to support the gardai instead of moaning about them online, recording them etc if they truly want the service to improve.
Comments like the one above are typical of entitled people who feel the need to do nothing all day except point fingers.
Maybe people should stop saying “what are you doing?” and start saying “what am I doing?”. It might lead to a happier existence…
@John D: Well said John D
@John D:
A few bad eggs? The garda commissioner framed a garda sergeant, accusing him of being a Peadophile, where is he now?
@John D: I’ll raise your singular experience and throw in 100s of the above calls, money missing from station (drugs as well) McCabe, rugby, press and politicians having points dismissed, donegal corruption, phones of commissioners going missing, a 14 year old child being beaten for walking down the road etc. The Garda have so many issues is it any wonder confidence is low. I feel sorry for the few good apples but to say that the force is good is questionable at best. Stinks in all ranks, needs to be reformed with a bulldozer. There is huge problems in the force and it needs to be spoke about as change will never materialize or be acted upon. Call it what it is ’a mess’ sometimes their fault but mostly politicians for using them and doing nothing in the other hand.
@John D: Your points are very well made and very true . Of course those who continually run down the Guards an complain have an agenda. Firstly, I acknowledge that there are some lazy people in the Organization,- they are spread around in every Division ,– just as there are Lazy workers All over the Public Service . There are also some who can become compromised, and do wrong,- as happens in other Organizations too. But 99% are determined to do the right thing and do it to the best of their ability .
Where is the accountability when Garda Commissioners, Ministers for Justice and Secretary Generals and senior civil servants in Dept of Justice (and the rest) can retire on full pension at any time? Ireland is run by a self entitled, self supporting ruling class wrapped up in the disguise of a Republic?
@Neil Neart:
They can’t retire on full pension at any time. There’s specific lengths of service before you can retire on a full pension, which by the way is paid into, too.
(Just like those who don’t realise that a teacher’s salary in the summer is deducted throughout the year to pay for that)
@Neil Neart: even get free legal aid madness.
@Peter: Of course there are periods of service and there is the facility for pension top ups to “get rid of without public disclosure” or “washing of dirty laundry”. Any fair minded person knows exactly what retire at any time means in the context of the article and the comment. Nit picking contributes nothing to public debate.
@Peter: Not until they have done 35 years in job
@Mary Nugent: I am quite certain Gardai would love to see Free Legal Aid abolished,people might not be so quick to go to court if it was,it’s a joke that Free Legal Aid even exists
@Jim Harrington: a joke that everyone, no matter their background or socio-economic situation, has a constitutional right to defend themselves? Really? A joke? Ok then… maybe we should save the expense of the trial too while we are at. If the gardai suspect you strongly enough, straight to prison. Sure that would be even more cost efficient and a bigger deterrent to crime would it not? Some people on here need to think before they type.
@Neil Neart: But why pick on Dept. of Justice and people employed there. Just look at the Vast amounts of money that are being paid out every week to Children that have been damaged at Birth . Is there anyone Ever held accountable there ??, Do Doctors, Surgeons, Consultants , or anyone else EVER face Sanctions . ??? . HSE will bring Unfortunate Parents all the way to the steps of the High Court, then make a settlement — mostly without admission of wrong . This to me is a far bigger scandal on an ongoing basis .
Gardai work under terrible conditions,12 to 15 hour shifts which are illegal,where is health and safety,they do not have typists so every incident has to be written out by hand twice and sometimes 3 times,to satisfy our antiqueted justice system,there union GRA may as well not be there ,Gardai were one of the last frontline staff to get Vaccinated ,shame on Drew Harris who doesn’t care about his staff and also the Justice Minister,bet they won’t get the booster, Our media should investigate how our Gardai are treated,but it wouldn’t sell enough Papers it would make interesting viewing on Prime Time investigates,but then Gardai are silenced and cannot speak out,now I do not agree with the corruption that has gone on.
@Jim Harrington: wouldn’t rely on the media. They closed the comments last week on the articles about assaults on gardai and mental health withing gardai. Happy to open it though when there is anything negative. The only number used in this is 200k . A hyperbole. No break down of what shouldn’t and shouldn’t of been cancelled etc.
Stick to the subject ! No trust in Gardai anymore to carry out their duties responsibly.
Wonder if they checked how many of these 999 calls were the same person ringing on several occasions at the time of the incident , which happens and is understandable, this would account for many cancelled 999 calls
@Jim Harrington: this was released to the media by the PA before an audit was even complete and an apology given by the commissioner before it was even investigated. When that happens the initial statement which is often false or inflated will stick out in the minds of everyone and the true story or result won’t matter to most.
@Jim Harrington: Christ your really clutching at straws.
When it comes to the public sector there is little or no accountability. What normal rational person could ever think that cancelling an emergency call was acceptable.
If it was nordic country , Germany or France – the whole department would get sacked along with the management.
What decade is the call taking system from…1980….1990…2000…2010
Not one mention here ? Maybe the PA should be investigated.itself.
Emperor has no cltohes Brigade, its probably 605 of the issue.
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