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Stephen Donnelly pictured with fellow Independent TD Shane Ross Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Column Stephen Donnelly TD answers 10 questions he's frequently asked by the public

Are Dáil holidays too long? What do TDs do all day? And what’s the food like in the Leinster House canteen? Independent TD Stephen Donnelly answers some of questions most frequently asked of TDs.

1. What have you done for me in the last 6 months?

That depends who you are, but hopefully there’e beeen something! Here’s a flavour of some of the things I’ve been working on over the last six months:

Legislation: I introduced the Family Home Protection Bill, the essence of which made it into the Personal Insolvency Bill. This will provide substantial new protections to tens of thousands of people around the country who are being squeezed by the banks. It’s something I’m very proud of.

Finance Committee: My interrogation of Permanent TSB a few weeks back made it onto the front page of the Irish Times Business Section. Specifically, it reported my accusation of rent gouging of variable rate mortgage holders. My hope is that this sort of political and media pressure helps keep a focus on the public interest aspect of what the banks are doing.

Policy: I have been highlighting the destruction of the third level education sector in Ireland, including a 50% cut in per student funding. Watch this space – this is becoming the single biggest threat to Ireland’s status as a wealthy country for the next 30 years.

Wicklow: I’m working with local organisations on an enterprise strategy, to reverse some of the damage done and to revitalise a local, innovative businesses environment.

Individual: I helped secure critical funding for the support of a severely disabled teenager. Kudos to Kathleen Lynch for her work on this.

2. What do you do on a daily basis?

Here’s what a typical Wednesday might look like:

07.00 to 08.00: Onto the exercise bike, listen to Morning Ireland & scan the news online. Discuss a wide range of pressing issues with my 2 & 3 year old boys (like who’s better – Fireman Sam or Bob the Builder?).

08.00 to 09.15: Drive into Leinster House: Sit in traffic, listen to the radio, phone calls with the team on day’s agenda.

09.15 to 10.15: Arrive in the office. When I’m in the Oireachtas, I’m based in the department of Agricuture. The Independents don’t get the cool offices close to the corridors of power.

We are out the back near the cupboards of influence. I start with meetings on policy, press releases, analysis and constituency issues.

10.15 to 11.15: Over to the Dáil to sit through an episode of ‘How to avoid answering questions’ – also known as Leader’s Questions.

11.15 to 14.45: Tactical coffee, back to the office to prepare for Dáil speech, Finance Committee, media appearance, etc. I reagularly meet with industry groups, NGOs and interest groups on anything from offshore drilling to anti-competitive behaviour to philanthropy. This is followed by lunch, replying to correspondence, reviewing the answers to recently submitted parliamentary questions, and maybe losing a vote in the Chamber.

14.45 to 18.00: Finance Committee. Recently it’s been banks, public service pensions, the Troika and whistle blowers.

18.00 to 19.30: Coffee, back to the office, prep for speech, head to the Chamber to listen to other speeches, deliver speech and listen to a few more.

19.30 to 21.00: Back to the office for reading, correspondence, and maybe the odd spot of pondering (e.g., how are we going to save our universities?).

21.00 to 21.20: Vote in the Chamber on the week’s Private Members Motion. These are tabled by Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil or the Technical Group. They are always lost to a Government counter motion which invariable looks like this: ‘To delete the entire motion from the Opposition and replace it with some tripe saying that there is absolutely nothing to worry about, no mistakes have ever been made on any issue, everything that could conceivably be done on the issue at hand is being done, and the Government and Civil Service are so awesome that to attempt to contemplate their brilliance would cause a nosebleed.’

21.20 onwards: This depends on what’s happening on any given week. I could be driving home, out to RTÉ for the Late Debate, or out to chat with Vincent Browne in TV3. Home sometime between ten and one.

Leinster House. (Photo: Brood_wich/Flickr/Creative Commons)

3. Are there too many TDs?
Yes, and most are not getting to use the experience and passion they bring to the job. There are 76 new TDs in the Dáil and they are there to serve their country. The Dáil is badly broken, and despite promises of ‘a democratic revolution’, this Government is clinging to a centralised power structure just like last the last crew. I would halve the number of TDs and seriously consider single seat constituencies and a list system. Radical reform is needed.

4. Why do TDs get so much for a travel allowance?
I don’t know. I’ve handed back half of what I’m ‘entitled’ to. It is reasonable to cover the travel and accommodation costs of anyone who’s travelling for work, but the amounts need to be reviewed and vouched. I’d say part of the reason it’s probably higher than necessary is that there are other work-related expenses as a TD which are not refunded in any other way, so this allowance was padded. Needs urgent review, as do the allowances across the public sector.

5. Are the holidays too long?
Depends what you mean by ‘holidays’. The Dáil has been in recess for two weeks now, and I’d say I’ve dropped my working week from 65 to 40 hours.

Should the Dáil recess be shorter? A year ago I would have said definitely. Now I’m not so sure. The job is far more intense than I had expected. You really do need time away from the goldfish bowl that is Leinster House. And you also need time in the constituency.

6. Where will you be going on your summer holidays?
Doolin, County Clare. Some of the best trad music on earth, perfect pints, long sandy beaches and impromptu parties. Lots of time with the boys. And books – I’m actually going to get time to read novels, starting with the Girl Who Played with Fire.

7. What’s the food like in the Leinster House canteen?
Very good, and the staff are brilliant, especially when you realise at 8pm you’ve forgotten to eat all day! I’d like to see some healthier stuff added – it can be pretty heavy on the carbs and butter.

8. Is it hard for Independent TDs to change things?

United Left Alliance TDs Richard Boyd Barrett, Clare Daly and Mick Wallace with Independent TDs Shane Ross, Catherine Murphy and Mattie McGrath (Photo: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

It’s hard for any TD to change things. The system is designed to resist change (for some good and some bad reasons). Some civil servants view Dáil Éireann as an inconvenience to be managed while they get on with the serious business of running the country. The stronger Ministers manage to impose at least some of their vision on their Departments: others don’t.

Similarly, a number of Ministers are openly contemptuous of Dáil Éireann. They seem to think that they are elected to rule, their backbenchers are there to vote as they’re told, and the Opposition is a collection of criminals, idiots and lunatics. Pat Rabbitte’s ugly outburst a few days ago on the (democratically elected) Opposition is an example of this arrogance at its worst.

9. Do politicians only ever socialise with other politicians from the same party?
I don’t know – I’m not in a party, I live at home (that is, I’m not up in Dublin two nights a week in a hotel) and I have two young boys, so I don’t get to socialise professionally much. I think it’s pretty tribal when it comes to nights out, but certainly TDs from any party and none would sit down for coffee on a daily basis. I’ve had excellent pints with some fantastic TDs from across the parties. It’s an odd professional dynamic – a few months ago a Fine Gael TD and myself walked over to Newstalk together, knocked lumps out of each other on air, then went and had dinner together.

10. Does the current committee system work?
Some are better than others. I’ve been very impressed by the Justice Committee. The Finance Committee, which I’m on, is beginning to find its voice. However, the control which the Cabinet exerts means that no Committee can do what it’s meant to do, which is to hold an individual minister to account. In reality, the Ministers control their respective Committees.

Stephen Donnelly is an Independent TD for Wicklow and East Carlow. See: http://www.facebook.com/DonnellyforWicklow and  http://www.stephendonnelly.ie

Read: More columns by Stephen Donnelly >

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64 Comments
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    Mute Ken Donegan
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:09 PM

    I love how the tar everyone in Ireland saying they have a drinking problem I don’t have a drink problem , my wife doesn’t have a drink problem I understand some people in Ireland have a problem but stop saying everyone in Ireland has its sickening

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    Mute Philip King
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:20 PM

    The problem is most irish people can’t go out for a drink. They have to go out and get drunk.
    Not a drinker myself and the looks you get when you get a soft drink on a night out. And yes the irish have a terrible reputation for drink. It’s not a fun yeah! Sure were irish reputation it’s actually pretty bad. Foreign folk are always shocked when I say I don’t drink.

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    Mute emeraldninja
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:37 PM

    Most people don’t have a problem with the campaign per se, just parties championing the involvement of Diageo.. trying to talk out of both sides of their proverbial mouth.

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    Mute Mark O'Hagan
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:42 PM

    All you need to do is to look at the amount of moaning all over the media today about the pubs being closed to decide if we have a problem with drink or not.

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    Mute emeraldninja
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:42 PM

    There’s a bit of over exaggeration also with the stereotype.. a great many Irish people do not have a drink problem. Many more have zero interest in it at all. This kinda lump everyone in together lark. Gets a bit tiresome.

    29
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    Mute Niall Ó Tuathail
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    Apr 13th 2015, 2:26 PM

    Hi Ken,

    Sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn’t mean that everyone in Ireland has a drinking problem but that we do as a society. Even if we didn’t, I wouldn’t propose that the drinks industry have a leading role in our public health policy.

    Best wishes,
    Niall

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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:14 PM

    Sure thejournal have been campaigning for more drinking all day!!

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    Mute Jen Gordon
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:19 PM

    How many articles on alcohol today can you fit in ? Diageo has already stepped down from the board and has left substantial funding for the board to use as they see fit. When do people take responsibility for their actions ?

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    Mute Ireland Unlocked
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:05 PM

    This isn’t a question of individual consumer responsibility though it’s clear from ‘initiatives’ like Drinkaware.ie that the drinks industry would love us all to continue thinking that and Diageo Role Models continues the blame game.

    From a very early age we have a massive volume of advertising and sponsorship blasted at us daily telling us how to drink (as much as we can without causing socially visible problems) and when we drink (meeting with friends, watching sports etc). On top of that we have older generations who have been exposed to the same messages and our own peers reinforcing these messages to the point where over-consumption is normalised and folk think that drinking 3+ pints in one sitting multiple times per week is OK for their long term health.

    Where are the calls from Diageo Role Models for increased industry responsibility? Where are the calls to support the evidence based legislative changes in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 that are the foundation of any change in culture we have already achieved such as the changes around seat belts, smoking in the workplace and random breath testing, all of which saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.

    As for the board of this campaign, whatever you think about their judgement participating in a project that was conceived and set up by Diageo, is funded by them and up until recently, had the Diageo Country Manager as a board member, what qualifications do they bring to really impacting on this problem? Not one public health expert on an opaque board with no legal standing or transparency tells the true purpose of this campaign – smokescreen.
    The board members could have handed over the cash to an independent body like Alcohol Action Ireland and lent their expertise and support to them rather than Diageo.

    As for how the money was spent, 12k signups for a €1m investment seems like a pretty low return – even looking at it kindly it would not be unreasonable to estimate an individual sign up cost of €40 – 50; what a waste of cash just to try to fake some kind of grass roots, industry friendly movement against ‘out of control’ drinking – a term even Diageo themselves, the creators of the campaign, can’t seem to define.

    Some of the cash is going to DCU to do ‘research’ for the design of an ‘action plan’. But, we already have had 15+ reports and 11+ committees in the last few decades culminating in the publication of the Strategy for Substance Misuse published in 2012 referred to above. This campaign is clearly designed to distract public attention away from the passage of those measures through the parliament, where the industry is doing all it can to weaken and undermine them.

    You can learn more about this at http://irishdrinklink.com & http://twitter.com/irelandunlocked

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    Mute phil
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:22 PM

    The definition of binge drinking is too conservative. 3 or more pints is is considered binge drinking that’s not very much at all.

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    Mute Ireland Unlocked
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:20 PM

    It’s funny how we seem so skeptical or even disbelieving when medical professionals recommends levels for safe alcohol consumption but we barely if at all question when they advise us on safe levels of exposure to UV light on tanning beds or daily salt intake etc. Instead we seem happy to trust the vested interests of industry when they make ambiguous and essentially meaningless suggestions like ‘enjoy sensibly’, ‘drink responsibly’ or ‘know the one that’s one too many’. What incentivises the medical profession to set the bar ‘so low’ ? Maybe it’s the all the independent evidence based studies looking at the relationship between consumption levels and alcohol harm across hundreds of different populations.

    Over-consumption has been normalised, that’s the problem.

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    Mute Niall Ó Tuathail
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    Apr 13th 2015, 2:31 PM

    Hi Phil,

    You might well be right but I wouldn’t propose that the drinks industry should define what is and isn’t binge drinking as they have a serious incentive to it be defined very high (or not defined at all). The HSE have a fairly broad definition of binge drinking where 3 or more pints is where there is a higher likelihood of accidents, injury and violence. That seems reasonable enough to me.

    All the best,
    Niall

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    Mute Drew
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:58 PM

    People don’t care about their health or their safety in these campaigns… They care about their looks and what people think of the them. It’s been proven a thousand times over with smoking and obesity.

    Thus the next anti-binge drinking campaign should picture fat alcoholic slobs who can’t get an erection getting rejected by women and women carefully spending hours doing their hair and make ending up falling down and puking all over themselves while their friends and peers look at them ashamed.

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    Mute David Cuddy
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:12 PM

    I think you’re on to something there, Drew

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    Mute Harold
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:15 PM

    You should be in advertising, if you aren’t already.

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    Mute funkytown
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:49 PM

    I think there was an ad on either uk or Irish TV a few years ago , but an ad like yours wouldn’t do any harm.

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    Mute Alien8
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:08 PM

    Simple: the large players in the drink industry make higher yields in pubs and of licence sales. Binge drinkers look for alternatives in lower cost, sub-premium price brands which hits they bottom lines. The effort is to push 4 pints of Budweiser on a night out instead of the cheaper pre drink 24 cans of Dutch gold. It is selfish, thinks nothing of the health of either drinker, and, like MEAS, usually has the funds to “work” with politicians and unethical health physicians to give the impression of doing good.

    51
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    Mute F.man
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:53 PM

    “NO ONE DOUBTS that Ireland has a drinking problem. ”

    How did the author arrive at this definitive statement? Has he spoken to everyone in the country or world for that matter?

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    Mute Niall Ó Tuathail
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    Apr 13th 2015, 2:33 PM

    Hi F.man,

    That’s a fair cop – there probably are some people who doubt this. Not too many though.

    All the best,
    Niall

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    Mute The Todd
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:15 PM

    The amount of drink related articles today has driven me to the pub. Only to be met by a locked door…

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    Mute Bill Jones
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:16 PM

    I have a drinking problem, problem is I can’t buy any today! Amiright?

    47
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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:54 PM

    The vast vast majority of people on Ireland do not have a drink problem.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 8:42 PM

    Perhaps, but the vast majority have a problem with drink,if not directly then indirectly in the taxes you pay to treat the results of the accidents, violence and illnesses caused by excessive drinking.

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    Mute Harold
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:17 PM

    the latest stats I heard have 1.6M people in Ireland drinking too much. With 1M under 18, out of a drinking population of 3.6M, that’s almost half…maybe not a majority, but a massive problem.

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    Mute Ireland Unlocked
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:25 PM

    We all share the common problem of having to pay alcohol harm costs of almost €4bn per year – around €1.3bn alone in the health service – that’s a lot of cash that could surely be better used.

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    Mute F.man
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:34 PM

    Who decided they drink “too much” Harold?

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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 10:48 PM

    No they don’t, again the vast vast majority of drinking age people do not have a problem with drink nor does it cause them any problems

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    Mute William Byrne
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:16 PM

    I have a drink problem …. its good friday and I could murder a pint

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    Mute Seamus Brady
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 8:02 PM

    More HSE estimates they must be accurate. I’m getting stressed about this I think I’ll have a drink

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    Mute Myles Fleming
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 11:30 PM

    I’ll take the slack for this one but Irish people for the most part are completely boring without the social lubricant. Our climate is akin to that it Vancouver or Wellington. Are we the great out doorsey nation like our counter parts. Hardly. Ive lived in some of the hottest places in the world and now now one of the coldest. Northern Alberta. People are out year round enjoying each others company in the elements “actively”. Our climate and landscape are the envy of most nations. Never too warm nor cold and a treasure of places to go to. Collectively we are social people but its time to ease off on our crutch and enjoy what’s so readily available…

    11
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    Mute Michael Vines
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:26 PM

    surely a lot of the people who run this country have a drink problem it,s the only job in the country that has its own in built bar and it is very well used and then they tell us that we should not be drinking to much

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    Mute barry
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 8:57 PM

    Should cars not carry a ‘health warning ‘ too? They cause deaths every year, maybe not as many as drink and cigarettes but, it’s getting there!

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    Mute Nydon
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 9:08 PM

    My car drinks the petrol.

    11
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    Mute von
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:53 PM

    It’s the Irish mentality, people have to be educated and also denying drink as we do in Ireland makes it more palatable.

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    Mute Eric
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:09 PM

    For all the talk and political pandering, at the end of the day, it will come down to having people more.

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    Mute sinlacasa
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 7:33 PM

    I’m gonna drink 20 cans tonight because I can, as long as they allow me do anything I’m gonna do it in excess because they’ll take it away someday.

    16
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    Mute John Stevens
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    Apr 3rd 2015, 8:56 PM

    Some people have a drink problem because they refuse to accept or deny their situation in life, they were ultimately going to become nobodies, or things didn’t work out like they planned in their own head, they refuse to deal with their false delusions.

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    Mute Tracy McCarthy
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    Apr 4th 2015, 2:22 AM

    Interesting

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    Mute Rachel Bow Browne
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    Apr 4th 2015, 3:02 PM

    Also the fact that real addiction is not being adequately dealt with or enough support offered.

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    Mute John Galvin
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    Apr 4th 2015, 9:25 AM

    Firstly, I think the discussion on alcohol in Ireland would disappear if people stuck to 4 pints or less. Following your data, this means that we are only talking about 7 percent of booze consumed in the irresponsible box.
    Secondly, if you believe, as you seem to, that low cost alcohol is a root cause of abuse, then there won’t be much value lost when the 7 percent dries up.
    People need to take responsibility for their own actions. Germany is covered with booze advertising and a beer in a local supermarket costs as little at 20 cents for a half liter. You don’t hear the Germans bleating on about how it’s everyone else’s fault alcohol is a societal issue……because it’s not- everyone takes responsibility for their own lives and alcohol abuse is a topic for a tiny minority and simply not in the national debate.

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    Mute Thomas Geoghegan
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    Apr 5th 2015, 12:25 AM

    ’4 pints or less’.

    Every day, like?

    The author makes an important point: a subtle shift in emphasis in how public health messages are made can actually be huge.

    Think about it: you may think you’re fine on 4 pints, you’ve judged yourself not ‘out of control’ so you’re not causing yourself or anyone else any hassle. Maybe you drink 4 pints per sitting 4 times a week. Then, years later, you get some bad news from a doctor – if you had heeded the evidence on alcohol consumption given by the HSE and Government, you might be in better shape. You see, everyone things at the time their drinking isn’t out of control; if you rely on yourself to determine healthy limits, often when you’re already drinking, you can get yourself in trouble.

    This is the confusion the Stop Out of Control Drinking campaign is partly designed to sow.

    This said, I don’t think the campaign is all bad.

    The author also makes the point that past public health campaigns on dangerous drinking has not led to lasting behaviour change. I’d say part of the reason is poorly designed public health communications. The fact is, people don’t like being told what to do and they just don’t listen when you say it. But say something the right way that strikes the right chord and things can begin to turn. The irony here is that when the evil profession of advertising does its job well, it can be *very* good and *very* persuasive, even when it comes to public health messaging. And The Stop Out of Control Drinking campaign certainly got people listening and talking.

    There’s a lesson there, somewhere amid the controversy.

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