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 Budget, Ebola and Irish Water (obviously).
So here are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. News emerged this week that the two teenagers who left Austria to marry ISIS fighters want to come home. Fliuch it got 2,913 thumbs up for saying:
Have they just figured out that moving to a war zone and marrying into a culture where women are second class is a bad idea? Geniuses
2. The international media noticed last weekend’s anti-water charges march and Silent Majority got 2,595 for pointing out why this is important.
Euronews’ observation is very relevant. We’ve endured increasing taxes, deteriorating services, less job security etc. with relatively good grace over the past few years of austerity and have rarely protested this added hardship in great numbers. Bearing that in mind, it would be very foolish to ignore yesterday’s march – we’re not like the French, we don’t protest every little thing, but when we do speak up we do mean it, and we won’t be ignored.
3. Peter King – and 2,472 of our readers – were happy to see a man lose a court battle with MCD over suffering a broken leg at Oxegen.
Nice to see common sense winning this one for a change.
4. Gerard Casserly isn’t the only one unimpressed with Irish Water. 2,458 readers aren’t either.
Clearly making it up as they go along
5. Budget 2015 saw the partial comeback of the Christmas Bonus but that wasn’t a good news story for Gerry Ryan, who received 2,374 thumbs up for this comment.
“Social welfare recipients will receive a 25% bump in their holiday week payment in the form of the Christmas Bonus.” What about people who get up off their ar*e and work, any chance of a 25% tax break at Christmas for us!!
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Tens of thousands take to the streets of Dublin to protest against water charges (488 comments)
2. Opinion: Changes to abortion laws should be decided by referendum – with balanced information for voters (412 comments)
3. Poll: Did yesterday’s water charges protest have an effect on you? (318 comment)
4. Mary Lou McDonald has been turfed out of the Dáil… (314 comments)
5. I’m a landlord, and my tenant won’t pay water charges … Who’s liable? (299 comments)
The big issue this week
One of the big talking points from Budget 2015 was the price hike – to €10 – of a pack of cigarettes. Banga Ncube says:
Giving up cigarettes could save you a small fortune; giving up could also save your life.
And Daz Kelly had some advice
So glad I quit last year. €10 people. It’s time to get off em. It’s hard done but worth it.
I found app cessation nation handy. You can pop in and see how much you saved and how many fags not smoked and time off them. And there is games to distract when you get craving. because supposedly craving last 5mins. I’m not preaching though. I know how hard it is.
Others had already quit. Elaine Fitzpatrick and thetruth noted:
When I gave them up a pack of 20 were €6.45
When I Started a pack of 10 were 90p
Pack of 10 when i started where 1.26. Me ma knew i smoked cos i borrowed this amount from her
To which Justin Devaney responded:
You could have been buying 100 fizzy cola bottles and a can of LILT
Joke of the week
A man in America claimed he found this in his McDonald’s cup:
Art Vandelay says:
Aw, a little Mcfurry…
Some top punning here from Shane Mac Sweeney, Shane Walsh and Stephen.
Some of our favourite comments
There was much debate about Apple and Facebook’s reported move that they will pay for their workers to have their eggs frozen. Laoise Lou says:
Careers should fit around families not the other way round.If equal maternity and paternity leave was given and jobs were shared properly upon return to the workplace then there would be no need nor a want to freeze eggs for this purpose.
Eel Knack Mole had this to say about An Post’s deadly new stamps.
Magnificent, though sonic stamps should ensure swifter delivery
This is part of the CV of Jean Tirole, the man who just received the Nobel Prize for Economics. Hakuin Murphy asked:
Yeah but can he do it against Stoke on a wet Tuesday in February?
Spot any good comments? Send them on to sinead@thejournal.ie
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