This morning/afternoon.

Tara Street, Dublin 1.

Minister for Justice and Equality Helen McEntee  at the launch of a campaign to highlight the dangers of using illegal fireworks before and during the Halloween period.

Sparklers are still grand.

 Sasko Lazarov /RollingNews

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63 thoughts on “Any Bangers?

      1. Brother Barnabas

        it is

        she always looks well

        even Varadkar and Coveney are invariably well turned out: good shoes, suits that fit, well groomed, fitted shirts

        FFers with their fat necks and slobbish suits dont help themselves

        1. Paulus

          …don’t forget an undone button over the belly. And for maximum effect; have one side of shirt out over trousers at the front.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      The odd few do alright. McEntee does have a bit of style about her. As Rod Stewart would say ‘She wears it well’

    1. Twoshoes

      She’s got a degree in Politics and Law, what more do you want from a politician who’s minister for justice? Would you prefer a 60 year old man who’s still on sabbatical from his primary school teaching job?

      1. bejasus

        a degree in politics means you can rock up and be an effective politican, does it?
        she jumped into a position because of her father. a position dealing with the suicide crisis at the time. she had no professional experience in the area. given a special slot at one stage on her own on prime time to show herself off. she is a script reader with no opinion of her own. useless.

        1. Rob_G

          “she had no professional experience in the area. ”

          She has 7 years’ experience as a TD, some of which she served as a junior minister – how much more experience are you looking for? Should we only give ministerial roles to old duffers who have been in the chamber for 30 years?

          1. Johnnythree

            Still useless. We should give Ministerial roles to people who are competent. She is a bluffer. Perfect party for her though.

        2. Twoshoes

          If you did some research into how her father died, you might find out that she was more than qualified to talk about the suicide crisis

      2. E'Matty

        Did she practice any Law or just study it? Even after a degree, to become a lawyer requires one passes a set of exams (FE1s), then a full training (PPC) programme (2+ years) and even then when you qualify, nobody is considerd a real lawyer for at least 2-3 years PQE of actual in the office/courts hands-on experience. Anyway, most lawyers are rote learning morons. so it really wouldn’t be much of a credit to her anyway.

        Irish people are so easy to impress with silly academic qualifications and titles. It’s the intellectual inferiority complex so many suffer that has them clinging to their voices of authority to tell them what to think like frightened children seeking parental protection, guidance and care. “Listen to the experts” they cry. How about do your own research and think for yourself for a change. Stop abdicating your civic responsbility to think for yourself to others you consider to be your intellectual superior. Many are not, they simply present themselves better. I wish people would realise that MOST topics are within the capability of MOST people to gain a reasonably good understanding of, if they simply apply basic rules of critical thinking and understand what constitutues objective evidence and what is subjective narrative.

        Indeed, it’s quite telling just how impressed people are by her attire here. Style over substance is the name of the game. Give me a scruffy stuttering man/woman with intelligence and integrity any day over a smooth talking well dressed ego driven empty vessel simply pursuing power and career.

        1. Nigel

          *well-dressed woman with professional qualifications appears*

          The Plain People Of Broadsheet: WE PREFER WILD MEN FROM THE WOODS WRAPPED ONLY IN THE TANGLED SWATHES OF THEIR OWN SHAGGY BEARDS STINKING OF CONGRESS WITH GOATS AND RANTING ABOUT MUSHROOMS

          1. E'Matty

            Missed the point completely, but not really surprised. Whilst you and many others seem enthralled and impressed by well dressed people/politicians, I am merely pointing to the vacuous nature of this and how often this misguidedly constitutes a metric by which we measure our public figures. The worst of our time have been very well dressed and presented (Tony Blair dressed and spoke well, but was a war criminal for example), though the illusion falls flat on substance, which is what I tend to focus on. It’s similar to how so many focus on what a poltician says, rather than on what they actually do, which is what truly matters. But, do carry on with your little fashion show…

          2. V AKA Frilly Keane

            Some truth in that

            In my experience the lad doesn’t need to have gone to the trouble growing a beard or flirting with goats

            Just needs to be louder

            Not so sure about well-dressed
            That’s a matter of opinion
            Whereas Profession Credentials are a matter of fact and the same for everyone

            Everyone that passes tests n’ stuff

          3. Nigel

            Nonsense, all politicians and professionals should be judged entirely on their level of attractiveness to hormonal teenagers of any gender.

    1. Rosette of Sirius

      I bought a very nice shiny new car recently. I work for a company whose products everyone here are certain to use one way or another…. Thanks!

      (See how ridiculous that sounds?)

      1. Rob_G

        just to play devil’s advocate – the difference being that McEntee is paid by the taxpayer. If she was going around wearing ermine or something, Johnny would actually have a point.

        But in fact she is wearing a dress from Dorothy Perkins or Asos or somewhere, so he doesn’t.

          1. Rosette of Sirius

            It’s a farcical point though. The public representatives you voted for, assuming you voted and assuming they were elected, get paid too. She represents her electorate and gets paid for it. That’s the deal. What she buys with her money is her business and her property – nobody else’s.

  1. Scundered

    About time, but how about extra measures to punish anyone caught using these illegal torments, the amount of fireworks going off has been off the scale this year. Curfews for the known troublemakers might help.

      1. JEH

        Must be thinking of the UK’s recent announcement. It’s a low quality photo but it actually looks like it says 20/30k on my computer!

        So let me get this straight, there’s more punishment for fireworks than for “dangerous driving” resulting in death?

      2. Scundered

        It’s my guess that jail time or 10k fines can’t be placed on juveniles, whom I would assume are responsible for letting the fireworks off in most cases though

    1. George

      Or even just driving around and taking the fireworks would be something. They’re going off every night within a few hundred metres of Kevin Street Garda Station and have been for years at this time of year. They aren’t hard to find. They’re basically setting off flares.

      1. Micko

        To difficult for Guards to deal with the type of people who are setting them off.

        Easier to stage a media campaign letting everyone know that they are serious about “tackling the problem” while really doing nothing effective.

        Kinda reminds me of something else they brought in…

  2. Johnnythree

    ‘She’s got a degree in Politics and Law, what more do you want from a politician who’s minister for justice? Would you prefer a 60 year old man who’s still on sabbatical from his primary school teaching job?’

    Eh she got in on her dads seat. Sans talent.

    1. Rob_G

      There have been two elections since the by-election where she first entered office; the Meath electorate have had two opportunities to get rid of her. Apparently they are happy enough with her.

      1. V AKA Frilly Keane

        + V

        And is without doubt
        One of the best performers at cabinet

        Lads, some of ye would want to cop on t’ yerselves
        There is a 60 year old man
        Who has had four senior ministries behind him
        Plus over 30 years on the same Oireachtas
        And is now Taoiseach
        And she’s putting him to shame

      2. Johnnythree

        Easy to get in when the door is opened. She hardly grafted her way up from an unknown. The worst of Irish politics right there.

          1. Johnnythree

            Thats why we have no talent. They should do an exam in critical reasoning and basic economics to get onto a ballot.

          2. Cian

            Perhaps this should be extended to the electorate? everyone should do an exam in critical reasoning and basic economics to be allowed to vote

          3. Twoshoes

            ‘Thats why we have no talent. They should do an exam in critical reasoning and basic economics to get onto a ballot.’

            Eh.. I think a degree in Economics (which is what McEntee has) is probably better than an aul exam to be fair

          4. E'Matty

            @Twoshoes “Eh.. I think a degree in Economics (which is what McEntee has) is probably better than an aul exam to be fair”. Not necessarily. Depends entirely on the individual. Really, any idiot can rote learn and regurgitate data in an exam. That’s not intelligence.

          5. Brother Barnabas

            a primary degree in DCU and a masters in Griffith College…

            that’s the 2020 equivalent of finishing primary school in 1980

    2. Brother Barnabas

      no question she’s eminently unqualified for that role, but so is almost every other member of the cabinet

      difference though is that its rarely commented on when it’s a male TD we’re talking about

        1. Brother Barnabas

          tbh, I wouldn’t say that – any eejit can qualify as a solicitor. one thing I’ve learned is that solicitors, barristers, accountants, whatever… not at all equal. most of them are fupping useless- you’ve got to weed through a lot of sh 1t to get good ones. my current accountant’s hourly rate is more than twice what previous one charged – but she’s worth twice that again. if she told me in the morning she was doubling her fees, I’d stick with her

          1. V AKA Frilly Keane

            Well that’s true
            Kinda

            The workplace ultimately decides who’s got game and who hasn’t
            But the lads still have more than a head start

            And age is a thing
            Especially with women candidates

            While for the kinda stuff I’d chase now when they crop up
            More Governance stuff
            It’s 100% Political / Jobs for the Friends of

            Interesting thing about fees
            If I’m brought in by one of the Blue Ribbon firms on a client case as a consultant, said firm will bill me out per hour a number that the same client wouldn’t dream of coming within a time zone to pay me under my own letterhead

            Same work, same licence, same PI, same VAT rate, and same Signiture

  3. JEH

    They’re absolutely taking the wee. This is nothing more than pretending to do “something” about the issue.

  4. GiggidyGoo

    I don’t think she’s put a foot wrong so far – apart from holding an umbrella over Varadkar like a hand maiden.

  5. Johnnythree

    ‘Perhaps this should be extended to the electorate? everyone should do an exam in critical reasoning and basic economics to be allowed to vote’

    Why would we do that?

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