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Video: Michelle Hennessy/TheJournal.ie
Anybody in politics is probably ready in their mind for government, but whether you can address it and carry out the action when you get it is another thing.
CHRISTY BURKE HAS said he believes Sinn Féin should remain in opposition following the next General Election.
Dublin’s Lord Mayor was a long-time member of the party until he became an independent three days after the local elections in 2009.
Burke told TheJournal.ie that Sinn Féin is “as ready as anybody” to enter government but said, if he was still a member, he wouldn’t favour such a move.
Time will tell and then the people will tell if they are [ready] … If I was a member of Sinn Féin I’d probably say: ‘No, stay in opposition because if you go into government as a junior partner it’s a poisoned chalice and you’re hung out to dry.’
Have a look at the history: PDs, Greens, Labour … the smaller one will take the hit. You go anywhere in the Dublin central constituency, no one mentions ‘Fine Gael are cutting the children’s allowance’, they say Labour cut it.
He said Sinn Féin will need to “tread carefully”, but added: “It’s their call, they’re more than capable … let them at it.”
Burke said anyone who described his decision to leave the party so soon after being re-elected as disingenuous had their “head in the clouds”.
I would have got elected on my work record. If there were a few die-hard Shinners in the area who believed they voted me in, I did tell them they were welcome to have their votes back in the next election and I’d prove them wrong – and I did.
“It was time for me to move on. It was time for me to vote with my conscience, not the whip.”
Burke is considering running for the Dáil in the next election. He has seven previous failed attempts under his belt, but isn’t put off by that.
He’s considering joining the Independent Alliance being set up by Shane Ross and Michael Fitzmaurice.
The addiction of politics is in me: 92% up there is saying ‘Go’, but there’s 8% saying: ‘Do you want it?’
Burke doesn’t have much time for Lucinda Creighton’s new party, describing it as “noise”. He said Fitzmaurice is more likely to set up a successful party despite being “only a wet day in the game”.
As for the current coalition? Burke said he’s “disgusted” with Labour for failing to protect the working class, as they had promised pre-election. He’s no fan of Fine Gael either, saying its handling of issues such as overcrowding in hospitals, medical cards, emigration and the introduction of water charges leaves a lot to be desired.
“They have failed,” he said of the coalition.
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It’s hilarious how they posted “as you the fans we care etc etc”
When really they have just been caught out and the law has caught up with them.
What a bunch of dirt bags.
@Stephen McGrath: “All we want is you, the fan, to be able to buy tickets to events you love.” ;-)
@Stephen McGrath:
We listened, we heard you we ignored you and fleeced you
government introduce touting law
We listened, we heard you, we have to change by law…but we make out we did it because we love you…
@Stephen McGrath: Pure spin, like they had a choice
@Stephen McGrath: no in fairness Noel Rock gets the credit here
@Stephen McGrath: spot on Stephen. Ticketmaster are an absolute disgrace and have been facilitating ticket scalpers for years.
@Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa: I hear ya, and I hear…. all We want is for the fans of events we host to buy the tickets for the money we love ;)
@Seamus G: LOL, see what you did there,
Forgot to have his photo at the bottom though!!!
“weve listened….. and we heard there was a new law we were about to get caught on so were stopping doing this but don’t you worry we will find a new loophole in that law to screw you over with soon”
@Ian McNally: seatwave owned Ticketmaster owned by live nation owned by MCD who promote gigs, all controlled by Denis Desmond. Ticketmaster obviously hold majority of tickets and sell on seatwave at inflated price. This new site will no doubt charge a nice booking fee! Denis does nothing for the good of his health or that if the fans pocket!
About time
@Jack O’Meara: My heart bleeds for them really… their cartel has gotten one branch smaller. Poor chaps
It’s like someone who’s after robbing your house coming back to show you the receipt for all the items they stole off ya, and telling you they donated it to a charity shop cos they have seen the error of their ways……lads you couldn’t make that sorta excuse up
We’ve had a great fan to fan site since 2009 (I think) – toutless.ie
So thanks Ticketmaster , no need to facilitate fan to fan at all – we’re grand.
@Ciaran Forde: Yep. Sold 2 tickets to Imagine Dragons on Toutless last year and was happy to sell at face value. Don’t think we need or I’ll be using Ticketmasters version. Too little, too late by them.
Ah…so the new name for seatwave is “fan to fan”…aw that’s lovely….the ticket prices will be within the law but it’d be no surprise if there’s not a humongous admin fee to be paid to buyer/seller….load of twaddle
@Sinead foley: That’s probably what they meant when they said we strongly believe that the new legislation “will be both ineffective and will, in fact, be detrimental to Irish fans”. Why else would they say that?
@Sinead foley: Fan to fan + 20%
@Cathal: I think thats a launch promotion Cathal. 6 months in and its Fan to fan + 45%
“Fan to Fan”. I can imagine it more like “Fan from Legal Tout back to Tout”.
Very insulting PR to suggest the reason is because of listening to fans when a law has just been approved to make what they’re doing illegal
@Rochelle: It’s not insulting at all, it is completely idiotic. Whatever half wit who came out with this spin should be sacked.
“Submissions by Ticketmaster and Seatwave said the companies were unhappy.”
There’s a shocker – seeing as they were one and the same!
The clearest acknowledgment that it was in fact a ticket touting website to begin with! Shame on Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster are the touts. 11 euro service charge for buying tickets online and printing them off at home…
Great news – but what will they come up with next, to get around the law?
Those profits have to be maintained!
Good riddance,
I wish there was a real alternative to Ticketmaster in Ireland for events, they have such a monopoly that they decided to scam fans in the first place with Seatwave, nobody is falling for their spin
Hypocrites
So delighted that Ticketmaster had to shut down this disgraceful ticket gouging. There needs to be more alternatives to Ticketmaster. It’s far to big of an monopoly
@Michael farrelly: There are a few, but mysteriously, acts choose to use these scammers.
Ticketmaster should be shut down immediately too for running this scam.
Two tickets for ireland vs New Zealand €1,402.20. What a pack of robbing w*****s. If there was another way I would never use ticketmaster.
@Glen Hanratty: It is extortionate but nobody is forcing you to attend that event.
@Glen Hanratty: did you actually buy them? I would just avoid, show principals and watch the game in a good pub instead
@Dave O’Hanlon: no I didn’t buy them. For that money I could go to a pub in New Zealand to watch the match.
@Sean: unfortunately the New Zealand game never went on general sale so I never got a chance to buy them. But to see them on sale for that kind of money is ridiculous.
Nice little earner for Ticketmaster, good it has been taken away from them. They’ll just have to content themselves with the €6+ booking fee on each ticket they sell. Thieves.
I presume they’ll be planning on bringing in the “dynamic pricing” they’ve been on about in the past where the quicker tickets are selling the dearer their own site sells them.
I wonder where they took that photo of a crowd with no phones in it??
@Rob Cahill: the 90′s
Can’t understand how those bastrds were able to get away with that for so long
Ha, ye didn’t have a choice, ye shower of robbers. Good enough for you.
These companies are so full of sh*te
Now we need the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to insist that events over for over 5000 people should have more than one company distributing tickets.
A confession essentially
I placed a ban on buying any ticketmaster events, they have a monopoly, I am reduced to National concert hall and small pay at door gigs. For any big events buy the bands Dvd with wine and sit at home with friends.
Ticketmaster are a shower of gangsters. Have been for years. Worse than Ryanair for adding on additional costs that amount to no value for the customer.
Hayley can you not credit Noel Rock in the article for his efforts here?
Can someone enlighten me as to how it seems an Irish law has shut down this entire system? Am I reading it wrong and it’s only seatwave.ie that’s affected?
@David Clements: as per the article it is seat wave they are closing down.
@Susan O’flaherty: yeh but seatwave doesn’t just operate here. Are they shutting it down in it’s entirety because of an Irish law?
@David Clements: It’s not only Seatwave that’s affected – but Seatwave has been closed down officially – unlike others still out there. The likes of Ebay.ie or Done Deal, etc, also are still open for this overpricing racket to be tried continue besides other official business doing the same thing (as Seatwave/Ticketmaster did).
While I get it on principle I bought tickets before with viagogo that got me in to a gig that had sold out before I could get in …glad to see there’ll be a fairer resell website launched so there are options for those of us whove miss out.
Another example of the great rip of us sheep, we should get a big jar of government issued Vaseline. One of the most expensive in Europe for tickets, mortgages, broadband, mobile phones, alcohol (+ soft drinks), hotels, car insurance, petrol, electricity, gas, rent, private healthcare, cable TV and lots, lots more. Not sure how to counteract this except to give some time to the notion of voting for some sort of change in the next General Election and break the stranglehold of FFG. Otherwise it’s as you were.
Well done Noel Rock .Sorry to see the shinners are taking down your posters
Haley . Do you not know who pushed this legislation or is it that you just don’t want to say.
Now they need to get rid of viaGoGo.
Biggest scammers of all
Ticketmaster would turn your stomach. Reading their comments, anyone would think they are doing us all a favor by changing their ways for our good. They have finally been found out and now have to toe the line. however, as long as they keep charging more than one fee for multiple tickets, I will never purchase from them again.
thats a jike –ticket master are the biggest ‘touts’ of all ! most of the tickets available on these ‘secondary’ sites come direct from ticket master -everyone knows it — ticket master operates as a monopoly -especially here in ireland the ticket market should be opened up instead of one company having control over every gig ,show and concert in the country .
It’s kind of a shame though, I did make hundreds on seatwave
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