Earlier.
At 2pm.
Solidarity-People Before Profit TDs Gino Kenny, Richard Boyd-Barret, Bríd Smyth, Mick Barry and Ruth Coppinger and Independents 4 Change TD Joan Collins (3rd pic) refused to stand during the Dáil prayer and the subsequent 30 seconds of silence.
Mr Barry and Ms Coppinger (above) held up signs with the message, “For freedom of religion, separate church and state”.
The Dáil prayer is:
Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance; that every word and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and by Thee be happily ended; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Related: Fintan O’Toole: State has taken a bizarre trip back to the 1950s (The Irish Times)
Pics: Tony Groves, Gavan Reilly and Ruth Coppinger
Previously: The Prayer Stays
Meanwhile…
Johnny Keenan (him off the telly) writes:
It disgusts me as an Irish citizen that the catholic church can infiltrate with the help of the conservative christian right wing parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael a prayer that makes absolutely no sense to the people of Ireland.
Fair play to any politician for sitting their ground today. Instead of standing for the Dáil prayer. These rebel politicians that our Republic needs right now can stand and recite this profound paragraph of the proclamation.
A Moment Of Clarity
‘The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.’Up the Republic!
FIGHT!
Pics: Oireachtas.ie
Fair play to them in their fight against the backward, dancing at the crossroad, gombeens mouthing platitudes to an invisible fairy monster.
Infantile stuff.
It really is. I wouldn’t stand for someone else’s imaginary friend either.
to be expected from a blushirt government
The Proclamation contains the word “God” twice. Just saying.
Fair point Owen.
I did notice it in the first line.
There was compromise between Paraic Pearse and James Connolly in drafting the proclamation. The paragraph I chose to highlight would be what Connolly would have endorsed.
The point is the proclamation is for everyone and I picked a part that defined me and I think should define Dàil proceedings.
Imagine reciting the following every day in OUR government building. It might take a week or two but it would certainly sink in to the pea brains of Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour and Sinn Fein what exactly it means to represent ALL the people.
“The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an *alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past”.
*a hypothetical or fictional being from another world.
UP THE REPUBLIC!!! (Sinn Fein or Fianna Fáil don’t have exclusiveness to the word ‘Republic’ btw)
and I picked a part that defined me
We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God,
I bet I’m higher than you, me Lord!
no doubt they believe that Dev and Mcquaid must be smiling down on them
Or if you’re from Cork, Bishop Lucey. That man has a park named after him, what a flock would follow him to it
I’d prefer to think looking up with melting faces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ZpsbGr7s8
Surely, smiling “up at” them.
If there is a God.
Blessed be her name.
While I agree completely with them.sitting out the prayer the signs are just tacky and attention seeking… but then they are tacky and attention seeking Muppet’s.
yes, taking a stand against the church is kind of alien to most, so can only call it “tacky”. Don’t forget to kiss the bishops ring the next time you kneel down to beg for his blessing…
wrong again dav, I’m an atheist. I just find that lot childish and attention seeking. They could have made their point without the idiotic signs but I’m sure their “supporters” will be impressed. Don’t make me repeat my self again, read all the post before you comment.
You are an atheist, Bacchus, but you are a god, and totally entitled to w(h)ine :-)
‘tacky and attention seeking Muppet’s’ – who you completely agree with. Excellent stuff there…
I completely agree with them remaining seated… auto correct added a full stop.
Their constitutional rights are being threatened. Holding up a sign in silent protest is the least they should be doing.
lol tone policing
Would have been cooler if they’d had one word per sheet of paper and tossed them aside, Subterranean Homesick Blues style
#Morkeshing
It’s been overdone Bertie. That medicine is almost finished btw
Beside you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
Toupee!
It’s iconic.
Ray Bans and Jewfros would have made the world media.
Holding A3 sheets aloft is best left to the “Wenger Out” brigade.
What should have been done is the removal of the prayer and it’s replacement with a moment of silent reflection, but of course that can’t be done because the catholics vote too and we wouldn’t want to offend them.
More grandstanding on an issue of no real consequence (similar to the nonsense demands about the Saudi Arabia vote). Once again they are exposing themselves as having no answers to the bigger problems facing the country.
most of them are there to make a difference ……..to their bank balance!
separating church and state – an issue of no real consequence. Great stuff altogether…
https://youtu.be/1SJ6AV31MxA
Not sure how you can say it’s an issue of no consequences. At the moment, a religious order with a history of abuse and who refuses to pay reparations the state says they must pay, are being handed complete ownership and authority over a maternity hospital.
Religion has no place in our government.
Exactly Bob
a corrupt cult with a horrific track record and no genuine apologies to date in bed with our government ?
hardly inconsequential
Exactly Jamet
“….a prayer that makes absolutely no sense to the people of Ireland.”
Come off the stage.
I don’t think any rule should have been brought in making people stand. It only annoys people who didn’t like the prayer and gives them a very clear moment and means to grandstand….I mean, of course they were going to sit.
… finds self agreeing with newsjustin … looks for puke bag
Fair play to them for making a stand, the signs are a bit silly tho.
What I can’t get my head around is that a number of votes to either get rid of it or just have a moment of silent reflection. Rather then do that they decided it was better to force everyone to stand for it. Crazy stuff.
It feels nice to appreciate the actions of politicians I wouldn’t typically agree with.
Flash forward 100 years and I can see someone on Antiques Roadshow proudly clutching a photo of Ruth Coppinger smiling as the experts coo over it’s rarity and unusualness.
What was it?
A year ago
That I did this
Never took you for a follower Johnny K
What’s this Frilly?
https://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/04/08/without-a-prayer/
so maybe you are just a blow in Johnny
Frilly!!!
You are my Devine inspiration. Great article!
I’m a blow in everywhere I go Frilly. I’m not part of any status quo. And I liiiiiikkkkeee it!
Good piece on the Taeshock in bed with the CC. Hardly from the book of Revelations!
Remember he was letting on he was taking the sex abuse scandals in the CC seriously and he suspended the Vatican ambassador from Ireland. Appealing to the populist and for no other reason. Then he had a chat with the Vatican and not alone is the ambassador in the back door but the pope is coming to a massive fan fair at the taxpayers expense next year.
The CC can be seen in all their current glory on RTE Would You Believe last Sunday. I slate RTE but they gave the facts here. Surprised there wasn’t more discussion about it online.
You have done a great service to the state Frilly. Keep her lit
And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
Gorev did ya say the egghead of Micky Healy Rae looking over to watch the craic with the sit down faction?
It was like he was at mass in his constituency. Checking out who was there rather than bowing his head to repent.
No way, we won’t pray!
We shall stick to thinking
Fair play to all the elected politicians who refused to be part of a pathetic platitude they call a prayer.
Dàil Éireann is a place for real people not fictional characters.
Hypocrites bow their heads while they carry on ignoring the citizens they promised to legislate for.
This is the only job of a sitting TD. To legislate. Right now there are 140 bills being held up by this government.
If they want to be true to THEIR prayer. They should start fuckin working on it.
There is no God. Prove it to me or shut the fuck up. Stop hiding behind Santa clause Easter bunny or whatever you are calling him today.
I am the separation between church and state. Sit down and talk about reality with me in a field near you.
Peace!
We already did
Last year
Personally, I think “Fair Pray” might have been a good headline.