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KEVIN VICKERS IS probably one of the better known diplomats in this country.
Before he became Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, he came to international attention when he stopped a terrorist attack at the Canadian parliament building in 2014.
25-year-old Muslim convert Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed a Canadian soldier on the steps of the building before attempting to enter it. Vickers, who was Sergeant-at-Arms of the parliament at the time, led the security team during the operation and shot the gunman dead.
This year, he was under the spotlight again after he tackled a protester who interrupted a ceremony to commemorate British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising.
Vickers came up against criticism for his intervention, but in an interview with TheJournal.ie, he said he was acting on instinct, having worked as a police officer for most of his adult life.
“I grew up since I was 19 in the guards and I received extensive, extensive training and provided close security to heads of state from around the world throughout my careers so I’m trained to instinctively respond to incidents and I think probably the incident in Ottawa as well as the incident [here] it’s not me thinking it’s just an instinctive response that I reacted with my training,” he explained.
You know I often think if I was a cardiologist, for example, and somebody took a heart attack in front of me, would I stop and think:’Well what are the repercussions here?’ You just intuitively act given your training and your profession.
Vickers also said he was impressed by “the love the Irish people have” for gardaí.
“I say that based on many, many conversations I’ve had all over Ireland and you know I think the guards are blessed,” he said.
“I’ve got to know Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and I think Ireland is blessed to have a person such as her calibre and character to be in charge of the guards, and they are Ireland’s guardian angels and they’re these communities’ guardian angels and they’re revered as such in all the communities I go to.”
Vickers remained diplomatic when asked what he thought about Donald Trump, stating he was “intrigued of all the different readings about the individual”.
I heard an interesting interview, one of our previous prime ministers Brian Mulroney was interviewed about him just the past week it was on our national news where he was of the view – Prime Minister Mulroney was of the view – that a lot of the election comments was electioneering rhetoric and that perhaps that given a chance he will do okay. So, I’m hoping for everyone that may be the case.
‘A person of values’
He had more to say, however, about his own country’s leader Justin Trudeau, who is a personal friend of his. Trudeau is widely regarded as a progressive leader, and has been strong on issues like immigration, climate change and gender equality.
Since November last year, more than 28,000 Syrian refugees have been welcomed to Canada. He has frequently referred to himself as a feminist and backed up that statement when he became Prime Minister last year and appointed a completely gender-balanced Cabinet.
Trudeau has also spoken in favour of legalising marijuana, having admitted to smoking it himself in the past.
“Justin is first and foremost a person of values, the values that come to my mind right off the bat would be honesty and integrity and he always had, I guess I would describe it as a concern for a less fortunate people, and so I think that its evidence in his priorities and how he conducts himself,” Vickers said.
The ambassador said Trudeau’s mother Margaret, who was herself an activist and who he described as a “wonderful, remarkable lady”, may have had some influence on his concern for women.
“He is just a very principled young man and I think Canadians are very proud that he is now our Prime Minister and he is taking these stands.”
There’s many, many tools in the toolbox, and those tools can include tools such as understanding, dialogue, compassion, education, a tool of enforcement or you know military involvement is a tool of last resort, and I think that is where he is at as well.
Irish heritage
Vickers has strong Irish connections, with his mother’s family hailing from Bantry and his father’s family coming from Arklow and Portlaoise.
“The people in Arklow will tell you that’s where I’m from and if you enquire with Minister Charlie Flanagan he’ll tell you that I’m from Laois,” he joked.
Where I’m from in Miramichi, New Brunswick, everybody is Irish, everybody is Irish. Primarily from west Cork but the names primarily at home that you would find are Hennessy, Driscoll, McCarthy, Walsh, Butler. Not only do we have the same names, I’ve since found out, that we actually look like one another, if you go down to Bantry or Skibberean and walk into a coffee shop you could be at home in Miramichi. The mannerisms of people as well are very much congruent very, very remarkably alike.
He credited the reputation Canadian people have for being friendly to this Irish heritage, which he said had a “tremendous impact on Canada in formation of our values”.
“So you know people say ‘you’re Canadian’ and yes I’m Canadian, but I feel just as much that I’m Irish, and I think many Canadians are that way.”
Forrest Gump must be closing in on Bill Gates at this rate
Not bad for Forest as his Apple letter was dated before Apple actually began selling any shares. Forest truely is special.
He could have been a venture capitalist who invested in the company before it went public. Would have made even more money that way.
My income tax would be lower if Apple actually paid their full 12 1/2℅ tax. Well, unless our gangsters in the Dail give it to our Rothschild/private bond holders.
The best thing about the new iphone coming up is it’ll kill off the Garth Brooks stories
What’s this about Garth Brooks?
Unless he gets one, then there could be the perfect storm. The Journal ‘towers’ would explode in orgy of ctrl-c ctrl-v, it would be like something from an Hieronymus Bosch painting
My revenue would not be near as good as Apples but it would be liveable if I didn’t pay taxes
Silly story! If you compared the profits of most successful companies towards their total staff and apply the figures through a per capita rating, you’d get similar results. All the same, maybe the might loan us a few bob…
Hush, John. It’s the start of Apple season on the Journal, expect blanket coverage, and incendiary articles, until the launch of the iPhone 6 in September.
Quarterly profit of 7.7 billion but it’s 600 million less than expected. Wouldn’t you just hate to be Apple right now.
Apples profits are based on semi slave labour – and not something to boast about .
Many are made in Chian at Foxconn factories
”On June 14th, a Foxconn worker jumped to his death from his apartment building in Chengdu, marking the 18th reported worker suicide at Foxconn factories in China in just over two years[1]. Many additional suicides may have gone unreported[2][3]. But these deaths and the focus on conditions at Foxconn reflect only a portion of the troubling conditions at Apple suppliers.
This investigation of other Apple suppliers in China reveals that serious work-related injuries and worker suicides are by no means isolated to just Foxconn but exist throughout Apple’s supply chain. For example, we found that at least two workers committed suicide at Flextronics[4]’ factories last year[5][6] (Ganzhou and Zhuhai) and that upwards of 59 workers were injured in explosions at Riteng’s Shanghai factory last December[7] (both are Apple’s suppliers). More broadly, this investigation of ten different Apple factories in China finds that harmful, damaging work environments characterized by illegally long hours for low levels of pay are widespread in Apple’s supply, with working conditions frequently worse at suppliers other than Foxconn. We also document for the first time the tremendous problems caused by the use of ‘labour dispatching’ by Apple suppliers in China…
This is Bangladesh all over again – low wages – long hours – and the author of this report has nerve to compare the profits with Bangladesh where their have been tragedies and many deaths as well – and again western suppliers take no responsibility – despite their claims – for the hours and wages that workers have to put up with
- Oh and this is the direction in which we are headed – the race to the bottom – Yes – great news .
We should be boycotting these products .
Lot of talk about boycotting Israeli products – seems an easy target – but the things we use ourselves ??
Number of suicides in Foxconn factories (according to your story above, not attributed anywhere): 18 in two years out of a total workforce of over 1 million. That gives a rate of 0.9 suicides per 100,000 per year.
Current suicide rate in China: 9.8 per 100,000
(Figures from 2009-2011. Source: http://www.economist.com/news/china/21605942-first-two-articles-chinas-suicide-rate-looks-effect-urbanisation-back)
This is old news and has been discussed in great depth many times over. Apple has been the focus of such stories, as its iPhone is the top selling smartphone brand. As a result, it has been at the forefront in trying to improve conditions for workers. It has been working with the Fair Labor Association (www.fairlabor.org) to audit its facilities in the China supply chain. There are still challenges to be met, and it isn’t just Apple who can solve them. It’s a problem that affects the entire consumer electronics industry. So if you buy an iPhone or a Samsung phone or whatever brand of smartphone, chances are it will have come through the Chinese supply chain.
@jim, spot on.
Statistics, statistics – not a very honest story, sorru
Tim Cook says he “can’t wait” to show Apple fanboys their new products in September.
If you believe that, I have a really cool limited edition invisible, non-tactile iPad for sale…
Does that figure include the amount they are tax dodging as well. Parasites.
apple, like many large american corporations, would, under American tax laws, be liable to taxation when they repatriate profits back into the USA. This is unfair as thru have already paid tax at source in the country where the profit was made. Why should they pay tax twice. They have a duty to their shareholders to maximise profit legitimately.
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