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PEOPLE WON’T BE able to enjoy Christmas if there is a threat of another lockdown “hanging over them”, according to former housing minister and Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Murphy called for a change in government policy when it comes to handling the Covid-19 crisis.
His comments come a day after the Taoiseach confirmed to his party that a Dáil debate will take place on Tuesday in relation to how the government proceeds in lifting Level 5 restrictions.
A final decision from government is due by the end of next week, after the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) meet on Thursday.
Tensions are once again rising among members of NPHET and senior government officials.
While it is not the first time, there is growing sense is some government circles that the words of NPHET is confusing the messaging, and shifting power towards the public health team.
Throughout this pandemic, there have been concerns in the background in relation to public health experts pronouncing what should be done on the national airwaves, when policy, and the advice given to the public, should ultimately be coming from government.
Just one week out from the lifting of Level 5 restrictions, pressure is on the Taoiseach to ensure Christmas can be meaningful for people, while also balancing the public health aspect.
Pressure has also been mounting on Micheál Martin to set out that the country will not return to another lockdown after Christmas.
Addressing the issue today, Murphy said people “despaired at the thought of Level 5 for six weeks”.
“They look forward to it being lifted… but they know they are not going to enjoy the Christmas period because the threat of another lockdown will be hanging over them for the entire month,” he said.
“As people go about meeting family and friends, and enjoying the festive season, all they will see is the likelihood of another lockdown increasing,” said the Dublin Bay South TD.
Change in policy
The Fine Gael TD called for a change of government policy, stating that “a change in policy is not to admit a policy is wrong, it is just to admit that things have changed, and they have changed”.
“Our understanding of the virus has changed, our ability to combat the virus has changed, our understanding of the damage of a lockdown versus the risks of the virus has changed and our expectations on a vaccine has changed,” he added.
Murphy said it is now time to change the plan, stating that the Taoiseach should “commit to a strategy of no more lockdowns”, and no more levels as set out in the government’s Living with Covid-19 plan.
He called for a “no lockdown strategy” to be announced by the Taoiseach next week, stating there are other ways now to keep people safe while living with the virus.
Murphy is not alone in his call, with a number of other TDs making such arguments this week at the party’s private meetings held last night.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach told his parliamentary party meeting that people will be able to have an enjoyable, meaningful and safe Christmas.
He said personal behaviour will be important over the festive period, and a level of trust will be placed on the public stay safe.
Reopening after Level 5
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the government has a critical decision to make in the next week. He said people should be allowed to return to work, perhaps one day per week.
Shops, gyms and churches should also reopen for people’s mental health, he said.
He said: “What we need to do as we return now is to promote the controlled environments, that includes the reopening of retail.
“I would also argue the likes of a gallery or a gym or a golf course or a church, there are so many aspects in our daily life that are really important to our mental health and wellbeing, which are safe.”
Hands down.. Mad Max: Fury Road. The entire movie was one goodnight Chase scene and not one piece of CGI. I was exhausted leaving the cinema after it. G.O.A.T
@Peter Cavey: *giant
@Peter Cavey: great shout Peter. It is a class movie.
Prisoners was a great one that doesn’t get a lot of mentions.
@The Guru: great movie to be fair .
@The Guru: bloody brilliant movie. Very under rated with an amazing cast
@The Guru: I started it and stopped for some reason. I’ll have to revisit it!
Moneyball
@KilkennyProud: a really good film. Everyone was excellent in it.
The Hatefull Eight
Toy Story 3 was a classic, Ladybird was a powerful movie, The Joker was good in parts but not the best, Deadpool was one the best movies of the past 20 years, The remake of A Star is born was very good but my favourite movie of the past decade is inception,now that will go down in history as one of the greats.
Three i really enjoyed were wind river, manchester by the sea and three billboards
Night Crawler was really good.
Joker.
Acting performance of the decade from Joachim Phoenix.
@Nicky O’Donnell: Agree with you there. Unbelievable acting
Wolf, purely for the sneer on the di Caprios face when he’s in the zone making one of his speeches… pure class…
Sing Street, such a fantastic movie
Whiplash
“It Follows” was excellent. Very original story and terrifying too!
@Ruairí O’Mahony: great choice. Thought it was a very clever horror
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
@Joe Counihan: GET OUT !!!!
@Charlie: it’s gone from the cinema with ages. YAWN
Loved the last two Avengers movies. But Inception and Shutter Island were definite stand outs.
@Joe Soap: Good shout on Shutter Island. Excellent.
Inception.
That ending was unreal
And the soundtrack was epic .
Get Out, Mad Max Fury Road, Joker, Inception.
Foxcatcher. Fantastic movie
The Shape Of Water. Beautiful film
@Bridget O’Hanlon: Very Good Shout !!
Deepwater Horizon
Deadpool
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Saving Mr.Banks
@Mick: thanks Da
Such a magnificent decade for Science Fiction… Arrival and Bladerunner 2049, both outstanding in every aspect so really looking forward to Dune in 2020… Interstellar blew my mind and is one of my favourite films of all time, the father/daughter relationship really sat well with me at the time… And I am happy with the Star Wars sequel trilogy in the end, the Force Awakens was just a great time in the cinema and a cracking reboot, The Last Jedi looked amazing and was a good film, but the story choices were somewhat strange, The Rise of Skywalker tried to ignore The last jedi and ended up an entertaining if completely convoluted mess of a film, but it definitely had its moments….
I hated Wolf of Wallstreet. Im not prudish but i just thought it was so gross, Jonah Hill is pure yuk and Leonardo may be a good actor but hes such a slimeball along with the rest of the cast that i cant root for anyone in this film. I think its one of Scorsese’s worst ever. And before people say well you cant really root for anyone in any of his films, thats not really true, they are all unlikable for the most part but you still kind of root for Henry Hill and feel sorry for Travis Bikle
Das boot the German virsion
Deadpool.
The Big short watched it a few times now really good account of the financial crash.
My favourite movie of the decade was Spotlight in 2015. Very deserving of its Oscar wins.
Angry birds
My 2 year old sat through the whole of it engrossed and actually cried when it finished
Rouge One
Great decade for horror. Way too many to mention but Red State, Big Bad Wolves, It Follows, Heredity, The Witch and Mandy (yes Mandy with Nicholas Cage) were all instant classics. Dr Sleep with that bloke from Trainspotting was a bag of dog coks.
Django unchained for me closely followed by spotlight for personal reasons although a superb movie in its own right..
I Saw The Devil
In no particular order:
Interstellar, Dunkirk, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Drive, Black Swan, Her, Rush, Inception, Three Billboards
The 1 where the guy with the fancy English sounding voice was laughing at the other rich guy who robbed all the money with the fancy English sounding girlfriend. FAI the Life of me I just can’t remember the name of it. OR that other new 1 where Harry Potter is given a sack load of money to build a brand new hospital for the sick kids and poor old Harry gets it all wrong again and again. Hold on, maybe its the 1 where all the good people that served their country for years were left to die in corridors as their masters laughed all the way to the travel agency….. Can’t really remember the name of the last 1. Was very sad though. Very very sad.
Not into any of those films – so dark most of them. Favourite films – Wonder Woman, Knight and Day, Brooklyn, The Guard ( dark but hilarious and brilliant), Black Panther, Star Trek ( the first one ). Also just don’t get the fascination with Leonardo DiCaprio – good when he was younger but for me he never grew into himself and the back story to Wolf of Wall Street very seedy.
The Revenant, The Fighter and for the kids I really enjoyed Trolls and Ugly Dolls.
Machete. Quite simply, they fu**ed with the wrong Mexican
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