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EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we take a look at all the best comments left on the site by our readers over the past seven days.
This week there was a lot of talk about Leo Varadkar, the same-sex marriage referendum and Deirdre from Corrie.
So here are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. Leo Varadkar told Miriam O’Callaghan last weekend that he is gay. There were a lot of warm wishes made in the comments section, with this from Tom Red earning 3,467 green thumbs.
Not your biggest fan Leo ,
But fair play to you for telling the world what really is none of their business. ….
All the best for the future….
2. Ewan Scott-Douglas questioned the State broadcaster’s choice of guest this week during same-sex marriage referendum debates. He got 1,898 thumbs up.
Why do RTÉ constantly go to the so called Iona Institute for anything to do with LGBT rights. Especially after last year.
3. This comment from Stephen Ring got 1,780 thumbs up following a story that immigrants have allegedly been told to “go back home” and that “too many people from — are coming here to take benefits for free” at the social welfare office.
When a situation exists whereby irish people, who have worked, can’t get any financial support, but immigrants who have never contributed can, it is only reasonable to expect disquiet and frustration on the part of those administering this unfair system as well as those subject to it.Aodhan O’Riordhain is a pathetic apologist and a PC joke.
4. Another Leo comment. This time Nigel O’Neill got 1,706 for taking issue with the interview being given top news billing.
Just saw the RTE 1pm news..it was top story…which is absolutely ridiculous. Nobodys sexual orientation should be headline news on the state tv channel
5. Finally, a simple wish to Leo from Will Derbylight and 1,391 thumbs uppers.
Good luck to him!
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. ‘Should we allow mothers to marry their daughters?’ (461 comments)
2. Poll: How do you intend to vote in the same-sex marriage referendum? (359 comments)
3. “It’s not something that defines me”: Health Minister Leo Varadkar on being gay (343 comments)
4. Here’s the wording you’ll be voting on in same-sex marriage referendum (313 comments)
5. Social welfare officer allegedly told immigrant to “go back home” (291 comments)
Word joke of the week
Phil O’Meara made a good fist of getting a limerick out of Rick O’Shea’s new poetry programme launch.
There once was a man called O’ Shea,
A perfectly happy DJ,
Who came to despise his lot,
And moved to a poetry slot,
Not all limericks end satisfactorily!
Standout comments of the week
We said goodbye to Anne Kirkbride this week, more widely known as Deirdre from Coronation Street. Here’s Matt’s lovely tribute.
May she enjoy endless G&Ts in the Rovers Return up above
Since the recession hit, more and more people have been pushed out of the private health insurance market. Carlow Wexford explains his story.
After 40 years of paying, had to let it go; now I have not a penny to cover me, despite all those years of covering everyone else and hardly ever claiming. If I were to take it up again, ‘existing condition’ (asthma) would not be covered for the first 10 years, so it’s pointless.
We don’t need private companies profiting from insuring Irish citizens’ health; we need a State mutual insurance scheme through tax that covers everyone’s medical care.
But for that to work, the government would have to have the balls to deal honestly with the pharmaceutical companies on the outrageous prices of medicine in Ireland, to support and pay our GPs properly, and to tackle the chaotic mess that has been made of our hospitals.
And while ordinary people worry about bills, the world’s elite were in Davos enjoying €43 sandwiches. Here’s what O Swetenham had to say about that.
The only way I’d pay €43 for a sandwich is if it had unicorn meat in it
And Becky Eaton promised that if she was ever that rich, she’d throw a party for all our commenters. Can we come too, Becky?
So let’s say I am rich and I paid that much to get in I would want a free club sandwich but I guess some people have more money than sense or so much money that paying that much is just a tiny little dent in what money they have I don’t think if I won the lotto I would pay that much but maybe I am wrong? Would you pay 45 for a club sandwich if you had the money? If I win the lotto I will host a party for all of you who comment on the journal and we will party like no tomorrow. Xxx
We all have bad clamping stories. But maybe not as bad as S K’s.
Got clamped while in blanchardstown town hospital. Was waiting 5 hours for my 9 a.m. appointment. After four hours said to the nurse that I had to go top up my parking. I was told that if I left I would lose my place in the queue for my “appointment”. I ended up getting back to my car 8 minutes after my ticket ran out and there was a clamp on it. I was a student at the time, had no more money or anyone to call for help. Was left sitting in a car park crying my eyes out to some clamper. Fantastically humiliating experience.
Following a beautiful article on fatherhood, we got this incredible tearjerker message from Antaine O Duile. Thanks for sharing Antaine.
I took my 4yr old boy for his immunisations a couple of days ago. He had to get one in each arm. The doctor suggested that it might be better to do both jabs at the same time. I agreed and I cuddled him to me with his chin on my chest and he just looked straight into my eyes with complete trust. To be honest it took my breath away. With the doctor on one arm and the nurse on the other he took both jabs and didn’t cry out or flinch. I can’t explain why that moment touched me so much.
We heard this week about the most overused words on CVs and Derek Smalls asked us to try read this one out loud.
The best/worst buzz-phrase combo I ever heard was in an annual staff meeting of a multinational when the vice president said “our competitive ingredient going forward into next year will be… quality enrichment rollout across all our product flavors”. It was an electronics company, by the way, (just in case anyone might think it was a bakery). Oh yeah, the same guy once said that one of the company’s software products was “sexy”.
Finally, gardaí in Finglas found a cat this week.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Robyn Morton replied:
And in the news next week:“Enquiry launched after cat wipes penalty points from pulse system”
See any good comments? Send them on to sinead@thejournal.ie
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Till you and your likes decide to pay a decent price for the high quality produce you expect, you better get used of it!
@Bull McCabe: Problem is the EU trade deal with Brazil only means things will get worse.
@The long walk home☘️:
if that deal goes through!
Hopefully the recent massive torching of the Amazon will make people see sense.
Although money and greed will probably overcome that decision.
@Bull McCabe: American and Argentinian beef in the fridges of Lidl supermarkets in Burgas here.
@Dave Doyle: beef also produced by farmers who are in the same boat as Irish farmers.
One man controls the price of beef in the world! An Irishman! And guess where he has beef plants and establishing more!
@Bull McCabe: And pays little or no tax, also the subject of a long costly tribunal.
@Dave Doyle: you said it!
@The long walk home☘️: You don’t have to buy it
@Bull McCabe: Ireland imported 15 million tonnes of animal feed material in 2018. Where do you think that came from?
@Noel Doherty: in Ireland 2018 was an exceptionally bad year with weather. Harvests were poor.
If you had an animal would you feed it or let it die of the hunger?
@Bull McCabe: Till you and your likes get over your taxpayer subsidies, grants and other assorted handouts you had better expect to get used to it.
@Pat Farrelly: P.S. are you, by any chance related to the bullsh8t McCabes.
@Pat Farrelly: farmers don’t want the handouts but without them are u willing to pay three fold current price for produce
@Pat Farrelly: the only one talking bull$hit is you! Explain the taxpayer subsidies to us all.
It’s laughable how Bord Bia can approve “Irish” beef processed in a “Uk” abattoir.
The cartel plot thickens!
@Bull McCabe: Would have been processed in Northern Ireland?
If you’re looking for good quality meat at unbeatable prices,you shouldn’t look further than your local Craft Butcher. Every town in Ireland has one now,where they prepare and sell their produce from local suppliers. Their reputation depends on it,they sell mostly meat plus other accompaniments,and they depend on repeat business to survive. Therefore their product and service is top class,and value for money for top quality cuts is astounding. Support your local butcher,the difference in quality and value is amazing.
@Larry Betts: you’d actually have better traceability with super markets. Example being Turkey for Christmas, most source them from Poland while supermarkets are all bred in Ireland. Similar situation with pork.
@Larry Betts: Would like to support my local butchers but they’re too expensive, eg €13.50 for 1kg of stewing beef compared to €10 in the supermarket and €8-9 when it is on special which is every few weeks. Dont mind paying a bit extra but not 35% extra
People might realise now that they don’t need as much meat as they think and replace it with something else. And funnily enough it will be the farmers and the meet industry who has convinced them of this.
@Brian: or due to public discontent aldi and their fellow retailers may in fact realise that they can no longer screw the beef farmer and be forced to pay for top quality produce
@Brian: yeah they’ll replace it alright. With chicken or pork.
@Vestigal: or UK meat
@Brian: I eat meat because I like and enjoy it. Not only because I need it.
And I hope the major supermarkets understand that farmers and people who are both directly and indirectly employed by agriculture also shop in their stores.
@Bull McCabe: I remember a protest by farmers a few years back around the new Zealand lamb issue. Farmers picketed the supermarket for a few hours, and then most of them went inside to do their shopping.
@John Mulligan:John do you not see the problem in a New Zealand leg of lamb at the same price as an Irish leg of lamb, frozen of course. You can’t fly any longer in the world to any destination bar the South Pole and the shipping and refrigeration of that lamb has to be paid for somewhere! Guess who pays? In a world looking at cutting carbon emissions?
We are being taxed and panicked into buying electric cars and future proof our homes to reduce our carbon footprint whilst allowing sIfhips and planes to transport produce into our own country without a problem from thousands of miles away while it can be produced locally. Farming outside of the pale is the backbone of this little country and always has been!
Exactly – trying to cut down on red meat – won’t buy any beef lamb or pork until I know for certain that’s it’s processed in Ireland.
@Grainnewhale: go to your local butcher. They buy their meat from local farmers. Can’t get more Irish than that.
Give the FARMERS half of your exorbitant margins and you will get your supplies of top Quality Beef
Am I the only one who notices how filthy that shelf is?
28 day aged rib eye steak yum yum
I know next to nothing about farming or the beef industry but I will say that there was a pig farmer on Ear to the Ground last night who butchered and sold his own meat and made upwards of EUR300 per pig whereas he would only make EUR120 selling to market. He reckoned it was the difference between staying in business and not being able to continue. If that’s replicated with beef and the recent protests suggest that it is then there is no wonder that the farmers are up in arms.
@Sean: I always thought that an abattoir had to be licenced – was it for his own consumption?
@Sean: I saw that too, fair play to him.
In future all our “beef” will come from abroad. Time to re-run those “Who’s taking the horse to France?” ads again
@Larry Betts: Why do you say that?
@Larry Betts: Why would our beef come from abroad when we export around 70% of the beef we produce here?
Well I’ll have a burger tomorrow
While we’re here and on a more serious note who sells the best steaks Tesco, Aldi or Lidl
and which is the tastiest most succulent steak – The Sirloin, The Fillet steak, The Strip steak, The T-bone steak, The Rib eye steak, Flank steak, Minute steaks, Skirt steaks, Fillet steaks, any idea?
@Diogenes: ask your local, friendly,decent,helpful butcher.
@Diogenes: it’s a personal preference. I think the 30 day salt aged rib eye in Aldi is unbeatable for what I want. I find fattier marbled meat much more flavourful, I find fillets bland, most other off cuts better for slow cooking
Hope all of the killing stops – eat something else people!
@chiqey: No. Cows taste goooood.
@chiqey: what about the killing of rats around grain stores?
Jaysus that eurospar needs to clean it’s fridge
You should all become Vegetarian’s
If the farmers are producing the beef as they say below cost why dont they diversify like any good business. This tied and linked to the land is codswallop. Sadly they will be wiped out when south american beef floods the market
have your say