Demand for visitor accommodation in Ireland is so intense that there are hardly any beds left available.
Take Newtownmountkennedy for example. This sleepy little town in Wicklow has become a popular destination for tourists from all corners of the globe. Normally demand such as this would translate into higher room costs, but the Irish government is so keen to promote this particular village that they are providing beds free of charge. Roderic O’Gorman The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of Ireland has effectively stepped into the role of Minister for Tourism- He’s got a budget and he’s only too keen to spend it all.
Not Everyone Is Happy.
Unfortunately there will always be those who begrudge success, and the people of Ireland have demonstrated on occasion just how susceptible they are to pettiness. This isn’t just about some locals quietly muttering over their beer in the pub, but full-scale protests against the efforts of a government department that understands the beating heart of the Irish tourist industry. In fact they are so determined to show their commitment that they sent a full riot squad of Gardai (Irish police) to dissuade these small-minded locals from expressing their disapproval.
The Irish Government’s commitment to helping out the tourist industry is only matched by their commitment to law and order. That’s why, following a series of incredibly incompetent and corrupt appointments to Chief Superintendent of the Gardai, it was decided that they should appoint a serving British MI5 agent to bring professionalism to bear on the structure, rank and file. Again, not everyone was happy with the appointment, and the Gardai have had their fair share of scandal in recent years such as the Maurice McCabe affair in which a Garda Sergeant had his life and reputation ruined by his former employer and the Irish Times for revealing corruption in the force in 2006 and 2008. Add to that the chorus of complaints against a former Garda turned Judge- Martin Nolan who regularly passes such slight sentences for paedophilia and other serious crimes that they might as well be parking offences. His resignation has been the subject of several online petitions garnering more than 50,000 signatures.
Scurrilous Accusations Against The Irish Police
Biased social media reporting around the entirely justifiable initiation of Garda violence against the protesters in Wicklow is creating a very poor impression of a police force that is working extremely hard to repair it’s reputation as a hive of corruption and incompetence. The media must do more to support law and order: Increase use of the term “far right” and publish photos that create the right tone.
Far-Right Mockery: “Who Needs The Black n Tans When You’ve Got An Garda Siochána?”
The Black n Tans were a rag-tag bunch of traumatised ex-World War I soldiers brought to Ireland by the British establishment as a quasi-police force to quell dissent in Ireland during turbulent period of 1920 – 21. The name comes from their uniforms made up of mismatching colours due to the the result of a military supply cockup. They gained a very poor reputation and acted in ways that were detrimental to the British position rather than being of assistance. One example of their reckless behaviour was the Burning of Cork in 1921 which ravaged the city, and which the establishment tried to blame on the Irish rebels. The whole strategy backfired spectacularly and the world’s press published reports condemning the British government for their stupidity; But today’s far-right agitators are trying to draw parallels between this British Paramilitary force and that of the Gardaí. Such a comparison is obviously ludicrous. For one, the Gardai haven’t shot or tortured anyone yet, unless you classify being chased by riot police and being beaten with battens as torture. Second, the new Garda uniform’s colours are black and phosphorescent yellow, not black and tan. And thirdly, if anyone wants to blame foreign actors for causing mayhem, then they should refocus their blame on private foreign paramilitary contractors whom, for well-founded strategic reasons, have been drafted in to back up the Gardai.
