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THE #HOMETOVOTE HASHTAG has dominated social media today, with heartfelt stories of people making the trip home to vote in the marriage equality referendum.
Here, we chatted to four people who successfully made it back, and why the vote matters to them:
When did you make it home?
I flew in last Friday, after moving there in January. I was waiting on the referendum date to be announced – and as soon as it was, I booked my flight. I was always going to be here for the referendum.
Were you following the campaign from San Francisco?
The thing about it is, all my friends on social media were Yes so I hadn’t quite realised until I got home how neck and neck it might be here. I have been out canvassing and have been shocked when people would answer the door and say they were voting no.
But coming home has been great – seeing my straight friends know as much about the issues has been amazing. That’s what it’s all about.
When did you fly in?
I flew in from London this morning. The minute the campaign started my family and friends were getting a little nervous, so I said I would book my flight early on.
The plane to Dublin was packed with people, badges, and just a great, positive atmosphere. I had to explain to two Japanese tourists what exactly was going on, and they were fully supportive. There was just lots of positivity.
How did you find being away for the campaign?
I was following it over there. If anything, it is the guilt of not being around to do the heavy lifting. There were nights that people were posting on Twitter the awful stuff they were hearing out and about and it was then I would have loved to be at home for the full campaign.
How was the flight home?
I left this morning at 8am but there was a three hour delay because there was fog on the ground at Cardiff. There was no real presence of Tá or Yes on the flight back, but it was mostly connecting flights through to the States, so that’s to be expected.
Have you been following the campaign when you were in Cardiff?
I saw my local TD in the Irish Times a few days ago saying he was voting No and that really spurred me to make the trip home. It’s been interesting to see the support for Yes online, and I have been following all the hashtags when I was away.
When did you make it back from Toronto
I came back a week or two ago. I knew I was going to come back at some stage this year and I wanted to come back for the vote, so I booked at the end of April. I had to be here for it.
I knew straight away that I would vote Yes, unfortunately some of my friends in Toronto couldn’t make it back because of work.
How was it being abroad for the campaign?
I’d see a couple of things pop up on Facebook when I was away, but you still feel a little bit cut off from it. Since I’ve been home, though, you’ve got a lot more time to engage – and it’s great to be part of such a historic thing.
Written by David Elkin and originally published on DailyEdge.ie.
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@Brian Houlihan: Authorisation= identification = firing .
@Brian Houlihan: This is only the tip of the Garda iceberg.
@rory conway: Perhaps the suppliers of the program, and support to the program, Pulse – or the IT gurus in the Garda department have some questions to answer. For instance, if I’m logged onto my office system and haven’t used it for 20minutes, I have to provide my passwords again. I can imagine that some authorized users would leave the station to go home after a hard days counting mouthpieces for breathalyzers and leave the computer live with them still logged on. Handy for someone to cancel some points.
Accountability is for the little people
Why would superintendents talk to the ordinary garda
I wonder how long it will take before some enterprising barrister brings up some of this to question the integrity of some Garda giving eyewitness testimony in some criminal trial. It’s something any barrister worth his salt would check once the prosecutor sends the list of witnesses to them. Imagine a small drugs seizure for example where the defendant claims the drugs were planted by the arresting Garda… First question the Garda would be asked is if they’ve a history of lying on the job or any other misconduct..How can they be credible once it’s shown point blank they’ve a history of this crap…
@Jason: it wasn’t guards that cancelled anything. It was superintendents
@Michael Devlin: Superintendents ARE GARDAI !!! And this is just another clusterfuсk in a long series clusterfuсks…. The true extent of which will start to become evident once criminal trials start collapsing… Imagine the same scenario above with the drugs search… imagine the defence knowing that a Gardas superintendent has a history of fiddling records asking the Garda if his superiors have a history of tampering with evidence records behind arresting Gardas backs ? What’s going to happen when that drops during a criminal case ?
@Michael Devlin: and well done to them.
@Michael Devlin: yes but on the basis of supers acting then does this suggest the officer was acting incorrectly
I have worked with many systems in organisation private and public. For anybody to override a decision or action by law a full audit trail is required. On top of that if it is anything important the users are forced to enter supporting evidence. If the gardai system doesn’t have the audit trail it in breach of data regs which is highly unlikely. It would take minutes to look up the data and tell them all to enter the reasons. Why this hasn’t been done is very questionable. It is not a massive investigation that should be halted.
@Kal Ipers: People often talk about a luggs brannigan who all the sc***s were frightened of in his day (when dublin was a town) and kept feral kids in their place and how that’s what we need today. In opposition to that we are eroding all discretion that the force has ever had in dealing with sc)m and making them less and less potent. There’s a fine line to thread, power can corrupt and people hate another to have power over them but the force must be allowed to police. If we make them say please and thank you at every turn and fill out a report on every time the break wind we make them incapable of effectively detering, detecting or solving serious crime.
@Carpentoza: Luggs Brannigan was a thug…another example of the type from that time period that abused their power. He was part of a force that turned a blind eye to the abuses of the likes of the Catholic Church, that gave us the “heavy gang” and that buried or fabricated evidence as it suited them.He himself used to administer summary beatings to suspects. He appointed himself judge and jury in a lot of cases. Those who want his likes around are looking back with rose tinted spectacles… anyway his type would be put in a shallow grave somewhere up the Dublin mountains if they tried that nonsense with today’s crims. Him being one of Gay Byrne’s heros should be enough to raise red flags considering his track record of “knowing how to pick em”…
@Kal Ipers: The Pulse system is what, 20 years+ in operation? I doubt that was taken into account when it was installed. Probably a log in named Admin for every station.
@Carpentoza: eh you better get to the Jax quick pal coz yer mouth appears to be expelling shite at an alarming rate.
@Jason: Ah now Luggs was a saint! He even used to refer to prostitutes as ‘ladies of the night’ or something and believed in showing them respect at all times. Then again, he was probably one of their most regular customers!
@Anthony Halpin: so was your grandfather
@Phil Swan: cheers Phil, what happened was you read it and then you burst out with an insult. It’s all part of growing up don’t worry.
@Jason: yes Jason he was a thug, you didn’t understand the point I made but massaged your opinion and offered to sell it for more than it was worth. #justsaying
The worst thing is nothing will happen to these Garda, rotten to the core from top to bottom no confidence whatsoever in them
@Jonny: infantile commentary which is common place unfortunately.
What’s the cost of a TV license relative to bringing someone to court for not having one? Cost/Benefit is not always just about the case at hand.
A few sample prosecutions for obstructing the law could have been good value for money if found to be sustainable.
@Nydon: I genuinely wonder why someone always has to mention the tv licence??? The gardai dont prosecute someone for not having a licence!!!!
Build confidence, not a hope.no consequences for 2 million false breath tests,no consequences for this.country is a joke.
So redacted has used the high court to shut down the Sunday business post from reporting on the commission looking into the Siteserv (now known as Actavo) scandal!
@John Dman: it was the commission who didn’t wan
The 744 across 17 counties is most interesting.
The 744 should be charged with interfering with the course of justice.
Are these the same superintendents that can have you put away for IRA membership based on their word lol
So basically if you knew the right Garda all your offenses could be literally cancelled just like that.
Well done to that person/s who cancelled those points.
@Deirdre D’Arcy Murphy: Saved you a driving ban, did it, Princess?
The gardai can do what they want. Mass fraud & nothing done. Great country. Quick give them another payrise. Criminal behaviour.
Different strokes for different folks
God be with the days a guard could do you a turn. Youre b*ll!xed now if youre caught doing 65 in a 60 zone. I dont see the big issue. They werent exactly letting big criminals off the hook
And why would the dog consult the tail
What’s the point in being in with a super anymore if he can’t get u off a few fines, country is gone to the dogs!!
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