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AGUS AON RUD á léamh faoin Aontas Eorpach (an tAontas), ní fada go dtosófar ag cur ceisteanna ina leith.
Cad é go díreach an difear idir an Coimisiún, an Pharlaimint agus an Chomhairle? Cén ceann ag a bhfuil an cumhacht is mó? Cé chomh daonlathach atá siad? Agus cén chaoi, i ndáiríre, a n-oibríonn siad?
Léirítear go minic iad i gceannlínte mar fhorais faire agus mar fheidhmitheoirí; an tseachtain seo caite, ghearr an Coimisiún Eorpach fíneáil ollmhór €1.8 billiún ar Apple as dlí an Aontais a bhriseadh maidir le sruthú ceoil.
Ach ní bhíonn sé go hiomlán soiléir cad é a bhíonn ar siúl ag na hinstitiúidí seo an t-am ar fad – rud a mbaineann tábhacht ar leith leis faoi láthair nuair a smaoinítear ar shíorathrú a gcuid ról agus an tAontas ag dul i ngleic leis na hathruithe polaitiúla is mó, b’fhéidir, go dtí seo, amhail méadú agus cosaint, ó bunaíodh é i ndiaidh an Dara Cogadh Domhanda.
Mar sin, faoi dheireadh is faoi dheoidh, seo é gach ní a gcaithfear a bheith ar an eolas faoi maidir le cad iad príomhinstitiúidí pholaitiúla an Aontais Eorpiagh agus cén chaoi a n-oibríonn siad.
Is institiúidí ar leith iad an Chomhairle Eorpach agus Comhairle an Aontais Eorpaigh, atá lonnaithe san fhoirgneamh céanna sa Bhruiséil, an Bheilg, rud atá ina ábhar mearbhaill.
Mar sin, cad atá iontu? Go simplí, is an Chomhairle Eorpach a shocraíonn an clár oibre san Aontas Eorpach. Is é sin an chéad chéim ar an dréimire fada arb ionann é agus an tAontas é féin.
Ceannairí de na 27 ballstát atá sa ghrúpa – agus is é sin, iarthaoiseach Leo Varadkar, Príomh Aire na hUngáire Viktor Órban, Seansailéir na Gearmáine Olaf Scholz agus mar sin de, chomh maith le hUachtarán na Comhairle Eorpaí, atá mar pholaiteoir leasaitheach na Beilge Charles Michel.
Buaileann an grúpa le chéile ceithre huaire in aghaidh na bliana sa Bhruiséil chun treoir agus clár oibre an Aontais a leagan amach.
Léirítear i dtuariscí nuachta Varadkar agus ceannairí Eorpacha eile ag labhairt le tuairsiceoirí agus iad ag dul isteach sna cruinnithe sin chun cúrsaí is déanaí an lae a phlé.
Is gnách a ndéanann an Chomhairle Eorpach cinntí de réir comhaontaithe, rud a fhágann nach gcuireann aon duine de na ceannairí in éadain ghlacadh an bheartais nó an chinnidh maidir leis an gclár oibre.
I gcásanna sonracha ar leith, nuair nach mór don Chomairle cinneadh a dhéanamh faoi ghlacadh na ngníomhartha dlíthiúla, déanann an Chomhairle Eorpach cinneadh trí phróiseas vótála, rud a gcuireann an tUachtarán tús leis, de ghnáth.
Déantar é seo ar cheann de na trí bhealach seo a leanas:
● Aontoilíocht: I gcás nach gcuireann aon stát in éadain an ghlacaidh
● Tromlach cáilithe: I gcás ina n-aontaíonn 55%, nó 15 stát, leis an nglacadh
● Tromlach simplí: I gcás ina n-aontaíonn 50%, nó 14 stát, leis an nglacadh
Vótálfaidh an Chomhairle Eorpach trí phróiseas tromlaigh cáilithe agus an liosta á bunú do Chomhairle an Aontais nó nuair atá Feisire de Pharlaimint na hEorpa (FPE) nua nó Comisinéir nua á moladh agus vótálfaidh siad trí phróiseas tromlaigh simplí chun cinntí nós imeachta a ghlacadh le linn a cuid cruinnithe féin.
Is féidir leis sin a bheith ina údar achrainn nó easpa aontachta idir bhallstáit nuair a bhíonn tuairimí éagsúla ag rialtais éagsúla.
Bhí sampla ann le déanaí ina léiríodh an méid sin nuair a dhiúltaigh Viktor Órban, de chuid na hUngáire, pacáiste cúnaimh arb ionann é agus €50 billiún ar son na hÚcráine, moladh ar cháin ceannairí eile. Is féidir an chúis ina leith sin a fháil anseo.
Tá Comhairle an Aontais ar an taobh eile den dréimire. Cuimsítear leis an gComhairle na hairí eile ó gach stát (e.g. Airí Airgeadais, Airí Gnóthaí Eachtracha, etc) airí, in éineacht leis an bParlaimint, a mbíonn ag díospóireacht, ag déanamh cinntí agus ag plé i ndáil le cinntí reachtaíochta.
Is gá don ghrúpa bualadh le chéile roinnt uaireanta in aghaidh na míosa, ach ní bhíonn an grúpa céanna de dhaoine ann i gcónaí.
Leagfaidh an liosta thuasluaite, arna leagadh amach ag an gComhairle Eorpach, amach cé hiad na hairí a bhualfidh le chéile, cad iad na beartais a phléifear agus cathain a bheidh an cruinniú.
Rialacháin nua maidir le beartas an Aontais ar son na haeráide? Seolfaidh Éire An tAire Comhshaoil dá cuid.
Treoir nua maidir le beartais airgeadais? Tá An tAire Airgeadais ar an mbealach. Tarlaíonn roinnt de na cruinnithe seo le linn na gcruinnithe mullaigh, áit a mbuaileann na hairí go pearsanta sa Bhruiséil, agus reáchtáiltear an chuid eile go fíorúil.
Is ar an gcúis sin a thugtar Comhairle na nAirí ar Chomhairle an Aontais de ghnáth – ar mhaithe le haon éiginnteachta a sheachaint, is dócha.
Déanann rialtas Ballstáit éagsúla cathaoirleacht ar an ngrúpa gach sé mhí. Faoi láthair, is ag an mBeilg a bhfuil Uachtaránacht Chomhairle na nAirí.
Is gá don Uachtaránacht a chinntiú go bhfuil athruithe á gcur i gcrích, na hathruithe
ábhartha uile nach mór a dhéanamh i mBallstáit mar thoradh ar na cinntí a dhéantar.
Is é an uair dheireanach a bhí uachtaránacht ag Éirinn ná in 2013 agus is ansin ar tugadh cainteanna i láthair chun socruithe trádála an Aontais a bhunú leis na Stáit Aontaithe, ar cuireadh an buiséad Eorpach roimhe sin i gcrích agus ar cuireadh brú i dtreo cúnaimh forbartha a sheoladh chuig Mali, i measc nithe eile.
Agus sinn ag gluaiseacht síos céim amháin dár ndréimire samhailteach de chuid an Aontais, buailimid leis an gCoimisiún Eorpach. Dréachtaíonn an Coimisiún dlíthe, treoracha agus rialacháin a bhaineann leis an gclár oibre arna leagan amach ag ceannairí na mBallstát.
Tá 27 Coimisinéir sa Choimisiún, – ar a bhfeictear air mar sheomra Airí don Aontas – lena n-áirítear coimisinéir amháin as gach Ballstát, chomh maith le hUachtarán.
Déanann Uachtarán an Choimisiúin, polaiteoir na Gearmáine Ursula von der Leyen, i
láthair na huaire, cathaoirleacht ar an ngrúpa agus tá sé mar chúram uirthi a chinntiú go mbaineann na coimisinéirí uile a gcuid spriocdhátaí amach maidir lena mbealaí reachtaíochta faoi seach.
Ainmníonn an Chomhairle Eorpach iarrthóirí don Uachtarán agus vótálann an Pharlaimint ar son an iarrthóra ar ceart a bheith ina (h)Uachtarán as iad siúd atá
ainmnithe gach cúig bliana. Muna dtagann an Pharlaimint ar thromlach, beidh mí ansin ag an gComhairle iarrthóir nua a mholadh.
Tar éis don Uachtarán tofa a ainmniú, ainmneofar ansin na Coimisinéirí ar an gCoimisiún Eorpach. Is ar chomhaontú idir Comhairle na nAirí agus Uachtarán tofa an Choimisiúin a dhéantar an méid seo.
Is féidir féachaint ar an ngrúpa mar chomh-aireacht airí don Aontas, de réir mar a thugann na polaiteoirí is sinsearaí sa bhloc, de ghnáth, beartais i láthair agus de réir mar a mholtar iad.
Tugtar “Coláiste na gCoimisinéirí” ar an ngrúpa sin, mar chomharghrúpa. Is minic a
ainmníonn Éire TD nó FPE, a bhfuil seantaithí acu sna réimse sin, don ról, rud ar féidir leo freastail air sula dtéann siad ar scor – smaoinigh ar Phil Hogan nó Charlie McCreevy.
D’fhéadfadh an Coimisiún a bheith mar údar achrainn leis an bpobal, toisc gur dréachtaíodh dlíthe, a chuirfear i bhfeidhm sna Ballstáit níos déanaí, ag an t-aon grúpa polaiteoirí nach bhfuil tofa san Aontas.
Chomh luath agus a sheolfar an dréacht chuig an bParlaimint, áfach, is féidir leis an ngrúpa FPEnna é a sheoladh ar ais chuig an gCoimisiún leis an méid leasuithe a mheasfaidh siad a bheith raichtanach.
Baineadh curriarracht amach leis an nGníomh um an Intleacht Shaorga, a ceadaíodh le déanaí, rud a fhéachann chun ábhar a ghinntear le hIntleacht Shaorga agus úsáid na teicneolaíochta a rialú, maidir leis an méid leasuithe is mó a bheith ann agus é á sheoladh chuig an gCoimisiún i leith píosa reachtaíochta amháin an bhliain seo caite.
Nuair a thugann an Coimisiún an dréacht ar ais chuig na FPEnna ar bhealach a shásaíonn an tromlach, vótálann baill tofa an Aontais maidir le glacadh nó diúltú an dlí. Cuireann an cúlstop seo stop le aon iarracht ag coimisinéir aonair aon dlíthe a chur isteach dá stuaim féin.
Is í Parlaimint na hEorpa an dara pharlaimint is mó ar domhan agus tá 705 Feisire de Pharlaimint na hEorpa (FPE) ann as 27 Ballstát.
Méadófar líon na suíochán sa chéad toghchán eile i mí Meithimh go 720 suíochán. Dáiltear sé shuíochán ar a laghad ar gach tír sa Pharlaimint.
Roinntear an chuid eile idir bhallstáit bunaithe ar chéatadán de phobal an Aontais a chónaíonn sa tír.
Tá 13 FPEnna ag Éirinn faoi láthair agus déanann siad ionadaíocht do thrí thoghcheantar na hEorpa agus gheobhaidh siad suíochán breise do na toghcháin i mí Meithimh, rud a fhágann gurb ionann 14 agus líon FPEnna na hÉireann.
Nuair a thoghtar iad, téann FPEnna i gceann de na seacht ngrúpa parlaiminte lena léirítear luachanna a bpáirtí baile agus lena gcuimsítear polaiteoirí a bhfuil an dearcadh céanna acu.
Is comhalta bunaidh é Fine Gael de Pháirtí an Phobail Eorpaigh, grúpa coimeádach atá ar dheis ón lár. Tá Fianna Fáil ailínite faoi láthair agus is ball é den Ghrúpa Renew (tugtar an t-ainm ALDE orthu freisin go minic) ar grúpa liobrálach agus ar son na hEorpa é.
Tá Sinn Féin agus FPE neamhspleácha na hÉireann ailínithe le ‘Grúpa na Clé i bParlaimint na hEorpa’, grúpa sóisialacha ar chlaonadh clé. Is baill é an Comhaontú
Glas de Ghrúpa na nGlasach/na Saor-Chomhghuaillíochta Eorpaí, páirtí glas agus
réigiúnaíoch.
Vótálann an Pharlaimint freisin ar son an chéad Uachtarán eile do Choimisiún na hEorpa agus rachaidh siad i gcomhrialtas le chéile bunaithe ar na grúpaí parlaiminte a vótáil den chuid is mó ar son an iarrthóra chéanna.
Féachann FPEnna go n-ainmneoidh a ngrúpaí parlaiminte faoi seach iad chun ceann de choistí na Parlaiminte a shuí, áit a dtarlaíonn leasuithe molta, díospóireachtaí agus ina ndéantar rialacha agus reachtaíocht an dréachta a scrúdú.
Ainmneoidh cathaoirligh an choiste ‘rapórtéirí’ nach mór dóibh ansin a bheith i gceannas ar idirbheartaíochtaí leasaithe. Ainmnítear ‘scáthrapóirtéirí’ chun a bheith ina bhfreasúra.
Nuair a chomhaontaítear ar na leasuithe agus nuair a chomhaontaíonn an coiste chun tacú leo, tógann na rapóirtéirí reachtaíochta an dréachtreachtaíocht chuig an bparlaimint don chéad uair.
Tá dhá saghas bille ar féidir a thabhairt chun cinn don Pharlaimint: treoir nó rialachán.
Tá treoracha ina dtreoracha do Bhallstáit a leagan spriocanna amach do thíortha nach mór a chur i gcrích faoi spriocdháta a tugadh.
Threoraigh treoir nua, a fhéachann chun níos mó cosanta a chur ar fáil d’iriseoirí agus do chearta daonna i gcoinne cásanna dlíthiúla gan bhunús, Éire, le déanaí, chun dlíthe nua a thabhairt isteach lena ngabhann roinnt riachtanais, lena n-áirítear an ceart do chosantóir iarraidh ar dhíbhe luath.
Bíonn rialacháin i bhfad níos déine agus, nuair a chomhaontaítear iad, is minic a bhíonn siad inchurtha i bhfeidhm láithreach bonn agus d’fhéadfadh fíneálacha móra a ghabháil leo mura leantar iad. Is iad an Coimisiún agus an Coimisinéir ábhartha a ghearrann na fíneálacha seo de ghnáth.
An tseachtain seo caite, thug an Coimisinéir um Iomaíocht Margrethe Vestagerover fíneáil €1.8 billiún do Apple, mar gheall ar rialacha “maslacha” App Store, mar a thug an tAontas air, d’fhorbróirí aipeanna sruthaithe ceoil.
Chun díospóireachtaí ar feadh míonna ar na billí sin a sheachaint, reáchtálann an Pharlaimint agus Comhairle na nAirí díospóireachtaí an-fhada, ar a dtugtar ‘Cruinnithe Tríthabhaocha’, agus ní fhágfaidh siad an idirbheartaíocht go dtí go dtiocfaidh siad ar chomhaontú. Ach labhrófar níos mó maidir leis sin am éigin eile.
Nuair a chomhaontaíonn an dá institiúid ar na dlíthe ag an gcruinniú tríthaobhach agus nuair a cheadaíonn FPEnna agus Airí iad de réir vóta, téann an Chomhairle Eorpach i bhfeidhm chun a chinntiú go bhfuil bearta á ndéanamh ag a Ballstáit chun na dlíthe a chur chun feidhme.
Má bhraitheann institiúidí an Aontais go bhfuil éiginnteacht ann maidir leis na rialacha nua a chur i bhfeidhm nó go bhfuil moill á cur ina leith, féadfaidh siad freisin dul i dtreo fíneáil a ghearradh ar an Stát trí an gCúirt Bhreithiúnais Eorpach.
Ag deireadh na míosa seo caite, dúirt rialú go ngearrfar fíneáil €10,000 ar Éirinn gach lá mar gheall ar mhoill maidir lena rialacha sábháilteachta ar líne a athrú. Thug an Coimisiún, a bhaileoidh an fhíneáil, rabhadh don Rialtas faoi na moilleanna seo níos luaithe an mhí seo caite.
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Faigheann an obair seo cómhaoiniú ó Journal Media agus clár deontais ó Pharlaimint na hEorpa. Is le húdar an tsaothair seo aon tuairim nó conclúid a chuirtear in iúl ann. Níl baint ar bith ag Parlaimint na hEorpa leis an ábhar eagarthóireachta arna fhoilsiú ag an tionscadal agus níl sí freagrach as. Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais, féach anseo.
Its sad but a good section of homeless do not ever want to be helped or saved. Its the same everywhere.
@The Dons: I know, on nights like tonight, if the police see a homeless person rough sleeping, they should be arrested for their safety and put in a cell for the night with a bit of warm food and a blanket.
@Peter Cavey: would love to see the public outcry if homeless people were to be arrested on the streets
@Peter Cavey: I don’t think there is a power of arrest for that or any power to forcibly remove someone from a public street when they aren’t committing a criminal offence.
@Peter Cavey: Yeah let’s arrest all the homeless because they are cold. Get a grip! They are given enough opportunities to seek help
@Ciaran: Thats the law all over Europe in Red weatger warnings. Germany, Austria etc all arrest homeless people for their own safety amd give them shelter for the night.
@Paul: Even for their personal safety? if there is a reasonable chance of death by sleeping rough tonight, are the state’s hands really tied? You can’t just watch someone die
@The Dons: Or maybe they don’t want to get stabbed, robbed etc. in these shelters?
@Peter Cavey: Not arrested perhaps, but definitely detained by police or whoever, for their own safety.
@Peter Cavey: I was being curious. I don’t know if any law that allows for that here
@Father Hody Commody: only way to do that would be using the mental health act I’d say
@Peter Cavey: You are assuming that the guards will actually patrol on a cold night
@Peter Cavey:
Hard as it is to accept, yes you can just watch people die. It happens all the time with people who refuse medical treatment.
@ Peter Cavey there’s a difference between a homeless person and a rough sleeper
@Darren Sheils: They ARE homeless!
@Paul:
You are entirely correct in your assumption.
@Tony O Dwyer: Is it supposed to be a 3rd of the garda on duty at night? where do they be!
@The Big Bad Wolf: why the aggression? The man is suggesting this so that human beings can be safe! Some people need protection from themselves!!
@The Dons:
If they refuse help – that is their right – this is a free country.
Any calls to install a police state and nanny police powers – arresting people making free choices is insane.
@The Dons: ‘a good section’? No 30. Read the article. 30 decline help on this one occasion…stop with the sweeping generalisations!
@The Dons: absolute rubbish! i spoke to one man today who slept rough because unfortunately emergency shelters may have drugs present and he is avoiding that! disgusting to suggest any homeless people do not want or deserve housing
As I said yesterday the accommodation and services have been provided for them. If they choose to stay outside what can you do!
@The Bunk: you could try compassion and empathy. Nobody of sound mind/ drug free would choose to sleep outdoors in -5.
@The Bunk:
If they want to stay outside you could try to understand why that is. If you understand the underlying cause then you could then try to address the factors leading to this.
Simply saying that if they want to do something then there is nothing we can do is really not applying too much thinking to the problem
@john Appleseed: Look it’s like this there have been enough warnings. There has been accommodation provided. Homeless services know the homeless people in their area who suffer from mental illness, drug addiction etc and have had the opportunity to try and help them. Personally if it was my son or daughter I would drag them indoors regardless of their wishes. However I don’t think it’s fair that other people should put their own lives in danger to go out into this weather to drag them in. You can bring a horse to water. Sad but true!
@john Appleseed:
It’s a bit condescending to assume that anyone who chooses to sleep rough must be either mentally ill or on drugs.
@Walt Jabsco: can you give us another reason?
@Walt Jabsco: are you for fooking real?
@john Appleseed: so are you suggesting we have the homeless sectioned?
@The Bunk: “Personally if it was my son or daughter I would drag them indoors regardless of their wishes.”
If it was your son or daughter, you probably wouldn’t be sitting at a keyboard writing hateful posts about the homeless.
Isn’t it a good job Fr Peter McVerry was’t born with your mentality.
@Art Smith:
@john Appleseed:
Remember the guy who was murdered sleeping rough in a doorway a few years ago? He owned property and had a large lump sum in the bank.
People can have various personal reasons for sleeping rough – just because it’s incomprehensible to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense to them.
@Art Smith: as hinted to in the article, but not really discussed by FI/PMcV, some rough sleepers have had a very hard time in the cooperative dorms provided via these charities. Talking with some of the rough sleepers who were camping near Milltown, this included not only random extreme violence, but also sexualities assault, rape and threats to their life. If that is your only experience with these services, you have every right to not play along with them. I do think that police should give the option of a cell without arrest or identification during this emergency. Even more so, I wish the government would take responsibility directly for homeless (and by this I always only mean rough sleepers) services, and not outsource it, and huge loss and expense of public money, to charities.
@Art Smith: some people would rather sleep rough ,because some hostels are full of thieves junkies and mentally ill people,, as someone who has been thru many hostels if your not malahide you are taking advantage of, you stick out like a sore thumb
@Tír Eoghain Gael: You’re obviously a bit of a snowflake if you think these are hateful posts. All I’m saying is accommodation has been provided, homeless services are rounding up homeless people to get them indoors. If they refuse to go then I don’t think people should risk their own lives to force them.
@The Bunk:
Do you not think there are perhaps understandable reasons why some may not wish to go to one of these shelters?
If having a degree of compassion for the homeless makes me “a bit of a snowflake”, no problem at all.
You are absolutely disgusting. Yet I still would be fairly certain that if one of your own was out on the streets, you probably wouldn’t be be anonymously positing nonsense on the internet about them. Big fella aren’t you.
@Tír Eoghain Gael: If the want to stay outside let them. Emergency workers should not risk their lives to bring them in after the numerous warnings and accommodation being provided. If one of us ventured out in this weather and people had to come and rescue us we would be ridiculed and rightly so. And let’s not forget you are also sitting behind your laptop posting comments so get off your high horse. And as it happens I have an uncle who avails of homeless services and is an alcoholic. My grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and even me and my cousins have made thousands of attempts and efforts to help him over the last 40 years and we still do but he doesn’t want help. That being said if he refused accommodation in this weather I wouldn’t expect others to risk their lives for him.
Hope they all make it through this!
Ive no sympathy if they were offered beds and turned them down.
@James Molloy: A lot of homeless people turn down beds out of fear. They may have had a bad experience in a hostel and are too afraid to go back. They may also not be of sound mind. Not everything is black and white. Hope you’re enjoying judging from your lovely warm house.
@James Molloy: FGers are noted for their lack of sympathy.
@Father Hody Commody: Ive got no political view but I don’t have sympathy for them either, the Irish government has a good social welfare system so there should be no homeless people. I read an article recently, people were not paying for social housing for 8 years. They created thus situation themselves
@Father Hody Commody: I don’t have a political view but I don’t have sympathy for them. Those homeless people created this problem for themselves, chose booze and drugs over paying rent. Found an article recently, people were not paying for social housing up to 8 years.
@Father Hody Commody: Ive got no particular political view but these people have created their own problems. They chose booze and drugs over jobs etc. I’ve read an article recently, it stated that people had become homeless because they weren’t paying the rent for their social housing up to eight years
@James Molloy: would you have more sympathy if you knew anyone the homeless?
@Mark Pa: Could you give a link to that article re “people were not paying for social housing for 8years”& how many?
You are aware that TOTAL housing stock only grew by 0.4% from 2011-2016.The welfare system has nothing to do with available housing stock and that includes social housing!Limited housing stock,tenants&mortgage holders losing their tenancies/homes due to no fault of their own,54% workers earning €30,000& under unable to afford rising rents,very little social housing construction,etc are among the major causes of the Homelessness and Housing Emergencies!
@Mark Pa: i think you have to have an adress to get social welfare payment
@Mark Pa: It’s FF/FG policy to make homelessness the new norm. even more exceptable than smoking in the streets.
@Mark Pa: Eell, you’re a cast iron candidate for FG then.
@Sean Conway: Acceptable
@Mark Pa: great trolling mark, pr1ck
@Mark Pa: A ridiculously generous social welfare system.
The only ones that should be on the streets are the people who wrecked the country 10 years ago
@Neville Patterson: Good man , long live the revolution . I think that actually happened in a fairly big country at the start of the 19th century and look where that ended up. But work away with your revolution
Gee people….judgemental much?
Mental illness and addiction are diseases. And too often, one feeds the other. Many with mental illness self medicate…until eventually it becomes a vicious 7th Circle of Hell. Mental illness and addiction are a cancer of the body, mind, and spirit. Anyone suffering from mental illness, and mental illness who self medicates, is no different than anyone who has any other disease. Mental illness and addiction comes in all forms…drink, drugs, food, cigarettes, etc etc. It is very very difficult to treat because the medical establishment still has very limited knowledge on it’s causes and treatment. The medications available are often debilitating…and it can take years to find the right diagnosis and combinations of drugs to give people suffering from this horrible disease some semblance of a life. Because of this, and the accompanying discouragement, people suffering from mental illness will revert back to self medicating….because they are often not capable of rational thought. This is why it is called mental illness.
Mental illness is no more the fault of the mentally ill than anyone with any other disease.
For all of you who blame the mentally ill/addicts……when you look at the number of people in our hospitals and a&e dept with diabetes and heart disease and many other diseases brought on by just plain bad living like obesity…do you say the same about them?
A little compassion is in order. Try it. It is good fo the soul.
@Patty Cullinane: Idiocy isn’t compassion. Your ignorance of basic facts and tedious repetition of the bleeding obvious just proves you are boring and uneducated. Your stupid assumptions about others shows a lack of understanding and frankly dull witted ignorance which is in line with your slow waffle. Try not being a clown it is good fo the soul[sic].
@Patty Cullinane:
So what’s your solution?
Genuine question.
Surely you can’t support arresting them for their own safety (not even possible to do) or involuntarily committing them to a mental institution?
Saying you have empathy may make you feel superior but it won’t get these people off the streets tonight if they don’t want to go.
@Seán O’Nilbud: As Patty says..judgemental much!
@Walt Jabsco:
Hi Walt…Read what I said. I wasn’t giving a solution nor was I offering one. I honestly don’t have a solution. I was expressing my astonishment at the general lack of compassion for the sick and infirmed. And I was explaining the nature of mental illness, and why it is probably one of the most illusive of all diseases.
All I was saying that instead of people railing against people who are in a downward spiral…perhaps they could see it for the disease it is. And if they can’t…maybe they should not say anything instead of making themselves look like insensitive fools. They are not doing themselves any favours.
My older sister suffers from schizophrenia. Her life has been a downward spiral of self medicating and self destruction because she is not capable of thinking rationally. The combination of medications have been endless…yet they often make her either so lethargic she is paralysed, or even more paranoid. Then she often reverts back to self medicating because it is the only thing that gives her some sort of pain relief. This is the nature of mental illness.
Does having empathy/ sympathy make you feel superior? Is that why you said this?
Why would you say that having empathy makes one feel superior? Is that what having sympathy and/or empathy is called today? I always thought is was just part a natural part of being human.
@Walt Jabsco:
Choosing to stay out in this weather is suicidal behavior. Should people therefore who seem incapable of looking after themselves not be brought to safety against their will.
If a mentally ill person is threatening to commit suicide they can lawfully be committed for their own safety so what’s the difference.
If people die there is an uproar, if people are arrested there is an uproar. In these no win situations ,Someone has to take responsibility and make hard decisions.
@Seán O’Nilbud:
Whhhaaatttt? I was talking to the people who are constantly being judgemental because they look at everything with an obtuse sense of tunnel vision. It is not a good look. And it is always the same people who think they always have all the answers. I did not claim to have any answers. I also did not make any assumptions. I didn’t have to. You and the others who seem to have all the answers are the ones who made all the assumptions. In fact, you are all quite clear where your sensibilities lay. And it isn’t in the understanding or knowledgeable dept. Look…addicts and homeless people obviously bother you. So…do what the govt does…act as if they don’t exist and get on with your day.
You are angry and I am not sure why….but it is misplaced. By your comment to me, you seem to be the one who made assumptions, is showing a lack of understanding, appears dull witted, ignorant, uneducated, and idiotic.
Try thinking and digesting what you read before you speak…it is good for the soul.
But if misplaced angry waffling is what blows
your Twinkie…..knock yourself out.
@Patty Cullinane:
From your own post:
“A little compassion is in order. Try it. It’s good for the soul”.
Isn’t that trying to be superior over whoever you were responding to?
My point was that compassion and empathy are all well and good but do not provide an immediate practical solution for those who plan to sleep rough tonight.
I don’t know what the answer is either, but I don’t want to live in a society where anyone can be arbitrarily picked up off the streets and detained against their wishes because they march to a different drum from most people.
@Aine O Connor:
The bar is actually very high for involuntary committing someone to an institution, even if they’re self-harming.
@Walt Jabsco:
Walt,Walt,Walt…firstly….I wasn’t responding to anyone specifically. It was a general comment about so many other general comments . Go back and have a look. No…I wasn’t being superior. I was illustrating my lack of understanding of so many of the toxic comments on this subject…not unlike the toxic comments on other topics, that you are well aware of. And these types of comments usually come from a place of fear and ignorance. My thinking is that instead of saying things that are mean….have a little compassion and be thankful it’s not you. And yes…understanding and compassion and empathy is good for the soul. That is just common sense. It everyone flexed these muscles more…they would be better off. I am not saying anger is a bad thing….but misplaced anger is a bad thing.
Again…I never claimed to have a solution. I do not know what the solution to mental illness/addiction is. I wish I did. I never gave an opinion one way or the other about arbitrarily picking people up off the streets and draining them. I agree….probably not a good precedent to set.
Compassion and empathy and sympathy are a start, but obviously not the solution. But neither is the vitriolic blame game that so many seem fond of.
@Patty Cullinane: well said , dont mind walt ,he,s much to much ,much to stupid , he,s living in a ghost town
@Patty Cullinane: Excellent posts like yours don’t suit some people.
@Canspell Somtimes:
Oh the irony.
@Walt Jabsco:
And we all know that there has been enormous tragedies because family members and concerned members of the public were not listened to.
Sometimes hard decisions are the right ones.
@Walt Jabsco: you need to look in the, Mirror in the bathroom
@Aine O Connor:
The bar is set very high for a reason – if it’s too low it means that a great many people could be detained unnecessarily against their wishes, not to mention the system being open to potential abuse from other family members etc..
It’s certainly not a perfect system and tragedies have indeed occurred where suicidal people haven’t been committed to a psychiatric institution, but I’d hate to live in a society where an individual could be locked away in an institution just because someone else claims they’re suicidal.
RESULT: 1.5 million and only 30 on the street. This is the height of our homeless crisis? How is this a crisis? Staying in a hotel room (with 3 children from 3 different fathers) because you refuse a house until you get one in the part of town you want is not homeless, it is a leech.
@Gearoid De Burca:Do some research into homelessness statistics before you embarrass yourself with comments like that& they’re just “offical” homelessness figures as Ireland just uses 3/7 Categories of ETHOS Light re homeless!
@Gearoid De Burca: Ah. So now all homeless people are single mothers with kids by multiple fathers waiting for the house of their dreams? Plenty of genuine homeless people on the streets. Plenty that also aren’t addicts but have found themselves in this awful situation for a number of reasons. God forbid you should ever fall on hard times, maybe you’ll experience the kind of karma you deserve.
@Nuala Mc Namara: Official number is 30. Chicago has 2.7 million, approx twice Dublin. Homelessness in sub zero on streets is 82000. You have to be on streets to be homeless in Chicago. We have no crisis. You do research.
@Ciara Baines: Plenty of genuine homeless on streets? We have 30 in 1.5 million. I would love it to be 0. This to me is genuine number of homeless. How do you think we compare with Chicago? And yes there are any amount of single mothers exploiting the system. They would be well able to keep their legs together if they thought they would not get a free house.
@Gearoid De Burca: Somebody please put up a logical arguement. A fella for example.
@Gearoid De Burca: ‘We have 30 in 1.5 million’? Wrong. Read the article again. The 30 mentioned are the people that chose to stay on the streets. That’s not the total number of people sleeping rough on our streets but you’d know that if you bothered to read before commenting. As for your comments about single mothers, you’re disgusting. Your own mother would be proud.
@Gearoid De Burca: Haha asking someone to post a logical argument when you can’t even get your own warped point right. ‘A fella for example’? Again shows your attitude towards women in general.
@Gearoid De Burca: Same reply to you as before!You do realise that the majority of the homeless on streets in Dublin were accommodated in Emergency shelters,the 30 homeless you mention did not avail of the temporary emergency accommodation!
Europe has a European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion re Categories of homeless developed by the EU Federation of National Organisations working with homeless in 2005.Of the 7Categories of ETHOS Light,Ireland just uses 3/7 Categories unlike other European countries.
Eoin O Sullivan research with European countries using similar Categories found that Ireland had the highest rate of homelessness!
So unlike you,I have done my research & those are just examples!
@Gearoid De Burca: Oh and by the way, you might want to track back on your ‘official number is 30′ comment. Nothing official about that number at all.
@Gearoid De Burca: There is no logical argument for factually incorrect comments like yours…from either men or women!
@Nuala Mc Namara: 30 sleep on street out of 1.5 million is factually correct. More houses were refused last year than would house the homeless is factually correct. Women read more fiction than men is factually correct.
@Ciara Baines: Wel make the number 60. Still a little shy of 41000 which would equate with Chicago.
@Gearoid De Burca: Actually you mustn’t have looked up the definition of the figure of 82,000 re ” Homelessness in sub zero on streets is 82,000″ re Chicago!
According to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless analysis :April’17 :82% of the 82,212 Homeless are homeless residents living doubled up in the homes of others due to hardship & often in overcrowded conditions!
Ireland does NOT include these Categories of homeless,in fact Ireland only uses 3/7Categories of the European ETHOS Light Categories so Ireland excludes 4/7Categories including the “doubled up”Categories Chicago uses!
So I hand you back your arguments in tatters!
@Nuala Mc Namara: Also for the city of Chicago itself there there were 46,425 homeless:78% of those were ” doubled up” as described above!
Again your arguments in tatters!
@Nuala Mc Namara: even if u are correct which u never will be, figures amount to 9000 v 30. I think you are simple.
@Gearoid De Burca: I’ simply 100% correct!
Chicago City has unsheltered homeless figure of 1561 in 2017 with a population of 2.7m while Dublin CITY has population of over 553,500 with had according to IT in Nov2017 “234 were unable to access emergency beds”.
I also told you that extra emergency temporary beds provided re these severe weather conditions for those unsheltered homeless that took up the beds BUT these are just TEMPORARY.
The state should provide little underground bunkers around the city in discrete locations for them to hibernate in till the spring arrives in all its colours….. Daffodils and snowdrops and baby lambs too
Those who refuse help in conditions like this should be lifted for their own safety, other people will now be putting their own lives at risk to check in on these people! And screw the underlying cause this is for their own safety!
@Paddy:
Ok lets have a tyranny and suspend human rights – and personal freedom – lets grant extreme powers to police – and see where that leads us….
They are grown adults and have the right to refuse help – your point of view would be loved by stalin or any dictator.
@HelloGoogleTracking: so your happy for other people to put their lives at risk for their personal freedom
@HelloGoogleTracking: The main condition for human freedom is reason. Assuming people who refuse help in these conditions are limited in regards to reason there has to be a point where the state steps in. Furthermore, as Paddy pointed out, other people will have to place themselves in harms way to ensure the safety of those who refuse a bed.
We aren’t talking about the suspension of haebeus corpus, we are talking about someone stepping in and making a decision for very vulnerable people who are incapable of making that decision for themselves, for whatever reason.
Im sure section 8 of the criminal justice act would suffice in justifying arrest, and then have the charges dropped the next day.
If some people would just go away and get and education and a job. I am sick and tired of paying my taxes to support the welfare class who have a sense of entitlement.
How ironic all the bleeding hearts crawling out of the woodwork when typically be calling for homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics etc to be dropped on a desert island as such. Looking forward to the norm when the weather clears
Unfortunately by their own choice; most afraid of falling back into re-using at contact centres. Well done to the incredible volunteers and services who did their utmost to shelter & feed those in need
Bring back the County Homes. They were run jointly by the County Councils and the nuns. They were not perfect but there were very few sleeping tough then. Those who were accommodated were provided with food and shelter.
@Irish big fellow: I have a better idea….how about turf the nazis in frocks out of their nice heated convents….and let the homeless in???
Hake rough sleeping illegal. They’ve actually done it other cities. Im sick looking at these guys.
@Tony Dowling: effing fule , give it a second
@Tony Dowling: Ah God love you. You hate looking at them? Poor you. I’m sure they hate being there even more.
@Tony Dowling:Ah bless,poor you!Makes uncomfortable viewing ,does it?
@Ciara Baines: if they hate being there, why are they turning down accomodation
They refused beds….
It just has to be a mental issue with these poor unfortunates.So sad altogether.
@Gerry Fallon:
Addiction pure and simple -prefer to take heroine on streets and take their chances – irresponsible stupid and dangerous.
But we live in a free country and people can chose to sleep on streets if they want.
Accomadation was offered and turned down
Do a quick survey of people left on streets last night – do blood test and check are they high – I dont think the results will shock anyone.
@HelloGoogleTracking: Obviously you have done such tests. Please post the results.
Why is the state running such hostels that its not safe to go into. How come this question is never asked by government?
They should be taken in by force, they don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions about their welfare
Should be locked up until they begin to see a bit of sense.
Arrest them, lock them in a cell overnight – at least they will be warm & dry
@Peter Buchanan: no power of arrest.
have your say