21st Century Stupidity: Willie O’Dea On Alcoholism

Would you choose to be an alcoholic? I doubt any of us would. An addiction is something which controls you’re whole life. It’s a leech; robbing the victims of their enjoyment of life. It can be debilitating and difficult to beat.

But, according to Willie O’Dea, this isn’t the case and he doesn’t think that the 124 people in Ireland claiming illness benefits from the state due to alcohol addiction deserve the money.

Why? The  Fianna Fáil Social Protection spokesman  told The Irish Daily Mail it was wrong to pay people who were “literally indulging themselves”, adding that “If someone has a disease called alcoholism, then you don’t drink, you give up the drink.”

If we were living in the early 2oth century, O’Dea’s comments wouldn’t be that astonishing. But in 2013, with a wealth of scientific and proven information to show that alcoholism is a disease, O’Dea’s political stance is to deny those who are ill  financial help because of some cracked idea that it’s their own fault they’re sick.

” I know people who have cancer or are suffering from motor neurone disease who can’t get medical cards. They didn’t drink or bring those things on themselves and they’re the victims” he said. The Mayo Clinic states that alcoholism is a “chronic and often progressive disease”. A disease. Not something that the person asked for.

It is disgraceful that seriously ill people are facing the loss of medical cards due to cutbacks. But to link that issue with addicts receiving social welfare for an   is inappropriate and stigmatizing.

To insinuate that those who receive social welfare as they try to battle addiction are some how stealing services from terminally ill patients is disgusting. If you want to find blame in this, look to those who are responsible for cuts in our healthcare – the TD’s in the Dáil.  Not a vulnerable group in society who Mr O’Dea deems unworthy of help.

O’Dea’s comment that alcoholics should simply “give up the drink” demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of addiction and mental health issues. Should we also tell people suffering from anorexia to just eat more? Advise people suffering depression to get up and get on with it and stop moping around?

As a public figure, O’Dea’s comments are ignorant, hurtful and perpetuate damaging stereotypes. He should be ashamed of himself; I know I’m ashamed that he is a politician in my country.

If We Abolish The Seanad…

As the referendum on October 4 grows every closer, you’ll be thinking about how you’re going to cast your vote while trying to make sense of all the information flying around about whether to abolish the Seanad or not.

Photo source: rte.ie

One thing that we’ve noticed here at WhatToKnowNow is that while a lot of coverage is being given to why we should all vote “Yes” and abolish the Seanad, the other side isn’t being as widely published.

This is not an issue that you should vote on simply out of accordance with party affiliations and it is not something you should make a decision on because of the government’s erroneous statement that abolishing the Seanad will definitely save 20 million euro a year.

We feel it is only fitting to provide some clarity on the statements the government is making in regards to the referendum. Our Statement/Fact guide is followed by easy-to-read points about the effect abolishing the Seanad will have on Ireland.

STATEMENT: A “yes” vote will bring us in line with other countries.
FACT: Passing of the referendum would give Ireland’s government an unusual system in comparison to other democratic governments for the amount of power that would be held in our ministers and their control off a single-chamber parliament.

STATEMENT: The government will deliver radical reform of the Dáil which will make a second parliament chamber unnecessary.
FACT: Government TD’s have admitted that this “reform” package of the  Dáil is an empty gesture [The Irish Mail on Sunday, Sept 22] and could make the government less accountable as it provides less space for TD’s to oversee government work.

STATEMENT: Why should you listen to parties who are now opposing the abolition of the Seanad when they previously supported it?
FACT: An Taoiseach Enda Kenny contested 11 general elections as a defender of the Seanad and for 34 out of his 38 years in the Dáil, he believed in the role of the Seanad and was in favour of reform rather than abolishing it.

So, we’re brought you the black and white guide of what it would mean if the Seanad were abolished.

– Government power would be concentrated in one institution; not a great place for a democratic nation to be in. The arguments that Ireland is “too” small to need two houses of parliament begs  the question of “How big does a country need in order to have a balanced democratic system?” If you trust the current TD’s in Leinster House to be in charge of all decisions, by all means, vote ‘yes’ to abolish the Seanad rather than ‘no’ to reform it.

Photo source: thestar.ie

– A yes vote with get rid of the more structured and less party political shenanigan debates that occur in the Seanad. Nobody is saying that currently the Seanad is living up to its full potential. But certainly, there is value in having politicians that are not bound by the lines of the party they support. A closer relationship between the Constitutional Convention and the Seanad could provide a more empowered second house of government, pushing the legislation wanted by the people. In this capacity, the second house would not just be a “retirement home” for politicians as it is at the moment; rather an entity that can lobby the government for reforms on such topics as same-sex marriage, abortion, health services and other issues.

Photo source: panaramio.com

– One point which really isn’t being made clear to the masses is that if the Seanad was abolished, impeachment of the President would be dealt with by the Dáil. As it stands, the Seanad can impeach the President for misconduct; meaning formal charges can be brought against a President if they are involved in behaviour not befitting of the office. If the referendum passes with a yes vote, only the Dáil will be able to do this. At least 30 TD’s would be needed to create a proposal of impeachment and a further four-fifths majority would be needed to adopt the proposal, with another four-fifths needed in agreement to remove the President after an investigation. 

– The removal of judges would also be affected. Currently, Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court may be removed from office for misconduct if a majority of members in session on the day within the Dáil and the Seanad vote in favour. If the referendum is passed, judges may only be removed if two-thirds of the total membership of the Dáil agree. 

Photo source: amnesty.ie

Overall, the abolition of the Seanad would mean that the Dáil becomes both adjudicator and judge. It would make it more difficult for the Dáil, President and Judges to be held accountable for improper actions. The Seanad is not effective in its current state, but that does not mean it couldn’t be if it was reformed to fulfill the mandate our forefathers outlined in the Constitution. A streamlined, empowered and more productive version of our second house could create a positive effect on the legislative process and provide an official platform for society to demand better standards from our government.

When it comes to October 4, make sure you know what exactly it is you’re voting for. Your decision will affect generations to come.

BREAKING: Protestors Bring Dublin To Halt

– 500 people outside Dáil
– 100 more brought traffic to a stand-still on O’Connell Bridge
– Protestors from O’Connell Bridge now headed to Leinster House

500 protestors have gathered on Molesworth Street and an additional 100 brought traffic to a halt at O’Connell Bridge in Dublin this evening.

Photo source: thestar.ie

On the day the Dáil reconvened from its Summer break, protestors took to the streets of Dublin to demonstrate their frustration at the Irish government. Numbers have grown over the day.

Around 500 people are gathered behind barriers outside the Dáil. Gardai pushed back the crowd and also used pepperspray on them. One man has been taken away by ambulance to hospital.

At a another protest on O’Connell Bridge, around 100 anti-austerity protestors have brought rush-hour traffic to a halt. Buses have now been parked on Westmoreland Street, Bachelors Walk and the bridge itself as protestors refuse to move.

These protestors have now moved from the bridge and it is believed they are headed to join up with the other protest at Leinster House.

Jargon Free Guide to the 2013 Referendum

Are you registered to vote? If you’re not sure, you can find out  by checking the register here.The referendum on the abolition of the Seanad is taking place on Friday October 4. If you’re mind is boggled by what this all means, never fear; we have your no nonsense guide to the vote below. 

It is important that you have your say, as disillusioned as you might feel with the political landscape of Ireland at the moment. This vote is about more than the politicians of the day and will have a lasting impact on future generations. Read up, register and cast your vote on October 4.

Photo source: John Crown

What is the Seanad?

The Seanad is one part of our current parliament system, along with  the Dáil and the President. The Seanad’s main functions lies in the creation of new laws. A new law proposed is called a Bill. This bill must then be approved by both the Dáil and the Seanad before being signed by the President. Then, it becomes an Act i.e a new law has been created. Any member of the Seanad or  the Dáil can propose a general bill dealing with a variety of matters, but financial bills or bills relating to the constitution must be proposed in  the Dáil.

When our forefathers decided what kind of political system we would have in Ireland once we had won our freedom from Britain, they believed that the Seanad would act as a cog in the wheel of the democratic process; that too much power would not be given to TD’s in  the Dáil to create new laws without a checks system from another part of the government.

Photo source: TheJournal.ie

Who is a member of the Seanad?
In our constitution, it states that the Seanad must have 60 members; 49 members are elected panel members – people from a variety of organisations including the Cultural and Educational Panel, University Panel and the Agricultural panel. The idea is that a variety of interests to the citizens of Ireland are represented in the Seanad. The other 11 members are nominated personally by the Taoiseach.

Nominee’s then must go through an electoral process no later than 90 days after  the Dáil is dissolved. So, basically every time there’s a general election, a new Seanad is created. To be a member of the Seanad, you must be an Irish citizen and be at least 21-years-old.

Photo source: rte.ie

What is this referendum about?
The referendum is focusing on two questions; should we abolish the Seanad and should we create a Court of Appeals?

If as a country, we vote to abolish the Seanad, all articles dealing with the Seanad exclusively will be removed from our constitution. All references to the “Houses of the Oireachtas” will be replaced with ” Dáil  Eireann”. The current Seanad will continue until the next general election and after that, it will be abolished.

The second question of the refrendum is whether we should establish a Court of Appeal and change how our Supreme Court makes decisions in relation to constitutional law. If a new Court of Appeal was created, it would sit at a level inbetween the High Court and the Supreme Court.  The reason for the proposal to create a Court of Appeals is because currently, there is a backlog of appeals waiting to be heard in the Supreme Court. The new Court would deal with the majority of appeals currently heard in the Supreme Court and High Court and other maters of appeal if required.

Generally, decisions from the Court of Appeal will be final, but there will be some room to send certain cases to the Supreme Court for a second appeal. The main point of relation of this court to the proposed abolition of the Seanad lies in the fact that the Court of Appeal will be able to hear cases on whether a law is constitutional or not; an important aspect if the Seanad is abolished as this will be a different method of preventing Dáil Eireann from creating and passing laws absolutely. 

So, how should I vote?

The decision on how you should vote lies with you alone. Some people will vote according to “party lines” or you can look an the pros and cons of the proposal and decide yourself. It is expected that the final tally will be close, as it was with our last referendum. There has been no public voice encouraging a “No” vote in regards to the Court of Appeals but the abolition of the Seanad is being hotly debated.

We’ve provided the main points being made for both side below:

Photo soucre: TheJournal.ie

Vote No:
– A yes vote would result in complete ministerial control
– Instead, the Seanad should be reformed, not banished
– Abolishing the Seanad would inhibit the ability to create political reform
– The Seanad definitely needs to be reformed, not abolished – if the country votes no, the government will be forced to do this
– Will provide our current and future Taoiseach with more power
– The government is trying to use the recession affecting the country to agree to abolishing an important part of a democratic goverment because it will say money
– The government will not be held accountable to scrutiny of decisions affecting Irish citizens

Fianna Fail is campaigning for “Vote No”

Vote Yes:
– The Seanad is not functioning in its current format and as a result, is wasting money
– Very few small countries, such as Ireland, have a two-chamber parliment
-If we had two houses of parliament with equal powers, stalemates could be created on policy decisions, causing delays in the political process i.e, a two-chamber government only works if one of the chambers has less power than the other
– Reduce the number of politicians in Ireland

Labour, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein are campaigning for “Vote Yes” but there is not complete agreement among TD’s within these parties 

More information is available at http://referendum2013.ie/

Politicians drank 1,500 euro on night of Abortion debate

On the night of July 11 during the extended Dail debate on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, TDs and Senators ran up a alcohol bill of nearly 1,500 euro.

Photo source: ethical.org.au

Reciepts from the night – where the bar stayed open until 5:30am – showed that a total of 313 alcoholic drinks were consumed by politicians throughout the night.

105 pints of larger and 74 pints of Guinness were consumed, along with 31 quarter bottles of wine, 31 long neck bottles of beer, 29 vodka and gins’, 22 pints of Smithwicks and 17 brandys. On the same night, €3,572 worth of food and drink was consumed in the visitors’ bar where TD’s and Seantors bring their guests.

An incident on the night became infamous as “Lapgate” after Cork East FG Tom Barry pulled fellow Deputy Aine Collins on to his lap. Although Barry issued an immediate apology, the incident was caught on cameras in the Dail.

At the time, Ms Collins said “It was very disrespectful, it was very inappropriate, especially where we were to me personally, but also in the context of the fact we were in the House of parliament”.

To sum up the situtaion neatly, here’s Damo & Ivor…: