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Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda, centre front row, with his reshuffled Cabinet on 4 June. AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi

Column How Japanese people interact with their state is the inverse of the Irish

Mark Boyle, an Irishman in Japan, says his home country and his adopted one have polar attitudes to government – and neither have been served well by their approach…

AT THE START of this month, Japan went through a process that in most other democratic nations is deemed of massive importance and cause for rigorous discussion and analysis by news media and some, more or less interest from the person on the street.

The first cabinet reshuffle of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda floated by without any of these things and in truth the whole exercise was little more than the J-PM’s attempt at consolidating party support for a modest tax hike in the coming months.

This simple political act is an opportunity to frame some of the things that set Japan apart other countries and in this observers opinion contrasts it closely with an Ireland that is suffering from the fallout of our own innocent national proclivities.

Cabinet reappointments of a government are often a way for a ruling party or coalition to revive flagging public faith perhaps tainted by failings of the past. In truth it rarely has the drama of an election but does at least often provide some topics of news for a week or so.

However in this ever-confusing part of Asia, the news was met with little more than a nod to the newcomers, a lot of solemn bowing and the click of the closing door as several career politicians marched back into relative obscurity.

I have made Japan my home for the better part of two years now and it surprises me not at all to see as much interest on the BBC website in this activity as I do amongst my co-workers and in the local media.

To understand the Japanese apathy to democratic politics it is important to remember two things. The first of these is that unlike so many countries that had to claw at each individual modicum of self-determination from a foreign colonial power, Japan has never had to fight for its democracy.

Japan had democracy forced upon it by the crushing defeat meted out on it by the Allied forces in World War II.

“Japanese people retain a certain submissiveness to authority”

Only after the complete capitulation of the country proceeding from the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were Japan at the mercy of the American architects who guided the drafting of the new Japanese constitution. The main aims of the victors were twofold, to prevent further aggression by limiting the power of the emperor and encouraging stability by allowing the emperor to remain as a figurehead but moving legislative power gradually to the democratically-elected parliament.

The second thing to remember is that although Japan is undoubtedly a democracy, due to a whole raft of deep seated cultural and historical reasons, Japanese people retain a certain submissiveness to authority.

This is visible across the culture in myriad different examples, where seniority and authority command levels of loyalty and submission that would be deemed insulting and perhaps unhealthy in Ireland. Taking an example from my own subjective observation, the mothers of children who are in the same soccer club will be served tea by mothers of children who are the most recent additions to the team. It is simply the “done” thing.

For the vast majority of Japan’s democratic life it has been tethered to the fortunes of the Liberal Democratic Party who were in the majority in Japan’s Diet from 1955 up until very recently. Why would one party continue to be voted back in election after election regardless of policy successes and failures? Well people in Japan tend to believe what they are told and governments tend to tell people what they want them to hear ergo… over fifty years of almost uninterrupted control for the LDP.

“How Japanese people interact with their state is the inverse of the Irish”

However this figure is confusing as it does not show the revolving door that has left the average tenure of a Japanese PM at a meagre two years.

The real story is that the constant changing of faces and cabinets diluted the power of those in the public eye never leaving them in power long enough to influence policy. In this situation it was backroom party powerbrokers who held the real power and still largely do to this day.

In 2009 when the LDP were swept from power and replaced by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) it was seen as a seismic shift in Japanese politics.

The shift was never more than superficial and now Japan is having to fight against the old cronyism of the past to try and push through financial reforms for the future. It may be shown to be too little too late.

It is here that the magnifying glass turns into a mirror. For a time now I have been percolating the idea that how Japanese people interact with their state is the inverse of us Irish.

Let’s take a look at the evidence. Japan is an ageing population, with a strong manufacturing base which venerates obedience and a reserved nature. Ireland has a high birth rate almost no heavy industry and currently these guys are national heroes (although, to be fair, they made €20,000 for charity out of it later):

Both Japan and Ireland have financial problems with Japan’s debt to GDP ratio the worst in the world at well over 200 per cent. The attitude to these problems is once again where the two nations diverge.

Japan almost never talks about debt and spends lavishly on public works, military hardware, community services and education. A Canadian friend of mine watching RTE’s Spain versus Ireland coverage couldn’t understand why Eamon Dunphy couldn’t even talk about the fans without a quick nod to the financial crisis.

One last example of the differences (I really could go on all day) is the attitude to social services. In Japan last November, three people died in their apartment from starvation rather than suffer the stigma of appealing to social service. In Ireland, the ESRI recently felt the need to downplay a paper that indicates people are better off staying home than trying to work.

For years we have been ruled by our friendly nature and adversity to the stuffiness of officialdom, the electorate and TDs alike appointing people based not on their fitness for the role but on how much they were liked. Japan has appointed those already perceived to hold the reins and responsibility of power. Neither electorate have been served well.

As in all things, the best strategy is everything in moderation. The Japanese do not approach things the same way as us and in many cases their strategies and problems seem as flawed as our own. But taking a glimpse at the far extreme from ourselves perhaps tells us a little something about how off of centre we really are.

Mark Boyle is currently working with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching program, teaching English in rural Japan.

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    Mute Motherofthree
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    May 28th 2020, 7:22 AM

    I’m still waiting for refunds from aer lingus from March.

    146
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    Mute Macca Attack
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    May 28th 2020, 7:29 AM

    @Motherofthree: correct. It’s not just Ryanair

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    Mute Breda Clarke
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    May 28th 2020, 7:51 AM

    @Motherofthree: same here

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    Mute Football in the Groin
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    May 28th 2020, 8:59 AM

    @Motherofthree: Waiting since the beginning of April for my Ryanair refund but Aer Lingus seem to be getting a free pass for a similar offence against their customers.

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    Mute Bernard Lyons
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    May 28th 2020, 9:04 AM

    @Football in the Groin: ya I’m the same, been waiting since the beginning of April, and all I’m wanting is the voucher as I know I have to travel with them again. Good to know I’m not the only one waiting. Has anyone actually heard anything from aerlingus since original contact made?.

    12
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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    May 28th 2020, 10:52 AM

    @Motherofthree: Ian still waiting since April €1300 rang them a number of time on hold for 27 mins to be told its be locked into. Not never told when iam getting it.its tomevto drive out to the head office in dublin airport.

    5
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    Mute Freddie Rincon
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    May 28th 2020, 12:24 PM

    @Motherofthree: and KLM have been worse than useless

    3
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    Mute Niamh McDonald
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    May 28th 2020, 8:15 PM

    @Motherofthree: http://www.flightrights.ie

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    Mute Richard
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    May 28th 2020, 7:04 AM

    If you can, open a transaction dispute with your bank. I highlighted how I never received the goods I paid for and how Ryanair failed to refund multiple times in the times they quoted. It took just under 3 weeks, but much faster than waiting for Ryanair.

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    Mute Aoife
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    May 28th 2020, 7:37 AM

    @Richard: Was this with a credit card? I paid by debit card. Thanks

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    Mute Vikki Brennan
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    May 28th 2020, 9:10 AM

    @Aoife: same here. Might try with my bank and see what they say. Great idea Richard!

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    Mute Siobhan Rosemary
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    May 28th 2020, 9:14 AM

    @Aoife: I paid via debt card and chargeback was successful

    11
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    Mute Aoife
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    May 28th 2020, 9:17 AM

    @Siobhan Rosemary: thanks Siobhan! I’ll try that.

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    Mute Peter O Donnell
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    May 28th 2020, 9:36 AM

    @Richard: just pray that you dont use the same bank as Ryanair. You can already see the conversion, “you start this charge back stuff and I will move my billions”.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    May 28th 2020, 10:46 AM

    @Aoife: always use a credit card if you have one. Covers you for lots of things.

    2
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    Mute Brendan Murphy
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    May 28th 2020, 11:39 AM

    @Richard: I’ve done this asked for a charge back on my card, as Ryanair are in Breach of the contract we had, by failing to deliver on their part, I asked for a charge back and got it within 2 weeks, and just so people are aware, this is not fraud as previously stated by a Ryanair employee, you are entitled to your refund and it’s faster with your credit card company or bank, and you can’t get black listed by Ryanair either.

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    Mute Steve
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    May 28th 2020, 3:32 PM

    @Richard: I received chargeback from BOI for 6 flights. I paid by credit card. Took about 2 weeks to get the refund.

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    Mute Ferg
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    May 28th 2020, 6:08 PM

    @Richard: I rang the Credit Card company and after 30 mins of being fobbed off, they agreed to open a dispute against Ryan air.

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    Mute Nigel o'Neill
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    May 28th 2020, 8:02 AM

    There’s one very simple problem here that people seem to be missing : No enforcement of the Law by Authorities and the Airline Regulators! Simples

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    Mute Vikki Brennan
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    May 28th 2020, 9:13 AM

    @Nigel o’Neill: exactly Nigel! And the other thing I was thinking when reading this article. Why is there nothing like Which? in Ireland to conduct research on the Irish consumer base. Why are there no experts on IrelandAM every week guiding Irish consumers on what to do? Where is the outrage over this? So frustrating!

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    Mute Nigel o'Neill
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    May 28th 2020, 11:40 AM

    @Vikki Brennan: definitely Vikki. Bottom line is the law should be doing its job for you though

    9
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    Mute Martin Smith
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    May 28th 2020, 7:48 AM

    I wonder will it take Ryanair 3 to 6 months to process flight bookings and take the money from your credit card….

    64
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    Mute iohanx
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    May 28th 2020, 11:05 AM

    @Martin Smith:

    Think it’s time the EU instigated a form of escrow service for transactions like this.

    Your money is held by a third party and only paid once you got the service.

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    Mute Breda Clarke
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    May 28th 2020, 7:51 AM

    Aer Lingus aren’t any better. I’ve been waiting t 10 weeks for my refund. Emails go unanswered.

    53
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    Mute Finnster
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    May 28th 2020, 7:03 AM

    Michael is waiting for the pound to drop in value before he does any refunds .Cute lad.

    37
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    Mute dearg doom
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    May 28th 2020, 8:14 AM

    I’m still waiting on my voucher from Aer Lingus as I believe are many others.

    33
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    Mute John Jones
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    May 28th 2020, 7:30 AM

    O Leary the hypocrite, all about speeding up the opening up of the country but won’t pay people the money he owes them. Greedy out.

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    Mute Spartacus Ireland
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    May 28th 2020, 7:42 AM

    Ah comon, they’ve only 4,000,000,000+ in cash reserves give poor auld Ryanair a break (note: sarcasm, in case not noticed)

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    May 28th 2020, 8:00 AM

    Backlog could be largely wiped out by one stroke of Ryanair Mick’s very sharp pencil by offering a voucher for already cancelled flight plus a 50%-off voucher for a second flight at a future date of his firm’s choosing.

    With its excellent yield management business model, this shouldn’t be too taxing to plan for the nation’s largest airline.

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    Mute Siobhan Rosemary
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    May 28th 2020, 9:13 AM

    To get a refund download chargeback form from your bank website,follow instructions and sit back and wait approx 2-3weeks for money to arrive back in your account. It worked for me!! Happy out. Works for debit card also.

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    Mute John Judd
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    May 28th 2020, 10:15 AM

    You can raise a chargeback with your bank/card provider if the airline is dragging thier feet when it comes to processing a refund , gather all the emails pertaining to your booking and contact your bank requesting a charge-back for the transaction.
    its a simple process , the merchant has a number of days to revert back to the bank/card provder in most cases you will get your money back .

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    Mute Podge
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    May 28th 2020, 8:55 AM

    In fairness it’s a huge increase in refund transactions to process on a team that could possibly be smaller at present.

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    May 28th 2020, 9:52 AM

    @Podge: stop talking real around here!

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    Mute Elizabeth Eccles
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    May 28th 2020, 7:57 AM

    well there’s a suprize wake up people you are using this kip of an air line and expect to be treated better , the man is a loon and expects to start flying in july not a cold day in hell would I fly with them you get what you pay for
    Liz

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    Mute Mairead Jenkins
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    May 28th 2020, 8:09 AM

    @Elizabeth Eccles: Aer Lingus no better on refunds

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    May 28th 2020, 9:51 AM

    @Elizabeth Eccles: It’s all airlines. The travel industry is short on cash if they refund everyone at the same time they will go bust so it will take months to refund everyone.

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    Mute Patricia O'Reilly
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    May 28th 2020, 11:10 PM

    @Elizabeth Eccles: actually it’s not a kip of an airline. Its cheap n cheerful. I have to travel frequently to England and I couldn’t do it as often with any other airline. I’m damn grateful for it.

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    Mute Stan Kowalskis
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    May 28th 2020, 9:04 AM

    Refunds please.

    7
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    Mute Rebecca Bex Lee
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    May 28th 2020, 8:53 AM

    They gave people the option to change flights. I couldn’t change mine as I had checked in. Spent 4 days trying to get through to them over the home, social, email. I’d better get my money back. Absolute disgrace

    8
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    Mute sinead foley-coleman
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    May 28th 2020, 1:43 PM

    I’m shocked that Michael O Leary never mentioned this yesterday when he was huffing and puffing about quarantine measures etc… it’s not like him to ignore the elephant in the room and launch into a tirade in order to distract the nation…. not one bit like him at all….maybe he has jet lag or something! ahem!

    5
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    Mute Susan O'flaherty
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    May 28th 2020, 11:47 AM

    I’m still waiting a refund from ryanair after flight was cancelled. Then received an email saying that I can get a voucher. Have not put in for a voucher yet. Also i cancelled an aer lingus flight. And am still waiting for a refund.

    3
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    Mute Niamh McDonald
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    May 28th 2020, 8:06 PM

    If affected you should submit a complaint to http://www.Flightrights.ie the Aviation Regulator. I did 2 weeks ago waiting since March 15th for reply to refund request for flight not cancelled to USA but we could not travel due to travel ban. Simple process. Refund received within 3 days of Regulator contacting Aer Lingus on our behalf. Complaint made under denied boarding heading. Don’t wait submit a complaint.

    3
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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    May 28th 2020, 11:02 AM

    Air lingus are the same.waiting refund of €1300 since april, ring them and be put on hold for 30mins .Not even send a email to say the flight was cancelled, but a load of emails up to the day before the cancellation of the flight saying we could take a voucher.

    3
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    Mute pomerleau
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    May 28th 2020, 6:06 PM

    You mean … people did get refunds ???

    3
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    Mute Niamh McDonald
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    May 28th 2020, 8:08 PM

    @pomerleau: I did but only after contacting the regulator

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    Mute Isabel Oliveira
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    May 28th 2020, 8:42 AM

    I’d have preferred a voucher but strangely there was no such option .

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    May 28th 2020, 9:53 AM

    @Isabel Oliveira: when you apply for the refund you’ll get another email offering a voucher.

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    Mute Jimmy Mac
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    May 28th 2020, 2:01 PM

    I’m still waiting on Refund from Aer Lingus, they will not even reply to about 10 emails I sent them.

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    Mute Ferg
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    May 28th 2020, 6:11 PM

    For Irish consumers where is the Irish Airline Authority, why aren’t they enforcing the law, why inst it too news on RTE, TG4 and others. Total silence from the Irish government to boot.

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    Mute Patricia O'Reilly
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    May 28th 2020, 11:04 PM

    Seriously, can everyone just cop on. The airlines will all fail and go out of business if they are forced to pay out straight away on cancelled flights. Then you will lose everything. For God’s sake be patient, you will get it back when they get back to normal. And sure most of you will fly again anyway, so vouchers will do. This insistance on immediate refunds is childish and only causing you stress.

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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    May 29th 2020, 12:05 PM

    @Patricia O’Reilly: I wonder if you where waiting 3 months for a refund, for a service you payed €1300 and never got would you be so flippant.

    1
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    Mute Niamh McDonald
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    May 29th 2020, 12:32 PM

    @Patricia O’Reilly: ok Patricia you think waiting 3 months for a €2k refund for flights to the USA is reasonable during a time when household incomes have drastically reduced. Never mind the fact that consumer law dictates the refunds are due.

    1
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    Mute Kevin Davy
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    May 28th 2020, 7:31 PM

    Got my March refunds from Ryanair in bank today

    1
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    Mute Kevin Davy
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    May 28th 2020, 7:31 PM

    Got my March refunds from Ryanair in bank today

    1
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