Transparently Symbolic

at

This afternoon.

The Convention Centre, Dublin.

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald arrives for a Dáil session sporting a perspex balaclava face shield….

Meanwhile….

This afternoon.

Convention Centre, Dublin.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin arriving for a sitting of the Dail wearing a bespoke face mask featuring his name alongside a tiny defiant tricolour for added protection.

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

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38 thoughts on “Transparently Symbolic

  1. GiggidyGoo

    I’d say Michilins shirts have his name on the inside neck as well. And his milk cartons have ‘open other end’ written on the base.

      1. scottser

        hey j, you’ve been to france. can you make a trebuchet?
        you could do serious damage with one of them lads.

    1. Rob_G

      What’s a “people’s revolution”, and what specific benefits do you think it would have over, say, a government democratically-elected by a plurality of voters?

      1. bisted

        ‘…a government democratically elected by a plurality of voters’…would be lovely…instead we get FFG propelled into power again by the perfidious greens…

        1. Cian

          FF 484,315 first preferences
          FG 455,568 first preferences
          Green 155,695 first preferences
          Total government: 1,095,578

          Total valid poll: 2,183,489

          The three government parties collectively got more first preferences that everyone else put together. This is democracy.

          1. bisted

            …well, strictly speaking, it’s representative democracy…the greens owe most of their seats to voters who thought they were voting for change…they have betrayed those voters…

          2. GiggidyGoo

            This Program For Government was formulated after the election.

            No voter had a chance to vote for or against it.

            The voters voted for the various parties stated Programs during the election, which didn’t include coalitions.

            Instead of the voters choosing the government, these politicians did, after the fact and with an inability of the voters to vote against such a coalition.

            Democracy is not in action here.

          3. Cian

            “the greens owe most of their seats to voters who thought they were voting for change…they have betrayed those voters…”

            Says you. Have you asked the 155,695 green voters this question? Or are you making an assumption?

            People vote for a party with the intention that they get into power and are able to implement their polices.

          4. Cian

            @GiggidyGoo
            Technically the people never vote for a government. We vote for individual TDs within our own constituency only. Granted many are in a party and we are voting for the party and it’s stated Program.

            Those TDs enter the Dáil where they have the power to decide who amongst them forms the government.

            No government could have been formed after the February 2020 election that “the people voted for” since no one party got a majority.

            As bisted says, it is a representative democracy – we vote for a TD to represent us.

          5. GiggidyGoo

            @Cian
            Reality:
            We vote for candidates based on whatever Program they present to us. The FF FG Green election Programs For Government was what people who voted for those parties voted for.
            They didn’t vote for a coalition with a different Program For Government. As you said,
            ‘Those TDs enter the Dáil where they have the power to decide who amongst them forms the government.’ But the coalition of FFGG is not what the voters voted for (unless I missed something in their Election literature saying that was their intention?).
            If voters do not vote for a coalition of these three parties, based on their election manifestos and programs for government, yet get such a coalition, then that’s not democracy.
            We vote for individuals whose declared programs / manifestos have been produced to us. Once elected, and those are scrapped, then democracy has been given the two fingers.

    1. George

      Her own businesses, really. She is an opposition TD and isn’t provided with a driver.

    1. Otis Blue

      Spend some time with the car and you’ll appreciate the clever detailing, the still-fresh styling and the way the gearbox slurs more smoothly than Des Lynam after one too many single malts.

    1. Scundered

      Still better than her emerging from the car with an actual cock flavoured lollipop on her face instead though? This must surely mean it’s more useful than that.

  2. SOQ

    Face shields are easier to disinfect than cloth masks, they prevent the wearer from touching even more areas of their face than a cloth mask might, and they’re easier to breathe in. People also tend to remove their cloth masks when they’re talking to people. Plastic is a much better barrier than a cloth mask as the infection can still be transmitted through cloth.

    Makes no difference anyways as May Lou has the t shirt and is now immune.

    1. Jack

      No such thing as Covid immunity
      Face shields do not stop water droplets. Hence medics wear face shields and masks. Shields should only be used where there is a medical reason.

        1. Jack

          They are cells that form part of a normal immune system. There is no clinical evidence of long term Covid immunity. 3 weeks posr ingestion is the longest antibodies have been detected post recovery

          1. SOQ

            Apologies- that vid above is somewhat relevant but this is the one which explains the relationship between antibodies and T cells.

            https://youtu.be/apsBgAI0qc4?t=1333

            Now unless you feel Dr. John Campbell is wrong in which feel free to log on to YouTube and have a chat in the comments section.

    2. George

      The virus is airborne. The function of a mask is not to prevent you touching your face. Disinfecting your own mask isn’t much of an issue as it’s purpose is to stop you spreading the virus. If the virus is on your mask you most likely are infected with it. The number of covid19 antibodies a person carries rapidly deteriorates overtime. Mary Lou is most likely not immune. Hopefully she wears a proper mask once she gets inside and not just a sneeze guard.

      Plastic face shields are designed to be used along with masks by healthcare workers who are in contact with coughing and sneezing patients.

      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24467190/

      1. SOQ

        The virus is NOT aribroune. It is transmitted through water droplets which are projected when someone coughs or sneezes and to a lesser extent, speaks- that is not the same as airbourne.

  3. Vanessanelle

    In fairness
    The oul shields do help keeping the face and lipstick in shape

    Those disposable masks don’t be long getting manky while playing havoc with the lippy and the contouring shading n’ the blusher n’ the like

    And Marylou does like a heavy foundation look

    Just saying

  4. baz

    Mary didn’t want a muzzle so she went for the sausage roll blocking device instead. Lets keep an eye on the results.

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