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EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we take a look at all the best comments left on the site by our readers over the past seven days.
This week there was a lot of talk about the general election, water charges and a €90 million office development in Cork.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. When the Taoiseach apologised for the ‘whingers’ remark he made in Castlebar, Niall Duffy commented:
I reckon his handlers got a hold of him over the weekend and told him to keep his mouth shut
That one got 1,192 green thumbs.
2. On another election-related article, jane got 1,170 green thumbs for this remark about Tánaiste Joan Burton:
She has been a disaster in the leaders debates.
3. After the last 18 months of a seven-year sentence handed down to a man described as a “menace to society” were suspended so he could reform himself, David Peate wrote:
reform??? after 166 convictions??? ask me hole
That one got 1,120 likes.
4. After the mass water charges protest in Dublin last weekend, Gerry Ryan deG got 992 green thumbs for this comment:
I paid water charges in the 1990’s, remember the day well, paying over money I could have done with to support the family.
My neighbours didn’t bother paying.
The Govt changed and water charges were abolished.
Did I get a refund, No I Didn’t.
Were my neighbours pursued for the debt, No they were’nt.
Did I pay water charges this time, Like Fcuk I Did.
While there’s a Party or candidates running in this election promising to get rid of water charges, history tells me that only a Fool would pay.
5. In the same thread, Valthebear wrote:
I have worked all my life and never ever claimed a penny off the state. Was proud to march today
Some 944 people approved.
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Thousands take to the streets for Right2Change rally in Dublin (400 comments)
2. ‘The one thing I’m certain of is that we’re not at 4%’ – Howlin plays down latest opinion poll (381 comments)
3. As it happened: The final leaders’ debate of the 2016 general election (321 comments)
4. Relief for Fine Gael as latest poll sees Kenny and co make gains (313 comments)
5. Muslim woman has bottle thrown at her in racist Dublin attack (300 comments)
Standout comments
News of a massive €90 million office development planned for Cork city sparked an interesting discussion in the comments section.
China Photo Daily wrote:
Good news for Cork but you’d have to worry about the trend of companies leaving the city centre for industrial estates in the suburbs. One Albert Quay looks great but across the river you have hundreds of feet of empty office space. My friend was working for Bord Gais and they were the last company to move out of a now completely empty office building a two minute walk away from One Albert.
While Cal Cryton added:
Looks good. 360,000 sq feet should provide employment for 4,000 workers.
More high density developments in the centre of Cork & Dublin please. And we need some tall buildings, we don’t want the whole of our city centres to look like low rise business parks.
Under a DailyEdge article about the distinctive smells of Dublin, Beano wrote this evocative comment:
Ah I remember the smell of the old John Player factory in Tallaght. You also had the Jacobs factory up the road. A mix between fags and fig rolls. Magical times
During the week, Carlow-Kilkenny election hopefuls were put through a series of unusual challenges by KCLR 96FM, such as handling a snake and performing squats.
Eyepopper was not impressed, writing:
“The candidates were then put through a bout of exercise, performing squats while local fitness trainer Paulie Ward waved pizza in their faces.” Meanwhile, the bones of Connolly, Collins & Pearse were discovered in a remote location in Australia, after investigation it was found that the most likely explanation was they were spinning so fast in their graves that they managed to tunnel through to the other side of the planet.
https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/10154121494004238/
When footage of 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin dancing with Barack and Michelle Obama was shared by the White House, Dermot Lane had a very Irish response:
Good woman! Keep her lit!
Under a post about good work habits, Kevin Ryan wrote:
Pro career tip: don’t get caught spending ages reading and commenting on TheJournal.ie
Speaking of things that happen in offices, Kirk Van Houten had this to say:
I’m the one who brings the fish dinners into where I work, I don’t even eat them I just hate my co workers
Side note: How is Milhouse doing, Kirk?
Upon hearing the news that Dublin Bus was selling a load of old double-deckers, John commented:
You wait ages for a bus and then 84 come together, typical !!
*claps*
https://vine.co/v/i6hYZ5AYhEp
Given the week that’s in it, we’ll leave the last word to Tommy Chen, who had this to say about TV3′s steady hand challenge with political leaders:
I definitely made up my mind about who to vote for after this
See any good comments? Email them to orla@thejournal.ie.
Maybe stop worrying about their human rights and ban visits and block phone signals,add 5 years for every time a phone is found in thier cells
Death squads, we need death squads.
How much would that additional sentence cost the tax payer Ciaran and over crowd the prisons so that people with many convictions for minor crimes would continue to walk from court with a slap on the wrist as there’s no space for them in prison
There is technology to ban mobile phone signals and they should visiting from those with criminal convictions. I’d imagine that would hamper gangs massively
Wasn’t that tech to block mobile signals supposed to have been rolled out 2 years ago or is it my imagination? No doubt claimed as another ‘achievement’ in government by the coalition, that actually never happened!
Actually touted last year
Just like the US only over here the gangs don’t ever do hard time
Regulate the drugs market and they will feel it in the pocket.
For Jasus sake will you go away out of that with your auld common sense.
Solitary or wings/areas just for members of infidelity gangs. This would provide security for weaker prisoners, prevent gang members attacking one another (and remember when that happens prison officers have to go in) there is a very good chance that gang members would attack their own members which isn’t a bad thing either. Finally keep them banged up in cells and only allow out for one hour a day, food brought to cells and eaten in their if it’s gone cold by time trolly gets to them tough. Slightest infringement of prison regs loss of privileges eg no TV or radio, no sweets, chocolate, cigs, tobacco, tea, coffee except when served at mealtimes. Solitary exercise. In short incentive s to behave
Exactly this isn’t new news, Most on phones and these guys are safer in jail. Building up a fortune to hit the sun when they get out.
If you are in jail for crimes that infringe on the human rights of others then part of the punishment should be an infringement of your own rights. I don’t mean torture or anything extreme but as it stands you can’t breath on these criminals without fear of violating their rights.
Build prisons in the arse of nowhere, should stop drugs and phones getting in
Reopen Spike Island.
Tell us something new!
I think those gangs in jail watched the movie goodfellas to many times
And this is news? The dogs on the street are even aware of this and only short of building a proper and purpose built prison will it end, patching up Victorian institutions is pointless.
Reap what you sow. Years of appeasement and a policy of keeping them happy to avoid trouble. This country is too soft.
Solitary or wings/areas just for members of infidelity gangs. This would provide security for weaker prisoners, prevent gang members attacking one another (and remember when that happens prison officers have to go in) there is a very good chance that gang members would attack their own members which isn’t a bad thing either. Finally keep them banged up in cells and only allow out for one hour a day, food brought to cells and eaten in their if it’s gone cold by time trolly gets to them tough. Slightest infringement of prison regs loss of privileges eg no TV or radio, no sweets, chocolate, cigs, tobacco, tea, coffee except when served at mealtimes. Solitary exercise. In short incentive s to behave
The problem here is Prison staff are afraid of the prisoners instead of the other way around so they close their eyes to a lot of the activities. When a prisoner leaves Jail he should be so terrified of the place that he will never reoffend but it’s like a holiday home for these guys .The wardens need to be retrained for the job and if they can’t hack it send them packing .
Donal. On the contrary the vast majority of Prison Officers have no fear of inmates. It is the way the system is currently designed that is the problem. Officers can only do so much where the system is out of balance in favour of the inmate. It suits nobody if the system is out of balance in either direction. What has been lost over the decades is that one is sent to Prison as punishment and as such the loss of many rights and privileges enjoyed by those on the outside would have been standard. The Prison System itself is not solely at fault for this but the entire Judcial system. A prime example of this is the Prisoner Complaints system. An inmate can make a complaint of serious misconduct against any Officer without fear of any meaningful punishment if that complaint is found to be false and malicious. Another (which may seem small and insignificant to many) is the inmates right to wear there own clothes. For inmates this is huge. For them wearing the latest designer fashions is a way for them to show off to one another and provide them with a sense of individuality. Decades ago Prison Uniform was standard for all inmates irregardless of their status. Every inmate had the same stuff in their cell in the same quantity and quality as everyone else. Today that has all changed. In the drive towards inmates welfare and rights, discipline, order and conformity has been left sorely lagging behind. So for the system to work effectively that balance needs to returned.
Mick you hit the nail on the head thank you for your comment that makes more sense ,the balance seems to be with the criminal. The prison uniform should be highlighted more but of course the government will have to spend money and we know that won’t happen.
As a quote from The Wire states,
“If you can’t win the war against drugs in a prison, what chance do you have of doing it on the streets. ”
Slightly unrelated but it still speaks volumes.
Lots of space in The Curragh
Time to start contemplating privitizing the prisons. More spaces would lead to more time being served. Then sort out the crap sentences.
Unknown. Private Prisons have proved to be an utter disaster for staff, inmates and taxpayers where they have been tried. Ever wonder why the majority of countries in the world don’t use them?
There’s a man that votes fine gael, up enda
Explains their mobiles so? lol.
have your say