This morning.

Dublin city centre.

An ad calling for the boycott of the Israel-hosted Eurovision 2019 from Sadaka, –  the ‘Irish Palestine Alliance’.

Pic via Niam McKiernan

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile

Yesterday: Shane Heneghan: No Song For Palestine

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47 thoughts on “On Or Off?

  1. eoin

    Loss-making RTE pays €500,000 a year as a membership fee to the secretive Swiss-based European Business Union (CEO: Noel Curran, ex-RTE boss). The EBU does not produce audited accounts. The salaries of its management aren’t published.

    Loss-making RTE pays €1.4m a year to the EBU for certain news and Europe-based studio services.

    Loss-making RTE pays an amount which it won’t disclose on confidentiality grounds to the EBU for certain sports.

    Broadcaster members come and go each year at the EBU, we’re not tied in for life. Time for RTE to go.

    And why won’t the EBU allow the Palestianian TV channel join?

      1. eoin

        I think the ideal for RTE is to break even, not make a profit or loss. At present, it is making large losses.

        It could kill two birds with the one stone this week, do the moral thing and withdraw from the EBU which runs the Eurovision, and save €2 million + a year which would go some way towards plugging its deficit. Win-win.

        And practically speaking, “boycotting Eurovision” would mean Ireland resigning its expensive membership at the EBU.

  2. baz

    bunch of Irish leftie narcissists looking for attention again…. €50 I bet
    – people that cant even rear their own children correctly

    1. Mickey Twopints

      Well, I’ve read some strange comments aimed at denigrating the efforts of those who would like to see the Palestinian people treated as humans, but that has to be the up there with the most strange.

    2. topsy

      baz, if you have concerns about peoples parenting skills the u should contact TUSLA forthwith.

  3. Stuboy

    Madonna wont bow to someones political agenda, she’ll happily take money from whoever will pay.

        1. bisted

          …’mercenary’ may be more appropriate…give me my blood money…give me my shekels…

  4. Deimos

    I am still baffled by the Irish attitude to jews and their homeland. I saw it in childhood here when my friends referred to Jews as “Christ killers”, something apparently taught by the lovely humanitarians of the Christian brothers. It seemed to be prevalent in almost any group I was with, mention the Jews and out came the vitriol.

    Why does a nation famous for its hospitality and now famous for tolerance have such an inbuilt hatred for this one group?

    And please don’t try to say its support for the Palestinians, look up the Limerick pogrom. Also look at how many Jewish refugees Ireland took in after WW2, then compare that with how many Former Nazi’s where taken.

    So how has this happened?

    1. newsjustin

      I’m in my early 40s and have never in my life heard any Irish person refer to the Jewish people as “Christ killers”. I’m sure anti-semitism does exist. But the Irish aren’t casually anti-Semitic.

      Also, what kind of groups were you in where the subject of “the jews” came up?

      1. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

        I’ve heard it. More than once and from people who really should have known better.
        Not amongst my peers, though. It’s a generational thing, I think.

        1. deluded

          Every “Good Friday” it was explained to us that Pontius Pilate wanted to let Jesus go but the crowd* demanded that Barrabus be released instead, (a dubious possibility as such a custom is quite unknown in the histories of Rome or the Jews).
          It’s not much of a leap from the Jews demanding his death to scapegoating the whole culture for that death.

          *Jews

    2. Termagant

      We’re not talking about Jews, we’re talking about Israelis. The world’s full of Jews who’ve never stepped foot in Israel and never plan to, whose lineage has never touched Israeli soil going back generations, conflating the two groups is fallacious.

      And in this context the Israelis are being buppyholes to the Palestinians and we want to lean on them until they stop.

    3. missred

      I have never heard antisemitism from an Irish person, it’s not something we throw about the place. There is no “Irish attitude to Jews and their homeland”. And we don’t have “an inbuilt hatred for one group”.

      We have a dislike for an apartheid nation that violates the human rights of its citizens as was done by the British to our citizens not so long ago.

      1. Cian

        No. it was adult Jesus. Who was himself a Jew.

        If you look at many crucifixes you’ll see “INRI”: IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDÆORVM Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews

  5. Kim Cardassian

    I don’t watch it any other year but I feel I should watch it this year to avoid people assuming that I’m boycotting it. But then am I supporting someone else by watching it?

    I’m so confused

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      Kim, I am also confused. I haven’t watched it since we sent that turkey. Then I didn’t watch it as I was away. Then I didn’t watch it last year because I had better things to do. Now I’m invited to a Eurovision party….with cocktails….so incredibly tempted. I support the Palestinian cause completely but I can’t see how boycotting the viewing of the thing is going to make a difference. And, cocktails…

  6. italia'90

    It would appear that Lebanon is likely to be bombed by Israel over the summer in a proxy war with Iran.
    And brace yourselves…
    Ukrainegate is going to replace Russiagate fairly soon too.

    1. bisted

      …hope hezbellah bites back…battle hardened warriors against gobpoo conscripts…

        1. bisted

          …well…maybe the zionazi bombs are dropped in jest…come friendly bombs etc…

          1. Mickey Twopints

            bisted, it’s possible to roundly condemn the actions of the Israeli government and the IDF, and in turn to condemn HazB’Allah for their provocation, without wishing for further conflict and bloodshed. That part of the planet has seen more than enough war.

          2. bisted

            …Mickey…I hate that every bit of resistance meets with a disproportionist response from the zionists…but…if the missiles rain in on Tel Aviv…nobody will cheer louder than the beleagured people of Palestine…

          3. Mickey Twopints

            No, bisted. Not all of them. Enough for Fox news to make it looks as though the entire Palestinian nation turned out to cheer, but most will be hiding under whatever shelter they can find, waiting for the inevitable retaliation and praying that it won’t be their family obliterated this time.

          4. bisted

            …yes…all of them to a greater rather than a lesser extent…because all of them will know that some of their number stood up to oppression…

          5. rotide

            It’s exactly this sort of tunnel vision idealogical rhetoric that is causing the deaths in the middle east, and Northern Ireland in the troubles.

            You’re a disgrace.

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