103 thoughts on “Notes On A Scandal

    1. Casperghost

      Other solutions must be found for the current migrant/refugee crisis, what is now a wave is to become a tidal wave of people. The problem is too big, the risks to European societies too great.

      Europe cannot afford millions of dependent people, Europe cannot assimilate Muslim cultures – the Islamic ideology is incompatible with European democratic values. The rise of Right wing political parties all over Europe tells us that populations are scared and are not being represented by mainstream politicians and media.

      There seems to be a lot of genuine people who want to help, and then certain vested interests who can make money or political gain from a large influx of depend not people. Then there are Useful idiots who will keep calling for us to take more and more immigrants while our society fractures. The Muslim child sex rings in the north of England? Sharia ruled areas in Cities in the UK, the problems with large scale Muslim populations are well documented in UK, Sweden, France etc.

      Irish people do not emigrate to receive free accommodation and benefits – they emigrate to work and quietly assimilate into the host society. The Irish government needs to keep a cool head, but of course it won’t, it will do whatever to help Merkel with the enormous Mess she has helped to create. In the meantime planting the seed for untold damage for future Irish societies.

      1. Bobby

        Ah you’ll get over the xenophobia some day, hopefully, for your own sake and for the sake of ordinary people with ordinary ideas everywhere. It’s really difficult to respond reasonably to some wild random nonsense like this. Your post is so unbelievably full of misleading and untrue information from the first sentence to the last that I’m genuinely upset that you know how to use a computer.

      1. D2dweller

        Sorry viewing on a phone so it’s tricky to see.

        But there is a figure saying Turkey 1.8m, Lebanon 1.1m Jordan 800k Ireland 20.

        We’ve only taken 20 refugees from Syria?

  1. Jonotti

    I isn’t see any debunking. That guy was safely lving in Turkey yet still put his kids on a boat so that’s your last point rebunked.

    1. Bobby

      Kurd living safe in Turkey yeah? You know that family was from Kobani right?

      They weren’t living in safety, they were living in fear. Do you know what’s happening to Turkish Kurds in Turkey at the moment? (Nevermind the newly arrived Syrian Kurds). Do you know anything that’s happening beyond the borders of fortress Europe that isn’t mentioned in rag newspapers or on buzzfeed.

      Read about the Suruc bombing, read about Kobani, read about the history of Kurds in Turkey and go look at Al Jazeera or get a book about the current unheavel and repression in Turkey. Most of all, read all of this stuff so that when you try to be a smart arse on the internet you don’t just end up looking like a fool and/or a scumbag.

      ‘..so that’s your last point rebunked’, you absolute clown.

    2. Jonotti

      Kurds make up 20% of the population of Turkey and are hardly living in mortal danger worthy of taking a dinghy across the sea.

      1. Bobby

        Obviously they are. You not watching the news no? Besides, it’s not Turkish Kurd running off, it’s Syrians. It’s very simple, when Kobani was attacked by ISIS, then bombed by Turkey and the US of A, these people feld the all but destoyed Kobani (still under attack) to Turkey. Many of these people have family in Europe or North America, they literally have no where to go. If you had nothing left, wouldn’t you try to go to something that resembles normality?

        Of course these are dark-skinned Muslims and where they were born on this planet dictates whether or not they have the same rights of freedom of movment as us real and normal white people.

        1. 3stella

          “Of course these are dark-skinned Muslims and where they were born on this planet dictates whether or not they have the same rights of freedom of movment as us real and normal white people.”

          Nonsense, Every country has a right to protect it’s borders and citizens, while your at it take your soapbox over to Saudi Arabia, the most regressive, sectarian violator of human & religious rights on the planet and see how far you get.

          1. Bobby

            Yeah but I’m not going to lunatic Wahhabi Saudia Arabia and either are any of the refugees becasue why would anyone go there voluntarily?

            This conversation is about how we go about our own business. If you’re happy to simply dismiss all discussion in order to point out there are authoritarian regimes out there then you’re not worth talking to. I oppose repression and inequality everywhere. It’s not very enlightened of you to treat people bad and point to fascists and suggest fascists would treat them worse.

            Oh and maybe we shouldn’t get into a discussion about border things. We do have a right to ‘protect’ our borders, but that seems to be coupled with a complete disregard to Arab, African and Persian state’s autonomy and right to protect itself.

            All in all you’re talking nonsense I think to be honest.

      2. meadowlark

        Stop being so bloody arrogant and do a bit of effing reading. They are all people. All of them. A bit of respect maybe?

          1. donkey_kong

            good lord . I know there be kurds in syria.
            But given my reading in the media , admittedly I didn’t research the poor guy with the zeal of some internet warriors, I hadn’t heard him described as a kurd.
            but why you feel the need to call my ignorance depressing is baffling….I dodn’t know I asked. hmmmm

            Thanks for the personal dig though. classy
            Haters will hate..

          2. Bobby

            Yeah they were from the town of Kobani in the northern Syria state, or as the Kurdish and other people living in region would now call it, Rojava or Western Kurdistan.

      3. Cup of tea anyone

        I think the Kardashians did an episode where they touched on the subject. maybe check that out.

      1. Zuppy International

        Nonsense. The idea is to line the pockets of those who run the Direct Provision services. And to take the indigenous homeless problem off the front pages. And keep the on-going water protests out of the headlines.

        1. Bobby

          I agree to a certain extent. For sure these scumbags making money off direct provision are the same people who own the buildings that our newly arrived residents will be living in, albeit not under the same strict conditions as direct prov.

          Not so sure about the Irish homeless line though. I don’t know if lots of people realise or not that a lot of the people working of the ground for refugee support/solidarity are the same people working on frontline homeless services. In fairness, there has been a bit of movement in Dublin around the issue (very slowly) and I think it’s unfair to say it has been kept out of the media.

          Refugee solidarity activists are also single mother activists, housing activists, childcare activsts and so on (obviously like any social movement or group there are also people doing stuff that have never mobilised for anything before for one reason or another). I think both the current housing crisis and the circumstances surrounding refugess coming to Ireland can be coupled insofar as you can point out that it’s not about resources and accessibility, it’s about political will, or lack therof.

          The only way the dire housing situation will change or the cruel direct provision system is abandoned is if good people get out, organise and take action. Housing, poverty/inequality, mental health, education, labour rights and so on, are all issues that we can have a direct affect on. Sound people untie to make the world a sounder place for all!

          At that solidarity demo in Dublin a few weeks back I saw a group of housing activists holding a banner that said ‘refuge for all, housing for all’. I liked that..

  2. Eamonn Clancy

    Rose and her well meaning chums omitted a hugely significant piece in her drawing; Islam. Perhaps she should aquaint herself with its teachings as regards Women.

      1. Nially

        Very little, but if you keep saying “ISLAM!!!” loudly enough you win basically any internet argument relating to migration, asylum, culture or humanitarian aid.

      2. Jones

        The fact that they must be willing to integrate and come to terms with the laws and customs of the countries they seek refuge in, and not end up creating no-go Sharia ghettos

        1. Don Pidgeoni

          Evidence if that? Where are these no go areas? They aren’t in the UK despite what right wing bigots would have you think.

    1. Bobby

      Not all Muslim are hardcore, some don’t practice. Not all foerigners are are Muslim. Not all Muslims are sexist.

      Would you believe that, and I know it’s hrd to wrap your head around this when you look at the news enough, most Muslims are fairly ordinary. And don’t embarress yourself by trying to say Muslims treat women like shit. I grew up in Ireland, did you not? What happened to my mother at the hands of men in Ireland is hard to talk about. Most of my friends who I grew up with were sexually assaulted in one way or another.. by my male friends. So many women I know on a daily basis are interupted or their opinion casually ignored by men. Most men still have a good laugh at rape and sexist jokes, but it’s okay because we’re white, right?

      Eamon, fighting patriarchy isn’t fighting Muslims. Don’t suppose you’re an anti-sexist activist? Or is it only when there are Muslims to blame?

      1. Prop Joe

        Hold on – What?
        “Most of my friends who I grew up with were sexually assaulted in one way or another.. by my male friends.” ?
        What kind of group of friends did you have that the males were all sexually assaulting everyone?!

        1. Bobby

          Sexual assault is not always penetartive sex. Unconsentual sexual acts is rape. I grew up in an ordinary working class Dublin estate. Most women I know in my life at one stage or another had sexual contact without their consent. My mother and aunty by the church/state, my sister by her friend and many of my friends by their boyfriends. I think this is very, very normal. Rape inside marriage in Ireland was legal until recently, we had magdaline laudrys that showed men what worth women were. Don’t by so shocked.

          Rape doens’t usually happen to you in an alley with a man in a mask, it’s usually a friend or family.

          1. Prop Joe

            I’m sorry but I simply don’t believe that.
            Mother, aunty by church and state I’ll believe that, sister by friend I’ll believe.
            But many many of your friends? OR as you said earlier, most women you know – Simply not true.

          2. Bobby

            No it’s very true. When someone is drunk and taken advantage of, when a woman says no and the goy goes ahead with it, when a guy was touching my friend and she didn’t want it, when a young woman is pressured, it’s all sexual assault.

            Looking back at it gives me the chills. I was not the most attractive of ‘deh lads’ so I was friends with all the girls. I spent more time than a young man should have to listening to young women crying, feeling like crap, telling me their horrible sexual experience. But, it was a rough enough little existence already without wanting to dwell upon it, so it was normal, men were men, we all moved on. My life is quite different than it used to be and I think often enough if these women, now grown up, and if they ever look back and realised the extent of sexual abuse in my estate. There was violent and fiery vigilante situations when a stragers violently raped someone, but the rest was ‘not rape’.

            I can’t say anything other than all of this is true, and bad things happened to a lot of good people. Growing up in the midst of it seems normal.

            Either way, this is not the issue we’re talking about now. Refugees will have even more horrific experiences and they are looking to the west for solidarity. The state won’t do it, so we will.

          3. Jonotti

            Lol Bobby was the classic “nice guy” trying to convince the girls to stay away from bad guys. That explains a lot.

          4. Bobby

            Nope, they were all my mates, I didn’t really know what the f**k was going on in my head at the time. I’m sorry for you that you feel it’s appropriate to joke about it. Suppose that explains a lot about your character and how serious I should take your comments..

            Anyway, solidarity with refugees.

          1. rory

            I’m wondering if the joke is acceptable though, especially after reading Bobby’s comments.
            ‘Pressuring someone to have sex with them’; that appears to be what Tommy is describing.

      2. Bonkers

        fair play Bobby.

        There’s a reason why the leading sexual abuse charity in Ireland is called One in Four- it is because the stats show that 1 in 4 people in Ireland have faced some form of non consensual sexual contact during their lives.

    1. Prop Joe

      Have had several pretty big rows with other half over this. I’ve just started to say “Not talking about it” now.

        1. Prop Joe

          Nah bro, we get it together daily and nightly. Our political differences don’t define us.
          Our Pearl Jam – Ten CD and some vanilla scented candles do.

    1. rotide

      I normally really like John Oliver but i found it strange he didn’t once mention a single jot about the causes of the migration

      1. sǝɯǝɯ ʇɐ pɐq

        He’s an annoying, shouty englishman, pandering to the American ‘Intelligentsia’.
        He could NEVER mention that and do a forced laugh immediately after.
        He’s not an actor…

        …oh wait…

      1. sǝɯǝɯ ʇɐ pɐq

        Bobby, you started off so strongly…
        Then you went a bit off-topic.

        You seem to be on your way back now, and I welcome it..

        You’re a woman, aren’t you?
        I can tell.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      My reaction too.
      I thought it naive, a tad judgemental with further tads of patronisation and idealism.

  3. galwaytt

    ….like everything else, that sketch is a form of emotional terrorism. Sure we have only 20 taken, but conveniently you’re over looking the Gulf States (lack of) action here – if they have enough €€€€ to build 200 mosques in Europe for these migrants/refugees etc, then they have the resources to house & home them too. Are they not always looking for immigrant workers as-is ??

    1. Bobby

      I don’t know what kind of environment you grew up in, but most people would call what you term emotional terrorism, compassion. It’s in response to the absolute untruths being perpetrated by racists and nationalists, as well as unsuspecting ordinary people falling prey to the lies. What’s truly coneinient is people like you pointing to the gulf states. These people are coming to Europe, regardless of your prefered ideology. If you look into the rise of Wahibbism and Suadia Arabis activities over the last few decades you would see (and probably already know) that they are as much responsible for the state of the middle-east as any other aggressive state with an interest in the region. People don’t want to go there, and it probably won’t be invited anyway.

      The living conditions for ordinary people in gulf states are appaling. There is no reason why people who enjoy such exemplary freedoms such as ourselves should limit our own ambitions to expecting other people fleeing persecution to lower their own standards of living beyond anything we would expect or tolerate ourselves! It’s kind of unthinkable from my perspective. It’s expecting that other people should not have the same freedom as us. Why?

      Saudia Arabia is as bad as the US and China, I’m not going to wait around while they do nothing, as expected, and while Jordan and Lebanon tremble under the responsibilty of an internationally created disaster zone. No sir, I’m going to do, as I have in the past, whatever I can to show solidarity with those who reach out and ask for it. I’ve needed a hand in my life, and will extent my hand out to anyone who needs it. Sorry, I’m trailing off into emotional terrorism here..

      1. sǝɯǝɯ ʇɐ pɐq

        YES, we’re back.
        Go Bobby go.

        (I didn’t use an exclamation marks for two reasons: Firstly, so as you wouldn’t think I was being facetious or insincere. I meant it. I fully support you,100%. I do. I really do.
        Secondly, I spilt precious booze on my keyboard earlier on. (I dribbled, laughing at one of of my own jokes.) Now the number 1 key and the number 2 keys only work on the numberpad thingy over on the right. I can’t be arsed looking up how to type an exclamation mark.
        They’re only useful for making you look like a dick anyway..

        Go Bobby Go[insert exclamation-mark here]

        1. Don Pidgeoni

          Maybe. I’ve never been threatened by armed militia. Have you? You and I are extremely fupping lucky that instead of making any choice like that, we get to just bitch on the internet. Ain’t life grand?

          1. mike hunt

            No I haven’t, I just find it hard to believe that men would leave their families behind in a war zone. A lot of these men probably aren’t even from Syria or Iraq anyway.

          2. Dόn Pídgéόní

            I find it hard to believe you aren’t getting all of your information on this from the Faily Mail.

            Telling user name.

    1. Bobby

      Nah, they’re leaving their families in refugee camps. Try paying attention, then you can join in the conversation like all the other competent adults.

  4. Fergus the magic postman

    I used to read some of the pro Government comments in other posts on here, and I’d think that some of the commenters are either trolls, shills, or just deluded bottomholes.
    Then I’d see the same people commenting in posts such as this one, displaying not just a complete lack of humanity, but going as far as to be anti-humanity.
    That says a lot.

    1. sǝɯǝɯ ʇɐ pɐq

      I remember back in the 70s when one of the things I was proud about for being Irish was that there was no visible racism.

      Maybe I was too young at the time.

      1. sǝɯǝɯ ʇɐ pɐq

        * (And when I say ‘No visible racism’ I mean against non-Irish people.
        We ALWAYS treated Travellers the same way we do today. That’s not what I’m talking about.)

  5. donkey_kong

    genuine question.

    if they are fleeing persecution , I don'[t get the point about the men going first to pay for the family to come later?
    Are they not leaving them in the place of persecution?
    enlighten me please?

    I also don’t subscribe to number 1. what irish people are doing abroad is an irrelevant point,.
    They aren’t refugees to begin with.

    1. Bobby

      Loads of people end up in camps in Lebanon or elsewhere, there are also millions of Syrians internally displaced with diminishing hopes of returning to anything that would resemble a town or city. Basically the middle-east is already full of refugees (there are millions of Palestinian refugees alone!) and even if you wanted to make a life in these countries, a life in a camp is not an existence. Regardless, most people will stay nearby in the hope of returning home, but the ones who have the resources (remember, most people had jobs, savings, jewelary, cars etc) are able to afford make the exploited trip to Europe. As the situation intensified a s**t load of people from Turkey all the way to Hungary have set out to exploit people every single step of the way. The price of getting to Europe is now pretty high as you can imagine.

      Now, the best hope is to give one fit, healthy man all the money to get to a place to Germany where they can also have their family brought over. In the case of people coming from sub-Saharan africa, there is basically no money or resources to use so they sent a son/male to find work in Europe and if even a fraction of his income is sent home, it is a liveline for more than one family.

      Realistically, a lot of the women are muslim and pious; the younger men would have a much easier time running around fields, train stations, sneaking accross borders etc, than women with zero facilities would have. So, the women are not perhaps in the face of immediate danger from gunmen anymore, but they are the in the long process of being displaces, it’s not an A-B situation.

      1. donkey_kong

        i’m enlightened . The article doesn’t make the distinction of what home they are left in.
        It gave me impression they were left in warzone.

      1. Prop Joe

        There’s nowhere I disagreed with him except for where he somehow turned the discussion into how the majority of women he knows were sexually assaulted. I did state that I find this hard to believe.
        It was later pointed out by someone in agreement with him that the statistic is 1 in 4 people in the country. Taking an assumption that this is 1 in 4 women (it is less than 1 in 4 women if the initial is a mix pf both men and women) then this is not a majority.
        Therefore most of the women he knows were not sexually assaulted.

        His stance on refugees is a matter of opinion and ideological belief. I happen to agree with most of it. I want the country to help with the migrant crisis, but I don’t want an open door policy of allowing all and every applicant through. A set number, with checks and protocols in place to determine the validity of their claim is what I would like to see.

        No bitterness here, I just don’t like to see wild claims passed as fact.

        1. Don Pidgeoni

          It depends on how sexual assault is defined in that report vs what Bobby says which I would suspect is true. Ask any woman if she had ever had someone touch her in an unwanted sexual way and I bet most would say yes and not just once. That is also sexual assault.

        2. Bobby

          ‘Therefore most of the women he knows were not sexually assaulted’

          *Sigh*

          Solidarity with refugees coming to Ireland. Support homeless services, abuse services, hospices, youth centres, community development spaces, squats, work with eledery services (YOU can make someone live longer by spending two hours a week with an older person), rebuild parks and sustainable wildlife paths, work with disabled people, build cooperatives, go to books clubs, fight health cuts, fight austerity, fight deportations and evictions. Become a doctor, firefighter, whatever.

          Everyday just ask yourself, how ultra-sound can I be today? If you make the world a better place, you’ll also reaps the rewards.

  6. Deluded

    For balance.
    David Quinn, “re-settlement programmes”.
    cf.broadsheet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ind2.jpg

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