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Senior gardaí summoned to HQ over non-prosecution of 13,000 juvenile offences

Thousands of young people went unpunished for their crimes.

SENIOR GARDAÍ HELD a meeting at Garda HQ earlier this week to discuss what sources have described as a “massive failure” in the juvenile prosecution system.

It emerged at a meeting between Garda management and the Policing Authority last month that almost 13,000 criminal offences by young people may have gone unprosecuted due to problems with the logging system.

A major audit of 22,000 cases is now being carried out into the Juvenile Diversion Programme scheme after it emerged that a significant number of young people may have wrongly escaped prosecution.

The internal review has seen a number of sergeants and inspectors removed from the frontline to deal with this latest crisis.

The lack of frontline sergeants is already at crisis point, meanwhile, according to garda representative body AGSI.

Senior gardaí met at the force’s Phoenix Park headquarters in Dublin on Tuesday to discuss the issue and the potential fallout from the looming controversy.

What is the Juvenile Diversion Programme?

The original aim of the Juvenile Diversion Programme was to help prevent young offenders in Ireland from entering into the full criminal justice system.

Instead of a criminal conviction, the young person was given the chance to admit to their crime as part of the scheme and is offered one of a range of options to make amends.

Specially-trained garda Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLOs) are assigned to work with them.

Once the young person admits responsibility for their actions, an action plan is created – this can include apologising to the victim of their crimes, offering money to them, imposing curfews on the offender or ensuring they participate in sporting or other recreational activities.

In an interim assessment given to the Policing Authority last month, three failings were identified:

  • Referrals being left in drafts preventing them from being processed in a timely manner;
  • Referrals not being assigned to a juvenile liaison garda;
  • A significant lack of follow-through to prosecution for those who refused to engage.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy last month told the authority that the force was attempting to figure out how thousands of offenders were effectively getting away with their crimes.

There were cases where, after a prolonged period of attempted engagement by the JLO, the young offender has refused to work with the officer. In other cases, the young person has been deemed unsuitable for the programme.

In the past, these young people were placed on a centralised list which gave gardaí blanket approval to proceed with their prosecution.

However, that system was then changed so that individual JLOs had to contact the original arresting garda informing them that the scheme was not working out and that they should go ahead with prosecution.

The way the system was created meant that a referral had to be done for each offence, for each offender – effectively creating a substantial workload for officers.

Sources say that the system became unworkable and ground to a halt. The offenders’ cases lingered until a point where their offences could no longer be prosecuted as they exceeded the statute of limitation.

Leahy said he was aware of the human impact these failings may have had, telling the authority last month that “the significant risk is you’ve a victim and you’ve a child”. He acknowledged that further crime may have been committed in the period of “inactivity” by gardaí. The assistant commissioner also said there may be disciplinary proceedings arising out of this investigation.

‘Got away with it’

Policing Authority chairwoman Josephine Feehily said at last month’s meeting: “Young people who were accepted into programme and who agreed to go into the programme and accept the strictures of the programme received a particular kind of treatment.

“And the ones who didn’t – because they weren’t suitable in many cases, because they were more serious crimes or perhaps because they were recidivist, got away with it.”

Assistant Commissioner Leahy assured the authority that gardaí were working to remedy the legacy cases.

Sources told TheJournal.ie that An Garda Síochána’s new case management system now sets timelines and sends reminders to investigating officers for these kinds of actions so they cannot forget.

The latest available report into the diversion programme is from 2016. It found that there were a total of 1,250 children deemed unsuitable for the programme in 2016. This is down 15% on the 2015 total of 1,479 – based on most recent referral received.

The crimes committed by these juveniles which resulted in a JLO referral included rape, sexual assaults, assaults, thefts from the person, threats to kill, burglary, arson, serious road traffic offences among others. However, it is currently unknown which crimes were not prosecuted.

Senior gardaí will again appear before the Policing Authority today, but the Juvenile Diversion Programme audit is not on the agenda.

A spokesperson for the gardaí said there is an ongoing review in relation to the Juvenile Diversion Programme and that a “full media briefing will take place when the final report is issued and it is envisaged that this will take place in October”.

With reporting by Daragh Brophy

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37 Comments
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    Mute David Field
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:24 PM

    Meaningless Manifestos. Meaningless Slogans. Meaningless Promsises.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:09 PM

    @David Field: True, but in terms of the wording, SF are making the most sense

    62
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    Mute Dave Callaghan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:18 PM

    @Thesaltyurchin: @Thesaltyurchin: ”Sinn Féin’s manifesto makes no mention of the migration system.”

    They’re not making much sense on the issue of immigration, which affects nearly every other issue people worry about.

    Immigration is the biggest issue for most people according to a recent Irish Independent poll.

    https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/elections-2024/local-election/elections-2024-poll-what-do-you-believe-is-the-main-issue-in-this-local-election/a455437151.html

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    Mute James Hayes
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    Jun 6th 2024, 7:08 PM

    @Dave Callaghan: it’s all false promises. Why would you vote for any major party, they promises the stars, but yet it’s cloudy 99% of the time. We need a change, but who do you pick. As a person in the 50s I’ve seen frist hand what FFG has turned this country into. I’m not voting SF either,they talked the talk, but aren’t willing to walk the walk.

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    Mute Stuart Keogh
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:34 PM

    Fianna fails could not be more vague or even half hearted. Looks like somebody literally phoned that in or wrote it on a post-it note

    122
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    Mute JagTune
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:32 PM

    Ireland is the only country in Europe that allows asylum seekers to vote in local and European elections. An asylum seeker can register to vote without a passport or ID.
    Department of Justice figures from last year confirm that 85% of asylum seekers entered Ireland last year without passport or ID. They can now vote in our elections.
    Establishment parties are relying on the vote of asylum seekers as they know the majority of Irish people have turned against them. Asylum seekers and economic migrants have been granted the power to shape the future of the Irish political system.
    This is an extremely sinister move by our government and is an attack on our democracy.

    115
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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:45 PM

    @JagTune: Great little rant about sinster moves by the government to attack our democracy.

    The problem is that we actually had a referendum in 1999 on this, where the people of Ireland had the democratic right to decide on this issue, and 77.83% of us voted in favour of it.

    Of course, this predated the rise of right-wing hysteria, it was back when we all had hope for the future, could make ends meet and didn’t look for an easy target to blame all the problems of the country on and instead held politicians to account, to actually sort out the problems themselves, rather than just looking for a scapegoat to blame them on..

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jun 6th 2024, 4:36 PM

    @JagTune: Asylum seekers can not vote in European elections in Ireland. Further, asylum seekers can not apply for asylum without proving their identity, so there are no asylum seekers who’s identity has not been established voting in local elections in Ireland. Your post stinks of mis-truths and prejudice

    35
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    Mute Eddie Garvey
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:30 PM

    Problem is they rarely deliver, they often knowingly lie, they are primarily driven by retaining their income and claiming as many expenses as possible and finally the guy in all councils with the most power is not elected so what’s the point.

    112
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    Mute Fidgenti
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:38 PM

    FG are promising to fix all the things they broke, like some thug telling his beaten up wife that he won’t do it again, that it’ll be different from now on and that he really loves and cares deeply for. her.
    Time to stop feeding the hand that bites us.

    154
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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:44 PM

    @Fidgenti: they cannot be smacking up the women now

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    Mute John Dennehy
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:39 PM

    What Fianna Fáil really meant to say was – underdelivering for Fine Gael in the past, underdelivering for Fine Gael in the future. Fine Gael really meant to say working with Fianna Fáil, working for Fianna Fáil. FG and FF should officially join forces and become one party. There is zero difference between them now, and they have been great bedfellows in government in destroying the country. A vote for FG is a vote for FF and vice versa.

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    Mute N D K
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:48 PM

    Should all these things not have been done years ago, what have they all been doing for years gone bye

    70
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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:41 PM

    Who will get rid of the usc? They will get my vote

    62
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    Mute P. J.
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:46 PM

    @Sean Money:
    None of them so, and if any candidate in a local election tells you they can, you have found the biggest liar of them all

    42
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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:54 PM

    @P. J.: it makes me sad

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:57 PM

    @P. J.: What about any of the nazi people and far rights, surely they would?

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    Mute James Moylan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:55 PM

    There’s actual people out there that believe that waffle

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    Mute honey badger
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:52 PM

    Just make sure you do vote. Don’t take anything for granted.

    42
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    Mute Lydia Mcloughlin
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:55 PM

    Same old, same old … roll in 10 years, rinse, repeat.

    37
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    Mute M G
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:43 PM

    Only party getting my Vote is the ones going to stop our country getting invaded .

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    Mute nollaig o cellaigh
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:39 PM

    Hooray everything will be fixed finally!!!!

    33
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    Mute Kush OMeara
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:12 PM

    When Palestine becomes more important than Portlaise – you know parties have no real agenda except jumping on trends. SF’s biggest revelation this time around has been them cosying up and bending over backwards with the Islamists.

    43
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    Mute Kush OMeara
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:13 PM

    @DCQ: Yeah, that’s why they don’t get my vote this time. Independents it will be.

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jun 6th 2024, 6:07 PM

    @Kush OMeara: Is that you Mattie?

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    Mute J Cronin
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:30 PM

    There’s no need for The Journal to read it to us and there’s no need for anyone else to read it either because all we’ll read is spoof.

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    Mute Nodon
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:27 PM

    So FF are going to mandate gender targets for board appointments in local authorities. Well they have just lost one vote with that silly proposal and hopefully will lose more if they continue down the road of gender (and other) quotas.

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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:57 PM

    Manifiestos are spoofery. That said, despite polls making a lot of presumptions on the alleged fall in support for Sinn Fein, I think a lot of younger voters 18-34 will probably vote for them in the impending elections and a future general election.

    Simply because they have no historic baggage about them, attacks on Sinn Fein from FFFG about being the past political wing of the IRA, means as much to them as someone talking about FFFG actions during the civil war, because they didn’t live through any of it, to them its all just boring history.

    I personally doubt that Sinn Fein in government will deliver on any of the things they promise in opposition, and suspect that they will claim they need at least two terms to fix the mess left to them, but I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

    23
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    Mute Nodon
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:22 PM

    @Dvsespaña: It’s not the past IRA history that is causing the drop in support for SF. It’s their constant flip flopping on all major issues so no one knows where they stand on anything.

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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:27 PM

    @Nodon: Congratulations on arguing against a point and claim that I didn’t make..

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    Mute P. J.
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:43 PM

    @Ulysses 31:
    Thankfully there is so many candidates of the hard right variety that their support will be spread thin, very few, if any will be elected and the majority of people will be able to ignore them.

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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:52 PM

    @Ulysses 31: Nonsense.

    17
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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:12 PM

    @Ulysses 31: It begins with we need to stop and repatriate international protection applicants, then all of a sudden it’s we need to stop unlimited economic migrants because they are the problem, then before you know it, it’s ordinary citizens being stopped in the street by psychopathic bureaucrats and told their papers are not in order, and them sending anyone that disagrees to re-education camps…

    Then eventually, people begin to wonder as they have at various points throughout history, how and when exactly did we allow these vicious lunatics to take control?

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    Mute Nodon
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:19 PM

    @P. J.: if people use their transfers properly their vote will consolidate. Hopefully they will do and the results will be a better reflection of public opinion.

    21
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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:16 PM

    @Ulysses 31: There lies the problem, because there isn’t a right-wing lite, or a limited form of fascism. It is like every other ideology, a self perpetuating bureaucracy that compounds itself.

    In Germany in the 1930′s, Hitler was saying to voters that they needed to help him rebuild Germany for Germans.

    The Germany that was destroyed physically and financially by losing WW1 and being forced to pay reparations, he told them that with their support in voting for his national socialist party he would take back control of Germany and regain its former glory…

    6
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    Mute Dvsespaña
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:17 PM

    On the surface, this appealed to a lot of ordinary German people that were struggling to make ends meet, categorise people by race or ethnicity, expel from Germany everyone not aryan German, and seize the assets and businesses of foreigners

    Hitler kept the crazy talk about genocide, slaughtering the Jews, the disabled, homosexuals, gypsies and anyone not aryan German, to his inner circle with whom he had tried to overthrow the German government through an earlier insurrection in 1923, at least he did until they finally held the reins of power, by then it was too late and the die was cast and the rest is history…

    6
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    Mute Bert Carolan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:04 PM

    Fine Gael are going to place bees on the roof of local authority buildings where practical.
    Do they mean hives? And presumably that’s only possible on flat roofs. And they’d need trained Bee keepers. And a risk assessment cos people might get stung.
    Don’t think it’s practical.
    But I could be wrong.

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    Mute Eric Gaffney
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:38 PM

    We read the manifestos so you dont.

    16
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    Mute Sean Stevenson
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:58 PM

    Not one mention of crime or antisocial behaviour. HOW on earth are local councillors more concerned about Palestine, a country over which a local councillor will have absolutely ZERO power to help or influence outside of virtue signalling by waving a flag around outside city hall, than the absolute state of our inner cities when it comes to open drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and general crime. This is an absolute circus.

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    Mute William O leary
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:39 PM

    can we have our country back please ..that’s all

    16
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    Mute Camio 55
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    Jun 6th 2024, 1:39 PM

    Not easy to predict results on this occasion .

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    Mute John Reynolds
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:17 PM

    Seems that they are all striving to do these things nothing concrete so basically bs

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    Mute Peter McCormack
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    Jun 6th 2024, 9:42 PM

    Which party should I vote for to control migration into our country.
    SF don’t care.
    Ff and FG want us to take migrants that arrived illegally from other countries.
    Which party to vote for in the EU elections..

    8
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jun 6th 2024, 10:29 PM

    The Coalition parties have done massive damage to Democracy in Ireland, they have failed the Irish people who have lost all trust in all arms of the State & no longer swallow the lies & false promises. They brand those who question their actions as Far Right, deflecting from their failures, as they know that things are about to change drastically in Ireland. They must solely take responsibility for this & why people are seeking extremes. The Opposition are no better, in fact nobody sees anybody in Dail Eirinn as leaders or providing leadership. The fact is, it’s now too late for the Coalition parties, the days of people giving them another chance is gone. The Referendums were a warning & the vote went unheeded by our Political Classes, too late now.

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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:02 PM

    Ireland’s maritime climate is one topic among many within the umbrella of the Earth science of climate, just as geology and biology cover many topics within their respective research areas.

    The idea of making climate one thing, in this case, long-term weather to suit computer modelling, reflects poorly on society, from politicians to the electorate.

    An element of social politics would be to curtail the influence of scientific method modelling. Because that subculture cannot be inspirational, of necessity, it must be hysterical and dire, so a creative and productive society does not need it.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:15 PM

    @Gerald Kelleher: Doesn’t really matter if one believes or not. There are ways to heat your house, some of them make sense and some don’t. The path of reason should be the journey we’re on, but people are terrified of change (the only certainty apart from death) and so are incapable moving past almost any societal road block. In Ireland its evident throughout our society, with nearly all of our infrastructures suffering generational neglect.

    2
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