We need this government to go! I just hope everyone realises that sooner rather than later. Every single day that passes we lose chances to make Ireland the great country that it deserves to be. This is our time. We need to take it back before its gone :-(

there is no way we can get them out. We have to wait 4 more years and endless more stealth taxes and charges and increasing cost of living. How this is going to get our economy back is beyond me. But we are stuck with them. Irish politicians have no morals or feel they should do the right thing. Look at the UK, scandal happens, people take responsibility and resign. Our politicians go into hiding, wait a week or two and its forgotten about and they stay have their job. Happy days. And they are able to sleep at night. I wouldnt be able to sleep at night if I was doing some of the things they are doing to the disabled and elderly and weak in our society. But we cant do anything about it. There is no alternative.

Totally agree with you both, but how can we get rid of them TheVoiceOfReason?
I’ve tried protesting & occupations, but it’s useless. The only form of protest there seems to be popular support for is ringing Joe F***ing Duffy!
The media keeps telling us that there’s a brain drain, which kinda implies that I’m a thicko for deciding to stay. Many who *say* they love the country, leave until it “sorts itself out”…. I’m not what you’d call patriotic, but where’s the fighting for what’s right. Fighting to retain democracy.
Please tell me the reason voice?

Totally agree voice this goverment has declared war on its people ,people of ireland WAKE UP

BTJunkie was rubbish anyway you need to get to the Bay!

Would it work if we demanded a referendum and voted no against this treaty b••••••t. I don’t agree with anything merkel, sarkozy and co. do, since the recession began they seem to be purposely trying to make things worse for us, the people of Ireland need stand up against them and at the moment this is the quickest road I can see us taking.

Every problem has a solution .
John Stevenson , with all due respect , please don’t be so defeatist ,please.
First off stand up and decide not to be afraid, then do nothing . I mean do not
register and do not pay the house hold charge or the septic charge
They want to set up a data base with all our details , to assist them in property tax .
Our best weapon is our refusal to co operate .

I see that non compliance with the household charge is a people’s referendum.
We may not get to ballot on the fiscal treaty , so let them know how annoyed we all are by not registering and not paying …….
They are already backtracking …… Septic bank charges BUT <BUT < but they still want / need you to register , so don't .
Don't be afraid, I am not any more .

John Stevenson, while your frustration is understandable, such a defeatist attitude is precisely why Ireland has sunk to the depths of despair.

There is much we can do but it must begin with the individual taking responsibility for their own situation.

The only power that this small group of people have over 4 million of us is the power we grant them through apathy and blind, distracted compliance with the corrupt system they operate.

Research this system and you will quickly realise that it is a charade that we can choose not to engage with.
If we choose to question everything that established society throws at us, make up our own minds and take back our individual and collective power by doing the right thing as opposed to always taking the socially acceptable, politically correct or populist path, then very quickly things will change.

However it will never happen through the game of politics – this is simply another sideshow.
Take individual responsibility, take back your power.

The Romanian people just got rid of their government through mass protest. It can be done, just too many people think otherwise in this country. Although if more governments fall through these actions things might change here.

Right on bro!

Too true. Here’s a musical idea of exactly where we are! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XNunpxnxIY

Jay Warner .
I absolutely agree with you . Is this really Pat Rabbitte saying all this ? Do they think we are all fools ? That we can not see what they are trying to do ? This country of ours is going to hell rapidly.

Good question. There isn’t an official line on this here so this is just my view, but I think we’d have to wait and see exactly what would be contained in any regulatory guidelines. Rabbitte didn’t give a lot of information about how much regulation would be involved and there’s a huge spectrum for what he could choose to introduce, so it would be premature to get into it too much before we know anything.

And are international organisations going to be so nice as to observe our ‘new media’ regulations.

I sure hope they do, would hate to see them blocked

@Mark
“Enda Kenny is a liar”. That is a slanderous statement, afaik. So are you now going to hold the Journal.ie, Facebook, Twitter or the ISP responsible for me saying that!!! That’s the issue.
I’m one person and as with online media, before you trust what I’m saying you will probably first establish if it’s worthwhile listening to me…. or are you one of the people who answer the “I’m a Nigerian Banker” scams?
In relation to politicians being slandered I guess you are referring to the likes of twitter. True politicians are slandered by the like of me there. Same as slanderous statements would be spoken in a pub – are you going to hold the publican accountable for that?
The real issue here for the politicians is that social media expands the anti-government thinking by by-passing the state-controlled media. It gives democracy and spreads information, which the politicians across the EU are afraid of. They are trying to avoid their electorate at every turn.
Perhaps you are correct about freedom being earned, which is probably why we are loosing it. Somebody voted FF and FG all these years leading to tiny political spectrum steeped in dogma on both ends.

It took years to stop the religious controlling the population , with the approval of the state . Now the state want to control because the religious lost control . Damn we are bold and really can’t be trusted it seems !

Welcome to the wonderful world of censorship.

From George Orwell’s 1984…. An excellent book, well worth a read.

oh cool. I never got around to reading that, just know the whole concept of the book. I feel we are moving towards that kind of world with each passing day unfortunately.